Xtranormal

Review the journal article  and reflect on the following questions: (1) What is the impact of videos on learning? and (2) What are the benefits and limitations of using videos for teaching?

The impact of videos on learning comes down to the simple premise of allowing an alternate avenue for which students can inquire, explore and express ideas and knowledge.  Videos in education have changed from being the filmstrip shown on the projector by the teacher to the film produced and directed by the student.  This power shift embraces engagement and encourages personal perspective and ownership of what is to be learned.  Video creation allows students opportunities to creatively express ideas using higher level thinking skill, as it requires students to think both artistically and logically.  The use of the internet allows the students to share and discuss their ideas with a broader audience.  If you limit the length of the video, you force students to think critically about what information is truly necessary to include, and this provides authenticity to the project.  The constructivist theory and approach, which is referred to on pg 16 of our reading, lends itself naturally to the art of student created video experiences. 

Videos can be useful when it is easier to demonstrate a concept than it is to describe the concept.  The vast amount of how-to-videos on YouTube is ample evidence.  It is much easier to learn how to reskin a drum by watching someone do it then it is to read about it or attend a lecture on it, for instance.  It also gives the students some control of their learning.  Videos also allow content to be viewed, as often as desired, whenever it is desired.  This makes it accessible to learners at their convenience, and allows learners to reabsorb content as often as necessary to gain understanding.  The learner can take more ownership of his/her own learning.

Having videos allows teachers to address many of the challenges face in the classroom with low reading levels and transient populations.  As students come and go, teachers can build a library of videos that can help demonstrate many skills for the students.  Students can access these tools at anytime upon return or as a skill may need to be refreshed.  This allows students to feel less like a burden as their return to the classroom is creates anxiety as they are embarrassed to ask the teacher for missed work, make times to meet to catch up on work, and for extra help because they missed school.  Some of the stress in this transition could be greatly alleviated if the student can control some of his/her own learning.

There are some challenges as videos can be time consuming to put together from shooting to editing.  Also many school divisions limit sights and accessibility to equipment and programs.  And like many forms of technology, as our reading pointed out, it is not beneficial to students if it is being used incorrectly.  Simply putting together a non-interactive video is the same as an hour-long lecture.  Students need to be able to interact with the video.  How you use technology is the most important piece of integrating it into the classroom.

Module 2

In what ways are Blogs consistent with Web 2.0 and 3.0 attributes and possibilities?

Blogging has become one of the most popular ways for people to communicate.  Whether it be in hosting and maintaining your own personal blog or micro-blogging using such platforms as Twitter, blogging is effective, efficient and let’s be honest, trendy!  I personally feel that is amazing to fathom the endless possibilities that travel along with blogging.  Just think of the audience that my 10 year old has compared to the audience available to myself at such an age.  The comparison seems rather silly. 

We have been transformed into creatures that crave and expect instant gratification and blogging soothes this appetite effectively.  We post and within moments can have feedback.  Imagine Facebook status updates for a moment.  How often have you posted a status update and within minutes your phone or computer signals a notification?  How many of us can wait until tomorrow to check what the notification is?  Not many.  We click rapidly to see what someone has said or if they “Like” our witty words.  We post to get response and we are successful with little to no wait time.  The gratification is quick and very rewarding to the point that it has become an expectation.

This brings me to my concern.  We know that the Web is changing and how it is utilized is part of that change.  How do educators work with students to embrace the change and also continue to teach and model digital responsibility?

Module 1 Response

Based on your readings in the “Teaching and spinning a ‘web’ of meaning” document and considering the potential online education environment of the future, what characteristics and skills do you believe will be required by educators of the future?

Two words come to mind when I think of the characteristic or skill set that educators must embrace whether it be today, tomorrow or twenty years from now:  consistent and flexible.

As educators it is our responsibility to maintain consistency.  Consistency in message, modeling and further education of ourselves are non-negotiables.  We all are fully aware that the world is every changing and that education is often far behind in the race to play catch up.  Therefore, educators cannot afford to be less than dedicated to keeping well informed about movements and shifts in education.  As a parent I expect my daughter’s teachers to be constantly evolving in their professional journey and bringing forth concepts and context that will challenge and extend their thinking into the future.  As an administrator, I feel responsible for embracing and encouraging the same evolutions amongst my staff.  Stagnancy in education is nothing less than the inability to remain consistent.

If you have yet to see the You Tube sensation video; “A Vision of Students Today”, be sure to check it out:   http://youtu.be/dGCJ46vyR9o

Secondly, educators must remain flexible.  As much as consistency is an anchor, flexibility is our compass.  How many times have you attended a workshop, became inspired to transform your classroom only to attend another workshop two months later which challenges all that you learned at the first workshop?  This is education my friends!  Opinions are never lacking, advice never far off and hot ticket researchers continue to have the next bestseller off the press before the previous one has even cooled.  What about resources?  How many times are new resources introduced, mandated, in-serviced (if you are lucky) and implemented with a new and improved model ready and waiting just around the corner?   It is a vicious cycle that is part of reality.  As I see it, we have two choices and I don’t think you need me to spell those out for you.  The question I have is, knowing that we must be flexible, is it too much to ask educators to be consistently flexible?

Welcome!

Welcome Spring session of EC&! 834!