Tools for Creating Videos

What do I need to get started?

Creating a video at home or in your office simply requires a device with a built-in or external webcam with microphone (if you use a hand-held device or tablet, make sure you use a tripod), microphone or microphone headset, a quiet environment, a plan, and a bit of patience. You will also need an application to capture your recording, visual content, and (depending on your objective) maybe a white board tool, too (we suggest a free download of Microsoft OneNote). If your school does not provide resources for recording and hosting videos (check with your edtech or IT team), try one of these free and easy-to-use applications to get started.

Free Applications for Recording

Screencast-O-Matic (SOM)

Record unlimited videos (up to 15 minutes per video). SOM can record your webcam and screen simultaneously. Save your video locally or publish directly to YouTube.

Check out our example Screencast-O-Matic screencast about Google Chrome Experiments
Learn more about using Screencast-O-Matic

ScreenFlow (Mac only)

ScreenFlow is a screencasting and recording application that includes editing tools.

Check out the ScreenFlow in Education site for use cases and demo videos
Learn more about ScreenFlow

Free Applications for Creating Interactive Video

PlayPosit

PlayPosit is an easy-to-use tool that lets professors add interactivity to streaming video content from popular sites like YouTube, LearnZillion, TeacherTube, and Vimeo, among a number of others.

Check out PlayPosit's demo bulb (their name for video lessons):

Check out PlayPosit's Knowledge Base site

H5P

H5P is an abbreviation for HTML5 Package and aims to make it easy for everyone to create, share, and reuse interactive content. Content types include interactive video in addition to 30+ other content types.

Check out H5P's interactive video example:

Check out H5P's Getting Started site

EDPuzzle

EDpuzzle is a site that allows users to select a video and customize it by editing, cropping, recording audio, and adding questions to make an engaging presentation or lesson.

Check out EdPuzzle's Demo video:

Check out EdPuzzle's Resources for Teachers site

Free Video Hosting

YouTube

YouTube allows users to publish videos online for free (some applications such as Screencast-O-Matic allows you to directly upload to YouTube). Videos can be set as public, unlisted, or private. YouTube videos can be embedded directly into your LMS or coursesite. Additionally, YouTube includes light editing features and users can add and edit captions.