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Google Tips and Tricks

Google Announces a New Screencasting App for Chromebooks

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

Google for Education recently announced some new features for Chromebooks, Google Classroom, and Google Meet, including a screencasting app for Chromebooks.

Screencast App

With the new Screencast App, both teachers and students will now be able to easily create videos. The new Screencast App will be built into Chrome OS. According the Google, the screencast feature is available now for users whose Chromebooks are running the Chrome OS M103. It will soon be available for Google Workspace for Education.

Uses for Screencasting

There are so many ways the Screencast App can be used. For teachers, the Screencast app will allow you to record instructional videos or live classes. This will allow teachers to build a video library of lessons and demos. Students can then watch the videos if they miss class or need extra help with the lesson topic. In addition, students can also use Screencast! For example, they can record presentations or videos that show understanding of concepts taught. In fact, there are many uses for screencasting for both teachers and students.  

Features

Some features of the Screencast App include the ability to trim your video. In addition, the speaker’s face and voice can be recorded along with the content on the screen. Furthermore, a marker tool will allow users to write, draw, or point to and highlight different parts of their screen while recording.

Transcription and Translation

The screencasts will have built-in transcription and translation. Each recording will automatically be transcribed once it is completed. When the recording is viewed, the transcript will appear to the right of the video. When watching the video, students can search the transcript for keywords or click on sections of the transcript to view that particular section of the video. The transcript can also be translated into different languages. This will be great for second language learning in the classroom.

Saving and Sharing Recordings

The recordings will automatically be saved to Google Drive. A unique video link will be generated once the user clicks on the Share button. This link can then be shared with those with whom you want to watch the video. Click here to see a video walkthrough of the Screencast app and additional Google updates.

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Blended LearningClassroom ManagementContent CreationGood TeachingLMSWeb 2.0 Tool

Top Five Tech Tools for New Teachers

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

What are the essentials you need to share with new teachers? I can’t tell you how many workshops I’ve put together that addressed the needs of new teachers. What combination of must-haves do new teachers need? I asked Clint ISD’s Crystal Fuentes, “What are your ‘top five’ for new teachers every year?” Let’s explore her responses. But before we do that, let’s revisit a related important high-effect size instructional strategy.

The Power of Collective Action

Want to know which is one of the toughest strategies to take advantage of in a school? Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) is the one that most often comes to mind. With an effect size of 1.36, many instructional leaders look at that and say, “Why not us?”

Collective Teacher Efficacy can be defined in the following way:

Through collective action, a staff can have a positive influence on student outcomes. This includes disengaged and/or disadvantaged students.

Meaghan Loftus, Associate, CT3

But how do you achieve CTE in your school? It is suggested that you have these six influencers:

  • Advanced Teacher Influence. This happens when an organization listens, acknowledges teachers, and teachers influence decisions made at school.
  • Goal Consensus. Teachers set the goals for the school, not only the leadership. Who’s writing that campus improvement plan? If it’s your assistant principal on a weekend at home, then this is a #FAIL.
  • Teachers’ Knowledge about One Another’s Work. This involves teachers getting to know what each other is doing. More importantly, getting to know how each other’s work impacts their own.
  • Cohesive Staff. This refers to how teachers agree with each other on core educational values or issues.
  • Responsiveness of Leadership. When leadership listens to teachers and works to cut distractions, that’s responsiveness.
  • Effective Intervention Systems. This ensures there is structure to support teachers and students.

When working to set up new teachers, it’s worth considering these contributing factors. As Meaghan Loftus points out, together, these six points ensure CTE. And when you are preparing new teachers, much of their success depends on these six elements. Without them, new teachers, no matter how enthusiastic and tech-savvy, will struggle.

Now that you have some background on CTE, let’s take a look at Crystal Fuentes’ suggestions.

Tip #1: Classroom Management Tech Tools

Dealing with problems and developing solutions as they arise is one way to manage a classroom. Another way is by empowering students to make choices. Then, permitting them to learn from the consequences of those choices.

My favorite approach to classroom management involves building teacher-student relationships. That is, getting to know students and building trust. The best classroom environment I experienced involved building relationships with students. While disagreements occurred, having a family environment worked best with my bilingual class.

“One technology tool that’s in my top five is ClassDojo,” says Crystal. “I want teachers to know how to use ClassDojo.” No surprise, ClassDojo has these goals for itself:

  • Create a positive culture.
  • Give students a voice.
  • Share moments with parents.

The ability to access ClassDojo on any device makes it handy. For language diverse situations, its message translation is invaluable. And for some too committed to being accessible, you can set quiet time hours.

Tip #2: Learning Management Systems

Do learning activities revolve around ancient, paper-bound curriculum resources? You may not be pulling activities from a file cabinet in old manila folders. Instead, you may be relying on primary sources and current information available online. You may be co-constructing rubrics with your students. Sure, you can limit yourself and your students to paper. But who wants to shuffle papers, deal with 3-ring binders, and worry about missing work?

A better way exists if you have robust internet and device access for students. Learning management systems make it easy to:

  • End the paper chase.
  • Distribute resources as needed in an instant.
  • Timestamp student and teacher work.

Today, there is no shortage of learning management systems. That is, digital classroom supports that make access to resources easy. What’s more, they ensure you can connect with students in academic ways. While ClassDojo may be a classroom community builder, LMSs ease the paperwork. And that’s a huge benefit.

Crystal suggests relying on tools like the following:

Google Classroom is the learning management system, and Little SIS provides more granular administrative control over Google Classroom. Skyward is a student information system (SIS) and digital gradebook. There are many combinations of solutions. I would be remiss to not point out other popular options. Those include:

  • Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and the SIS tool of choice (e.g. Skyward, TSDS/PEIMS)
  • Instructure’s Canvas and SIS
  • PowerSchool’s Schoology and PowerSchool SIS

There may be other options, but these are some I have seen in Texas schools. 

Did You Know?

