Journal 3

"Video in the Age of Participation"
By Glen Bull

At present, schoolwork is primarily based on text materials. However, the author of this article suggests that digital video "is the next frontier in the digital world." Teachers are now able to use movies and videos more effectively as classroom tools. In connected classrooms, teachers can now stream video over the internet, without the hassle of having to isolate the appropriate portion of video. The availability of resources and tools on the Web is increasing the development and accessibility of digital video among teachers, helping digital video to become an increasingly effective tool in schools.

Even though there are a number of free classroom-oriented video clips available on the Internet, it is up to individual teachers to find ways to link these videos to instructional objectives. The Discovery Education website provides digital video resources and connects them to curricular objectives according to content area and grade level. By subscribing to unitedstreaming services, teachers can edit and remix video content. They can then make these instructional materials available to other unitedstreaming users. According to the author, this two-way flow of information is what characterizes the current "Age of Participation."


My Questions:

1. How could I use digital video as an instructional tool in my classroom?
I think that visual aids are great way to engage students and facilitate learning: a really interesting visual aid is not only entertaining, it also helps students to connect what they are learning to a specific image from the real-world. Video clips can be great instructional aids, and they are becoming more and more accessible to teachers. In my classroom, I would try to find and use video clips that would help students to better understand and contextualize class materials.

2. What would be some of the benefits of connecting with other teachers online and sharing digital video materials?
As the author of this article points out, it is up to individual teachers to use video to enhance learning objectives. As a teacher, it could be difficult to stay up to date with the video resources that are available online. It could also be challenging to find ways to connect online videos with specific content areas and educational standards. Connection and communication with other teachers would be a great way to overcome these challenges. Teachers could share video resources and exchange ideas on how to effectively and creatively connect classroom content with available videos.