Ideas for using video with your students

Welcome, to this month's blog post, where I am going to be suggesting how you can use video as part of your teaching. With sites like TikTok being so popular with students, it seems like a no-brainer to try to incorporate into lessons or the way you make resources.

Thinking back to when I first started teaching the opportunity to use video as part of my lesson would have been limited to playback or very occasionally there was the potential to shoot some video. But both required lots of organising. If I needed to show a video, it was a case of going up to the library and booking out the TV and video trolley if it was available.

If I wanted to shoot some video that was, even more, a challenge I would have to pop and see my colleagues in the media department then having shot it I would have to book time in the edit suite to edit it, so as you can imagine it was not the work of a moment.

Thankfully today it's completely different as the majority of us and our students have access to a smartphone a device that enables us not only to capture video but also edit and share it without the need for specialist equipment.

So in the remainder of this post, I going to suggest some of the available tools you can use with video along with some ideas on how you can use them with your students.

My first idea is for the teacher to use it to create content, with the reduction in teaching hours, especially within Further Education in the UK as I've mentioned in previous blog posts. It can be a great way to introduce a new topic or cover an aspect of theory ahead of the practical lesson.

The advantage is that the students watch the video ahead of coming into the lesson meaning they have a basic grasp of the concepts you are going to focus on before you start giving you more time in the lesson to discuss and apply the information in more detail.

The easiest way to make a video is via screen recorder there are loads of them, here are some of my favourites Screencastify, Loom, and Vidyard if you click on the links you can see my blog post about them which include video guides.

In addition, you've got the built-in video recorder function that's available within PowerPoint that allows you to create a video of your presentation it's probably the one that most people are familiar with and if you click on the link below this paragraph you can watch my video guide to using it.

If you are looking for something with a bit more functionality, I've started using Prezi video now I confess it does require you to have a subscription which generally I try to avoid suggesting and keep things to tools that are free. Prezi video allows you as the user to record a video and have yourself in it but with presentation elements coming in front and behind you which looks quite slick.

Video guide to using Prezi Video

In addition to you the teacher using a video created via a screen recorder, I think it is also great to get the students to create videos in this way. So instead of asking for a normal static presentation why not get them, to create a video presentation for an assignment. This could be for a formative or summative assessment and is a great opportunity to develop your student spoken language.

Ahead of getting them to do a recording why not get them to practice their presentation skills via the ‘Rehearse with coach’ feature available within the browser-based version of PowerPoint.

If they switch their webcam on when using it, it will give feedback on their eye contact and body language, the pace of their speech, and whether they just reading the words on the presentation.

Video guide to using the Rehearse with coach feature

In addition to the use of a screen recorder, there are other ways you can use video. One of which is as part of a quiz activity, I like using those quiz activities either during a lesson or as part of a homework task.

One of my favorites is Quizziz and just recently they introduced a video and audio recording response option so students can record their responses as opposed to typing them which I think is a great idea. I think this feature would probably work best as part of a homework activity it would to noisy if all students started recording their responses in class at once!.

At the moment this feature is only available via the subscription version of Quizizz

Video guide to using Video and audio responses question feature in Quizizz

Sticking with the idea of the students being the creator, one of the most popular tools globally for students creating video content is Flipgrid or as it's recently been with re-branded Flip.

Flip allows enables students to create a video in response to something via the app on their mobile device or via the browser. It has lots of features to enable to the students customise the appearance of their video. Click here to read my blog post on Flip.

You could get students to respond to feedback or to reflect on a task or activity they have done in a lesson. I have seen it used by a group of Arts students to create a video evaluation of the artifact they have created. I have also seen it used by teachers to give feedback to students.

Video guide for students on using Flip (formerly Flipgrid)

My final suggestion on the use of video is to get your students to create a one-minute video trailer that summarises all that they have learned as part of a particular topic. This can be a fun way of gauging the student's understanding. I have found Flexclip to be a really useful tool for this as it has lots of templates and stock video clips that the student can make use of, so they end up with a really professional-looking video

Video guide to using Flexclip

So in conclusion there are lots of different ways video can be used whether you are creating the content or your students are. I hope you found this blog post useful do check out my other posts and consider subscribing to my YouTube channel thanks for reading.

When I first started teaching More to follow........