Learn more about your learning management system of choice via TCEA’s online, self-paced courses. These affordable sessions ($29 each) provide you with what you need to know to get started. Courses available include Google Classroom, Canvas Educator, Schoology Educator, and Microsoft 365 (covers Teams and OneNote).

Tip #3: Collaborative Tech Tools

Collaboration and discussion of academic content can have a powerful impact on student learning. Consider this tidbit of research:

jamboard padlet

If students know content, coming up with explanations helps fellows strengthen their understanding. Even when they don’t know content, conversations increase learning (adapted from source).

To aid collaboration, there are many tools. Clint ISD’s Crystal Fuentes recommends Padlet and Google Jamboard. 

Tip #4: Lesson Delivery Tools

While you can still stand and deliver lessons in a classroom, there are alternatives. Now, you can do that, AND make your Google Slides deck available to students. You can mix in checks for understanding as well as turn and talk opportunities. And teachers can put in place low-stakes assessments with rapid-response measurement. What’s more, the right set of lesson delivery tools empowers student voice and choice. They also make it easy to engage students in bell ringer activities.

Crystal suggests these tools that work with Google Slides:

pear deck nearpod

You may find this comparison of the two similar tools by Rachelle Dene Poth (@rdene915) helpful. 

Learn more about the research and best practices for using choice boards in the classroom. Take the TCEA online, self-paced course, Choice Boards for Educators. If you’re ready to become a choice board pro, this course will make you shine. Choice boards promote student choice and voice while providing differentiated instruction. How fantastic does that sound? Not only that but they’re proven to work.

Tip #5: Tech Tools for Creation

To round out the list, Crystal shares two powerful creation tools. These are tools every educator needs to know about. She suggests that new teachers know how to use the following:

  • LucidPress. This tool makes it easy to design visual resources, newsletters, and more. Some may substitute this tool with the free for educators, Canva.
  • Flipgrid. A free, no-cost tool available to support video recording and communication. This is a must-have tool to make student reflection, interviews, and more possible.
  • Screencastify. A screen recording tool that makes flipped classroom lessons a breeze. Students can also record videos and create screencasts.
  • Choice Board Menus. A powerful tool for supporting student choice in learning. This suggestion is less a technology tool and more of an instructional strategy. Yet the ability to blend multimedia sources into choice boards transforms this strategy.
tech tools for creation

A final tool that TCEA Board member Crystal Fuentes finds a powerful aid in Clint ISD: Promethean Panels. Be sure to reach out and follow her on Twitter to learn more. As Crystal shared in one of her tweets:

“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.”

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video converters
Google Tips and TricksMicrosoft Tips and TricksTechnology ApplicationsWeb 2.0 Tool

Five Free Video Converters

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Given how much you work online recording screencasts and presentations, you may have a need for video conversion tools. A web search often will pull up expensive video editors and converters, but who wants to pay for that on a teacher’s income? In this blog entry, you will get a chance to explore my favorite video converters. You will also get access to an infographic and a video tutorial.

video converters

View the PDF with clickable links or get a copy of the infographic for your own use.

Tool #1: VLC Media Player

video converters

Underestimated and forgotten, VLC Media Player offers many powerful features in the world of video converters. If you could only pick one tool to keep from this list, it should be the one. It works on all computer platforms (e.g. Mac/Windows), as well as on Android. Its feature set is quite comprehensive, but you don’t need to know everything. Let’s say that VLC Media Player supports most video and audio codecs available, making it a multimedia Swiss Army knife.

Get it online.

Tool #2: HandBrake

An oldy but goody, HandBrake offers a rich feature set. Not only can you convert videos from any format, but you can convert to a multitude of device-specific settings. This means that, if your video is intended to play on a Playstation or FireTV, HandBrake has the optimal settings you can use. HandBrake works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

One powerful aspect of HandBrake is how it can shrink videos. When you record a screencast, then save it on your computer, it’s possible to end up with video file sizes.

video converters

In the example below, you can see that the original video appears as 384 megabytes. After running that video through HandBrake, the TargetVideo appears as approximately 23 megabytes.

This is a significant size savings, especially if you’re uploading them to the Canvas LMS or some other storage space (e.g. Google Drive) where saving space is important. You would think you would see a loss in video quality, but that’s not the case. Although displayed in two separate video players, you can see the video quality for the Original Video and the Target Video is not noticeable:

From this, you may take away a simple bit of advice: “Use HandBrake to shrink your videos without loss of quality.”

Wondering about what settings to use on Handbrake? Here are two that get me great savings with minimal impact to quality:

Get it online.

Tool #3: Online Video Converter

This is a popular video converter that works in your browser. Not only can you convert from and to popular video and audio formatted files on your computer, you can select them from Google Drive or Dropbox. This makes it the perfect tool for short videos on Chromebooks in the classroom.

video converters

Try it online.

Tool #4: Shotcut

In the spotlight as a powerful, no-cost video editor that works on Mac, Windows, and GNU/Linux computers, Shotcut also converts. You can convert to many different video and audio formats with Shotcut. Although its powerful interface may put you off at first, take your time and learn how you can do so much more with Shotcut.

video converters

Give it a spin.

Tool #5: ATube Catcher

The bad boy in this toolkit, ATube Catcher makes grabbing videos from online sources easy. Not only that, you can use this Windows-only program to clip/trim, as well as convert videos to audio or any variety of video formats. All without watermarks.

Like HandBrake, you can convert videos to fit a wide variety of devices. ATube Catcher also comes with screen and audio recorders, making it a one-stop shop for these services on Windows computers.

This collection of tools is quite impressive, including its ability to convert video to MP3 audio format (as well as a plethora of other video formats WITHOUT watermarks of any kind). Be careful, though, when you install ATube Catcher. You will want to decline its enticements to install additional software. While not malware, the software offered may be more than you want (e.g. McAfee’s antivirus software). So pay attention during the install.

Embrace the dark side.

