Videos to Assist in Instruction

Watching the tutorial on Viddler got me thinking about different ways in which webcams can be used in the classroom. Also, I just started using my own webcam and in realizing how easy it is to use, I've come to the conclusion that it can and should be used in a lot of different ways, especially with teaching in the future.

One idea I had was that I could use Viddler to help students analyse videos or compare and contrast them with the written word, since I am going into English teaching. This way, students can have assignments to watch videos and they will have the opportunity to make comments and annotate as was mentioned in the tutorial. This will make it easier to communicate what point in the film the student is referring to instead of simply trying to describe it and getting confused. It also will cut down on time spent describing and taking notes on where something occurs in a film, which can be time consuming and really annoying.

I also was thinking about using Voicethreads in a similar way to the way that we receive instruction for this class, but in reverse. This was inspired by the devotionals that we give. I have always been a firm believer that when we have to teach something, we learn it better, but there is not always enough time in class for students to teach the class certain ideas or theories and so it would be a great way to help students learn to have then prepare a lesson plan and record it on voicethreads and then let the rest of the students learn from it and comment on it for homework. This way, the students learn and teach eachother and they have more opportunities to become experts on subjects because they are responsible for teaching them.

Also, sometimes it is difficult to describe how to do something in written word and so for some assignments, while I plan to explain them in class, I can also post the assignment along with a video of myself demonstrating how to do the assignment correctly so that students can refer back to it as they go about doing the assignment on their own.

There are many ways in which webcams and various video programs can be useful. I feel as though a whole new world has been opened up to me. :)