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First, select one of the curriculum topics for your screencast from the table of contents for one of the products.  Good topics for screencasts are ones that show people steps for completing a task online.  The viewer will be viewing watching a recording of your computer screen, following your mouse movements, and listening to your explanation of what you are doing.  To the extent that your recording is clear, interesting to watch, and instructive, your screencast will be a success.  Here are some guidelines for planning your screencast:

• Pick a topic from the curriculum table of contents for DSpace (insert link) or Fedora (insert link).  Make sure you give your screencast the same name as the curriculum item you've chosen
• An effective screencast lasts in the neighborhood of five minutes.  It might be necessary to go longer if you are describing a process that needs to be presented in one piece.  On the other hand, you may want to divide your topic into two or more screencasts, if appropriate (e.g., "Getting Started with DSpace Access Controls, Part One" and "...Part Two").
• Do you need to write out a script for your screencast?  Perhaps, but not necessarily.  A simple outline might do, or just some reminders on a page.  Informal, extemporaneous screencasts are not at all uncommon on the Internet.  You may find it easier not to juggle a written script while you're navigating through the flow of screens.
• Make sure your computer software is configured for the screencast.  In addition to the screencast software (more on that later), you will probably need to have an application environment set up for whatever you are going to demonstrate.
• Best bet for quality audio is to use a headset with microphone.  We have found that the Logitech USB headsets work very well, but most any USB headset should do nicely.

Choosing Screencast Software

Video Tools

The following tools may all be used to perform Screen and Audio capture for Screencasts:

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