A Beginner's Guide to Screencastify for Educators

Welcome to the #communityofcasters! We're excited that you're joining our vibrant, creative group of educators. Here's a quick guide to help you get started with Screencastify. Don't worry - it won't take long!

This article is your one-stop resource shop to:

• Set up the record extension
• Record a video
• Edit a video
• Share your video
• Create a submit assignment

Set up the Record extension

Once you've installed the extension, you'll need to go through a brief setup process. You'll only need to complete these steps the first time you use the extension.

Click on the Screencastify icon (  ), which will open the Screencastify Setup page. 

1. Click on the blue "Sign in with Google" button. You can sign in with any Google-based account. (If you are signed into your browser with multiple accounts, please choose the one you would like to sync with Screencastify.)
2. Choose the Google Account you wish to use. If you are not already signed into your browser, you will need to enter your password. Your password will be the same password used for that specific email address.
3. Click on the blue 'Allow' button to allow access to your Google Drive files and folders so we can add your Screencastify videos directly to your Google Drive.
4. Choose that you agree with our Terms and Privacy Policy, and you can choose to receive occasional emails with features and updates. 
5. Tell us a bit about yourself:
   • Are you a student, teacher, administrator, business professional, or none of the above?
   • If you are a teacher, which grade level(s) do you teach?
   • Are you 13 or older, or under 13? 

NOTE: To update your survey responses in the future, please head to https://app.screencastify.com/survey. Here's a quick video walkthrough.

Additionally, here's a handy PDF on how to install the record extension! This is a great resource to share with your teachers and students to get them started 🥳

Record a video

Now that the Record extension is fully set up, you're ready to start recording ⏺. There are a few options that you should familiarize yourself with. After clicking on the extension icon you can:

1. Record your browser tab: This option is perfect if you only want to show your viewers what's happening on one specific tab in Chrome. We use this option most when we want to record over a Google Slides presentation, for example.
2. Record your desktop: Use this option when you want to show your viewer something outside Chrome (like a PowerPoint) or if you think you'll switch between multiple tabs and/or programs.
3. Record your webcam: This option is perfect when you just want to speak directly to students, no screen involved.

If you aren't seeing the extension icon in upper right hand corner, click HERE 😺

NOTE: It's possible to capture the audio from a webpage or computer program (for example the audio from a YouTube video on screen). To do that, you'll need to enable Tab Audio (in a tab recording) or System Audio (in a desktop recording). Both options are available under "Show More Options" before you begin a recording.

Edit a video

Sometimes, you need your recording to be perfect! For those instances, you may want to check out our editing options from our browser-based Editor. 

1. Access the editor: You can click the “Open in Editor” button from any recording which will automatically load your video clip, or click on the “Edit” option from your Record extension’s Main Menu. 
2. Add clips: From the Editor, you can use the blue "+" button on the bottom right to add videos into the timeline. (You can add non-Screencastify videos into the editor too!)
3. Crop, trim, zoom, and add text: Use the options on the bottom left to make your video perfect. Crop the video to show only a certain portion of the screen. Use the cut tool to remove that unfortunate few seconds. Zoom in and out of specific parts of your video. Add text to make your videos even more engaging.

Share your video

Once your video is perfect, there are tons of ways to share your recording with students, parents, or anyone else with an internet connection on the Video Management Page. The folks who view your videos do not need their own Screencastify account.

1. Share a Watch Page Link: Viewers will now see your same awesome videos 😎 with a clean new watching experience.
2. Share on Google Classroom: To share to Google Classroom, click on “Share to Classroom”
   
   under the Share options. Once you've done that, select the class you'd like to share to and the action you'd like to take and you're all set! 
3. Viewers: You will be able to see who has watched your video, when, and how often! 👀
4. Interactive Questions: Include interactive questions to quickly gauge student's understanding of the content in your videos! We will display these at the time stamp you choose and select for questions to pop up. 🤓
5. Export your recording: If you'd prefer to download your recording, we've got options for that too. Simply click and then select how you'd like to export the recording. You can export just the audio as an mp3, the images as an animated GIF, or the whole video as an mp4 or webm. 
6. Share a Google Drive link: To share the Google Drive link, just click the:  " button in the bottom right-hand corner. This will automatically update sharing settings so that anyone with the link can view the video!
   
   

   NOTE: Captions are only available for opted in districts, if this is something you are interested in, please reach out to your district leader to express interest! 

Create a Submit assignment

To get your students started recording, you can create a Submit assignment! 

1. Create a Submit Assignment: Once you have signed into your Submit Dashboard, you're ready to create your first assignment! Click the blue "New Assignment" button in the top left to create your first assignment.
2. Integrate Submit with Google Classroom: If you use Screencastify Submit AND Google Classroom, this option will help you to create a new assignment that is directly integrated within your Google Classroom's classwork for students.
3. Share the assignment with students: On the last step of the assignment creation process, click the "Copy" button and paste it anywhere you'd like. Students can click that link to access your instructions and submit a recording.
4. View submitted videos: Videos that are submitted to your assignments will be uploaded to the assignment's folder on your Google Drive. As a teacher, you can view videos submitted by your students from your Submit Dashboard, from the folder in your Google Drive, or by clicking “View video” from the email notifications. 

That's it! You've installed the extension, created a recording, edited it, shared it with your audience, and got your students started! If you want to dive deeper, check out our Master the Screencast course or our Genius course. Upon passing the course, you'll earn a snazzy certificate and badge to flaunt! You might also find our classroom resources helpful.

When you start using Screencastify in your classroom, we'd love to hear about it on Twitter!