Reflection Task 3:
If a still picture paints a thousand words, a video can create many more. The technology of video allows people to experience a diverse magnitude of feelings and visualisations that can persuade and develop their minds. Videos are becoming more common in the very digital, 21st Century. Videos can be found on almost any subject that you desire to watch, whether it be learning from a video or gaining entertainment from a video. This technology gives people a broader span of information. More information can be gathered from videos than still images, however there can be videos created of a group of still images. This means that images and audio can also be incorporated into video which is why this form of digital tool can contribute the most information and is the most effective to learn from.
Videos can not have multiple authors unlike other digital tools such as a wiki. The creation of a video can be divided up into as many sections with as many people working on them simultaneously however it is not possible to obtain more than one author (multi-author).
There are many video editing software's that can be purchased for business or personal use. For example, Windows Movie Maker and iMovie are very common video editing and producing software's that are available for purchase or come readily available on a registered device such as a windows computer with an essentials pack. The program I am going to discuss and use as an example is Windows Movie Maker. It is very easy to customise the tool or space in this video-producing and editing program. When using this program I was able to customise the size, colour and font of the text I used; I was able to select from a wide range of animations and transitions between videos/images; and I was also able to select audio from my directory and sync/apply my chosen audio track to my 'movie'. There are many more aspects which can be modified in Movie Maker which I have not yet completely explored. A very basic understanding of video editing programs is sufficient enough to 'get the hang of' Movie Maker. There were a few things that I didn't know how to do when I first began using the software however after fiddling around a bit longer I was able to produce the video I set out to create.
I have created an example educational video as a demonstration of this digital tool which will discussed below. Whilst creating this video I learnt how to use the program Windows Movie Maker and used my skills to produce this educational video and upload it to YouTube (the file was too big to upload here so I had to use an alternative source to link my video to my blog). This video is evident below and can be seen again at here on YouTube.
In a classroom there are many ways in which the use of videos become a very effective digital tool. For example, in a Geography class videos could be used during and after class for:
- Recording/completing homework tasks;
- Recording oral presentations;
- Multi-model presentations;
- Assignment tasks; and
- Notes - recording classes.
These are a few examples of what sorts of activities this digital tool will support.
As previously mentioned in this reflection, videos provide a much broader span of information than a still image. This is because a video contains much more than a still image - it can be accompanied with both images and audio. The learning outcomes of using this digital tool in education are immense. As displayed above, there are many different strategies available to incorporate this technology into learning. By using educational videos in schools, this allows the students to visualise their learning with clearer examples, definitions and understanding.
The video I created about The Great Barrier Reef can be used to implement all kinds of learning. My video could be presented in front of my class whilst they sit and listen. It would be beneficial for the students to take notes during this method of implementation. Another way this video could be used in learning circumstances would be to provide a link to this video on the internet or copy said video to each students' computer so that their learning could continue at home and specific homework tasks could be completed through the viewing of this educational video.
Below is the SAMR Model which has been explained to benefit the digital tool: video. This model can be used to provide feedback and improvement upon teaching. (E.g. Geography class as an example).
Substitution Level: The teacher could display a video to a class about the different Biomes in the world rather than drawing a diagram on the whiteboard.
Augmentation Level: Students can record themselves as a set homework task and give a small presentation about Biomes and what they have learnt thus far.
Modification Level: Students could complete their assessment tasks with the incorporation of video. For example, it is common for a Geography assessment task to be a twenty-minute multi-model presentation and this could be recorded and presented in front of the student's class.
Redefinition Level: Record lessons for the future. Students learn a lot during lessons at school, however if a student is distracted they do not benefit as much as a student who is engaged throughout the whole lesson. By recording classes for students to review at a later date, this gives the students a chance to look back on their previous lessons and gain a broader understanding of what is being taught. It is not only the student that benefits from this concept. Teachers are also able to look back on their practice, giving themselves feedback of how they could improve or better aid students in the future.
