== Screencasts, Screen capture ==
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=== What are they? ===
Screencasts/ Screen captures record what happens on a computer screen so that it can be played back at a later date.  Some screen capture tools also allow for annotation (both text and audio) so that you can make these more educationally valuable. They can be thought of as a podcast of a users screen. 
The [http://www.educause.edu Educause Learning Initiative’s] (ELI’s) ''7 Things You Should Know About...'' series contains a useful guide to [http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7012.pdf Screencasting] (PDF).

=== How can I use them with my students? ===
Screen casts are especially valuable in training contexts where you want to help student learn how to use a particular tool or piece of software by showing them how an expert uses them. They also allow students to study the materials presented this way at their own pace at a time that suits them.
Can be used to provide feedback on assessment as a tutor shows what they are marking and narrates the reasons for their comments
 
=== Examples ===

An ALT-N article on [http://newsletter.alt.ac.uk/e_article000730206.cfm?x=b11,0,w Using Wink to create software presentations] by Athina Chatzigavriil and Julie Voce.

=== Where can I get them? ===
 
The best of these tools allow for capture annotation and quite sophisticated editing to make for a better quality learning experience. 
 * [http://www.profcast.com/public/index.php Profcast] - for Macs.  
 * [http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk/bbflashback.aspx BB FlashBack] - for Windows. 
 * [http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp Camtasia].  While this is a commercial product an earlier version of the software [http://www.paulcolligan.com/2007/11/21/free-camtasia-studio/ 3.0] is currently available free. 
 * [http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/captivate/?sdid=BADWM Adobe Captivate].
  
Free tools in this space include [http://www.snapfiles.com/get/mwsnap.html MW Snap] and [http://www.debugmode.com/wink/ Wink]
 You can find a [http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/capture.html list of screen capture tools] on the Website of the [http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/index.html Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies].

=== What else do I need to know? ===
 Watching screen casts can be a very passive activity and simply recording what happened on screen during a presentation can produce very poor quality learning materials.  Usually recordings made with their eventual use as a screen cast in mind are more likely to be successful. 

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