Screencasting is a very valuable tool for the classroom.  The benefits for students is that  a lesson does not have to be learned within the classroom setting.  Everyone learns at different rates and some may need reinforcement of certain ideas.  Through apps such as Show Me we can make lessons accessible to students on their own time frame. With this the student has the ability to pause, rewind or fast forward a teacher or lesson.  This is also a creative way for students to create study materials or test preps.

The app I chose to create my first screencast was Show Me, to download the app and create a screencast it was free.  In order to download the creation to my camera roll I had to become a member at $5.99 per month.  I tried becoming a member but was unable to download  the video to post to You tube.  The app itself was simple to use and easy to put together.  If you want to create screencasts and embed them into your sites it will do that action without downloading.

Overall I am happy with the way it turned out and can see myself using it more once I get into the classroom.

I was able to use the iMovie app to create a movie trailer for an introduction to The Diary of Anne Frank.  Within thirty minutes I was able to create a trailer that I believe will generate excitement for the learning material.  Most of the work to create the video was done for me.  All I had to do was plug pictures where I wanted them and add my own titles for transitions.

I then used youtube capture to post the video to my own youtube channel.  This was another very simple process and only took about two minutes to upload.

Youtube offers a place to store and share your videos all in one location.  I believe all three of these apps would be very useful in the classroom not only for introducing new material but also for allowing creativity to flow within the classroom.  Students could use the apps to create study aids for test prep or just reinforce ideas taught that day.

Tellagami has two different versions to choose from, a free version, and a Tellagami Edu for $4.99.  For this App review I chose to work with the free version.  When working within the app I found it extremely easy and was able to make my first one in about a minute.  The part that took the longest was finding a picture that I wanted to use for my background.  If you do not want to search for or through photos you can also use the backgrounds that come with the app.

I used the app to create a introduction to a history unit over American Presidents.  I am excited to have the students use to create a tellagami to answer a short answer essay exit question.  Instead of just writing in a journal I believe the students could have fun in a creative atmosphere answering the same question.

The only drawback is it’s limited in the creation of your character.  You should be satisfied with only one hairstyle and limited choices of clothes.  Other than that, it is a great app with great potential in the classroom