Chromebook Extensions - Screencastify
Two years ago, no one could have imagined that technology would be such a critical tool for public school teaching. No one could have imagined that all instruction and access to our libraries would be done completely virtual and remotely. We knew that schools were working to incorporate technology into our daily class experiences, but there was not such a sense of urgency for it to happen at such a dramatic rate. Two years ago, my school was not a one-to-one technology school. We were working towards that goal, but were no where near where we needed to be for our "forced" move towards being ready for virtual/remote teaching.
Being pushed into this remote form of learning was a daunting task to be online the entire day to provide the most direct form of teaching. Our school worked quickly to provide a Chromebook for every student, which I'm happy to say was completed successfully. While working remotely with Chromebooks, I have to admit that I mainly used applications I already knew, like Google Classroom, CANVAS, and Google Forms plus some extensions like Snap&Read and KAMI. Through this remote time, I did have the opportunity to try some new extensions to assist in this unknown realm. Through this search, I found Screencastify and used it sporadically, but not regularly. Most recently, with my own case of COVID, I found that I needed to provide quality instruction to my students, so they did not fall behind in their learning. Once again, I turned to the Chromebook extension of Screencastify due to the potential of its pedagogical functions.
The Screencastify extension can be easily added two different ways. One way is to click on the Google Apps icon and type in Screencastify. Another way is to click on the extension icon that looks like a puzzle piece, click on manage extensions, and then click on Open Chrome Web Store. Either way is very simple. Once you have added this application, you are ready to film short instructional videos. You might want to create an instructional video for your students on how to add this extension to their Chromebooks depending on your plans on how to use this in your classroom.
Screencastify offers a free basic use, but I decided to upgrade so I would be able to record longer videos over five minutes. This extension gives the options to use your desktop webcam to record yourself, instruction, or materials (ie. novel page while reading aloud). Another option is to record your voice while displaying your screen. This is how I utilized this extension with my recent quarantine. Realizing that students were struggling to complete lessons, I decided to walk through several problems on each lesson and provide direct instruction. This was made easy by the use of writing tools. The ability to verbally instruct and provide written instruction makes this a way to make recorded learning personal. Once these recordings were made, it was very easy to upload the mini-lessons to my CANVAS page. as Google Classroom is not the preferred mode to post assignments at our school. This being said, Screencastify works VERY well with Google Classroom.
As a teacher of children that are "differently-abled", I need to be able to provide different levels of instruction. These lessons can be made even more personal by being able to record different lessons based on each students' needs. Recordings can be edited. This extension is able to be used for students to submit recorded responses to assignments. Before this is attempted, there does need to be instruction on the expectations. One great use I found was for students to send their questions. They could record how they are working out the problem, and then share it with me. Teachers can also provide accommodations to their students by recording themselves reading tests/quizzes aloud and then sent to directly to specific students. I found that this was a great way to read aloud class novels and provide annotation instruction while reading. This is a great communication and accommodation tool. Below, you will find a wonderful list of different ways to use Screencastify compiled by Matt Miller.
This extension would also be a great tool to use in the school library. Teacher librarians can use this to post read alouds, book reviews, and instructional videos on how to access the library from home. Teacher librarians can also use this tool after collaborating with teachers to provide specific lesson to individual classrooms, as well as assist with Professional Development for staff.
Resources
Miller, M. (2019, February 14). 24 ways to create great classroom videos
with screencastify. Ditch That Textbook. https://ditchthattextbook.com/14- ways-to-create-great-classroom-video-with-screencastify/
Screencastify. (2022). The perfect match. https.//www.screencastify.com/ education/google
I used Screencastify so much last year during e-Learning and hybrid! It was such a helpful tool for my students and parents. Our school librarian used it too!
ReplyDeleteKarly Carter
I only dabbled with it and now it is such a great resource. I did go ahead and purchase the unlimited package because the free videos can only be 5 minutes.
DeleteYou make an excellent point about our world being different just two short years ago. However, from reading your blog, it also helped me to see that when schools were successful in attempting to get Chromebooks to students, their learning was actually enhanced by the embracing of technology.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this wonderful resource that is new to me. As someone who hasn't worked in the school system yet, this was really eye opening!
-Caroline Reed
Thank you, Caroline! Screencastify does let you use it for free on videos no longer than 5 minutes. You may just want to play around with it! Glad I could share something new to you!
DeleteI think many of us discovered Screencastify during COVID lockdowns! It is useful, especially when you can't meet with students in person. Do you think it will be used as much by teachers when they are present? In thinking about the tech integration models, I found RAT to be the easiest to grasp. I think Screencastify is at the replacement level of integration. That being said, it might be super useful for multiple days of having a sub! Laura Wells
ReplyDeleteI don't think teachers will use it much face to face, but I am using it more when I have a substitute. I can leave detailed, explicit instruction for my students, so they aren't losing a day of instruction with filler worksheets. They are actually able to continue our lesson from the day before.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with RAT. Is that what you did for your assignment? I'll have to look it up.
Thank you for commenting!
Hi, Liz, I just love your writing style! I really appreciate your down-to-earth and practical descriptions of such a helpful learning tool. When I read your blog, I feel like we are having a conversation and I can visualize the steps that you are describing. You are going to be fantastic when you transition into a school library since you "get" that not everyone is going to have the same level of comfort with a technology tool and a little information, such as how to even access the tool, might be needed.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to our future library collaborations. :)
Jennie Church
I love screencastify. I used to work in a Google district and would have used it all the time. I still use it in a microsoft district. It would be a good tool to use especially in the library. It would be fun to use it in programming.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Screencastify before, so thank you for sharing this resource. It truly is crazy how much education has changed in the past two years due to the pandemic. Technology was an important aspect of instruction, but was not necessarily required pre-pandemic, but that's not the case anymore. I like that this is an extension, so it can easily be incorporated in a classroom or library. I think that's one of the biggest issues when it comes to implementing technology into classrooms. Providing teachers with resources that don't require them to change a lot and are simple to use is key.
-Sydney