Vlogs in the Classroom
by Sheila Dankers (@sheiladankers)
Vlogs, short for video blogs, have become very popular,
thanks to YouTube. While watching funny
videos or cute animal videos on YouTube is fun pastime, there are also many
important and productive ways vlogs can be used. Many people watch vlogs to learn how to do
something they are interested in. For
example, I have watched vlogs about how to make chocolate souffles, use web
tools, and to learn in graduate courses.
My husband has watched videos about how to deep fry turkeys, break down
a gun for cleaning, and aviation training. YouTube videos have even played a
part of the uprisings in the Middle East.
In education,
vlogs can be used for learning both by watching and creating videos. It is sometimes difficult to engage students
when learning about new concepts.
Interesting videos capture students’ attention and help them understand
difficult concepts more easily. Lon
Safko, author of The Social Media Bible, explains one advantage of video that
makes them a great educational tool, “The more senses that are involved in
gathering information, the more compelling the process becomes.”
A recent
innovation in education which involves the use of vlogs is “flipping the
classroom.” Students watch teacher-created
and/or other videos for an introduction to concepts at home, then return to
school to discuss and work with the concepts with teacher help. This
frees up time in the classroom for labs, learning activities, and other
assignments in which the teacher can guide students and clear up
misunderstandings.
Disadvantages
There are many
channels on YouTube which provide excellent educational videos made by
organizations and individuals—many are by other teachers that can be used for
flipping the classroom, in class, or to help students with homework. You can find them using the search tool on
YouTube. As a 5th grade
science teacher, here are some of my favorite channels:
TED-Ed
Have Fun Teaching
Bill Nye
Sick Science! and SpanglerScienceTV
Khan Academy
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Teachers may also
want to search Just Dance Kids for fun, school-appropriate animated dance/music
videos for brain breaks and class parties.
You can also find video clips from news stations to use in the classroom
on YouTube. I have even used a Coyote/Roadrunner
cartoon to help students understand potential and kinetic/mechanical energy,
and not only did it work, but they loved it!
If you decide to
make your own videos, you may want to watch this teacher-created video by
Jason Rhode about how to make YouTube videos with just a
webcam directly on YouTube. You can also use free screencasting apps such as
Jing and Screencastomatic, which are available on the internet, to show
students how to use technology tools.
Another ways vlogs
can be used in education is for students to create videos to teach others what
they are learning about in creative ways, which can be shared on YouTube or a
class website. There are many free, easy-to-use apps students can use such
as Voki, Animoto, PowToon, and Babble to use to make amazing videos. Teachers
can evaluate student-created videos for how well the students understand the
concepts using a rubric which is given to students before they begin the
project.
One of my favorite apps for student created
videos is Socket Puppets. It is
available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
One advantage of the app is that students can create a sock puppet video
in seconds. The socks automatically
animate the voice of students. Students
choose their puppets, backgrounds, and props.
Other advantages are that it is very easy to use, produces super cute
sock puppet videos, and is a lot of fun for students or adults. My 4th and 5th grade
students love it, but it can be used by children at a very young age with a
little help. It can be used for
individual or small group projects, making a mini-lesson, or for flipping
instruction and is easily shared on YouTube or Facebook. Here are the directions for creating a video
using sock puppets:
- Write a script for with 1-4 puppets about the topic. Practice the script.
- Tap on the “new” button on the main menu of the Sock Puppet app.
- Tap on puppets to select them for your video (up to 4 can be used each time). Click next.
- Tap on the background you would like to use for the scene. Click next.
- Select props by tapping on them. Click next.
- Move the props and sock puppets around by touching and dragging them with your finger to place them before recording. You can also resize props and characters by pinching and dragging with two fingers.
- Press the red record button to begin recording. Each time a character is to speak, tap it, then begin speaking.
- When finished recording, tap the stop button to begin rendering your show. It will play a preview of the movie. If necessary, students can re-record by tapping the record button.
- Tap on the save icon to save your puppet show. A prompt will appear for you to provide a title.
- Tap on the share icon for the option to export your movie to YouTube or Facebook.
Disadvantages
of the app include: it has a 60 second
time limit for the free version, or a 90 second limit for the Sock Puppet+ paid
version. You also have to purchase the +
version to save videos to your photo library on your Apple device. Movies cannot be edited, but have to be
re-recorded, which isn’t really too much of a problem since it is fast and easy
to do.
One great thing I
have learned about using technology tools from the educational technology
courses I have taken is that there are usually several video tutorials already
published on YouTube and/or the tool’s website.
You can find tutorials for Jing, Animoto, and Sock Puppets on their
websites and on YouTube.
Finally, schools
can also use vlogs for connecting with parents and students. A district,
school, or teacher could produce a vlog with a weekly or monthly video about
how to help their child succeed in school, letting parents and students know
what is happening in the school, and/or homework help.
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