The digital video you've just watched was courtesy of YouTube.com it came from the Live Earth SOS short movie collection. I used this video as part of a SOSE inquiry unit that was titled Think Globally, Act Locally with the driving question "How can I help save our planet?" The unit investigates global environmental issues related to climate change and requires the students to research them on a global level and then examine the school at a local level and identify areas the school community may be contributing to these issues and then implement solutions at school to reduce, reuse and recycle. This digital video was chosen because it was engaging, entertaining and informative as it suggests actions that each and everyone of us can take everyday to make a difference in our fight against climate change.
YouTube is an excellent resource for accessing information especially when introducing a topic to a class and a hook is required. However, because anyone can create digital videos and upload them to YouTube it is essential that the material is selected very carefully as some of the clips are inappropriate. Another golden rule for presenting YouTube clips to learners is you must always download them and NEVER play them live or you could be in for a nasty surprise. I recommend using keepvid to save the clip as it is very easy to use and all you need to do is download the url onto the site and it saves it for you onto your computer. No need for wasting time buffering or the like and best of all it's free and instant becuase you don't need to register. Other excellent video resources for educators can be found at TeacherTube.com or Teachers.tv these two great websites provide video, documents, lesson plans and teaching resources.
Digital video isn't just great for engaging visual and auditory learners, it can also be used as a stimulis for creative writing, where the teacher presents a clip and the students write the ending. This type of engaging stimulis can encourage even the most reluctent writers. Prensky (2005) suggests that by engaging the learners at their level, in this case through a multimedia stimulis we can bring the "old stuff" such as creative writing into the twenty-first century in an more modern approach that connects with the students.
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References
Presnky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me: What doday's learners demand. [eletronic resource] Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf
Video and image courtesy of YouTube.com
I gained a lot from reading your posting here Sheena, especially keepvid and the two other teacher websites. I wish i had known about Keepvid last year, as i had a few experiences in lessons waitng for the buffering of YouTube. It is great to come across new stuff which i'm sure i will use down the track.
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Hey Sheena, I agree with you that using a digital video is a great way for students to access and gain information. A video is a great way to hook students into a topic. From here they will be able to access and gain valuable background knowledge and understandings. Students will then be able to use this information to move onto higher order thinking skills such as using knowledge meaningfully. I also agree with you when you say that videos cater to diverse learning styles. Thanks for the informative post Sheena.
ReplyDeleteThank you Leah for your positive feedback and insights. After more consideration I was thinking that video could also be useful to consolidate learning and could be viewed by learners at the conclusion of a topic to review and wrap it up.
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