Screencasting: Debut
Debut is a PC- and Windows based downloadable app that includes a webcam recorder, a
video recorder, and a screen recorder.
Use it to introduce yourself to the class.
You can include your background and experience with the subject and add personal touches like photos and your favorite music to connect with students.
Use it to introduce the class structure.
Using screencasting to explain online course navigation and instructions helps provide the instructor presence so important to student success in online environments.
Use it to present content or demonstrate skills to your students.
Screencasting can allow you to
- record and present a speech, a story, an interview or a conversation.
- screen capture a presentation along with narration.
- screen capture a demonstration of a math problem being solved using a drawing program.
- create tutorials and step-by-step video demonstrations on how to use laboratory equipment or specific software programs.
- provide training on a range of topics.
- offer explanations and clarifications of complex concepts.
- record chunked lectures, or break up longer lectures into smaller segments.
Use it to provide feedback to your students.
Screencasting allows you to augment textual corrections with speech and drawings.
Read more from the source.
Pros
It’s flexible. You can record videos as avi, wmv, flv, mpg, mp4, mov and more video formats. You can also record video alone or video and audio simultaneously.
It has features that can optimize the quality of the product.
- Screen capture software records the entire screen, a single window or any selected portion.
- It has a zoom-to-mouse feature focuses the recording window on the cursor.
- It has mouse highlighting that spotlights the location of the cursor.
- It allows you to record audio from your microphone and speakers simultaneously, which is ideal for recording video conferences.
- It offers time lapse video recording.
- You can create photo snapshots of a video at any time.
- You can add your own text captions or time stamp your video.
- You can change color settings and video effects before recording.
- You can adjust the video resolution, size and frame rate for capture.
- You can add click sound and assign colored circles around the right and left click spots.
The free version also includes a video editor.
Cons
The editing capabilities are somewhat limited. Specifically, Debut doesn’t let you split and join audio and video files.
Read reviews.
This site lists five steps to getting started using Debut.
This site provides a step-by-step document with screen shots.
This example shows how to use Google Alerts.