Video Tutorial

video converters

This twenty-minute video tutorial walks you through each of the tools listed above. Feel free to skip ahead to your favorite tool. I convert some fifteen- to twenty-year-old digital stories from WMV and MOV formats to MP4 and MP3 using each set of tools.
View video via Dropbox

Bonus: FlexClip Free Video Converter

screenshot
FlexClip How to Convert a Video

From the makers of FlexClip:

FlexClip Video Converter is an intuitive online tool that allows users to effortlessly convert videos into various formats without any hassle. With a user-friendly interface, it supports a wide range of file types, ensuring compatibility for all your video needs.
Whether you’re looking to convert videos for social media, presentations, or personal use, FlexClip Video Converter makes the process quick and efficient, all while maintaining high-quality output. Plus, being free to use, it’s an excellent choice for anyone needing a reliable video conversion solution.

Feature Image Source

Photo by Matthew Kwong on Unsplash

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Recordcast
ChromebooksTechnology ApplicationsWeb 2.0 Tool

Free Online Screen Recorder and Video Editor

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

There are plenty of desktop, browser-based video recorders available to us today. So why would you need one more? What if, instead of a video recorder, you also had a browser-based video editor? And what if I told you it’s easy to add images and audio to it and overlay text on that video? Most people would say, “That’s WeVideo or Screencastify.” But those solutions come with a price. In this blog entry, we’ll explore a new, free screen recording and editing tool.

recordcast

Introducing RecordCast

RecordCast brings the functionality of Screencastify and Loom Pro. No browser add-ons or downloads are required. That’s right, RecordCast works its magic without a special browser add-on or extension. That, and its “FREE” label make it an amazing find. But that’s not all.

RecordCast enjoys a thirty-minute time limit for recordings. This makes it a perfect tool for instructional screencasts. It combines the ease of use with two important factors: a timeline that allows you to add audio tracks and overlay text. You can also record your screen, screen plus webcam, or webcam only. Be aware that, in order to use the program, you will need to create an account, as well as verify your email.

recordcast

As you set up your recording, you will need to decide whether you want to enable system audio. You will also choose your microphone. RecordCast offers a wizard that guides you through audio sharing.

recordcast

This screen is much the same as when you start a Zoom. That is to say, it will be easy to get started with RecordCast. It seems so familiar.

Downloading Video from RecordCast

Once you have recorded a video, you can save it to your device as a WEBM video file. This video format is compatible with YouTube, and it’s an easy matter to convert it to MP4.

recordcast

The downloaded or saved video appears in WEBM format on your device. At this point, you can upload (put) it into YouTube or a similar video sharing space. To get an MP4 video-formatted file from RecordCast, you will need to edit and export it in MP4.

Editing Video in RecordCast

The video editor is where RecordCast really shines. It offers a robust video editor that reminds me of Screencastify. It is quite easy to edit video, splitting pieces off to delete unwanted portions. What’s more, you can add an audio track. I often grab my music from the YouTube Audio Library. The main benefit of that Audio Library is that attribution is not required.

recordcast

One of the extra features that makes RecordCast’s video editor shine is image import. You can import images and place them on their own track. This is a feature my colleagues and I have used with Shotcut, but RecordCast makes it quite easy, as you may see below:

recordcast

Exporting Video as an MP4

Once your video edits are complete, you are able to export the video. RecordCast offers three options, as you can see in the screenshot below:

recordcast

One of the challenges of any browser-based video editor is how much time it takes to render video. Although I have not done any speed tests, RecordCast appears to take an equal amount of time as other video editors to render videos. It took about six minutes to render a two-minute and nine second video.

You can see the scratch video I made above. It was a simple matter to take a screenshot of the splash page in the Video Editor and save it as a thumbnail image to use for the YouTube video. And, if you’re wondering, this video editor far exceeds YouTube’s Video Studio capabilities.

Amazing Free Screencasting Tool

Working with RecordCast was fun. I loved the quick, responsive interface for adding text and images. What’s more, this tool is free. In the list of video editors, I am tempted to put RecordCast at the top of free tools educators need to be using. Here’s a video overview of working on a project with RecordCast:

Bonus Video

Need to safeguard your W9 tax form or encrypt any file before sending it via email? The video below, which runs five minutes long and took ten minutes to render via RecordCast, explains how to use the free FileLock encryption tool.

Feature Image Source

Photo by Recordcast.com

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Screenscastify fideo display on top of a Google Slide deck.
Google Tips and Tricks

Adding Webcam Video to Google Slides with Screencastify

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Since the pandemic hit, TCEA has furiously moved our face-to-face professional development online. We now have 16 self-paced courses ready to go with more in the works. Check out the lineup here.

Just like many of you, I had to get up to speed on recording videos very quickly. My go-to screencasting tool is Screencastify. I started out with the free pricing plan, which included the five-minute maximum recording time. The rule of thumb for video creation at TCEA is to keep your videos between three to six minutes long. So the free version almost did the trick, but I decided to invest in the unlimited plan which is $49 per person per year. BUT wait, the education discount is only $29 with more editing features. What a deal!

Roadblock

webcam image displayed in lower right hand corner with Google Slides.
My hack solution for embedding my webcam with Google Slides

My video recording was swimming along just fine until I hit a little roadblock. When I tried to use my live webcam with Google Slides, the webcam video would disappear. Very frustrating!  I tried everything to make my webcam video appear in the corner of my slide deck, but it was simply not happening. So armed with my educator attitude, I knew I could come up with something. My hack was to leave Slides in edit mode, move the filmstrip view clear to the left side of my screen. Then the webcam picture would hang off the slide deck and onto my desktop. Not the prettiest and most professional, but it worked.

Help Arrives from Screencastify

But after a while, I decided to reach out to Screencastify support for help. Viola! I heard back within a day. And, of course, it came with the answer in the form of a video from Screencastify. It is a solution where you hit your forehead and exclaim, “Why didn’t I think of that!” Caution: This trick does not work for PowerPoint or Keynote.

