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Notes

This technique was recorded on a PC.  For Mac users, replace Smoothdraw with Paintbrush, downloadable here.

As for screencasting, while the 30-day free trial of Camtasia is worth a try, the $170 price tag may be a deterrent for some.  There are numerous other free / cheap options:

  1.  If you have a Smartboard in your classroom, using Smart Recorder, part of the Smart Notebook software suite, costs you nothing and produces perfectly good screencasts in .WMV format.  The downside is that there's no native editing ability.  Windows Movie Maker should be able to give you free editing ability, though it's a bit clunky.
  2. Screencast-o-matic (free) also seems to work, though it is browser-based and a little glitchy and also without editing tools.
  3. Jing (free) does not give you the actual movie files, requires you to use Screencast.com as your host, brands your videos with their logo, and limits you to 5 minutes.  No editing tools.
  4. Jing Pro ($15/year) DOES give you access to the MPEG-4 file, allows you to include your face from webcam, and doesn't brand your video, but still limits you to 5 min.  No editing tools.

Useful links

Camtasia Studio (download free 30 day trial)
Download Smoothdraw 3
Wacom Bamboo Stylus (at B+H)
Logitech Laptop Headset (at B+H, good quality)

Comments

shaunteaches
shaunteaches1 year 23 weeks ago

paintbrush not a match for smoothdraw

I have created almost 1,000 videos with paintbrush: http://www.youtube.com/user/shaunteaches?feature=mhee

I find that it isn't as nice as smoothdraw. However, I recently downloaded mypaint and find the writing to be much nicer. 

The Nitty Gritty of Khan-Style Screencasting
andrew's picture
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Published: 08/08/11
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported
Views: 7,572
Extending the Time and Place for Learning, Authoring and Integrating Online Content
Camtasia, Screencasting, Smoothdraw

Problem of practice

How do you actually use Smoothdraw and Camtasia, with a Wacom Bamboo tablet and stylus, to produce screencasts?

Solution

I show how to set up the work area, perform screencapture, do basic edits, and produce your video for upload.

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