During this current lockdown it has been difficult finding simple and accessible technology that teachers can use to make online learning interesting and meaningful for their children. One of the products that our Deis School used very successfully over the last 7 weeks or so has been Loom.
Loom is a simple and useful tool that allows teachers to create pre-recorded video content for online and remote learning. It is free, easy to set up and works for Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks. Essentially it works by doing three things simultaneously: it records the screen in real time; it records audio narration; and it films the speaker. We have a large number of teachers using it to great effect in their teaching by using these videos with SeeSaw and Google Classroom.
If you register your school you get the free Education upgrade with all the features that you would normally have to pay for.
Here is a simple tutorial video you may find useful:
This is what I love most about Loom
- It is really easy to use.
- Set up time is minimal and the video is ready in minutes. You receive a link you can share with others and also an option to download.
- I have used it several times already to give colleagues advice on how to use various applications or technologies. Rather than writing directions to solve their tech problems I can use Loom’s Chrome and Gmail add-on to record and send a screencast directly from my inbox. Here’s a video on how that works.