1. Record - Options

Keeping it Simple

We don't want to overwhelm you with all of the possible video options and tools. Here we've included three free and simple workflow options available to you. These are good options for those of you tip-toeing bravely into new video territory.

Option 1 | Recording on your Smartphone

Record with your phone's camera

This option is recommended for beginners who have a smartphone. If you are feeling overwhelmed with new tools, choose this option.

We aren't limited to recording in front of our computers. A smartphone allows us to be more mobile with our recordings. Recording from our phone means that we've already got the built-in camera and microphone in our pocket wherever we go, and with the YouTube app installed on our phone we can easily share to our YouTube channel.  How to?

  1. Find a location with good light that illuminates your face.
  2. On your smartphone, go to your camera, switch it to video, and hit record. Hold the phone as steady as you can with your hand or use a rubber band to secure it to an object located at or slightly higher than eye level. View this 2-minute video below by Michelle Pacansky-Brock for some helpful tips.

Record with Clips (for iPhones)

If you have an iPhone, you may wish to consider giving Clips a try!  Check out this great 3-minute how-to video from Fabiola Torres. It will get you started on the right foot with recording a simple welcome video.

 

Option 2 | Recording in Zoom

You have likely used Zoom before for online meetings. Zoom lets us record the audio and video of our meetings, but you don't have to be meeting to hit record. You can login to your Zoom account, start a new meeting, enable your webcam, and hit the record button. In Zoom, you can also share your screen, providing another option for creating screencast videos. You can then download that video recording and host/publish it on YouTube, edit the auto-captions, and share it with your students. Here is a video of Katie Palacios taking you through entire process of Record, Publish, Caption, and Share, if you decide to record using Zoom.

Option 3 | Adobe Spark Video

Adobe Spark Video Links to an external site. is free, easy-to-use, and works on a computer or an Android or iOS device (like an iPad or iPhone) if you download the free mobile app. You will need to create an Adobe account if you don't already have one. If your college has a site license for Adobe Creative Cloud, you can use your institutional credentials to sign in. Many faculty getting started with video prefer to start with Spark because it does not require you to show your face. You can tell a personal story about yourself with Spark that can serve as a wonderful first connection with your students. 

View this 12-minute video to get started with Adobe Spark. 

Option 4 | Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a free screencasting tool that lets you record your webcam, your screen, or both. With Screencast-O-Matic you get a bit more flexibility than you do with a Zoom recording. For example, you can move the webcam picture-in-picture while you're recording. You can move the recording area while you're recording. Here's a video of me recording my slide presentation using Screencastomatic. I also show you how to paste the YouTube link into a Canvas Discussion.