Three Quick Ways for Students to Respond to Prompts With Whiteboard and Screencast Videos
A few weeks ago Screencastify introduced a new feature called Screencastify Submit. I was able to try it out with some of my students last week. It turned out to be a great way for students to send short videos to me without their classmates seeing them.
Screencastify Submit lets you create an assignment for your students to complete by making videos with Screencastify. (I had my students make short videos about identifying errors in an Arduino program). You can post the assignment link in Google Classroom or any other LMS and when students click the link they can instantly start recording. Students don’t need to have the Screencastify extension installed in order to record videos via Screencastify Submit. Students’ completed videos appear in a folder in your Google Drive. This video offers a good overview of the service.
Screencastify Submit is still in a beta phase so you have to apply for access with a school-issued email account. I was granted access about a week after I submitted my request. While you’re waiting for access to Screencastify Submit, there are a couple of other options to try.
Whiteboard Fi is a new service that I recently learned about from Alice Keeler and Larry Ferlazzo. With Whiteboard Fi you create an online whiteboard for your students to use to draw and type on. After they finish their drawings a submit button lets them send you their finished work. Students don’t need an account to use Whiteboard Fi. They simply go to the URL assigned to the whiteboard. You see all of your students’ work on one page. Here’s a little video overview of the service.
Flipgrid now has whiteboard and screencasting capabilities. Like all other Flipgrid assignments just post a topic in your Flipgrid grid and ask students to reply with a screencast or whiteboard video. This can be a great way to have students demonstrate how to solve a math problem or have them demonstrate how to troubleshoot a problem on a computer. This video shows you how to use the screencasting option in Flipgrid. This video demonstrates using the whiteboard feature in Flipgrid.
Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp
Registration is now open for the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp! There are three sessions to choose from this summer. One in June and two in July. Register in May to save $50 off the regular price. Register with a group of five or more and save even more.