| Most of us can remember getting excited about | | | | a video without understanding, "what's in it for me?" |
| videos in the classroom as they offered a break from | | | | Teachers can avoid students settling into the 'television |
| mundane schoolwork and if you could get away with it | | | | response' by disrupting the single linear message of the |
| - a quick nap while the rest of the class pretended to | | | | video. Locate specific information on the video or stop |
| watch. This common approach to in-class videos | | | | for "commercial breaks" to discuss what the class has |
| hardly earned them a warm standing among | | | | viewed. This approach addresses the natural pauses |
| educators who often viewed this method of teaching | | | | in the attention span of children and ensures your |
| as no teaching at all. But, times have changed and | | | | students are getting the educational benefit from |
| school videos have become an important part of | | | | school videos. |
| school curriculum. | | | | Use specific activities to promote active learning. |
| Strengthening the Learning Process | | | | These activities can include things like focus questions, |
| While research has not found anything to support one | | | | viewing worksheets, stopping the video at key points, |
| educational media over another, it has proven that | | | | viewing the video without the soundtrack playing, or |
| viewing images during the lesson improves student | | | | listen to the video without watching the visuals. While |
| retention. In other words, when the teacher uses the | | | | not every method described here is practical in every |
| school video as a visual tool in the lesson, the learning | | | | situation, experimenting with the use of different |
| process is enhanced. Also, if the video is especially | | | | activities can go a long way to keeping your students |
| interesting, students are much more apt to be engaged | | | | focused. When these activities are combined with |
| in the subject. | | | | those done after the video, the learning experienced is |
| Benefits of School Videos | | | | maximized. |
| Video has always provided a great medium for | | | | Evaluating Video Options |
| conveying information or concepts that are hard to | | | | Not all educational videos are created equal and as |
| grasp with mere words. Video creates a sense that | | | | the educator, you must be able to evaluate your |
| the student is actually there, inviting them in to | | | | options and make the appropriate choice. Select those |
| experience the story or information first-hand whether | | | | videos that motivate and inform your students. Look |
| it is a travel through time or demonstrating specific skills | | | | for variation in the presentation, humor, age appropriate |
| or processes. They can be used to demonstrate | | | | narration, organizing information in chunks, provision of |
| desired behavior, deliver a message and promote | | | | meaningful samples, availability of open-ended |
| learning in those students with high visual orientation. | | | | questions, opportunities for extension and individual |
| Research into the effectiveness of visual learning has | | | | thinking and teacher guides. |
| found that zooming in on details and animation lend to | | | | There are also red flags to watch for in evaluating |
| developing discriminative and analytical skills. Even the | | | | school videos. Stay away from those that provide |
| design of the video contributes to the way the student | | | | excessive use of talking heads, illegible or poorly |
| will retain the information or be motivated by its | | | | designed titles, outdated footage, visuals that don't |
| message. The use of specific strategies and | | | | support narration, pacing issues, excessive use of |
| pedagogy helps to drive meditated engagement with | | | | slides, poor role-modeling, over-simplification, lack of |
| the topic, thereby inspiring the student to learn. | | | | relevancy or overuse of special effects. |
| Principles of Use for Video in the Classroom | | | | In Summary |
| While a specific formula for video viewing within the | | | | With technology moving at the pace that it is today, |
| classroom is not realistic, there are certain activities | | | | video will continue to be an important part in our |
| and preparations that can lend to maximizing the | | | | educational system. With thoughtful planning, instruction |
| effectiveness of the viewing experience. For one, | | | | and application, videos can promote interactive learning. |
| students should be ready and waiting for the viewing | | | | In using videos to promote student curiosity, speculation |
| experience. Without proper preparation or | | | | and intellectual engagement, teachers can enhance the |
| understanding why something pertains to us, most of | | | | overall learning experience for his or her students. |
| us would be hard pressed to set aside time to watch | | | | |