Argument in Video: An Introduction to Using Video in the Classroom
"The power of visual media is clear: moving or still pictures, narration and music, and the gaze of the camera all combine to make an immediate, and important, effect on viewers"
(Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 85).
I have been in several videos over the past eight years of my teaching career. I have been in National Board submission videos, B-roll type video recounting homecoming activities, videos to be shown at meetings, and most recently, my introduction video for my ED-629 course in my EdS program at the University of Montevallo. Each of these videos served a utilitarian purpose. Each was to show the viewer that I had met a set of objectives (or expectations) that had been presented to me.
The most recent video that was made, my introduction video, was designed to meet the requirements of a rubric, while successfully introducing me to the class. However, after reading chapter five, I realized that my video could have been so much better. Turner & Hicks (2017) take care to introduce examples representing how the video's audience could become emotionally invested in a properly designed video argument. They give the specific example of the 2014, Coca Cola Super Bowl commercial, titled, "It's Beautiful" (You can see the full video below). In this commercial, there are many different clips that represent the full spectrum of the American People. According to the Coca Cola company (as cited in Turner and Hicks, 2017) "The ad provides a snapshot of the real lives of Americans representing diverse ethnicities, religions, races, and families, all found in the United States" (p. 87). In short, this commercial was designed to bring an emotional response.
I feel that using video as a medium could be highly beneficial for my online students to help them form a sense of community in an otherwise isolating learning environment. According to Hutton and Robson (2019) "Students [in their study] needed and valued social contact over academic matters in order to engage" (4 Conclusions and Recommendation section, para. 4). In other words, their study showed that students in an online learning environment, initially desired community and social interaction over academic success. Students that are in the online learning environment, may suffer from a lack of engagement that could have stemmed from the isolationist effects of a virtual learning system. Hutton and Robson (2019) continue, "Importantly, getting students to take their first steps towards engagement through building a social online presence, rather than academic development, appears to be key to forming a learning community" (4 Conclusions and Recommendation section, para. 4).I know that for my own students, I want them to have the same experiences in the online environment that the face to face students have.
In order to learn more about the video concept, I have made an updated introduction video using the Animoto app on my phone. I chose to use my phone, as students would likely be using that medium, and it would be accessible to most all students. My video is below. I am hopeful that this may become a tool that I can use with my virtual students. I have, in the past, used other video tools, such as FlipGrid, with great success.
Until next time (And enjoy the video!!)
** Note: The sound used through the Animoto program has been inconsistent. This is undoubtedly user error, and I am working to correct the issue.
References
Cause Marketing. (2017, January 1). Coca Cola America Is Beautiful Super Bowl Commercial [video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/4-KxPRptu_Y
Education Specialist programs. (2020, October 10). University of Montevallo. https://www.montevallo.edu/academics/colleges/college-of-education/graduate-programs/specialists-programs/
Home page. (2020, October 10). University of Montevallo. https://www.montevallo.edu
Hutton, C., & Robson, J. (2019). Breaking barriers, building community: improving student engagement with preparation for studying online multidisciplinary science by distance learning - a case study. New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, 54(1), n.p. https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i14.3217
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T.
(2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write
digital texts. Heinemann.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to learn more about you and your experiences in various types of video. I'm sure by the time you completed your National Board Certification you had a lot of comfortability in front of the camera. That Coca Cola commercial was a classic that appealed to everyone, it was inclusively crafted. I love how you described the importance of "community" especially now with so many online learners, it is imperative that we create those same relationships with our online students as we have established with our traditional students. Hung (2019) explains the importance of students creating and being a part of digital pieces, it gives them a sense of ownership while encouraging and deepening their knowledge of technology . I believe by you providing a real video example, and finding methods for connecting with your students, you are empowering students to further their learning while creating classroom community. I have found myself researching more video programs/applications on my phone in order to create digital pieces to share for all my students. This assignment has been great in providing me with a plethora of video programs that I can utilize and teach my students about "crafting" a digital video. Furthermore, Turner and Hicks (2017) describe the importance of "giving people- children, adolescents, and adults-an opportunity to play with video editing task in a low-stakes manner is often a good way to introduce bigger projects..."(p.97). I think you did a great job utilizing a movie program/app on your phone, that way you can relate with your students and demonstrate how it could be done. I really enjoyed your introduction video as well--Great job!
Reference
Hung, S.-T. A. (2019). Creating digital stories: EFL learners’ engagement, cognitive and metacognitive skills. Educational Technology & Society, 22(2), 26–37.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post! It sounds like you’ve had lots of experience with creating videos for different purposes. During quarantine at the end of last school year, I became much more comfortable recording myself to create videos for my students. I also agree when you stated that you want your students to have the same experiences, whether they are virtual or traditional students. I also used Animoto to recreate my video for the blog post and I was surprised at how easy it was to add and edit my video. I love that you utilized the app to model for your students how it can be used in that way. Turner and Hicks (2017) mention “..the students were able to create the original video using their mobile devices, trimming and editing the video to create visual media that serve as logical evidence” (p. 90). This would be a great way for older middle and high school students to create and edit their videos. I enjoyed watching your video. You did a wonderful job!
References:
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteHi! I really enjoyed your blog entry. I really like the idea of using an app that the students could have access to. That was smart thinking! It would be really cool to have your online students create videos of themselves. Without seeing each other off the computer screen, you don’t get as good of a sense for what the other people are all about. I met my son’s teacher in person this week and she was so much taller than I anticipated! It’s funny because I was just used to seeing her behind a screen. Thinking about that MAPS heuristic by Troy Hicks (2013), the purpose of using the videos would to be to facilitate meaningful connections with other students. I know social development was a big concern as we came into this school year, and I had kind of forgotten about that as an issue. I really appreciate your thoughts on that!
Also, I think math videos created by you or by your students could be really powerful. For instance if you screencast a program to show your kids how to use it, that would be really helpful. (I apologize if you already know these things!) Having students show a certain process or explain how to solve certain situations would be great ways to use videos in your math class. If you have any English language learners, I read an interesting study (Madzlan et al., 2020) about how using video to present instead of presenting in person (or, in the distance learning case, in real time on camera) helped the ELLs feel more confident. I think that will be something I keep in mind even in a traditional school setting! I appreciated your thoughts. Thanks for sharing!
References:
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing. Heinemann.
Madzlan, N. A., Seng, G. H., Kesevan, H. V. (2020). Use of video blogs in alleviating public speaking anxiety among ESL learners. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 7(1), p.93-99. https://www.doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.71.93.99