Here is the YouTube video link Screencastify provided me. Or you can check out this handy-dandy graphic I made showing the magic remedy to embed your webcam with Google Slides in four easy steps:

Screenshot of steps 1-4.
Screenshot by author.

The Top Three Tips for Video Recording

  1. Follow the rule of thirds – keep your face and body in the middle of the screen.
  2. Lightning is SO important.
  3. Keep your video length to three to six minutes.

Become a Pro

If you want to get more comfortable with screencasting, check out the Screencasting for Educators online, self-paced course from TCEA. The course was designed by my colleague Miguel Guhlin and it is jam-packed full of content. Not only is Screencastify covered, but Flipgrid, Screencast-O-Matic, Loom for EDu, and OBS Studio are included. He also discusses a wide variety of key concepts, including high-effect size instructional strategies, tips, and video editing basics.  Knowing how to create engaging video screencasts, including audio and video components from a variety of copyright-free media, can make viewing better for students.

Featured image by author.

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Microsoft Tips and TricksSTEM/STEAM

Video Editing Tools for Remote Teachers

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Educators have begun screen recording and screencasting with a serious need. Preparing content for instructional purposes can drive one to distraction. When I assembled the Screencasting for Educators course, I decided on no-cost tools, video editing tools that got the job done without all the expense. May I share what I found with you?

Update 6/7/2022: Have a Google Chromebook? Then you will definitely want to explore the new Google Screencast tool that comes with Google Chromebooks.

Five Amazing Video Editing Tools

Need video editing tools available for free? If you are on Windows 10, it can be challenging. Some entry-level solutions provide you with simple video assembly tools. That is, the ability to trim, split, and join video.

Here are my top five tools that make video editing easy at no cost to you.

Tool #1: Google’s Screencast

Did you miss the announcement in June, 2022? If you did, you’re not alone. While there is an abundance of recording and editing tools for video, few of them work on the Chromebook for free. In this blog entry, I feature two you can start with, including the amazing Screencast from Google. Not only does it give you screencasting, automatic transcription of everything said in the recording, it allows easy marking of the screen. You can quickly draw or make annotations.

Visual Walkthrough

Here’s a quick view of what you’ll see when you get into Google’s new Screencast tool for Chromebook:

Notice Screencast comes with easy-to-use video tutorials

When you first start out with Screencast, you’ll be able to edit your settings for that specific recording, as well as record the whole screen or only a portion:

What’s more, you can also use the built-in annotation tool, or “Marker,” to make notes on your screencast as you make it:

This makes the tool quite friendly and easy to use. Simply two-finger tap (or click) on the touchpad to activate the color choices for the Marker. You may also notice the red circle with red square in the middle. This is how you STOP recording. Once you are done recording, you can get a transcript. The Transcript tool is also what you use to adjust the contents of the video:

Excise portions of screencast with the Transcript->Skip section tool.

Want to know more? Here’s some more information on the tool:

  • Screencast: Screencast without having to add an extension to your Chrome browser. Look no further than this newest addition.
    • Anyone with a Chromebook can create and select part of the recordings to skip (via the transcription editor)
    • All recordings are automatically transcribed.
    • Make sure you update to Chrome OS M103 before jumping in.
  • Cast Moderator: This tool makes it easy to wirelessly present your Chromebook screen. Cast Moderator enables teachers to:

Watch this video for a walkthrough:

Tool #2: RecordCast.com

There are plenty of desktop, browser-based video recorders available to us today. So why would you need one more? What if, instead of a video recorder, you also had a browser-based video editor? And what if I told you it’s easy to add images and audio to it and overlay text on that video? Most people would say, “That’s WeVideo or Screencastify.” But those solutions come with a price.

RecordCast.com offers a free, browser-based solution you can use.

RecordCast brings the functionality of Screencastify and Loom Pro. No browser add-ons or downloads are required. That’s right, RecordCast works its magic without a special browser add-on or extension. That, and its “FREE” label make it an amazing find. But that’s not all.

RecordCast enjoys a thirty-minute time limit for recordings. RecordCast brings the functionality of Screencastify and Loom Pro. No browser add-ons or downloads are required. That’s right, RecordCast works its magic without a special browser add-on or extension. That, and its “FREE” label make it an amazing find. But that’s not all. RecordCast enjoys a thirty-minute time limit for recordings. This makes it a perfect tool for instructional screencasts. It combines the ease of use with two important factors: a timeline that allows you to add audio tracks and overlay text. You can also record your screen, screen plus webcam, or webcam only. Be aware that, in order to use the program, you will need to create an account, as well as verify your email. You will also be limited to seven projects at a time.

recordcast

Watch this short video overview of RecordCast and read this blog entry that goes into more depth:

Tool #3: Shotcut

Although open source video editors abound, Shotcut makes video editing easy. In fact, I’ve coached my colleague Peggy Reimers on using Shotcut. Her computer of choice is a Mac and the experience has been uniform for both of us, even though I’m on Windows 10. Shotcut’s ease of use allows me to combine various elements, such as images, music clips, and video. It’s an easy matter to add tracks for each, then export the assembled creation as MP4 video. It has a wealth of online tutorials.

Here’s a quick video overview of Shotcut:

Tool #4: MiniTool MovieMaker Free

When Microsoft cut Moviemaker, I mourned with the rest of the world. For a while, I thought that the enhanced Photos app on Microsoft Windows 10 would get the job done. It did not. As a result, I found myself searching for an alternative.

While Shotcut was the first tool I found that worked well, I recently stumbled on a new one. That video editing tool is MiniTool MovieMaker Free. The interface is a welcome break from Shotcut’s busy one, as you can see below. That simplicity comes with a few sacrifices, as I’ll point out in the video walkthrough:

MiniTool MovieMaker Free, as you will see, has a lot to offer. Some of its features include:

  • Creating and editing videos in Windows
  • Smart movie templates
  • Ability to add text and transitions
  • Free (no cost) and no watermarks

In fact, some of its own advertising sells it as an iMovie-style editor. I don’t know if I would go that far, but the interface is simple and powerful for video editing newbies like me.

