Screenr review

For Module 2 I chose to review Screenr (www.screenr.com) which is a screencasting website that allows you to record audio and capture what is happening on your computer screen. It is a creativity tool that allows a user to create visual tutorials with step by step audio instructions. This was my first time using Screenr and making a screencast. Here is what I found.

To get started you just need a computer, PC or Mac, the internet, and Java on you computer. Most computers already come with Java installed. You need to be familiar with audio recording devices and comfortable with navigating on a computer, since that is what you will capture. You will also need to have already created a Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, or Twitter account to log in. No special skills are really required, but you might have to practice a few times until you get your screencast right.

Screenr is free and there is nothing to download or install and it works on both a PC and Mac. You will need to create a username, but you can sign in on a Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, or Twitter account also. There is no need to sign up for  Pro account, which is designed for tech support for businesses. You do not need to be logged in to record, but you need to be logged in to publish your screencast.




There is a 1 minute tour of Screenr I previewed before anything, and it gives really easy to understand instructions. I would suggest viewing it before continuing.

When you are logged in and ready to begin, you just click the record button at the top of the webpage and a box frame will appear. You can then resize the box frame to fit the area you want to record. In the lower left corner of the box frame, there is a toolbar. On the toolbar you can choose which audio recording device you want to use, and adjust the capture size. When you have the options ready, just click the red button to record. I like that when you press record it gives you a 3 second delay to get ready, then you are being recorded. If you need to pause there is a pause button in the toolbar. When you are satisfied with your recording click done. Screenr will record up to 5 minutes of capture time.

When you click done, you will have a chance to preview your screencast, type a description, and then publish. Once published, you can share your screencast on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. They give you the html code if you want to embed it in a webpage or blog.

The advantages to using Screenr is that its free, easy to use, and you can create a screencast that's ready to publish quickly. Screenr makes it very easy to share your screencasts. A disadvantage is that you may only record up to 5 minutes, so if you are trying to make a tutorial on something elaborate, you may need to include in your audio times where the viewer can pause and catch up before moving along to the next step. I tried to use Screenr to create a screencast on how to use Screenr, and I found that you can't navigate away from the webpage when recording, so if you want to make a screencast for something on the internet, you may need to use a different browser.
I would suggest using Screenr in an educational setting to show parents how to log on to their school websites. Our parents are given log in numbers and passwords to log in to our gradebook where they can view their child's grades. Most parents never take the time to actually do it, but if a screencast was put on the school website showing parents how easy it is, maybe they would check grades more often. Screenr can also be used to show parents how to access our at home reading series website, which has at home leveled readers, phonics tutorials, and great supplemental activities for our students. Again showing parents how to access this with a tutorial posted on the school website might increase student use at home. Easy to follow tutorials is always appreciate for the not so tech savvy parents.