Smart Casting Lessons

I have had a number of parents comment to me that they are unable to help their students with the work we are doing in class because they do not know how to do the work themselves. Some have asked for the book that we are using in class so that they can check the work and help their children. Unfortunately we are not using one book. Anne and I were discussing how we might help support parents and thought that creating a smart cast of each lesson would be a great start. We hope to get to the point where we can post them on a blog or web page so that parents can access them from home. We have been working on creating the smart casts and it has taken a bit of work. I had some microphone issues that I was able to work out with a wireless microphone. I have also had to go through several takes to get a presentable project. At first I tried to smart cast my actual lesson as I was presenting it to the students. It was helpful for me to reflect on my classroom, but may not have been a good tutoring tool as I was not just working on the skill, but also dealing with class issues and questions. I think that making a list of questions students ask during the lesson and then creating the smart cast after school without distractions and addressing the questions that arose is the best strategy.