Here’s a quick video overview of MiniToo MovieMaker Free:

I have to admit that I found it a bit poky and slow on the uptake compared to Shotcut. One additional solution may be worth your time.

Tool #5: OpenShot Video Editor

Looking for an easy to use video editor that won’t cost you a dime? Give Openshot video editor a check. While it’s a bit less feature heavy than Shotcut, it will do the most important things. Watch this short video overview:

After playing with all five tools, on a Windows machine, I’m going to stick with the free, open source Shotcut. It makes it possible to achieve quick editing. If I need fancier features, I will have to learn them or maybe use OpenShot. OpenShot provides a nice entry point given its easy to use multi-track support, slicing and export features.

For Chromebook users, using Google’s built-in Screencast with automatic annotation and marking is a winner. Use RecordCast.com as a quick video editor, an inexpensive alternative to the more costly WeVideo.

Splitting and Joining Videos

Have a long video and need to split it into pieces? Or maybe you have multiple videos that you need to join together? Consider using one of these tools to get the job done. They are available at no cost and will make working with a large video (or a lot of small ones) easier.

Optimal video size is anywhere between six and eight minutes long. Trying to split video into small chunks can be time-consuming. Allow me to share an example.

For example, the 15 videos in this playlist were once joined together. That huge video file was about 1.2 gigabytes in size. Eighteen seconds after putting them into a video splitting tool, I had them ready to upload (put) into YouTube as a playlist.

Free video trimmer
FlexClip’s Free Video Trimmer

There are many solutions available to get the job done. Three that you can explore include:

Here’s a quick video overview of MP4Tools (edited with NCH’s VideoPad):

My pick for the best free video editing software? RecordCast for short videos (under 30 minutes), Shotcut for longer videos or videos that require cropping and other special filters. You can’t go wrong with its powerhouse features and, if you give yourself a little time, you’ll soon be a pro at using it for simple video edits. Not quite ready to jump into the deep-end? Try OpenShot Video Editor.

Finally, be sure to read my blog entry on Five Free Video Converters. They will make your life easier when shrinking videos or prepping them for viewing on specific devices.

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Good TeachingGoogle Tips and Tricks

Video Sharing in Google Classroom and Seesaw

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Need to share videos into Google Classroom or Seesaw? You’re not the only teacher who needs to put a quick tutorial video together for students. Here are some strategies that other educators recommend around the topics of video storage, sharing and creation tools and tips, as well as how to share videos in Seesaw and Google Classroom.

Storing Videos in the Cloud

With both Google Classroom and Seesaw, you can share links to existing videos. This means that you can make a video using any tool you want and then post it anywhere. That anywhere can be YouTube, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or wherever. One thing you need to be careful with is ensuring that the video is viewable by anyone with a link. This is an option when you put the video in a cloud storage space.

Did you know you might have almost unlimited storage in the cloud? Both G Suite EDU and Microsoft OneDrive offer unlimited (or almost) storage.

share video

A New Player? Loom Pro for Free

“Looms is my choice as a best option,” says TCEA board member, John Bimmerle. He goes on to point out that it is “super quick.” Loom Pro, which has gone free for teachers, is also open to students at K-16 education institutions. Loom Pro comes with a desktop version and Chrome extension.  Learn more about their COVID-19 Loom Pro free offer via their announcement. My experience? It lagged a bit in rendering the video on their website. After 10 minutes, I uninstalled Loom and opted for another tool. Let’s hope they improve and/or demand eases up.

Wait, Wait, There’s ONE MORE Newcomer!

Flipgrid announced on April 1, 2020 that they are adding screen recording to their amazing product. It’s a free, no-cost offering. Watch their announcement video via this Tweet (or see the unauthorized MP4 video I made of it):

The possibilities with Flipgrid screenrecording option are endless. You can now organize your screencasts, such as of your desktop and apps, into grids and allow others to contribute. What’s more, you can export those screencasts as MP4 video files to place on YouTube. What’s amazing is how easy it is to screen recording using Flipgrid. And, all of this is FREE and available at no cost to educators. It also allows you to start and stop video recording, which is an amazing feature.

Did You Know?

Sign up for one of our Google Certified Educator certifications. You’ll learn about more than Google Meet, as well as earn 12 CPE hours per course. Use these courses to get Google Educator certified. Find out more online.

Video Creation Tools

If you’re still looking for a good tool for video sharing, here’s a quick run down of other digital tools you can use to creating teaching videos.

  1. Screencast-o-Matic. Screencast-O-Matic is a fantastic tool that will let you record from their site. You can record up to 15 minutes, and it allows for webcam picture recording. Save your videos in .mp4, .flv, or .avi video format or you can upload them straight to YouTube.
  2. Screencastify. Screencastify is a Chrome extension that allows you to record, edit, annotate, store, and share video screen captures. Record a specific tab, or your whole desktop, at the click of a button. The free Lite version normally limits recording time to five minutes per video and has a watermark. Due to COVID-19, as of this writing, you can get premium version for free for 60 days. You may also want to look at some of their free e-learning resources. They are also announcing a new feature for students to use Screencastify. Find out more at Screencastify Submit. Watch a video intro.
  3. Nimbus Screencapture/Screen recording. Nimbus is a Chrome extension for capturing web pages, either part of one or the whole browser window. You can also edit your screenshots and screen record your desktop or a particular tab.
  4. Zoom. Available at no charge and in wide usage as a result of COVID-19, many people don’t know they can use it to record and share their screens. Using Zoom Basic, you can record webinars that feature picture in picture, play music as you share your screen, and save a video recording to your computer. Many videos you will create will be no more than five to 30 minutes, which fall into the free version of Zoom time limits. Of course, those time limits have been waived for educators during COVID-19.

