For my screencast, I used Camtasia and presented a triangle proof - one of the longer proofs that require students to add material and think about how to get from the simple areas to the more complex line of thought. We are just reaching the point where students have enough confidence to complete simple (5-line) proofs on their own. As we move forward, the proofs increase in complexity, drawing on the full semester of geometric activity, since we have learned postulates and theorems from Chapter One onward. To begin seeing the more complex connections, students have to work through a lot of proofs and learn a lot of postulates and theorems. They then have to draw on that knowledge and determine how to put the items together in a logical sequence. It takes time and practice.
I can see me doing several "Proof-Casts" per week and posting them on Blackboard. I posted the first one today - which was actually my second "take" on the screen-cast. For the first screen-cast, I presented the lesson live with a full (28 students) classroom. I generally have a lot of give-and-take with the students as we go through something complicated - trying to lead them into each conclusion to determine the direction for the next line in the proof. I showed the video to a fellow teacher and, while the message was good, the presentation was lacking a little bit. The first screen-cast had an incredible amount of background noise, such that it was difficult to focus on the message. I will also need to balance the on-screen marking with the animations of PowerPoint - you cannot do both at once effectively. More underlining while making points would be useful as well. Also, the camera positioning was poor - I need to find a better way to place/mount it for the best picture.
I see many screecasts in my future...
The URL is: Blackboard video post
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