Carolyn Kraut

Some of you may already be familiar with a great screencasting tool called Jing. This software helps you create annotated screen captures and narrated screencasts very easily. The files can either be stored on your computer or uploaded to Flickr or screencast.com for sharing and embedding.

I still use Jing at least twice a day to create quick images like this…

But when it comes to screencasts, I’ve found something even better. Screenr helps you make quick screencasts for your students and provides you with a variety of distribution methods. If you’re already invested in Jing, you may want to take a second look . I’ve outlined a few key reasons why you should make the switch.

Web-based recorder uses your Twitter account to log in. This is great for two reasons:

1. There’s no software to download and the “bookmarklet” works the same regardless of your browser or operating system.

2. No need to remember another password and makes the next item possible.

Seamless Twitter integration. After you’re done recording, you’re asked to describe your video and given the option to post to Twitter now or on your own later. Your screencast is then processed and posted to your Screenr account. Viewers can discuss the screencast from the videos’s page by Re-tweeting or replying to the author, share the URL, grab the embed code, or subscribe to your rss feed. Watch this video to learn more about Screenr’s user interface.

The videos are mobile friendly. Unlike the Flash-based Jing videos, Screenr publishes multiple versions of your video and all can be viewed on a mobile device. You can download the .mp4 to distribute your videos in podcast form, publish to YouTube, or simply share the URL with your audience any way you’d like. Here’s a quick video to show what a Screenr screencast looks like on an iPhone.

Best of all…it’s free!

Not on Twitter? It’s worth signing up just to use Screenr!