It was hard to get excited about Screencastify after already interrogating Techsmith Capture and integrating it into my tech usage, and I never really did get excited. After trying to compare the two for long enough and looking into their respective companies, I came to the conclusion that I won’t use either.

While these two programs are sleek and user-friendly, OBS (Open Broadcast Studio) offers even more tools and in depth editing options while being a free and open source software. Obviously the flaw with this is that user-friendly options will provide higher consistency and accessibility for teachers everywhere, but as someone who is eager to explore the intricacies of the software I use, OBS is the clear choice.

This is not to say that Screencastify is a bad program, it is quick, convenient, and does what it says on the box; however, I see any opportunity for public entities to avoid reliance on private companies as a win, especially when those funds can go to either other programs or supporting the open source software. Using open source software such as OBS or Mattermost can also be used as a talking point in the classroom around community and the possibilities of collaboration.

Below is a screencastify recording of me showing of ANOTHER one of my favorite open source programs, WinDirStat.