Camtasia Vs. Screencast-o-matic

Camtasia Vs. Screencast-o-matic

I spent some time this week exploring the topic of screencasting. In my work as coordinator for Intensive Supports, I work more closely with Teachers than students.  Finding time to meet and collaborate with teachers is challenging so I wanted to learn more about screencasting and looked at some Youtube video’s and blog posts from students in our class.

Here are some of my findings:

Camtasia  

This looks like an awesome product with some great features however, it is costly and I think it is best for a high end user! (Not a beginner like me!)

  • The cost is approximately $180/yr (education pricing) and requires a very steep learning curve.

Screencast-o-matic

 

 

I also looked at Screencast-o-matic and it appears much easier to use and you can’t beat the price at $11/yr. It allows you to record your webcam as well as your screen.  The huge advantage of it being free is that you can ask students to install it on their computers without worrying about hitting the pocket book!

While Sceencast-O-Matic is free to use, it will limit you to 15 minutes and puts a small “Screencast-O-Matic” watermark in the lower left corner of the final published video.  There is a Pro version which unlocks more features such as video editing (for longer than 15 minutes).  It also records videos in higher definition, allows publishing in more video formats, removes the watermark – and more.

Screencasting in general can help demonstrate and teach the use of software features. This would especially be useful when we are sharing knowledge around IIP’s.  Screencasting would allow us to share out information to colleagues in a succinct manner vs. bringing teachers in for professional development or software training as we have done in the past.

Educators may also use screencasts as another means of integrating technology into the curriculum. Students can record video and audio as they demonstrate the proper procedure to solve a problem on an interactive whiteboard.

In classrooms, teachers and students can use this tool to create videos to explain content, vocabulary, etc. Videos can make class time more productive for both teachers and students. Screencasts may increase student engagement and achievement and also provide more time in which students can work collaboratively in groups, so screencasts help them to think through cooperative learning.

In addition, screencasts allow students to move at their own pace since they can pause or review content anytime and anywhere. Screencasts are excellent for those learners who just need an oral as well as a visual explanation of the content presented.

Leave a Reply