Media Room Best Practices 7

On the Day of the Recording

           

Picture of a script page with different colors notes and a flash drive

Bring your outline or script. It will be very useful especially if the subject matter is long or complicated
Bring your slide presentation
Stick to your script
Write down your actions on the script step by step to guide yourself
Practice your lines, make an effort to speak clearly to engage your audience.
Record a couple of times until you feel the lines come naturally.
Varying your tone will make your speech more engaging

Things to avoid
The sound of paper shuffling
Narration that contains “umm”s and “ahh”s
Repetitive statements
Improvisation
Long pauses
Hesitation during the recording
Working in a hurry

Media Room Best Practices 6

Recording your Voice

Professor in the Media Room using the equipment

Talking in front of a microphone is different from talking in front of an audience. Be aware of your “ahs” and the “mms” when you talk, try to avoid them as much as you can. You will be able to do some editing after you record, however errors in the middle of words (like stuttering) are hard to fix. 

Repeat as many times as you need to
Control your speech speed

Although you may record as many takes as you want, it is recommended that you limit the number of takes to avoid getting confused when you do your final edit.

Practice, practice before you start your final recording.

Do a 3-minute continues voice test record.  Save and listen. Repeat two or three times. You will learn to control your speech after you do this exercise.

Media Room Best Practices 5

The Script

Picture of a script page with different colors notes

It is greatly recommended that you have a script. A script will help you focus on the main points that you want to cover, and it will keep you from getting off the subject.

You may write notes on your script that refer to the visuals you need. You also may be able to redo audio more easily and establish where to add links and assessment. 

By having a script you can ensure your content directly refer to the relevant information in your module.

With a script you can decide where to use graphics, link to external resources, use videos o simply use text.

The script makes close captioning less time consuming. 

Media Room Best Practices 4

Preparing your Content

To prepare for your screencast know what you want to do. Consult with the Instructional Designer to select the methodology that is more effective for your lesson, and to learn about the tools available.

Have a plan of action

Diagram of connecting concepts inside a module and connecting modules inside a lesson

Have a solid, well-developed lesson plan. 
Pay great attention to the structure of your lesson. 
Write clear goals with sequential level of understanding building on each other. 
Create a navigation strategy. 
Divide your lesson in modules that explain individual concepts and provide plenty of opportunities for understanding.  
Make individual presentations to demonstrate step by step processes. 
Make each module part of the specific lesson, and each lesson part of the whole class. 

Students should be able to move on after 
they achieve an objective or master a concept