Shutdown Food for Thought: To Record or Not to Record?

I've been talking to a number of teachers lately about video creation. In addition to talking to those teachers, I've also been busy creating some videos and screencasts to post on our Resources site. In doing so, I'm reminded of a dilemma I reached a few years ago as I was transitioning my classroom into a Flipped, or Blended, classroom.

My first recommendation for you... Don't be afraid to use what's already out there. The internet is full of amazing people doing amazing things and recording themselves doing it. For a lot of content, a great video already exists either on Khan Academy or YouTube. Use what's there, assign those videos to watch. I love the Isaac Newton quote "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." because it applies so well to our digital age. I try to use content that already exists as much as I can to save on time and headaches of creating that content, that way when something comes up that I really want to make my own or make apply to Portland specifically, I have the time and energy to do so. The creator in me still gets stuck in this argument with my smarter self. I want to create my own stuff, but trying to record and create everything just isn't practical, and it's not the best use of time and energy.
If/when you do record your own videos, play with it a little bit first to develop some comfort with how it looks and feels and to "find your voice" for lack of a better term. My voice is typically very relaxed with a tiny smidge of humor and sarcasm (if you haven't noticed yet) unless my audience changes (like in the Parent video on our Resources Page). Sal Khan definitely has a "voice" to his videos as do others like ProfRobBob. Do a quick test run first also, just to make sure you know where to click, how to move the camera, etc. And don't overlook sound. I remember an article I read years ago that really stuck with me because it was surprisingly true. We'll all sit and struggle through a video with poor visuals as long as we can hear it clearly. But, no matter how perfect the visuals are, if the audio is bad, we won't watch more than 20 seconds before giving up.
Try to find a balance. We're just getting started on this journey. Don't overwhelm yourself and set a pace that you can't keep. Use the internet as it was intended, and stand on those giants' shoulders.