My Personal Learning
I am a visual learner so video has been transformative increasing my learning. The generosity of normal citizens and experts who have freely uploaded to the Internet has allowed me to learn better and faster,and make learning a lifelong endeavour. Thus video streaming has been invaluable for my personal and professional growth. I have learned such things such as how to play to play the guitar, how to knit, and basics of child-rearing. I can watch video tutorials for free over and over again until I "get it." I also get to choose the teacher that resonates with me best, usually someone someone that has provided some captions or diagrams in addition to their voice.
How to Make a Video for Web 2.0
You don't need an expensive video camera to make a video. There are video cameras in digital cameras, webcams, and even cellular phones. However, you will need a video editing program if you want to edit your film and add music and captions. I tried making a video but couldn't because I had been inadvertently saving my movies as QuickTime files. I have Windows MovieMaker (a Microsoft product) on my computer which is not compatible with QuickTime (an Apple product). I tried downloading a converter but it didn't work. So far , making a video is pretty hard - will have to get the students to be the experts on that !
My professional learning.
Professional Development Webcasts
I've recently been introduced to professional-development webcasts through a province-sponsored site called ERAC. I asked our principal to sign me up for the pilot program, which involved watching three different professional development webinars. I watched very interesting American and Canadian webcasts on literacy, literature circles, and also educational administration. It was amazing how I could learn about issues affecting educational administration without having to commit the time and money to a course. Pro-D webcasts allow me to learn at little cost, at a schedule that is convenient for me. However, something that I missed was the learning opportunity provided by being a group setting, discussing the issues with colleagues. I think an ideal compromise would be to organize a Pro-D day around webcasts by creating a webcast discussion group with the other teachers in the school.
Uses in Teaching
Most teachers already know that videos improve learning (ref: Library Video Company). Teachers and parents have been using DVDs and videos to teach everything from reading to physics. Having a visual accompaniment improves learning by adding another modality by which to reinforce a concept (listen, watch, hear, do). However, teachers also know that videos cannot replace teachers because in order to learn effectively students also need direct instruction, print materials, library resources, experiential learning tasks, and the interaction and feedback they receive from their teachers and peers. In fact, using a video effectively is something of an art since videos are a classic case of where less is more. When I was a Spanish teacher, I used to show a 5 min. video everyday, at the start of class, to immerse students in the language, culture, and geography of the Spanish-speaking world. Videos work great as motivators and openers; they don`t work great when they are too long, or used as "babysitters" when the teacher is away .
Benefit of videos
When videos are available on the Internet, students and teachers can access the content from any computer, at home, or at school. This provides incredible flexibility for students who want to watch something again (re-enforcement), or skip ahead to other related videos (enrichment). YouTube and iTunes have videos on complex subjects such as computer science and math which the teacher and the student can access as a learning tool.
Videos bring a sense of realism to the subject that textbooks cannot. For example, students studying a language can watch free video tutorials of native speakers in a culturally authentic setting. Students can watch true-to-life situations of bullying, internet safety, and other social topics without being influenced by a teacher's presentation style. Movies with professional actors in real-life setting can re-create the drama and tension of World Wars to reinforce classroom lectures and motivate students to want to learn more.
Limits of videos
I would love to have students and teachers access webcasts and internet videos at our school, but that is currently not possible. Although most teachers have an internet connection in their classroom, they don`t have the additional equipment (ie: projector, updated computer hardware, or fast internet connection) to show streaming video effectively. In addition, watching a video can be a passive experience, so teachers need to plan enrichment activities that will enhance what is being taught in the video.
Students as creators
Whereas in the days of videos and DVD's students were passive spectators, Web 2.0 now gives students and teachers the option of creating their own videos. Videos can be ways to assess curricular content, or they can be avenues for students to share their expertise by teaching the class something visually. Students can learn negotiation and leadership skills by working together to produce a video. The possibilities are endless and I doubt any blog could list all the wonderful ideas students and teachers can do with videos.
Book Trailers
Video is a great tool for promoting literacy and library programs. I am specially interested in book trailers to promote reading. However, I would not begin a booktalk with a book trailer, but rather would use it at the end of a discussion. It is important for readers to imagine the text without visual aids and to use their own imagination and prior experiences to give a text meaning. Here is an example of how to use a video trailer.
1. Read a passage of the book without any visuals.
2. Ask students to draw any image that comes to mind regarding the book.
3. Watch the book trailer and discuss how the visuals in the video affect your interpretation of the book.
Resources for Creating Book Trailers
Naomi Bates' blog has step-by-step instructions on how to create digital book trailers.
Here is a video from TeacherTube on how to create book trailers using Windows Movie Maker
Web 2.0 Cool Tools for Schools. A great directory of all kinds of free video editing applications.
YouTube - A great source of book trailers made by students.
Jamendo - a source of copyright-free music to use in videos.
CaptionTube - a way to create captions for YouTube videos
