Using Screencasting and Google Slides to Make an Authentic Language Project

I have been lucky to assist a Spanish teacher with a project that she and I feel is very valuable to her second language learners.

In a previous post, I discussed how one of the 21st-century literacy skills for students according to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is to “create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts.” What this means is that students need to be given the chance to create more than just written text. One of the easiest ways to enable students to create in the video format is to have them create screencasts. In this post, I will discuss a great way to use Google Slides and screencasting applications to create a great authentic project for second language learners.

To begin, I would like to share what the final product will look like. Basically, it is a video created by the student to share information about themselves in the target language. For example, if the student is taking Spanish they would introduce themselves using Spanish. The screencast allows them to share images, text, audio and a webcam video of themselves. In this way the student is using two of ACTFL’s Three Modes of Communication (Interpersonal and Presentational) If the teacher adds in a sharing session where students need to watch their peers screencasts and then answer questions about them then this project will hit the third mode, Interpretive. With the above in mind, this project affords the student the opportunity to practice writing, reading, speaking and listening in the target language!

Making this project involves the use of two readily available tools, Google Slides, and a Screencasting tool. The two I suggest are Screencast-o-Matic and Screencastify.

Students will first create Google Slides for each topic they will talk about. Some of these might include, name, age, favorite food, favorite book, favorite subject in school, hobbies, favorite color etc… It is important that each slide should only include one topic and be as visual as possible. This means that images and small amounts of text (the sentence they are speaking) should be included. Never put multiple ideas on a slide. Students should either be given the opportunity to use their own images or get images that are free to use. The two sites I recommend for getting images are Pixabay and Unsplash.

The student should also write down on paper or notecards their sentences and practice speaking for each slide. When they are ready to record they can then open up their screencasting tool of choice and begin recording. An example of a student created project is below.

Some tips for using screencasting tools.

The most important tip I can give students while recording is using hotkeys or keyboard shortcuts. A list for each of the shortcuts for my preferred screencasting tools can be found at the following places. Screencast-o-Matic and Screencastify. Using these shortcuts will make the finished product look more professional. It will also enable the student to practice their speaking before they record. By pausing in between each slide, they feel less stressed about getting right. Keep in mind that free accounts for most screencasting tools don’t allow for editing so this pausing feature enables students to prepare so that they don’t need to restart from the beginning.

Another tip that is important to know is to always record the entire computer screen and not the tab. This ensures that you get everything you need.

Since editing is not usually possible within the screencasting tool if using the free version, I also suggest that the student is ready to hit present in Google Slides as quickly as possible. Optimally they should push the present button during the countdown to record. In this way, the beginning video looks cleaner.

While recording students should also use the arrow keys to move between slides. This also makes for a cleaner looking final product.

Why Make a Video?

This project is fantastic for the second language classroom because it enables the student to practice using the target language in all the modes of communication and it also gives them a finished product that is easier to share. In another post I talk about how technology enables students to share their work with a wider and more authentic audience through the use of a blogging or journal platform. This authentic audience helps students build ownership of their learning process. Parents are more connected to the learning happening in the school and a better relationship around learning can be formed at home. The teacher can see more clearly what students know and this can help the teacher reach more students. Overall, a better learning environment and culture is formed. So creating a digital product makes for easier sharing to an authentic audience.

Thanks for reading

Dr. Shannon H. Doak