Over the past decade I have seen many changes to the environment of learning, some for the better some in my personal opinion for the worse. At the very least it’s great that the process of learning is evolving and people are prepared to explore new methodologies to support it. The introduction of web 2.0 concepts has given rise to a myriad of new tools and technologies to enhance the learning process, these tools do not change the process of learning but rather serve to allow learning to take place in more engaging and relevant ways. Boundaries of geographical placement, time and personal approach have been broken by the introduction of podcasts, VLE’s, e-portfolios, collaboration and in my opinion most effectively by screencasts. Screencasts, for those unaware, are videos created by recording the on screen activity of a given computer – software demonstrations, feedback, office hours, summaries etc can all be created like never before.

While the process of recording a screencast is fairly intuitive it does present the need for knowledge of many nuances relevant to the concept, software to use, suitable preparation, encoding settings, distribution, editing techniques. There really are a lot of things that a sound working knowledge of are needed to become efficient at designing recording and producing high quality screencasts. A few months back I reviewed a book then currently still in development relating to the process of screencast development, The Screencasting Handbook, which even then definitive in it’s description and addressing of the development of screencasts. The great news is that the book is now complete and has just been released!

The Screencasting Handbook weighs in at just under 130 pages and takes those completely new to screencasting as well as those that have some knowledge of the area through the processes and concepts involved in professional screencast production. The book deals primarily with techniques and approaches so users of no one application will feel isolated or left out. That said there are specific sections that relate content back to some of the leading screencasting applications Telestream’s ScreenFlow 2 & Camtasia Studio. As a ScreenFlow user myself I found the content relevant, useful and informative at all times and learned a few things that I wasn’t already aware of. The book opens with a general exploration of the concept, outlining where it can be used and how. From there the next couple of chapters deal with producing screencasts of varying complexity over different periods of time. The chapter on how to make a screencast in 30 mins for example providing a quick basic intro to what needs to be done while the later chapter on doing the same over a number of days details some of the more complex and time consuming factors involved in professional screencast production. It should become clear from these that screencasting while quick and effective should the need arise can also be a time consuming and complex process but one which presents many rewards when done right.

The book proceeds to deal with the export and distribution process often considered to be some of the most difficult due to the wide range of options available. Quite often screencasters will want to distribute their productions to a wide audience in a variety of formats for a range of devices. HD formats may be required for TV or computer playback, iPod specific versions, Flash encoded files for websites etc. The book does an excellent job of explaining the codecs available and how these may be tweaked to cater for different needs of quality and device specifics. Later chapters deal with resources relevant to screencasters, exploring microphones and equipment to be used to support the development process and specfic software solutions are examined in more detail.

Throughout the book is clear, concise and very well presented, Diagrams are used to good effect and instruction is clear at all times. Even those with an already good working knowledge of the process will pick up new tricks and tips worthy of the price of investment, at present $36. Anyone who works in education, demonstration, staff development, communication, software support or anywhere that enhanced communication would benefit what you do needs to check this publication out. It’s a sound investment in what I consider a detailed and well written exploration of a new media format that will grow more and more relevant as we evolve further into the age of collaboration. I wish to thank Ian Ozsvald personally for his investment of time and energy in the writing of the book and I’m sure many others will share my admiration. Check out The Screencasting Handbook now!

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