Why use Screencastify?

It’s a Chrome extension … a little program installed into the Google Chrome web

browser in the top right corner.

• record video with your webcam OR record what’s happening on your screen.

• record a specific web browser tab, the entire web browser or your computer’s

educational Google Drive account (unlimited storage) and sharing them to Classroom

is so easy. (Save video to Drive, add a new announcement/assignment to Classroom,

attach video, and you’re done!)

Great Screencastify activities

1. Newscast (webcam) — Students become the news anchor and deliver what

they’re learning about as the news of the day. Set them up in front of a whiteboard

(or green screen!) with a desk and let them summarize the important details.

2. Moving paper manipulatives (webcam) — Have students draw and cut out paper

objects that illustrate the concept they’re learning. Point the webcam at the desk

(positioning the computer is tricky but doable!). Then have students describe their

PowerPoint. Use text boxes or pictures as items to move around the screen. Then

start a screencast video with Screencastify. Explain what’s happening through the

microphone and demonstrate by moving those digital manipulatives around the

screen.

4. Whiteboard explainer video (webcam) — Ever seen those RSA Animate videos

where they scribble illustrations furiously on a whiteboard? You or your students can

make a version of these videos using Screencastify and YouTube to create great

videos that show their understanding or teach content. Here’s what you do:

• Plan out your drawings first.

• Record yourself drawing them on a whiteboard using the webcam.

want to record a voiceover instead, you’d need to use a video editing tool

like WeVideo, Windows Movie Maker or iMovie instead.)

5. Tour Builder walking tour (screencast) — Google has this neat tool that lets you

create virtual tours using Google Maps. You choose the locations. You choose the

view (satellite view from overhead or Street View from the ground). Then you can

display it full screen to show others. This fits perfectly with a Screencastify screencast.

Have students set up their tours. Then they can record them, narrating with their

microphones and showing all the locations they’ve added to their tours. They’re the

virtual tour guides!

instructions specifically as you described them. Make sub plans crystal clear with a

screencast video, complete with your voice and video of your screen. Then leave that

video in Google Classroom (or on a class website with a link), where students can

access it and watch it themselves. Looking for even more ways to create better sub

7. Animation (screencast) — One of my favorite non-traditional uses of Google Slides

is to create stop-motion animation (flipbook animation) by duplicating slides and

making slight changes. (See how in this post or watch a great example in this video.)

show hosts, podcasters and more use frequently. People are drawn in to the question

and answer format. Students can conduct their own interviews with a

laptop/Chromebook and a Screencastify webcam recording. Have them interview

each other, teachers, school leaders, family members, veterans on Veteran’s Day,

community leaders and more in relation to what they’re learning.

9. Presentations (webcam / screencast) — Oral presentations in front of class are a

practice as timeless as education itself. The anxiety over presenting in front of peers

goes back that far, too. Recording presentations (with slides or without) using

Screencastify provides several benefits:

• That anxiety is eased when there aren’t dozens of eyes watching.

no rewind button. There’s no pause button. For tricky concepts, recording

instructional videos that students can watch later gives them those benefits. Record

short videos for your students that they can watch later (or at home with parents

when they’re struggling to complete an assignment).

11. Record your class (webcam) — When students are absent from class, they miss a

lot. To help them get back on track, you can record class and make it available to

them online. Use a Screencastify webcam video to record your instruction. Simply set

a laptop or Chromebook up on a stool or desk at the front of the room and start

video. They can be instructed to speak off the cuff, to prepare brief bullet-point notes

or to go from a script. This is a great way for foreign language students to practice

speaking the new language and demonstrate their skills — by recording a

conversation or a monologue in the target language.

13. One question deep dive (webcam / screencast) — Instead of assigning 20

questions or problems for students to work on, what if students only did one — and

explained their answer thoroughly? A screencast or a webcam video with a

whiteboard lets them dive deep into their thinking and explain their process.

Sometimes, when students explain their thinking, it clicks with other students in ways

that a teacher explanation does not.

14. Verbal feedback (webcam / screencast) — Written comments from the teacher

are quick and easy, and they have their place. Have you considered leaving students

oral video feedback? When grading essays, reports or other cumulative projects,

teachers can record Screencastify webcam or screencast videos to give more personal

15. Reading test instructions (screencast) — Our teachers use Screencastify to record

themselves reading their tests. This is then housed/linked (since it can be saved in

themselves. They can stop/start it, go back, etc anytime they want during the test to

make sure they are accurately showing their knowledge. Idea submitted by Michelle

Brenner.

the end of the creation process. Giving and getting feedback is an important part of

video creation. A recent update gives users the ability to post, view and edit Google

Drive video comments right from the Screencastify extension.

18. Appsmash with Flipgrid (webcam/screencast) — Flipgrid is an excellent tool that

allows you and your students to share webcam videos and interact with each other.

Sometimes, you may want students to reference things on their screen. Combining

Screencastify and Flipgrid gives you the best of both worlds.

19. Appsmash with Wakelet (screencast) — Wakelet allows students and teachers to

easily curate resources. You may want to add a screencast to a collection of resources

or have your students add their screencast explaining a digital project to

So, you can upload your Screencastify video to quickly quiz students on what they are

learning as they are watching.

resource. Be sure to download the entire ebook for even more great ideas shared by

educators and the Screencastify team.

skills, have students mute the audio from a video and add their own voices. You’ll

instantly be able to see what type of narrative they create with the visuals on screen.

You can even test their ability to speak in a foreign language. (#19/50 pg 23 of the

ebook)

23. Parent homework (webcam / screencast) — When students get home and start

homework, they may still have some questions. But parents may be just as confused

as their children! Recording parent videos to accompany homework ensures that

school. (#44/50 pg 48 of the ebook)

24. Staff PD (screencast) — Learning how to use new ed tech can be so gratifying.