Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
If you don't use video clips with your students and/or adult learners or you haven't at least looked into the notion (and I don't blame you if you haven't... it can be a PAIN to get around all the obstacles to these resources) HOWEVER, there are so many great, engaging, inspiring, informative, videos out there... it's such a shame to leave them untapped. Several of the "big thinkers" mention video as one of the digital tools that will remain important in the years to come.
Here's a little food for thought from Marc Prensky on Why You Tube Matters... (if you are short on time, skip to page 9 and start reading at "Making the Trade Off Correctly"
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-Why_You_Tube_Matters-01.pdf
Below are some resources for video- some require You Tube, many do not, infact here's one...
30+ Alternatives to You Tube
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/06/30-alternatives-to-youtube.html
100 Incredibly Useful You Tube channels for teachers
http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2010/10/20/100-incredibly-useful-youtube-channels-for-teachers/
To feed your own brain, and perhaps the brains of some of your older kids-
TED: Ideas Worth Sharing
www.ted.com
We used TED if you recall in session 1 to watch Sir Ken Robinson and the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Big Think
www.bigthink.com
This is a relatively new site for me- I'm having to digest it in little bites... I think you could get "lost" in all the things to watch very easily. I will caution you that when they say "big think" they mean a BROAD range of ideas, political and social opinions, etc. Thought provoking information, however some of the information might be a little controversial or uncomfortable for some viewers/ communities- don't let that scare you, just a heads up. Most of the videos are broken down and labeled into smaller clips within the video, so you could just use a small part of a video instead of the entire file.
Mediastorm
http://www.mediastorm.com/
From their description... MediaStorm's online publication is an eclectic showcase for multimedia storytelling. The goal is to tell the story of today's world in a truly in-depth manner.
SO what are your favorite video resources? WHAT tricks or services do you use to share video at school when you know the video is going to be blocked? HOW do you use video clips with students? WHAT'S the PLAN for making a case for not automatically blocking all video resources?
Comment, please!!!
A presenter at a workshop I attended this summer used a Creative Vado movie camera to show us some You Tube Clips. It's a small camera with a built-in USB connection and costs less than $50. I bought one, and it takes great movies. All you do is plug it into the computer. It has its own software. I haven't tried downloading You Tube videos to it yet, but I'm gonna try that right now!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in case you haven't heard, flash is coming to iphones and ipads - this Thursday at 8 a.m. CST, an app called Skyfire will be available in the Apple App store for $2.99. I'm ready to get this!
I did download a video to the movie camera I posted about above. It works great. You can download it at home if needed, then plug your camera into your computer at school and show the movie from the camera onto the smartboard, without going to the You Tube site, if it is blocked. I did have to download a couple of things first, but it was easy to follow their directions. I used my small laptop that I haven't used much, so maybe that it why I needed to download some things first. You may already have everything you need on your computer. So, for those of you who haven't ever done this, I hope you will give it a try. You can do it!
ReplyDeleteI use KeepVid...it requires a computer outside of school..but you can save any video to your jump drive and then you can play all you want.
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ReplyDeleteI use the short TED videos to teach author's purpose. We'll watch three or four, identify the purpose, and evaluate how effectively the author communicated his/her purpose. The videos are usually more engaging than print text, and it reinforces the idea that English/language arts skills transfer to other media.
ReplyDeleteI have received so many wonderful resources at the Leadership Academy but our school has everything blocked. I was able to access TED but that is pretty much it. Our technology department says that we have to restructure our entire server because our distant learning labs pull so much bandwidth. However, I think that this is just an excuse to keep students from accessing the Internet. How do you convince an entire school district that technology is here and they MUST deal with it?
ReplyDeleteI have used a youtube downloader in order to get around the blocking of youtube in the classroom. This takes more time at home to get prepared instead of just accessing at school but at least my students are still getting some technology.
ReplyDeleteIn the world of technology,I'm glad that there are several out there for me.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, just maybe,they won't be blocked. 30+Alternatives to Youtube (www.freetech4teachers.com)and 100 Incredibly Useful You Tube Channels for teachers (www.onlinecollegecourses.com.not to mention my new best friend-www.ted.com
Would love to know more about the youtube downloader--our school doesn't block you tube, but our servers are to small to stream videos.
ReplyDeleteI feel everyone's pain. I want to use YouTube all the time at school, but it's blocked and doesn't look like it will be unblocked anytime soon. We, another English teacher and I, like to use "Brave New Voices" as a teaching tool when we cover poetry. These student slams are heart-wrenching. The way I get around it is by using the YouTube on my phone and the ELMO and Projector set-up to project it on the wall and connect the sound to computer speakers. The picture can be blurry sometimes, but the overall effect is great because the students really get into it. - Christina Watkins ALA 20
ReplyDeleteLike one of the others, I use my cell phone (the one that is not to be used during school hours) to access youtube and itunes.
ReplyDeleteI use video clips with my students whenever we are covering subject matter in science that I can't afford to buy lab materials for in order to demonstrate. I also use video clips to give students the most concrete and interactive experience.
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