Using Video in the Classroom (extra post)

Soooo ever since I asked a principal from the Portage La Prairie School Division what some popular questions to ask in a job interview are, and he replied with: "What is your favorite TEDtalk?," I have been on a mission to find the answer to that question by immersing myself in as many of these videos as my schedule will tolerate. Fortunately, I4Ed has given me plenty of opportunity to multitask: I am able to watch TEDtalks AS assignments. Talk about relevant and meaningful. Anyways, I visited the TEDtalks website, and came up with a couple gooders I could use in my future classroom:

Oh yes, the list of topics: 

1. Two Videos I Could Use in My Classroom
2. Using Video as a Teaching Tool 
3. How Students Could Use Video in the Classroom
4. Student Videos on YouTube?

1. TWO VIDEOS I COULD USE IN MY CLASSROOM
My embedded videos are not working. I am not sure if these videos will magically appear in my blog post at some time other than now (do videos do that?), so I am going to include the direct links just to be sure that you are able to have access to them. Video #1 features Joe Kowan, a folk singer who discusses, with a ginormous audience, how to beat stage fright. Kowan is relatable, down-to-earth, funny, and personable - all features that would make him appealing to students. I can see myself using this video near the beginning of the school year, before students had to do an assignment in which they would need to speak publicly in front of the class. In English, I might even have an opportunity to use this video as part of an activating strategy for an entire Public Speaking unit.

Watch Joe Kowan here if you are not able to watch him below.



In video #2, you will have the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite speakers, Temple Grandin, share her thoughts about people with autism - especially those who are savants - and the kind of minds the world needs. I could use this video in both a Science and an English course. In science, autism would be a fascinating topic to study when dealing with the human brain. Grandin actually discusses the anatomy of an autistic brain vs. that of a "normal" brain in the video. In English, the sky is the limit, as this is just the nature of the course. In my upcoming placement, I plan on doing a unit based upon a novel called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, which is a fictional work told from the point of view of a child on the autism spectrum. Grandin's video would be an excellent asset to a unit of this nature, in order to have students further their understanding of autism (and thereby, the novel) as the exceptionality is discussed from the perspective of someone who is actually experiencing it.

Watch Temple Grandin here if you cannot watch her below.


2. USING VIDEO AS A TEACHING TOOL 
Video can be used as a teaching tool in many ways, some of which I have discussed above. I think video works very well as both an activating strategy (so long as an engaging video is chosen) and an acquiring strategy. Videos have props, tech effects, colours, sounds, and people students have never seen before in their classroom environment, which brings forth a novelty and intrigue factor that can lead to engagement. I think that it is also great that classroom teachers are able to bring in experts via media platforms such as Skype and video, so that students may receive content directly from the source. In addition to engagement and expertise, videos are also a great source platform from which visual learners can receive information.


3. HOW STUDENTS COULD USE VIDEO IN THE CLASSROOM
Just as teachers can use video to relay information to students, students can us video to relay information to teachers. Student-created video can act as a powerful assessment tool. I say powerful for a couple reasons: 1) because it not only allows students to tackle course-specific outcomes, but ICT outcomes as well - which is hugely important in our present and future society, and 2) because it video greatly expands the forms a finished project can take. There are so many different video-making tools available both as software and online, and these tools allow for endless possibilities. A video is also very storable and sharable piece of work, meaning that students can easily keep and have access to their finished product, and easily share it with their teachers, family, friends, and even the world.


4. STUDENT VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE?
If the school division I work in allows student-made videos to be made public, I would definitely consider doing so. My mind is not fully made up on the topic, because though with sharing comes fantastic opportunities to connect with others across the world, it also comes with great responsibility. While I am all for teaching digital literacy and citizenship (especially when it comes to privacy) I am not sure that I am ready to take the fall for a student who posts inappropriately or shares too much information.