Weekly Blog #8

Educational Videos were one of the first bits of technology to be used in classrooms. Once a TV became available to teachers, videos became a common way to break up the monotony of listening to the same teacher everyday. Now, they are probably the easiest way to incorporate "technology" in schools.

These videos are mainly commercially made and require little effort on behalf of the teacher. He or she simply selects a video, reviews it before showing it, and pops it in the player. The students sit and watch, perhaps taking notes or answering questions. If the teacher was really on top of things, there would be a discussion afterwords, an assessment of feelings or thoughts connected to the film.

This use of videos CAN be productive, helpful to students, or informative. However, movie time in class, at least for me, was a time to relax, sleep, be thoughtlessly entertain, and not a time for gaining knowledge. I can remember a few things I actually learned from videos, but not much that I didn't also learn somewhere else.

That is not to say that I didn't love educational videos, because I most certainly do.  Well, some of them anyway.  The classics like School House Rock, The Magic School Bus, Bill Nye. . . All great.  I was always a fan of the educational cartoons like Animaniacs and Hysteria! as well.

To make videos more educational, and actually useful in a classroom, students need to be involved. They can look for videos, determine if they are quality and educational, and then share them with others.  As a wise teacher once said, "It isn't always the video, it is the preparation for the video that has the impact on learning."

Teachers can make videos of themselves for their own students, like several of the videos we watched in class, or they can make them of the students.  Having to prepare for a film can motivate students into doing their best.  All of these videos can be shared online and used in other classes where the tools for making their own are unavailable.  Making videos provides deeper learning than simply watching them, or even talking about them can provide.

Of course, making a quality video is not as easy as you might think.  It takes planning and preparation, organization and materials.  When all of these things are present, all you need is a good subject and you are on your way.  I think we should go make one. . .