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5 Uses for Screencastify for Online Learning

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Like many teachers, I have had to find ways to adapt during the school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This has to lead me to get creative with how I get lessons and resources out to my students. One tool I discovered and love is Screencastify.  I love Screencastify because it is easy to use, and you can record your screen, face, or both depending on what your goal is. All of the videos save directly to your Google Drive, making it easy to share them on Google Classroom or embed them in other Google Suite Products. 

Since we are unsure of what the fall will look like, I thought I would share some ideas for how you might use Screencastify in your online or blended instruction. 

TIP: Screencastify has some online training courses that I highly recommend. The longest training course is only an hour.  These courses are great for beginners as well as those who just need ideas of how to use the tool in the classroom.  They also have a 10-minute course for students to learn how to use Screencastify. 

I completed both of the teacher courses this month and got these nifty badges to show off. 


Master Screencaster Badge Screencastify Genius Badge
5 Uses for Screencastify for Online Learning

  1. Directions - Students don't always do well with reading directions, so to supplement your written directions, make a video where you explain the directions to them. Depending on the age of your students and the complexity of the instructions you may record a week-at-a-glance video, daily overview video, or, for more complex assignments, multiple step-by-step videos. 
  2. Book Talks - Self-selected reading is a huge push in my school district, and frequent book talks are a way to promote student reading. You as a teacher can record book talks, or you can have students make their own book talks to share with their peers. 
  3. Mini-Lessons - Because Screencastify allows you to display your screen, it is perfect for filming yourself going through a quick PowerPoint presentation which students can watch and reference while working on their assignments. 
  4. Feedback - You can film yourself providing your students feedback on their assignments and link to the video in the comments of their assignments. This gives a more personal touch and allows you to go into more detail than you can in written comments.  
  5. Audio Readings/Oral Testing - Meeting students' IEPs can be difficult during online learning. If you have students who struggle reading or get oral testing accommodations, record yourself reading the article, story, or test with the file on the screen so they can follow along. They can pause and rewind the video whenever the need to. 
I hope that some of these suggestions are helpful.  Feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments below.
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