Silva, Mary Lourdes. "Camtasia In The Classroom:
Student Attitudes And Preferences For Video Commentary Or Microsoft Word
Comments During The Revision Process." Computers & Composition
29.1 (2012): 1-22. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 May 2012.
Many teachers are turning to screen-capture software, like Camtasia,
to provide feedback on written assignments. In this article, Mary Lourdes Silva
shares data comparing student perceptions of audio/visual comments through
screen-capture software with those of written comments in Microsoft Word. Silva’s
students served as the subjects, and she used course management system
statistics, surveys, and observations to obtain her data. Students who favored
screen-capture comments cite its conversational quality, its emphasis on higher
order concerns, and its clarity of expectations. Others find the comments in
Microsoft Word to be easier to locate, particularly for lower-order concerns. The
results point to combining modes and media, using screen-capture in conjunction
with text-based comments to highlight different problem areas and support
different points in the writing process.
Silva argues that screen-capture software can assist in
adding new layers to the feedback an instructor gives a student. Instead of
simply jotting down a few words or phrases, screen-casting enables the reviewer
to highlight large amounts of text, move or delete text, even leave the essay
and refer to the prompt or a library source. These opportunities have led to an
increase in the use of screen-capture software, but Silva points out that little
research has been done on its efficacy as a form of critique. The little
research there is points to positive results. Among that research, Silva cites
Scott Warnock’s 2006 CCCC’s presentation revealing the efficiency and
popularity of screen-captured feedback.
She found that students experienced some difficulties with
Microsoft Word when it came to integrating it with the CMS, Sakai, early in the
semester; otherwise, students didn’t express complications with Word. Similarly,
screen-capture technology didn’t pose a barrier. Sakai stats revealed that all
of the students viewed their video feedback, and most viewed it within three
days. Surveys show that, of the 17 who responded, 8 preferred video and 6 found
value in both. Many students felt the video were more personal, but some felt
the written comments expedited their revision process because it helped them
find problem areas more quickly.
According to Silva, “As instructors transition to teaching
within online contexts and experiment with new technologies, it is important to
examine the significance of the mode and medium of teacher feedback in student
perceptions, participation, and writing practices” (1). As a result, I felt
this article would be valuable for teachers of online writing; such teachers
must examine tools for capturing a F2F experience for their online students,
and screen-capture software can assist in that process as long as it is used correctly.
I would particularly recommend this article to any fellow students focusing on
screen-capture software for their instructional tool review in this class.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI haven't been happy with feedback methods for my online classes primarily because Microsoft Word comments drives me up a wall. I tried using Jing one semester and my students were frustrated because they had to keep pausing the video to try and implement the changes. My newest thing to try is a mix of audio and text.
That's interesting, Catrina. Beth Vincelette has been screen-capturing her feedback and reporting favorable results. I wonder how exactly she does it. I do think mixed modes is necessary for success as it would mimic face to face conference/written feedback.
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