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Using Screen Recorder in Microsoft PowerPoint for Asynchronous Tasks By @VictoriaTheTech

Screen Recorder is a neat tool that is great for quick, no-fuss recording and is easy enough for your students to use as well. Consider using it for asynchronous tasks and student activities!
Using Screen Recorder in Microsoft PowerPoint for Asynchronous Tasks By @VictoriaTheTech

For asynchronous tasks and homework, consider using Screen Recorder in Microsoft PowerPoint. With the Screen Recorder feature you can record your computer screen and related audio directly on PowerPoint, and then embed it in your PowerPoint slide for you (and your students!) to hear. Not only is this a game changer for accessibility, but it brings an element of life to digital presentations and slideshows. Students can actually hear your voice while you go over slide content with them.

How do I use Screen Recorder?

Here are the steps:

  1. Open the slide that you want to put the screen recording on. Screen Recording will record slide-by-slide, so be sure to have the slide open that you want to record. I usually start with the title slide.
  2. On the Insert tab at the top of PowerPoint, select Screen Recording.
  3. This is where it gets fun—you can record a piece of your screen or an entire screen! This is under the Select Area feature, where you can select a specific area of your screen or your entire window. It’s up to you as to how much you want displayed.
  4. Once you decide on that, now you can record your screen. There are even features to stop the screen recording or pause the screen recording whenever you choose.

What are suggested uses for Screen Recorder?

The possibilities are quite endless, but as an instructional coach I’ve been recommending for my teachers to consider using it for asynchronous tasks such as homework and content delivery. For example, if you run a flipped geometry classroom, you may want to have your students read the slides on transversals and listen along to your voice as they read them. Screen Recorder also records your screen movements as well—any math problems, writing, drawing, or typing that occurs on the screen will be recorded as well. Then, once the students come back to class, you can use the slides as a jumping point to see what the students remembered from the asynchronous task (i.e. What do you remember about the slide deck on transversals?). Side note: this also keeps an excellent log of your work as an educator; if a student is absent or if a parent is asking for a resource, you can send them the PowerPoint with your screen recording embedded in it. 

I’ve also personally used Screen Recorder for homework, but with a twist—instead of me recording MY voice, the student records theirs. This was especially helpful for me when my school went remote due to COVID. We couldn’t do our normal project presentations via PowerPoint in front of the entire class anymore, but Screen Recorder made it a breeze! Students recorded audio over their slides and sent them to me and the class for review and feedback.

I’ve also personally used Screen Recorder for homework, but with a twist—instead of me recording MY voice, the student records theirs.

Victoria Thompson

Screen Recorder is a neat tool that is great for quick, no-fuss recording and is easy enough for your students to use as well. Consider using it for asynchronous tasks and student activities!

About the Author

Victoria Thompson is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach at Technology Access Foundation–a nonprofit leader redefining STEM education in public schools–and a consultant for Ignite EdTech. She has been in education for five years and began her journey teaching fifth and sixth grade math and science in Summerville, SC. After completing her masters degree in curriculum and instruction she moved to the Seattle, WA area in 2018, where her career has pivoted to focusing on STEM integration in schools, K-12 mathematics instruction with research on decolonizing mathematics curriculum for teachers and learners, creating inclusive math environments, and using technology to bridge equity gaps in math education.

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