Popular Screencasting Tools

Those are some of my favorite browser-based screen recording tools. There are also free screen recording tools that you can install on Windows. Of course, Mac users can rely on QuickTime, which offers free recordings. If you need to edit videos, Shotcut is a great editor for Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux computers.

A Personal Recommendation

People often ask, “What do you use?” Until lately, I have relied on Screencastify. With its $29 price tag  for one year, it’s worth the investment. While I still use Screencastify when on a Chromebook, on Windows 10 and Mac I recommend another tool, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). I can’t tell you how amazed I was at the flexibility, versatility, and speed of this free (and no-cost), open source tool. Gamers (e.g. esports) use OBS to stream their game-play to various streaming services (e.g. Facebook LIVE, Twitch, Periscope). You can use it to record your content, too.

Look hard? It’s not as bad as you think. Here’s what OBS looks like when I’m using it to record videos for TCEA Remote Learning.

Highlight Tool: Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

Instead of recording your desktop, OBS allows you to record anything your computer does (see sidebar image for a list). While not for the faint of heart, OBS continues to get easier to use every day. If you have to record video, it makes switching between different scenes and input sources (e.g. audio, video, webcam, browsers, and apps) easy.

Intended as a streaming solution, you can use it to record and save video to MKV or MP4 format. I am truly astonished how fast it is once set up. However, the setup can be confusing, and so I encourage you to read my upcoming guide on recording videos with OBS. In the meantime, be sure to read the the OBS Studio Quickstart guide.

Even More Video Sharing Tools

Looking for other powerful tools to use? Here are a few.

  1. Flipgrid.com – Flipgrid is a free, fun, and easy way to have a video chat. It is a great tool to get student feedback while incorporating student voice. There is an iOS and Android app.
  2. VideoNot.es. Have students use this Google Drive app with their Google account. That will allow them to take notes while they watch a video that you assign. Notes work as video markers. Click the notes, and you leapfrog to the matching spot in the video.
  3. Vialogues. Vialogues allows you to create conversations that revolve around a video.
  4. EdPuzzle. This is the premier tool for adding content to an existing video. It makes it easy to use what you need from any video. You can insert audio notes or record over a video with your voice. You can even add questions at any point in the video and track your students’ understanding.
  5. Educannon (Playposit). This is a great way to annotate existing YouTube videos for students to watch at home.

share video

Some Quick Tips for Video Recordings

Here are some quick tips for video recording you may want to keep in mind:

1) Storyboard your content first, then create a video about your lesson. All the tools are free to get started.

2) Keep videos short, two to three minutes or five to 10 minutes max (shorter is better). You can always create more videos. Think “bite-sized chunks” that students can nibble on their way to/from school, sitting somewhere waiting for an adult to do something, or during the gap in a basketball game on television or in person.

3) Plan for reflective, online classroom activities. Use tools like Quizziz, Kahoot, and GetKnowt to create some online assessments.

Recording Video on the Go

Need tools for recording videos on the go? You can use your smartphone and an app to get the job done. Need some solutions for Android? How about iOS?

Sharing Videos in Seesaw

Sharing content in Seesaw has never been easier. The steps involve creating an announcement and adding an attachment. Then you select the type of attachment you want (a link). Afterwards, paste the link to your “shared with anyone” video resource. For a visual overview, check out this animated GIF that walks you through the process. Remember, you can have a copy of that video saved anywhere so long as it is “shared with anyone link.”

If you want to share a message straight to the camera, you can record video directly into Seesaw using your device’s camera. Instead of choosing LINK in the Add Attachment window, choose VIDEO, as shown in the picture below:

share video

Sharing Videos: Google Classroom

Google Classroom makes it easy to share content by posting it into its stream or to YouTube. If it’s an instructional video, you can then add questions with EdPuzzle. Dropping your videos into Google Drive, then sharing a public link is easy. Drop the link to the video in the Google Classroom stream. You may like Eric Curts’ video series on Google Classroom.

Final Thoughts

Still not sure what’s the best tool for the job? Let’s review the options below:

  • Flipgrid user? Need an easy to use tool, then Flipgrid screen recording is so easy. You can save your screencasts as MP4 videos on your computer. Flipgrid works via your browser, making it the perfect tool on mobile devices. This is also an amazing feature for students to use.
  • Screencastify? If you are a Chromebook users, or want to use a simple, powerful tool, then Screencastify will make the job easier. As a veteran Screencastify user, it’s one of my favorite tools. They are also announcing a new feature for students to use Screencastify. Find out more at Screencastify Submit.
  • OBS Project? Not afraid of a little complexity? OBS offers a free, no-cost screen recording tool that works on your Windows or Mac computer. It’s super-fast since it’s running on your computer.
  • Mobile user? Try XRecorder to screencast your Android screen, YouCut – Video Editor & Video Maker, No Watermark to blend pictures and video with light editing. On iOS?

Need a video editor? Use the free, open source Shotcut for Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux. Or if you need a browser-based web editor, WeVideo may be your only option (check here for more info).

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remote learning
Announcements/Important DatesProfessional Learning

Here for You: Free Membership and Remote Learning Help

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

I don’t think any of us could have predicted what the state of teaching and learning would look like today with the virus, shelter-in-place orders, and remote learning. It came out of the blue and, quite frankly, really surprised us. And that means that we weren’t able to prepare for it. Teachers and administrators were thrust into roles that they had only heard discussed previously or had possibly had mentioned in training.

So it’s understandable that the anxiety level of our educators across the county, and even the world, is extremely high right now because of all the unknowns. There are a ton of questions about the teaching and learning. How long will this last? Will we be able to actually have physical school again? How do I teach students who don’t have internet access at home? How can I support my special needs students?

And then there are the questions about the technology. How can I make sure my students are productive while online? How does Zoom or Google Classroom work? Which assignments that are sent home should be graded and how? What kind of lesson plans work well digitally?

