There are two screen capturing tools that are my "go to" tools for screencasting. Both of these are free, easy to use, and don't require you to download any software. Read on to decide which tool will work best for you and the device to which you have access. Go ahead and practice recording a screencast with one, two or all of these tools to decide which one you like best. You will need to choose one to create a screencast to use in your classroom for the application portion of this mini module.

Screencast-o-matic is very easy to use, and is recommended for use on Windows and iOS (Mac) computers/laptops. It is not compatible with Chrome, so you will need to use another web browser, preferably Firefox or Safari (for Mac).

On the home screen, simply click the "Start Recording" button in the upper, right corner. Drag and resize the capture box over the area you want to record, press the red button, and you're ready to go! Once you finish your recording, you can upload straight to YouTube, or save the video to your computer. You only have 15 minutes of record time with the free version. This should be plenty since you should aim to keep your videos between 5 and 8 minutes!

Screenr

Screenr is almost the same as Screencast-O-Matic in looks and function. The only difference is that Screenr can be used on the Chromebooks!

Screencastify

A third screen capturing tool is Screencastify. This is a Chrome Extension that you can add directly to your Chrome browser. By clicking the extension button, you'll get the capture box to quickly begin recording.