What's The Issue?

Students will:

• Be able to collaborate with a global or local community to gather ideas on solving an issue using digital tools.

• Be able to use Screencastify to effectively record their computer screen.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Screencast:  Digital video recording that captures actions taking place on a computer display.

To prepare for this lesson:

• View Tutorial and Explore Screencastify website:

• Sign up for your own account and try making a video yourself

• Students need to sign up for an account by either logging into the Screencastify website or by adding the Chrome extension.  

• Students may create 30-minute videos for free. If you want videos to be longer you would need to pay for a premium account. There are plans available for schools.

• If sharing video outside of the school building, check with your school’s privacy policy regarding videotaping students. You may need permission from parents to use the video outside of the classroom setting. **To avoid this issue you may have the students narrate using their voice only and not showing the webcam picture.

• Students will need to find or create digital information regarding the issue they are presented with before using Screencastify. They will need to plan what they are going to show in their video.

See the Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

1. Present students with a local or global issue.

2. Students use Screencastify to create a video sharing the issue with community members or other schools.

3. Videos may include information from digital sources as well as their own created presentations or essays.

4. Videos should include a request for ideas or feedback regarding the issue for students to consider and an email address or another format for people to share their feedback with students.

5. Videos may be displayed on the school’s website or shared with specific community members.  

6. Once feedback has been received students may create another screencast that includes updated ideas and perspectives on the issue.

Different options for assessing the students:

• Observations
• Check for understanding

• The teacher may create and use a rubric to score students screencast for specific elements such as sharing of relevant information, voice tone and speed appropriate for presentation, considered feedback and modification of original ideas, etc.