Online Etiquette Video (Loom Review)

This summer I was testing out the full version of Loom and made a video that tested out their limited online drawing tools and capability to create a link inside of a presentation.

The general idea is that I could share the video with students, prior to our first online meeting, and post to my Google Classroom for reference.

I definitely liked that you could embed the link to the presentation on the video, using their "Call to Action" button, but felt like, unless you explicitly told viewers to hover over the video (like I did at the end of the video above), viewers could easily miss that feature.

I also found the online drawing tool to have a delay. That could have been an internet buffering issue on my end so I would need to retest that.

Please note the drawing tools option is only available on the desktop app version - not the Chrome extension. The biggest problem with the desktop app versus the chrome extension is that the desktop app requires a download...and our teachers are prohibited from downloading anything to their district issued device without an admin login. So the desktop app is not feasible for teachers in our district unless they use their personal device and install the Microsoft Visual C + + required. I am definitely not excited about the download requirement particularly since the desktop app looks to be more robust then their extension.

For a complete breakdown of Loom's features between their Free, Pro, and Desktop versions watch their video HERE.

Since Loom is offering their full Pro account FREE for educators (CLICK HERE for details) I recommend watching an overview video on YouTube which helped clarify some editing questions I had when I was first starting out. Loom also has a useful help center with lots of great getting started instructions.

Bottom line, Loom is a good simple to use free screencasting tool. The moveable camera bubble is my favorite feature and it has become my "go to" screencasting software if I am opting to have my face on the screen. For most of my screencasting needs I actually use screencast-o-matic because their editing tools are extensive and it is highly affordable (a three year subscription is only $36). I am just not a fan of the square camera picture in picture feature. It is my biggest wish that they develop a moveable round camera bubble option like Loom offers.

If you use a different screencasting software, or want to share your own experience with Loom, please comment below or on Twitter and tag me at @atechcoachlife.

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