In class on Friday we explored the power of video as an educational tool. I had always seen the value of bringing in videos from online as teaching tools (after all, why not have someone with a much higher budget and lots more time explain a concept?!), but the class got me thinking more broadly. Video is a great example of the power of technology for accessibility: videos can be slowed down, replayed, and captioned to support learners. A major challenge in the classroom is differentiating learning, knowing that everyone learns at their own pace. Video helps solve this problem; fast learners can whizz through a video while slower learners can take their time without feeling embarrassed.

I also have very fond memories of creating videos in school as part of assignments. Videos were a way I could access my creativity, while having a lot of fun with my classmates. At the same time, creating a video on a topic required sifting through a lot of knowledge, boiling it down to the most important points, and creating a persuasive and engaging narrative. These are all skills that are valuable for students to learn.

I imagine part of the challenge of integrating technology into the classroom is supporting students with learning how to use it. That’s why I found Rich’s workshop so valuable; they workshop was centered around a “go-at-your-own-pace” style, in which you worked through different Google Documents that outlined and explained the different steps to help you get more comfortable. Normally, creating guides like this would take too much time for a teacher to be able to do, but I was so excited to hear that the UVIC Libraries Digital Scholarship Commons has all of these guides or “Lesson Plans” available under the Creative Commons license on their website here.  This really helps support educators and students in learning new skills. For instance, for a summative unit assignment, I could give my students the option to make a video, a podcast, a storyboard, or an infographic; one class could be spent with the students learning how to use the tool they’re interested in guided by these lesson plans. Taking part in the workshop also helped me realize that we can’t expect students to just know (or easily learn) how to use these software, as this can be very frustrating and they will likely choose to take the easy way out (by choosing a software they already know). By having resources and time set aside for these skills, I think teachers can help broaden everyone’s skillset.

Another tool I learned about through the workshop that I am very interested in learning more about is H5P, which allows you to make any video interactive, with a variety of question types and texts to prompt the reader to think about what they’re seeing. This would be a really great tool in an online or blended classroom environment, to help support learners be active participants in their learning, rather than mindlessly (or distractedly) consuming video content. Choosing the questions would take some serious thought, as I have taken part in online trainings that use a similar software and it can turn into a game of “how fast can I get through these video questions?” Critical, interesting, and scaffolded questions might help create more interest for the learner. I also found it took quite a long time to make a video interactive, and so it would probably make the most sense if you could re-use the video year after year.

I’m really happy we got to play around with these tools and I am excited to brainstorm ways to implement them into my lesson and unit planning!