How to integrate Screencastify and Wakelet

Wakelet and Screencastify have teamed up to allow you to upload your videos straight to your collections. But how can it be used in the classroom? Stella Pollard explains all

Wakelet is integrating with Screencastify for the app-smash of the century – at least that’s how it feels to me!

For those of you who might not be as familiar with Screencastify as me, you might be wondering what the big deal is. Screencastify is a cost-efficient tool that allows the user to record what’s happening on their screen or web-camera while also recording the voice.

If you’d like to gather some ideas on how to use Screencastify in your classroom, check out their free e-book “50 Ways to use Screencastify in the Classroom!” It’s not just for teachers; you’ll be blown away by some of the Screencastify creation opportunities for students. Did I mention that the free version allows each user up to fifty videos per month? What if I said the premium version is only $24 a year? Grab the extension for yourself and see what all the fuss is about by clicking here. 

When Screencastify met Wakelet…

So, let’s talk about the integration of two of the best instructional technology tools out there. Before you had to choose whether to save to drive or to YouTube, but now you can save your Screencastify recordings straight to Wakelet!

To get started, head to Wakelet and go to your settings. Select apps and connect your Screencastify app. A pop-up will instantly appear asking you to share your recordings with your app.

After that, you’ll be directed back to the settings screen and you’ll be able to see that your Screencastify account has been connected.

The first time that you use Screencastify with Wakelet, you’ll be asked whether you’d like to share the video directly to Wakelet. If you’d like all your videos to be saved in Wakelet, leave this option checked. Then just record as normal.

The recording will save to your Google Drive and then take you straight to Wakelet, where you can select the collection you’d like to save the video to, or simply save to your items.

You’ll also find a brand-new button when you click the share button on your Screencastify video allowing you to select Wakelet.

How to app-smash Screencastify and Wakelet in the classroom

Need ideas for how to use this integration? Check out my top 9 tips:

• Ask students to record their presentations and save them to a class collection. Students can watch each other’s’ presentations and you no longer have to waste precious class time setting up recordings. Plus, all of the videos are in one place for peer reviewing.
• Lectures and mini-lectures are still important. Students need to hear the content and see it modelled. Instead of saying it to them once, why not record yourself giving the lesson? Place all of the videos for one unit in a collection to keep them organized.
• Assign students different topics in a unit and ask them to become experts in that subject. Then place all their videos in one collection so that students can learn from their peers.
• Ask students to post their work in a collaborative collection and invite others to leave peer feedback on Screencastify. Post the videos in the same collection so that students can reflect.
• The more students practice their verbal skills, the better they’ll be at public speaking. Students can practice their speeches on Screencastify and place them into a collection; it’ll be easier for teachers to hear all the speeches in one space and students can give one another feedback.
• Ask students to re-enact parts of history or scenes from a book. Each student can have a different part to re-enact and record themselves using Screencastify. They can then share to a collection that tells the whole story.
• Students can record current events and post them into collections to share on social media or with their parents to broaden the audience.
• Have your students make an inference before an experiment, problem or discussion. They can then reflect afterwards to see if their inference was correct. 
• You will find so many ways to use this feature! When you do, make sure you share them out on Twitter: @wakelet and @screencastify!

Thanks for reading! Now go make some magic happen!