[sugar] Announce: Screencast activity.

[Gary C Martin]

On 17 Oct 2008, at 14:01, Eben Eliason wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 3:08 AM, Chris Ball <cjb at laptop.org> wrote:
>> * We should avoid having the activity itself be present in the  
>> videos;
>>   perhaps by minimizing it immediately before starting recording,
>>   and then setting up a globally-bound keyboard shortcut for stop?
>
> I'd recommend transitioning immediately to the Home view when
> recording starts, so that screencasts always begin from the same
> familiar place.  This is a natural starting point.  However, is it
> possible for an activity to trigger that event?
>
> I'm even less sure about stopping.  Ideally a stop button would be
> another piece of ever-present, non-recorded info on the screen.  A
> keyboard shortcut might work, but can you bind it globally even if the
> app isn't focused?  Another option is to offer (really basic)
> cropping, with a simple bar beneath the video with two endpoints which
> can be dragged independently, to trim beginning and end of the
> screencast as needed.  If kids didn't bother, at worst they'd have a
> 2-3 second part at the end where they focus the screencast activity
> and press a stop button.
>
> Another alternative is to automatically stop recording when the
> activity is focused, but a) you'd still see the action of selecting
> the activity again and b) this would prevent any screencasts of the
> Screencast activity from being made.

Why not take the easy path ;-) Make the Screencast activity show a  
title page (hide toolbar), big empty (white) page with a large font  
(black) text title, and perhaps a (grey) time counter with subtle stop  
button near by. Kid can then:

* start Screencast activity
* set the title name
* chose a record duration (default could be quite short as in Record)
* hit record, Screencast shows a clean title page, and then triggers  
actual recording
* kid can narrate over title page if they want
* uses frame or keyboard to switch into task to demo
* returns to Screencast instance (see title page again)
* can give end narration if they want, and then hit stop

End up with a nice screencast with a clean title screen at start and  
end.

--Gary