In today’s world, we are surrounded by many forms of media at our fingertips. Children have started to learn at a very young age how to navigate smartphones, iPads, and even computers. In his book, Crafting Digital Writing, Hicks (2013) mentions, “Video texts...may be the form of digital writing many of us need to learn to convey information in the twenty-first century” (p. 104).
Using videos in the classroom is essential now more than ever before! According to Turner and Hicks (2017), there are many different forms of video including full Hollywood productions, documentaries that portray photographs and actual footage, screencast presentations, and short video snippets posted to social media. All these types of videos have different purposes and audiences. There are many different programs to create videos with images or video clips pieced together and allow you to add in background music, including iMovie, Animoto, or WeVideo (Turner & Hicks, 2017).
Screencastify is also a way to create flipped learning for students in the classroom. It is a tool that records and shares videos of your computer screen, while simultaneously including video or voice. When schools suddenly shut down due to COVID-19 in March, Screencastify became a way for teachers to model and engage students through the computer screen. Not only did I use Screencastify for instructional videos, but also gave feedback to students this way. I sent them the feedback video through Google Classroom as a private comment. I found this very beneficial with my third grade students to explain and clear any misconceptions.
Another tool for teachers and students that works much like Screencastify, but geared more towards students is Flipgrid. Flipgrid is an online video tool that allows teachers to post topics for students to respond to with videos. It can be utilized with any subject, and I especially enjoyed using it during quarantine when schools were shut down for social and emotional learning as a "check in" for students at home. Flipgrid is also a great way for students to practice fluency, share book reviews, and many other ideas! It is also a great way for students to connect with one another through video. There are so many ways to utilize Flipgrid in the classroom!
As I was thinking about how to improve my introduction video, the first thing I thought of doing was inserting pictures. I decided to use the video I had already created from the beginning of the semester and chunk it, instead of creating one from scratch. As I went through the composing process to improve my introduction video, I began by exploring some of the movie-making programs mentioned in the Chapter 5 of Argument in the Real World. Next, I uploaded my original introduction video and various photographs to insert into my revised video. After importing media into Animoto, I adjusted the transition times to be appropriate for the viewers. Since I chose to use my video that was submitted at the beginning of the course, the most time was spent trying to figure out where to split and chunk the original video. In the Youtube video titled Chunking: Learning Technique for Better Memory and Understanding, it explains, “Cutting large bits of information into smaller pieces helps us to understand. If we put small pieces back together, we can see the big picture and that helps us to remember” (2017). Chunking information into smaller pieces helps students understand and digest the information easier than when they are given a lot at once. The same is true for videos containing information. When giving instructions or information in a video, it is best to keep it short. I decided to break up the video into shorter clips and add in photographs. Bevan (n.d.) states, “Studies have shown that the use of short video clips allows for more efficient processing and memory recall.” I also added background music to increase engagement. Animoto was an easy program to use to add pictures and chunk the information in the video into small video clips. I will definitely utilize this program more in the future in my classroom!
Chunking: Learning Technique for Better Memory and Understanding. (2017, January 21). Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hydCdGLAh00
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Bevan, M. (n.d.). Why Videos are Important in Education. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.nextthoughtstudios.com/video-production-blog/2017/1/31/why-videos-are-important-in-education
Nieves, K. (2020, January 27). 9 New Ways to Use Flipgrid in the Classroom. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/9-new-ways-use-flipgrid-classroom
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Brittney,
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoyed your video introduction and all the wonderful techniques you added. It looks fabulous! Turner and Hicks (2017) describe the importance of "crafting a digital video" with the use of "cinematic and documentary" techniques to provide appealing features to a video (p.85). I believe you did a great job incorporating those techniques as well as providing useful steps into how you were able to edit/redesign your introduction video. You and I have both discussed this in a previous blog post, but screencastify has been such a lifesaver for me during this pandemic, and it is a great video resource to utilize for video creation, video explanation, or a read aloud. Hung (2019) describes how he has utilized video design with his students in creating digital stories to promote speaking, retelling, and engagement. I discovered so many video apps during this assignment, and even though I have heard of flipgrid, I do not have personal experience with it, so it is definitely something I would like to try as well as Animoto. I really loved reading your post, I have learned so much more about video apps and strategies for implementing them in the classroom.
Reference
Hung, S.-T. A. (2019). Creating digital stories: EFL learners’ engagement, cognitive and metacognitive skills. Educational Technology & Society, 22(2), 26–37.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.
I loved your video! It influenced me so much, I went out and (attempted) to learn how to use Animoto! It was so easy. I did struggle with the sound. It kept defaulting back to full volume when I would produce the video. I am sure that it was user error on my part. But that is one of the things I am really enjoying about writing the blogs! I am learning how to do so many things, and they are not be perfect, because I am learning!! As Turner and Hicks (2017) stated in their book, "Giving people-children, adolescents, and adults-an opportunity to play with video editing tasks in a low-stakes manner is often a good way to introduce bigger projects" (p. 97). While this assignment is graded, and therefore is not truly low-stakes, I don't feel pressure to be perfect, because the expectation is that I am learning, not perfecting.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, Hutton and Robson (2019) found that students were more engaged long term in their online learning, when they began the online process in a more casual, social way. "Building a social presence, rather than academic development, appears key to forming a learning community" (Hutton & Robson, 2019, 4 Conclusions and Recommendations Section, para. 4).
And on a total side note, I have used FlipGrid in my classroom for a few years now! we love it!
References:
Hutton, C., & Robson, J. (2019). Breaking barriers, building community: improving student engagement with preparation for studying online multidisciplinary science by distance learning - a case study. New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, 54(1), n.p. https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i14.3217
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.
Hi Brittney,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and video. I have to admit. I have never created a video using animoto before, so now I am intrigued. Turner and Hicks (2017) talked about how to incorporate cinematic and content ideas, and it is very evident you took their tips and applied those to your second video. The photos and chunking really assists in appealing to your viewers (Turner & Hicks, 2017)
I read a study about research conducted on how a visual creative processes was found to encourage consistent attention of visual media (Ayrton, 2019). I think it is obvious from your video that your had a plan and truly mapped out your video's creative process. I also enjoyed reading your post. It complimented your video very well. It is evident you spent time constructing the design of your video as well as the contents of your blog. Thank you for sharing.
References
Ayrton, R. (2020). The case for creative, visual and multimodal methods in operationalising concepts in research design: An examination of storyboarding trust stories. The Sociological Review, 68(6), 1229–1249. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026120903918
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.