So, you've finished creating content in your course, and your CD asks for screencasts of your course. Screencasts are a pre-recording step that helps us prepare for the final, polished version of the audio recordings. You'll record your computer screen as you walk through the slides and your script to ensure the transitions are correct and that your content is lining up well. Please keep in mind we have a 550-word maximum for Scripts. All Audition material is included in this 550-word limit.
Screencasts serve the following purposes:
Allow you to review your course in full.
You may find you have written script that doesn’t translate well to the spoken word.
You find your blind spots, i.e., what you missed, but meant to include.
You find redundancies, e.g., did you include something in Chapter 3 that you also covered in Chapter 1, but just forgot during development?
You can enhance the clarity of your script.
Allows your CD to evaluate your performance while reviewing your course.
Your CD will let you know if your pacing is off. Not all of our students are native English speakers, and fast speaking instructors make courses more difficult than they need to be.
Screencasts give your CD the opportunity to quickly review your slides and script simultaneously and provide a final round of feedback before the final recordings.
Tools you can use:
macOS: QuickTime Player
Windows 10: Game bar
Google Chrome users: Loom
Learn how to use Loom from the people at Loom!
Tips:
Try to create all your screencasts in one sitting; this will help you review your course better.
Create separate screencasts for each lesson; this will help your CD review your screencasts more easily.
Listen to your screencasts between takes! If you accidentally muted your microphone, and then submit them to us...we won't hear anything...and you'll have to repeat the whole process, which isn't fun for anyone.
Update your script as you go. If you find something isn't working but can create something better on the fly, there is no guarantee you'll remember that when you do your final recordings. Furthermore, if your screencasts and script don't match, your CD won't know what you intended to say and may either leave the script unchanged or change it to something you didn't intend.
Don't be a perfectionist. If you stumble over a few words, don't stop, keep going! Getting through 550 words in one-go is more difficult than you think, but screencasts are just the dress rehearsal; they'll prepare you for the real thing.