Screen+Toaster

=Screen Toaster=

What is Screen Toaster??
This is a FREE web based application which allows users to quickly and easily create videos and screen captures of their desktop, in whole or in part, to be used for demonstrations or instructional videos!!

To Access Screen Toaster Go -→ [|www.screentoaster.com]

Tutorials
To be honest, using this application takes about 5 minutes from the first time you access the site till the time you have recorded a video. The site provides a simple demo on the main page:

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Challenges
To be honest, there are none!! Seriously. I heard about this app from another teacher at school when I was describing this wiki assignment… her comment, “Do something on Screen Toaster- It Rocks!!” She then proceeded to tell me nothing about how to use it, instead saying- “It’s so easy even you can figure it out…” She was right!

The time it took from when I first logged onto the site till I created a basic demo video for my students was about 15 minutes!! Here is the video I made:

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One challenge I did have was figuring out how to go back and download the video. When you first create the video you have the option to upload it to YouTube, Host it on Screen Toaster, or download it. I chose Host in Screen Toaster. MY problem is I can’t figure out how to go back later and download it! (As of this writing I spent 10 minutes trying and gave up).

Apart from that, There are no real challenges!! It’s that easy!!

Educational Objectives
I just started using this app myself so I have not had an opportunity to use it in my classroom- yet! I can see it filling several objectives:


 * 1) Technology Standards: Technology Operations and Concepts


 * Using this app for students to create tutorials on using technology apps, demo them for other students, or demonstrate various uses of varied application
 * Critical Evaluation- Media

2. Students can use this app to create quick evaluations of various resources including political cartoons, maps, images.

3. Essentially, any presentation can be created and narrated quickly and easily.

Lesson Plan
Students will use Screen Toaster to create an evaluation of political cartoons as part of their weekly current events submissions. Normally, students submit a weekly typed summary of a selected news article. While this allows opportunities for students to demonstrate evaluation, it is limited to print media. Using Screen Toaster will allow students the opportunity to extend this beyond print media. Students can display a political cartoon on their screen and narrate an evaluation of the cartoons major points: Imagery, Theme, Message, Symbols, Bias.

These completed screen captures can then be downloaded and submitted or hosted online and shared for grading.