Good News

The good news is that TCEA is here to help you. Connecting people, demonstrating how to best to use technology for digital learning, providing ideas on how to support those working remotely, coaching teachers to feel more comfortable with these changes, all of it is exactly what we do — and have done for 40 years.

To help support everyone during this time (and beyond), TCEA today is offering free, one-year membership in the organization. The free membership includes all of the online learning, resources, networking, and other features that can help you not only survive this scary time, but also thrive in it. The free membership is open to anyone, regardless of where you live or work; whether you are in a public school, private school, or home school; whether you are a teacher or administrator or librarian or counselor or technician or anyone working in education today.

The free membership will be available Monday, March 30, 2020 beginning at 8:00 a.m. Central and running through Friday, May 8. If you are already a member, you can add on another year of membership at no cost by taking advantage of this free offer.

Even More Good News

Also beginning today, TCEA will be providing additional, short videos on key issues for teachers and leaders during this time of remote learning. The videos are designed to answer some of the many questions we have received about how to offer effective and engaging learning opportunities to students at home.

They will be available on this website with four new videos added each day. All of the videos will include quick, easy-to-implement ideas, lessons, activities, and resources.

Here are just a few of the topics we’ll cover:

  • Teaching and Leading Remotely: How TCEA Can Help
  • Become a Zoom Expert!
  • Remote Learning with Google Classroom
  • Teaching Remotely with G Suite for Education
  • Setting Up Educational Playlists in YouTube
  • Staying Connected with Your Students and Staff
  • Keep Remote Learning Simple
  • Using Fliphunts in an Online Setting
  • Google Sites for Remote Learning
  • Differentiated Reading Resources to Help
  • Digital Audiobooks for Free
  • Making Worksheets Interactive
  • Test-Enhanced Learning Made Easy
  • Using Screencasts to Facilitate Learning From Home
  • And many more!

So make time today to sign up for your year’s worth of learning, sharing, leading, and creating by taking advantage of our free membership. Then check out the resources to help you master remote teaching and leading. And remember, you are not alone in this endeavor. TCEA is here with you, along with all of our members.

unsplash-logoPhoto: sydney Rae
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hands in the waves with a hand outstretched to them to save
Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksMicrosoft Tips and TricksWeb 2.0 Tool

Wakelet to the Rescue: Backchannel and Twitter Chat Archiving

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

There are two common challenges we face as educators, no matter what you do. Classroom teacher, school administrator, or instructional coach — you face these same two challenges.

The first challenge is how to archive your Twitter chats. Imagine being able to capture Twitter hashtags featuring classroom critical information. Instead of losing information to the continuous scroll, how can we save it? Or how about curating content for a campus show-and-tell?

The second challenge is how to set up a safe space for backchannel chats. Providing the ability for your students or your staff to share ideas and thoughts is a powerful learning tool.

In this blog entry, we’ll explore both of these aspects of Wakelet that you may be unfamiliar with. Ready? Let’s get started.

Did You Know?

You can now save Flipgrid videos direct into a Wakelet Collection! The Wakelet developers have integrated Flipgrid’s new Shorts Camera into Wakelet to help bring your stories to life! Learn more via this tweet. (Updated 9/4/2019)

Wakelet for Backchannel Chats

“Wouldn’t it be neat if we had a tool that worked well for backchannel chats?” I remember asking the question a few months ago when Today’s Meet went offline. In spite of my best search efforts, I couldn’t find any solutions that worked well. I ended up settling for Padlet’s backchannel, but it feels clunky and not worth the effort of setting up. The good news is that Wakelet makes it easy with its access code feature.

Step 1: Create Your Wakelet

You can add some descriptive text and include a short link. You must use the one Wakelet provides, but you can also make your own with a URL shortener. You can see this “Class Academic Chat” Wakelet online here.

Step 2: Set the Visibility

Set the visibility of your Wakelet to unlisted, as shown in the image below.

Step 3: Get the Contributors’ link or Code

Once you have your Wakelet ready to share, get the Contributors’ link. This link includes a special code you can share with others. This link, which is also available as a QR code, makes it easy to get your K-12 or adult learners into your class chat.

Note: If you are logged into Wakelet via your browser, you will not see the ENTER CODE. To get around that, either 1) log out of Wakelet, or 2) open an incognito/private browsing window. Also, if at any time you need to generate a new link and code (like I will with this particular chat), you can use the link shown.

Step 4: Invite Others

Instruct others to enter the code for your Wakelet, then enter their name, as shown below. If you are in an environment where sharing the link is difficult, ask learners to open up their browser. Then, have them go to the Wakelet.com page. At this point, have them click on ENTER CODE in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Once learners click on ENTER CODE (as shown above), then they can enter the top secret access code that makes them into contributors, as shown below.

After selecting the JOIN button, then they will be invited to enter their name as shown below.

At that point, they are ready to begin adding content to the Wakelet Class Chat.

Step 5: Ask for Participation

Once your learners are in the Wakelet chat, they can click on the plus symbol. Each contribution displays the student’s name or the one they entered. Here’s what the add content bar looks like.

The plus symbol will empower them to do any of the following:

  • Paste URL – You can ask students to replace the text imported from the website by having them enter their own rationale for adding the site or why it is relevant to the conversation.
  • Text – Add text or contributions
  • Image – Add an image
  • PDF – If learners have a PDF document on their device, they can add it.
  • Drive – Add content from Google Drive.

Isn’t that incredible? When done adding content, participants SAVE AND EXIT. This commits their changes to the class Wakelet, making them visible for all to see. If they want to add new comments, they can click on EDIT COLLECTION. This will let them add more remarks before they SAVE AND EXIT again. They can also choose to CLOSE out without making additions.

Now, one other neat feature is possible. Participants have the ability to add content, but cannot make changes. That is, they are unable to change the background images, the display of the Wakelet itself. Only you can do that as the organizer or teacher.

