The Project

As part of the coursework for TECM 5191, we were tasked with creating a procedural quick start guide for a client of our choosing. A screencast was determined to be the format for this assignment. For my client, I chose the student response website Socrative. This website allows teachers to create assessments that students can take through computers, smart phones, or tablets. This seemed to be a sound choice for a quick start guide since I have previous educational experience, have used the website as part of my past instructional methods, and know that the site could benefit from the inclusion of a procedural video.

A crucial part of education is aligning lessons and assessments to state standards. While Socrative enables teachers to do this, there is no instruction provided that shows educators how to accomplish this. To meet the guidelines of my project and address a need, I created a screencast that shows teachers how to align an assessment to applicable standards. My screencast walks teachers through the steps needed to align an assessment in a concise format that makes the best use of their time.

The Process

Prior to creating the screencast, I made a script that planned out the entire project. Times were noted and dialogue was created so that there would be no errors when recording. Screenshots were used so that I was able to sync dialogue and actions.

The software used for this project was Camtasia. Since I was not familiar with screencasting, I completed the LinkedIn course on the topic, Camtasia 2020 Essential Training: The Basics, earning a certificate in the process. While the course was very thorough, I found that I needed additional information, so I sought out other videos as well additional hints at creating a polished product. Consulting with other students and collaborating with them also allowed me to increase my knowledge and apply new ideas.

Before any video was created, I recorded the audio portion. To guarantee superior sound quality, I used a headset and adjusted the audio gain to balance the sound of my voice. Pacing was crucial, so I made sure to measure my cadence so that a user could easily follow along. I addressed any errors in the audio by pausing for a significant amount of time after the mistake. This made locating the error on the audio track much easier and facilitated editing it out. I added silence at the beginning and end of the track to guarantee that none of my words were cut off in the recording.

The video portion of the screencast was recorded after the audio. I played the audio portion while recording cursor movements. This made syncing the two tracks much easier in the end. I applied principles of minimalism in the overall creation of my screencast to keep any possible confusion to a minimum. Colors used in the screencast were taken directly from Socrative’s website so that the final product would match their existing branding. Special effects, primarily highlighting the cursor and smoothing cursor movement, were incorporated so that a user would easily be able to follow the action on screen. To address possible errors, I demonstrated a simple error recovery method so that users would know how to correct a mistake.

The Results

The skills that I gained from this project have helped me in my position as a technical writer. New employees are encouraged to give presentations to the larger studio. As a result of this project, I learned how to create an effective presentation that was informative and entertaining. Over the next several weeks, my current team will present information about an updated user interface to our client. The planning and recording skills that I have learned will enable me to help the designers create a persuasive presentation.