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As a rollercoaster school year rolls to a stop, students and teachers already are planning their return to their classrooms for summer and fall. A silver lining to the craziness of the past year — educators can see themselves and their students feeling more comfortable using tech to aid their teaching and learning.
To help support students and teachers in continuing their mastery, we put together 10 ideas for how Screencastify can be used creatively as K-12 schools prepare to go back to the classroom for in-person learning.
1. Video for Modeling and Instructions
Whether creating a flipped classroom or giving students a chance to revisit direct instruction, teachers can create short walkthroughs of how to interact with any topic — from standard distribution z-scores to creating Google Drawings to navigating new software.
Here are a few more examples:
- Show how to solve math problems with Screencastify Record.
- Students walk you through the process of how they solved a math problem with Record and Screencastify Submit.
- Provide a student-led walkthrough as a peer example for other students to follow.
Learn more about video for instruction in this episode of EdTech Heroes:
2. Assignments for a Single Student
Use Screencastify Submit to create an assignment folder for a single student that can act as a portfolio where the student can keep returning to submit multiple recordings throughout the entire year. For example, this can be used to check on reading progress for a student.
3. Revisiting Lessons
"I see screencasts as a way to help my scholars access content when they're ready, provide my students the ability to revisit lessons, and most importantly for my scholars to be able to receive instruction before a lesson. I also see screencasts as a way for me to help make visible to our families what is happening in our classroom. I see this as a powerful tool moving forward."
- Josh Langenbach, 6th Grade Teacher
4. Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher conferences are incredibly important to any student’s success and give parents a crucial avenue to communicate their own thoughts.
Here are ideas for using video to securely facilitate Parent-Teacher conferences and keep parents informed and engaged:
- Record digital logs of students’ journeys and progression.
- Show parents a collection of work that students have completed with Screencastify videos.
- If parents are having trouble accessing the “Parent Portal” of grades, create video walkthroughs to show them how to sign up for parent emails (Canvas, PowerSchool, Google Classroom).
- Submit assignment for parents. For example, ask the parents to “Submit your concerns, and we discuss them during our Parent-Teacher conference.”
- Parents’ own “show and tell” — ask that they show something that their child enjoys and tell you about it in order to capture the positive aspects of each child. This could be shared with the student to make them feel more confident.
5. Create a ‘Questions and Concerns Corner’
Invite students to securely capture their comments and concerns with a Submit video that only the teacher can view. Having a space where students will know that only the teacher have access, can serve as a safe place for them to share their struggles, concerns or triumphs.
Practicing how to share their thoughts and describe their feelings can be an excellent way to work on their emotional intelligence. (Reminder that May is Mental Health Awareness month, and the perfect time to discuss these topics with students!)
6. Station-by-Station Instructions
Teachers can record instructions at different stations that each have a dedicated chromebook. Students can then visit each station and repeat as many times as needed.
7. Learning During Extended Absences
Students will occasionally need to miss school for long periods of time while their peers are in the classroom. Screencastify can be used to record lessons for these students to watch while they’re out or to explain the assignments that are being sent to them. Students can then use Submit to send back their own work.
8. Maximize Flipped Classrooms
Teachers can provide pre-recorded lessons and instructions to free up valuable classroom time to spark discussion, answer questions 1:1, or engage students with small group exercises.
“I create units of me doing all the examples and practice problems from our textbooks to help flip my classroom. Every unit is themed with some outside topic that either I or the students find interesting. There are Easter eggs for the students to find, giving them knowledge on where math is used in this theme.”
- Rebecca Klusmeier, Lanesville Jr./Sr. High School
9. Use New Ways to Provide Feedback
Improve students’ confidence and build a visual video diary providing individualized feedback to students. Here are some examples:
- If students submit an essay digitally, teachers can walk through it and provide that virtual feedback.
- Give students their grade midway through the video rather than at the end to encourage a full viewing and discourage skipping forward to the end of the video.
- Homework (with scaffolding or peer coaching) that causes them to reflect on their thinking and their peers’ thinking, and then provide their own feedback.
10. Field Trips without Leaving Your Desk
In September, we showed you how to “Explore the World with Screencastify”. Recording a virtual field trip for a visit that may be too expensive or too far to visit is a great way to use video for in-person learning. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- Virtually tour famous attractions with your class that are not in your city, state or even country.
- Record a virtual tour and narrate your lesson over the video.
- As a homework assignment, students can record a video of their thoughts on the virtual field trip and share with the rest of the class.
More Easy Ways to Use Video for In-Person Learning
Narrating slideshows: It's easy to use Screencastify with Google Slides to narrate slideshows. Possible student activities to share with the class range from standard presentations to creative storybooks, animations, or comic strips.
Dubbing a video: Have your students play a video with the volume muted and record their own narration. Video dubbing is a versatile educational activity, as it can be used for language practice, creative storytelling, and plot comprehension.
Giving a speech or performance: Ask your students to record themselves giving a speech or performance before they deliver it live in front of their class. This can be a great way to encourage practice and reduce anxiety.
Read more:
• 10 Reasons To Use Video in the Classroom This School Year
• 7 Ways Teachers Can Communicate With Parents Using Technology
• 10 benefits of screencasting for teachers and students
Unlimited In-Person Learning Possibilities
These are just a few examples of how teachers and students can use video for in-person learning. Which is your favorite idea? Which will you implement in your next class?
Tweet your answers, tag us @Screencastify and use the hashtag #ScreencastifyInTheClassroom!
