Screencastify Uses
How to use Screencastify in your Classroom (in person and virtual)
Screencastify is a great tool for both in class and virtual learning. You can use it to record lessons for your students to watch if they are not able to attend class live or it can be used in the classroom for a review. If there are directions to an assignment you want to go over, it can be used for that too! You can narrate a slideshow for students to watch as background on a topic you want to cover in class. If you are going to be absent, you can record lessons for the substitute to play so that you don't have missed class time.
Not only is Screencastify a useful tool for teachers, but students can use it too. It can be used as a virtual exit slip or to record student presentations.
Initial Setup
To use Screencastify, make sure that you have downloaded it as a Chrome extension (from the Google Chrome store). If you want students to use it, they will need to download it as well. It will appear in the top right corner next to the website URL.
*If it doesn't appear after you add it, click on the gray puzzle piece. You will see the extension listed next to a pushpin symbol. Click the pushpin symbol to change it to blue. Now it will show in your task bar.
Recording a Video
Whenever you would like to record a video, click the Screencastify button in your extension menu.
The dropdown menu will appear. The first time you use Screencastify, it will ask you to set up your microphone and camera. The following menu will appear:
The three lines in the top left will take you to different options, such as your recordings or the editor site. When you are ready to record your video, decide if you are recording the browser tab, desktop, or webcam only. Browser tab will only record one specific tab. If you are wanting to record a video, you will need to choose this option, turn off your microphone, and click on the show more options button to turn on tab audio. Only use tab audio if you are recording an outside video.
If you choose desktop, you will be able to open multiple tabs, presentations, or documents to share in your video. If you choose webcam only, it will record just the webcam and nothing on your computer.
When recording a video that requires you to talk, be sure to turn on the microphone. Switch the toggle tab by microphone to turn it on. If you would like to record something from your computer and have your face showing in the video, click embed webcam. This will put the webcam in a small square at the bottom of your screen. Just a tip, you can move the embedded webcam to a different spot on your screen.
A few other options appear under show more options.
You can change how long the countdown is to begin recording. The default setting is 3 seconds, but you can change it to 5 second or 10 seconds. You also have drawing tools, which allow you to draw on the screen while recording. Tab audio should be chosen if you want to record audio coming from a specific tab and not from your voice.
Drawing Tools
End Recording/Editing Tools
When you finish recording a video, use the same Screencastify extension button to stop the recording. This will automatically send it to process in a separate page. You can trim part of the beginning or end off on this page. With the premium version, you have access to the editor studio. If you need to edit something out in a different part of your video that is not in the beginning or end, you can use this tool to cut it out.
Once you finish recording and editing your video, you can share it through a variety of ways. You can share it as a Google Drive link, through Google Classroom, to YouTube, or export the link. If sharing as a Drive link, you can change the Sharing permissions from the video page as well.
If you would like access to a how-to guide for the basics of Screencastify, use the following link:
That's it! While this post may make it seem like a lot of steps, after a few uses Screencastify is simple to use. With the premium version, you have unlimited recordings and no time limit on your recording. If you want more details on Screencastify, they also have a course to guide you through different aspects that takes around an hour to complete.
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