Tool Choice #3 - Screencasting

Jing. What an unusual name for a tool. I was expecting to choose something with "screen" in the title, such as ScreenFlow. But I chose Jing because it is free and I was surprised at the high costs of the other programs available. It's true that Jing may be limiting, but it is simple, easy to use, and allows users to quickly create screen captures or movies (5min. max). It is available from a company called Techsmith, who offers other more advanced programs for a fee, hoping you will upgrade. Installation was easy on my MacBook. For PC users, I do read that you will need a program called Microsoft .Net Framework, which may take several minutes to install. The strange thing is that it saves the movie as a flash file. I had trouble finding simple applications to open the file. I would prefer a .mov Quicktime file instead. The more advanced programs that cost money allow you to choose various formats. You can also upgrade and pay a fee to use your webcam and toggle between it and your screen. The other downside is that you cannot edit your movie, which could prove time-consuming as you redo things over and over.

In the classroom, I could use it to teach songs in different languages. I could have the sheet music on the screen and talk thru the lyrics with correct pronunciation. Then I could sing the song so the students could hear the melody and lyrics, while pausing to comment and point out trouble spots. Another application could be teaching students how to edit in Garageband. I could show how to adjust loops, add effects, change pitch, etc. I'm sure I will find other uses once I start making them available. My students will come up with some great ideas as well.