What is ScreenPal?
ScreenPal is screen-capturing software that can create narrated presentations and documents or record videos. This tool can help you supplement your class materials with personalized content, increase access for students, and establish greater instructor presence. Users can choose between a free version or a variety of paid plans starting at $24 per year for educators.
Why will using ScreenPal to create course materials enhance instructor presence?
ScreenPal allows you to add your voice to documents so students can hear you explain concepts or make important points in addition to reading the text. Recordings can easily be uploaded to YouTube, shared with a link, saved as a video file, and posted to Blackboard. Posting short lessons is a great way to give students access to content they may have missed in class or allow them to re-watch lessons to reinforce concepts. Lessons can also be posted for students to watch before class for flipped learning.
For distance learning courses especially, creating recordings to explain how to navigate the course or offer a weekly overview of assignments can be very helpful. Hearing the instructor’s voice helps create a deeper connection between the instructor and students. ScreenPal can also be used to capture screenshots and add annotations to them.
Preview an Example of a video created by ScreenPal:
Here is a link to a quick video lesson used in multiple courses for teaching students how to annotate readings: Annotated Readings
Additional Examples
Here is another video created with ScreenPal for faculty with tips for teaching on Zoom:
Where can I Learn More about ScreenPal?
The ScreenPal Website offers demos of the available tools.
Watch this Video to learn how to use ScreenPal step by step. This video is about 14 minutes long and provides a great guide on using the software.
For questions related to using this tool for teaching: