Zoom is a powerful platform for conducting synchronous instruction. Did you know that you can also use it to create instructional videos and screencasts?

Getting Started

Ensure that everything is ready to easily share before you start to record your presentation or screencast.

Ideally, you have two screens available. you can get your presentations ready to go on one screen.

You can navigate between zoom and the program you are sharing with the ALT-Tab key combination if you only have one screen. You can cycle through all the open programs by pressing the Tab key while holding down the ALT key.

I will have all the websites open on different tabs if I am showing different websites through a web browser. I then only need to switch between tabs.

I recommend that you share a screen rather than an application. You will only need to bring a new application into view on the screen and it will be shared.

Click on the Record button when you are ready to start recording. Click on the Record button once again when you are done. The file should be saved in a Zoom folder under Documents. Access to mine looks like this: C:\Users\stans_000\Documents\Zoom. The videos will be placed in subfolders based on the date and time and meeting room account. The folder at a minimum will include an M4A audio file and an MP4 video file.

Sharing Your Screen

One of the nice things about Zoom is that you can share your screen. Sharing your screen or screencasting is useful when you want to show others how to use a computer application. You can also use it to provide feedback to a student.

A common use for sharing a screen is to show a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation. I recommend that before you share your screen or presentation that you bring the presentation up in presentation mode. Doing this will improve the flow of your presentation.

Sharing a Whiteboard

Zoom has a built-in whiteboard that you can share when you need to illustrate concepts. It can be a bit challenging to use this whiteboard unless you have a drawing tablet.

The whiteboard has a number of tools such as

• Text
• Draw
• Stamp
• Spotlight
• Eraser
• Format

You can also save your whiteboard as a PNG file. The file should be saved in a Zoom folder under Documents. Access to mine looks like this: C:\Users\stans_000\Documents\Zoom. The images will be placed in subfolders based on the date and time and meeting room account.

Another strategy is to use a portable whiteboard. Here is an example:

Sharing your iPad

Log into your session with your iPad if you have a need to write on a whiteboard or share what is happening on your iPad.

Ensure that you turn off the speakers, audio, and video on your iPad otherwise it will cause audio distortion.

Simply share your iPad to the screen when you are ready. Here is an example:

Upload Your Video to YouTube

Once you are done, simply stop your recording. You will then have to stop your Zoom session. It is at this time that Zoom will save your video to your computer.

You can edit your downloaded video using a program like Camtasia or upload it directly to YouTube.

Don’t forget to update the closed-caption after you do the upload.

Summary

Zoom is a wonderful platform for creating instructional videos. With Zoom, you can talk directly to the camera, share your computer screen, show a slide presentation, and even explain concepts on a whiteboard.

Once you have a recording, you can then upload it to YouTube. I can’t wait to see what you put together.

If you want to learn more about how to do this, please contact a member of the TEI team.