How to Record and Share Lessons with Loom

Loom has transformed the way educators communicate with students outside the classroom. Instead of lengthy emails or synchronous video calls, a quick Loom recording lets you demonstrate, explain and give feedback in a format students can rewatch at their own pace. The free plan is generous enough for most classroom needs.

What Makes Loom Different from Other Screen Recorders?

Unlike traditional screen recording software, Loom requires no post-production — click record, do your thing, stop recording and you instantly receive a shareable link. The video is processed in the cloud, so there is no large file to manage or upload. Recipients can watch in their browser without downloading anything.

Loom also places your webcam in a circular "bubble" overlaid on the screen recording, so students see your face and expression alongside the content — significantly more personal than a voiceover alone.

Setting Up Loom for Classroom Use

Install the Loom Chrome extension or desktop app (available for macOS and Windows). Sign up with your school email at loom.com. Loom for Education provides free starter accounts to students and teachers — verify your status to unlock extended video lengths.

Before recording, check your microphone and camera in Loom's settings panel. Create folders to organise your videos by subject or unit. The free plan stores up to 25 videos of up to 5 minutes each; the Education plan extends recording length and storage significantly.

Recording a Lesson Walkthrough or Explanation

Open the content you want to explain — a PDF, a website, a slide deck — then click the Loom icon and select "Screen + Cam." Count down and start explaining as if the student were sitting beside you. Point with your cursor (Loom highlights it automatically), pause and backtrack naturally — students can rewind if needed.

The drawing tool lets you annotate on screen during recording: circle a key term, underline an important number or sketch a diagram freehand. This is particularly effective for mathematics, science diagrams and annotated reading.

Giving Personalised Video Feedback on Student Work

Open a student's submitted document or design, start a Loom recording and talk through your feedback while pointing at specific parts of their work. This approach typically takes less time than written comments and is far clearer — students understand exactly what you mean because they can see you pointing at the issue.

Studies consistently show that video feedback increases student engagement with feedback and leads to greater improvement than written comments alone. The personal quality of seeing and hearing their teacher discuss their work makes students more likely to act on suggestions.

Sharing Looms with Students and Tracking Views

Copy the Loom link and paste it into Google Classroom, your LMS, an email or a Padlet. Students click the link and watch immediately in their browser. Loom's analytics show you who has watched your video and how far they watched — useful for checking which students have engaged with pre-class materials.

Students can leave timestamped emoji reactions and text comments directly on the video, creating a lightweight async discussion thread around the content.