Do not be alarmed by the permanent green screen that has taken up residence in my classroom. It's there because I want to be able to teleport my students, my class instruction, and the learning experiences of my students anywhere in the world at a moments notice.
In the past few years I have started diving deeper into the use of video in my classroom. Thanks to a few tools--like green screens and WeVideo, I'm now ALL-IN!
As an educator who is constantly trying to iterate ways to transform learning, I have found that using videos in my class is a powerful & effective way to
1) captivate my audience
2) empower students with tools they will need & can use throughout their life and
3) help my students shift from being CONTENT CONSUMERS to CONTENT PRODUCERS.
Here are some ways I've used video to transform learning experiences in my classroom
I use video to capture important messages for and/or by my students. This year we collaborated as a school to create this Dot Day video.
When I have to miss school, I like leaving videos for my substitute teacher to play for students. Students have expressed that they "like hearing my voice" when I'm not in class. It makes them feel like I'm still there-- in a way.
I use video to introduce to new class content and/ or projects. Here is a video of an #SDG Global Goals project we participated in with schools from around the world earlier this school year. (Thank you Jennifer Williams for organizing that)
Here is an example of a general Class Projects introduction. It works well because it's shareable with parents as well, so they are clear on the objectives and can find ways to support their child's learning.
Using videos to create Class Reviews has helped reduce student anxiety for tests and quizzes. They know they can watch it over on their own time after class as well. WeVideo has an incredible library that allows for an easy and captivating video production process---which keeps the students mesmerized. #teacherWIN
Student council at our school has also collaborated creating videos for Student Initiatives. For National Native American Heritage Month, our students created an entire video message, animated a book + voiced over the lines, and put together reflection questions of the lesson to share with other grades around the school.
Video Recaps of Field Trips and class adventures are always a fun way to revisit our experiences. Students love to see themselves in the video and parents appreciate the recap in case their children are 'oh ye of few words' kind of kiddos.
Using video to amplify the voice of students in the community is what fuels my passion most. This is a promotion video I created for an organization that our school supports---that is empowering youth in our community to CREATE POSITIVE CHANGES in their lives.
Lastly, I use videos with my son to create fun projects and make his learning journey more memorable as well. This is an example of a book report that he did a few years ago. He happened to pick his favorite book, the one I wrote about him: How'd they get in there...which of course fills my heart.
A great resource for teachers looking for ways to incorporate video into their classroom, check out this book (LINK) by Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad.
Keep an ear out for his Podcast: Deeper Learning with WeVideo Podcast-- where I will be sharing a little more about my use of Video to infuse creativity into my classroom.
I would love to learn about ways that you use video in your classes to transform learning experiences. Feel free to comment below or share on twitter @valeriateaches.