Video Making in Learning

[Timothy Gangwer]

Dynamic Learning throughout the School Year: Fitting It In and Finding the Value

You might ask how an educator can fit video making into their curriculum. My method was to use the short Thanksgiving week and the last week of school before the Winter break, as both of these weeks are filled with miscellaneous projects. I have also used parents as helpers, by taking filming into a quiet hall. This allows me to move on with what I had planned for the day, without worrying about students being distracted by filming on the side (although that has been done as well). Students can also make better use of their technology class once a week by working on these content driven projects during time in the lab.

Overall, the process is well worth it. I believe we are training our students for jobs that haven't been created yet. These skills can not be underestimated - even on the basic premise of helping students learn. For example, when our class learned about simple machines last year, we created a video. This year, I simply played the video created the year before. The students had an immediate advantage over last year's group, as they benefited from the hard work of my previous students. Taking the time to create and document learning through multi-media tools is a powerful method for expanding and applying what has been learned in class. It is my hope that you consider incorporating some of these tips across the curriculum and throughout the school year.

SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
Because multi-media projects involve reading, writing, visual animation, music, and dialogue, recorded learning can be used as a re-teaching method to reach students struggling with the concepts taught.

 

- Angela Bunyi