I thought I would write a blog about an interesting piece of free software that I was made aware of on the Podcasting course at OUCS. I also went on the Introduction to Podcasting course although on a different day. Whilst on the course I was also told about a free piece of software called ScreenToaster (http://www.screentoaster.com).Despite the slightly strange name it appears to be extremely useful tool for helping readers improve their information literacy.
Through their website you can produce demonstrations on how to use anything from SOLO to renewing books remotely. Basically it uses screen capturing to allow you to precisely record every action needed to do a particular computer based task. All you have to do is register for free on their website and follow the instructions. There are also useful newsfeeds and forum messages which give some very detailed and useful information on how to make the most of Screen toaster. You will need to be precise about where you move the curser etc as it will record absolutely everything that you do whilst recording. You can also add sound to accompany the screen movements you have captured to explain things further.
It seems to me that this could be an excellent way to help readers who are visual learners and those readers who have learning difficulties such as dyslexia more than traditional text based guides would. I think that this could then be downloaded on to multimedia mobile phones so that students could access it anytime and anywhere.
I really like Screentoaster and have been playing around with it quite a bit, just testing out some ideas. It’s such as useful tool! The only problem I have with it is the way you get the screentoaster logo as part of your recording, so perhaps not the most professional looking tool for creating screencaptures to use in tutorials as part of a library website or official institution podcast. For creating learning resources I might consider downloading software such as CamStudio http://camstudio.org/
Thanks Laura I am thinking of using some kind of software similar to Screen toaster for my project but I agree it would not be very professional to have the logo appear. I will have a look at CamStudio though. Thanks for the advice.
We’ve recently bought Adobe Captivate for this purpose.
I had a play around with CamStudio a while ago when testing out some free resources – I also looked at Wink (http://www.debugmode.com/wink/). The main problem I found with the free tools was editing. They’re great for taking the screenshots but you can’t edit the output very easily.
Emma, I totally agree. Difficulties in editing is one of the main drawbacks of the free software! My knowledge of video editing software isn’t very up to date, used to use the free Avid software a lot at university but they’ve withdrawn that and I don’t know of any others. I’m booked on to the Screen and audio capture for teaching with OUCS, so I’m hoping they will have more information about different software for avaliable or at least be able to point in the right direction.
Thank you for posting this Charlotte; a very interesting discussion! I presented a click-along tutorial for Warwick Library’s Chemistry Information Skills page, and we used Screenflow. Sadly, it’s not free software but, if you’re using a Mac, it’s excellent for capturing and editing screencasts. I’m keen to go along to the OUCS screen and audio capture course to find out how Oxford is doing it and using it. And I would love to try out Adobe Captivate – if only I had an excuse to do so!
Another free piece of software for screencapture you might be interested in is Jing – http://www.jingproject.com Whenever I have tried to create short demos I found it helpful to storyboard it out a little first and make sure the screen was completely full size
Thanks Damyanti! I’ve been having a go on Jing on my Mac. It’s a lovely little programme. Although, how do you edit captured video? The Pro version looks marvellous – it allows you to switch between recording the desktop and from your webcam. It’s always good to put a face to the narrator’s voice!
That’s what I really love about the Warwick Uni library tutorials, having the webcam image so you see the person talking is a lovely finishing touch. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/help/training/book/
Aah Dave! He’s really good – very warm and friendly. You can check out my attempt at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/tealea/sciences/chemistry/infoskills/section1/booksearch/ It’s a test, so the sound fluctuates a bit.