Do you ever find a program on your computer that you never even knew was there and then realize you could have been using it all along? Through the magical world of Twitter, I recently found the program “SMART Recorder” nestled under the menu on my computer with SMART Notebook installed on it. The program is wonderful because it pops up a small window with a record, pause, and stop button on it. I always assumed it was only for recording SMART Notebook Slides… boy was I wrong!
With this on your desktop, you can record any actions you perform. Whether saving a file, creating a table in Microsoft Word, or even demonstrating the steps to a math problem….every movement is captured! Plug in your microphone and the program will allow you to speak while you record and use your cursor to navigate through your screen. It’s easy to click the small triangle next to the red record button and select part of your screen to record, an entire window, or the whole desktop. Can you tell I am really enjoying this little program? I’m not getting paid by SMARTTech, although I’d be happy to take a free Airliner Slate for pumping up their products. 
Just to try it out, I decided to make a quick video titled How to Save a File in Windows Movie Maker. I need to redo this and speak louder, but this gives the general idea of what you can do with this handy little recorder. I am thinking of all the ways this could be used to help students learn the basics! Today, I introduced it to my students and allowed them to make some quick tutorials on the basics of fractions. You can even import the videos into Windows Movie Maker and edit and merge several together!
What about you? Have you found a way to use SMART Recorder in the classroom or in your school?
