Challenge of the week
This week your challenge is to record a screencast or software simulation. You can choose any type of topic that interests you.
Tools
You can use Articulate Storyl...
Published 11 years ago
Version 1.0
Blog Post
What a great challenge. I absolutely agree with David A., screencasting is a crucial skill when transfering knowledge, especially to this generation of youngsters. With platforms like YouTube and Vimeo it has never been easier to bring video based learning content to your audience and tools like Articulate Storyline, Replay, Screenr, Camtasia, Jing, Captivate etc. allow us to create professional content in a way that we couldn't do before without hiring expensive professionals.
I started with basic How-to videos but now use it for pre-recorded webinars, video lectures etc. As with any skill worth aquiring, it takes practice to become really good. If I think back to when I started doing screencasts most of the first attempts made me feel I was way out of my league. The thing is to not let perfection stand in the way of continuous improvement. Look at what works for you and what doesn't. Remember we're not making Hollywood productions here.
Now, I'm a bit of a rapid screencaster. I don't script hence the many 'ehms' in my screencasts. I'm making it up as I go along. So there's my area for improvement. It doesn't mean I don't prepare. I often create title and closing screens and nowadays I prepare a good looking example and in doing so I have a general idea of what my story will be. Experience has thought me to record, not in one go but in sections. When I was using Screenr I used to pause my recording, take a breath, think about the next section and press record again. Now that I use Articulate Replay I actually break up my recording into multiple sections e.g. intro-explanation-explanation-outro.
So as they say at Nike:"Just do it!", and start screencasting. Keep at it and you'll get better and better.
Here are some examples of my work, for your inspiration and amusement:
My latest:
http://youtu.be/8sT0FxDOmkE
http://youtu.be/52dwFUytwkE
My first:
http://www.screenr.com/Qbk
http://www.screenr.com/dJF
I started with basic How-to videos but now use it for pre-recorded webinars, video lectures etc. As with any skill worth aquiring, it takes practice to become really good. If I think back to when I started doing screencasts most of the first attempts made me feel I was way out of my league. The thing is to not let perfection stand in the way of continuous improvement. Look at what works for you and what doesn't. Remember we're not making Hollywood productions here.
Now, I'm a bit of a rapid screencaster. I don't script hence the many 'ehms' in my screencasts. I'm making it up as I go along. So there's my area for improvement. It doesn't mean I don't prepare. I often create title and closing screens and nowadays I prepare a good looking example and in doing so I have a general idea of what my story will be. Experience has thought me to record, not in one go but in sections. When I was using Screenr I used to pause my recording, take a breath, think about the next section and press record again. Now that I use Articulate Replay I actually break up my recording into multiple sections e.g. intro-explanation-explanation-outro.
So as they say at Nike:"Just do it!", and start screencasting. Keep at it and you'll get better and better.
Here are some examples of my work, for your inspiration and amusement:
My latest:
http://youtu.be/8sT0FxDOmkE
http://youtu.be/52dwFUytwkE
My first:
http://www.screenr.com/Qbk
http://www.screenr.com/dJF