ScreenPal - a new online screen recording tool.

 I loved Screencastify when it first came out. It was so easy to record your screen and I used it all the time. Before, it was only 24 dollars a year which I found to be cheap for how often I used it. Now, the cost has risen to over 80 dollars a year and I just can’t stomach the expense (on top of all of the other educational related expenses). I have tried Loom and do use it but I don’t like the sharing capabilities. So I was happy to read Casey Bell’s latest blog post about a new tool called ScreenPal.

What is it? ScreenPal is a Chrome Extension that allows you to easily record video inside of a text box such as when sending an email, adding an announcement or assignment in Google Classroom, or in a Google Doc comment field. Basically anywhere you would normally write text. 

How does it work? Go to the Chrome Extension Store and search for ScreenPal. Click on the Add to Extensions button. After you install it, anytime you are typing in a text box, a small button will appear in a lower corner (either left or right-side). Simply click it to begin recording. You can toggle between narration only or video and narration. You even can use a pen to circle or add notations. Watch this short video for more information. 

How much does it cost? ScreenPal is a freemium site which means you can record for free but there are limitations such as not being able to edit the videos. However, to buy the next plan up which gives you more features is only $2.00 a month or $24.00 a year for a teacher or someone in education. 


Make sure to read Casey Bell’s blog post for more information on ScreenPal. She has screenshots and goes into more detail about how it can become an integral part of your teaching repertoire: https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/screenpal-your-new-bff-suls0189/

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