Jing+and+Screenr

Jing and Screenr are both screencasting programs. This means that they are programs where you can record your computer screen and you can also include audio and video. Both of these programs are very useful for teachers when trying to show students how to do something on the computer or a way to give feedback. If you use it for a demonstration of something, students can watch it as many times as they want. Both Jing and Screenr can only record a screen for up to five minutes, in which you can add a video or sound as well. They have some differences from each other that may make one program more desirable for a user over the other.

Both of these screencasting tools are free, Jing is from Techsmith and Screenr is from Articulate. Jing is launced by downloading it and installing the software onto your computer. You can do this by going to Jing’s website: []

Once you have installed the program then you need to register for an account on screencast.com. By registering for an account, you can then store your screencasts for future use. Because Jing is downloaded, an icon appears on your desktop that is easy to locate and use. Jing is private, but you can make your screencasts public. Because you have an account you can also upload your screencast onto the Internet.

Screenr is different from Jing in the fact that Screenr is web-based so you do not need to install it. However, if you do not have access to the internet at a certain time, Jing is very useful. Once you create a scrrencast using Screenr you can share it with others through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Jing screencasts can also be uploaded to Twitter. Jing is different as well because you can take screen shots of your computer screen and even add your own annotations to the screen shot to explain the shot. Both Jing and Screenr have certain advantages and it depends on what works best for the user and the users preference.

Using either of these two screencasting programs in the classroom can be very useful. We have watched many screencasts in EDP 279 when Dr. Dickey shows us how to do something on the computer, such as how to post on our class blog. It is very useful because if you missed one of the steps you can rewind the screencasts or watch it over again. They are great for online classes!

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-Ashley Hanson