Technology has helped improve the educational experience for students in a variety of ways. One of the best ways for teachers to leverage the use of technology is to provide students with resources that allow them to access it anytime.
Some teachers use this to flip their classroom. I believe every teacher at every grade level could benefit from the knowledge of how to do this, even if they don’t intend to flip their classroom. This is because it frees up the teacher to provide snippets of instruction both when the teacher is in the classroom and when they are not. It can be efficient and engaging for the students.
There are two main ways that I have seen teachers do this effectively. The first is preparing for a substitute. For concepts that need to be explained to students, teachers can make a short video or set of videos to explain the content. Not that a sub can't do this job, but the videos allow students to review the information in just the way that the teacher wants them to learn it. The second method for using these videos is during centers in the classroom. The teacher can remediate or enrich students through the use of a tutorial video for explaining the ideas. These are quick to make and students are much more engaged with the information coming from their actual teacher than some random person on the internet (like a Khan Academy video would be).
94% of teachers incorporated video into their lessons in the past year, which shows just how popular this learning and teaching tool has become. When teachers are putting these videos together, there are a number of different software options available to help guide the process. One of these options is MimioMoovly, a simple tool that allows teachers, faculty, students, and educators to easily create video lessons, tutorials, and explainer videos.
The ability for students to understand, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms is an important part of education. MimioMoovly software is an excellent tool to help students express themselves and acquire media skills through video by learning to turn images, footage, music, speech, and text into new video stories. With MimioMoovly, you can increase students’ digital competencies with engaging video assignments. This easy-to-use software allows you to:
Here are some other options with screen capture that I have used and would recommend:
There are some tips and tricks to keep in mind if you are a teacher who wants to try this. First off, it’s important to have a camera if you want that option. Many laptops come with one that’s already built in, but it might be necessary to get a webcam. The same goes for a microphone.
It probably goes without saying, but double-checking the visual and the audio is essential to making these videos work. Anytime I start a new video, regardless of what software I'm using, I create a short test video and then play it back to make sure everything is working correctly. There's nothing worse than creating a five-minute video and then realizing that none of it worked the way you expected.
Along the same lines, if you're making videos for students, it's imperative that the background is not distracting. It seems silly, but if there’s something out of line or distracting behind you in the video, some students will get so hung up on it that they won't listen to anything that's going on in the video.
Wondering how to get started with video in your classroom? Here’s an example of how students in a sixth-grade science class could use video to provide evidence of understanding:
There are many different tools that you can use to create these videos. I have found most are easy to use, user-friendly, and able to be shared easily. The best part about them is that once the teacher has mastered the tools, kids can make their own. It’s a great higher-level experience for students to narrate their project or presentation. They can teach each other new concepts through the use of these videos.
Learn more about the MimioMoovly video editing software and try it free for 30 days!>>