Tip: Once the content is in Wakelet, don’t forget that every text entry has the power of Microsoft’s Immersive Reader behind it. Yes, that means that text can be read aloud to students who need it.

Want to see it all in action? Watch this short YouTube video tutorial  (alternate link) I made for you.

Curating Twitter Chats and Tweets

This aspect of Wakelet slipped past me at first. While I knew Wakelet had the ability to embed tweets into its flow as bookmarks, there’s more to it. As an instructional coach or facilitator, you need to curate content for K-12 or adult learners. And that content should include resources and ideas from the Twitterverse.

Capturing tweets is difficult, but Wakelet makes it easy. As you can see in the two images below, click the plus symbol and then the TWITTER button. Note that this content bar is different than what you see as a contributor when participating in a chat. You have MORE options available to you.

After that, you can add tweets from a particular hashtag or user. In the image below, you can see that one can multi-select tweets from a hashtag, in this case, #pblchat.

Wakelet to the Rescue

As you can imagine, Wakelet makes powerful options available to you. I hope you will find these two features worthwhile. I had not explored them until a recent conversation with Wakelet’s Misbah (@Wakelet). What a joy to learn about such awesome, free (no-cost) tools for educators. In addition to creating content-rich collections of curated goodness, you can use Wakelet for much more. Stay tuned as we continue our exploration.

Bonus Tip: Embed Content

Want to share your backchannel chat or twitter curation efforts on another website? Wakelet embeds easily into Microsoft OneNote, Google Sites pages, Google’s Blogger, and traditional websites. This makes it the perfect tool for capturing student insights and sharing. You can embed content by using the embed code Wakelet provides. Misbah also points out that you can print the QR codes to existing collections and then paste them into books, magazines, or around your campus to give people MORE information.

But wait, there’s more! Did you know that you can save Screencastify video recordings direct to Wakelet? Yes, it is easy to take those screencasts and drop them right into your favorite Wakelet through the Apps feature.  Here’s a video overview of the options available:

*This post was updated September 4, 2019.

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Chrome browser
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

Make Your Chrome Browsing Experience Even Better

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

There are many things I enjoy about the Chrome browser, including a wide array of extensions I can use, assigning my startup pages so they automatically load when I open the browser, and being able to cast my browser to my TV for group viewing. Needless to say, I was excited when I found out about various new features that developers are testing to see if they are worthy to become full-fledged features in Chrome. Here are some of my favorites.

A Word about Chrome Flags

First, I need to give a disclaimer.

When developers are testing new features that may not be ready for prime time, they push them out as experimental features. You can find these features by typing chrome://flags into your Chrome browser and hitting return. You want to be careful when altering flags, as it may have unintended consequences. And, if you feel you’ve gone too far and want to undo your changes, just click the “Reset all to default” button at the top of the flags page. But, if you are like me and interested in what might be coming down the road, taking a look at flags can be a sneak peek into what the developers are thinking. Also, because flags are considered experimental, they may disappear at any time if it is decided to abandon a flag. Since flags are testing grounds for features, some of them may actually make it to the prestige of becoming a “real” feature in Chrome.

Enable Reader Mode

Enable Reader Mode (#Enable-Reader-Mode) opens a new page that has been stripped of ads. This is great when you are wanting to share a web page with others, but it is cluttered with ads that distract from the page. Chrome extensions that are similar to Reader Mode include Clearly and Print Friendly & PDF. To enable Reader Mode:search for #enable-reader-mode in the search box at the top of the experiments page. Click the blue button on the right and select “enabled.” You will be prompted to relaunch Chrome to have the change take place.

To use Reader Mode, go to a website of your choice. Click on the Customize and Control icon (the three vertical dots) on the top-right of your browser. Select “Distill page.” Your page will refresh to a simplified, less cluttered view. To leave the distilled page and return to normal viewing, just click the back button. This mode is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS.

Focus Mode

Focus Mode will pop out the current tab into its own window. To make use of this feature, you’ll need Chrome 7.6 or higher, which was not yet out at the time of this writing. If you like to be on the cutting edge, though, and want access to this (and other) features before they are rolled out to the masses, then consider using Chrome Beta. Chrome Beta allows you to preview features before they are released. This is great if you work in a support capacity or you find that you are the geekiest of your group of friends.

With this flag enabled, you can right-click on a tab to get the contextual menu to appear. Notice to the right in the menu that “Focus this tab” is now in the list. Select this item. The tab will be removed from the current window and will reopen in a tab-less window with no omnibox. To restore the page, click on the Customize and Control icon and choose “Open in Chrome.” This feature is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. #focus-mode

Extensions Toolbar Menu

When the Extensions Toolbar Menu flag is enabled, Google will place an icon in the top-right corner of your browser in line with the omnibox. If you like a clutter-free browser toolbar or you are making screencasts, you will find this to be a handy feature. When you click on the icon (which looks something like a bad puzzle piece or a odd ship in Star Wars), you will be able to view and access all your enabled extensions via a drop-down list. Having your extensions in this folder-like feature provides a wider omnibox for viewing URLs.  This feature is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. #extensions-toolbar-menu

Tab Hover Cards

Tab Hover Cards replace the traditional tool tip. This is great if you have multiple tabs open but have trouble identifying the difference between them. While this isn’t a huge improvement over tool tips, it may be easier to see, especially if others are looking on at your computer.

Tab Hover Cards are much more relevant when coupled with Tab Hover Card Images. This flag will generate a thumbnail of any background tabs when you hover over them. For me, however, this seems a little slow to load the image; I’m not sure if that is due to needing some more efficiency in the coding of the flag or it is the way it is intended to work. Both flags are available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. #tab-hover-cards #tab-hover-card-images

 

More Information At Your Fingertips

For more information on Chrome flags, check out these resources:

If you have worked with flags before or come across a great article that shares some interesting flags, jump in the comment section below and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

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