YouTube: An Invaluable Tool

When I use to think of videos in my classroom, United Streaming from Discovery Education, quickly came to mind.  However in the last year or so, I now realize that I have another great resource that is only clicks away.  YouTube is a wonderful online resource that can really make a difference in the how my students acquire new information.  When I first stated using YouTube in the classroom I would try to use videos that held three qualities:  student-made, under 10 minutes, and engaging in some way.  Over time, I realized that I could really enhance how I was using YouTube in my classroom.    I can make playlists for my students to view, I can upload my own content, and I can even make my videos more interactive.  Of course, I have to crawl before I walk so to speak, but I am learning quickly.

Now, I no longer feel like a YouTube newbie!  I am challenging myself to continually learn how to master all the features that YouTube has to offer.  Most importantly, I am creating my own content unique to the needs of the students in my classroom!  I believe this is what makes using this resource powerful in education.  I am looking forward to sharing my classroom video content with my students and using their feedback to improve!

Check out my new classroom YouTube page!

Continuing on my journey...

Video Assessment Probes

Over the weekend, I came across the YouTube Channel for MAXclassroom, and saw a wonderful way to integrate technology for students in a math class. Immediately I thought that this was something that I could replicate in my science classroom. I am always looking for ways to assess how much my students are learning, and when you are able to combine technology and assessment great things happen! After trial and error, I finally have the final product (see below).

Now how was I able to do this? 1. I chose a video from SchoolTube, but Vimeo, TeacherTube, YouTube, or wherever you can get an embed code will work. 2. I created the assessment through the Forms feature of Google Docs. 3. After saving the form, I opened the spreadsheet, click the form and embed form in webpage options. 4. To have the video and text side by side, use the following code
<table><tr><td>PASTE TEXT HERE</td><td>PASTE VIDEO CODE HERE</td></tr></table>


BUT to have the video and text in a vertical position, just place the codes in the posting window in the order that you want each to appear. Please keep in mind that minor adjustments may need to be made to the width and height depending of your class website or blog. I would love to hear how YOU could use a tool like this in your classroom! Continuing my journey...

Say Cheese with Twitpic!

Okay so you need a great way to show your parents the type of learning and engagement that’s going on in your classroom and you’re not sure what to use.  I have a great solution for you (and actually for myself, too!).  Now I have been fiddling with Twitter and how to use it in my classroom.  I don’t want to have too many accounts to open and would like to find ways to use one tool for a number of purposes.  I vote for Twitpic for photo and video sharing!  You can sign in with your Twitter account instead of creating another separate account.  I don’t have to upload, save to my computer, and post onto Twitter.  I mean, I could do all those things, but it would just be easier to snap and send with a mobile device.  Twitpic gives users this option via a special email address.  If you want to add a message to the picture, just add it to the subject line and hit, send.  That’s it.

Applications in Science:

1. Share lab experiment pictures.

2. Showcase student work.

3. Display solutions to practice problems.

VodPod: Using Videos to Support Science Instruction

For the last couple of years, I have tried to steer away from videos in the classroom mainly because of what I see when I pass by other classrooms.  However, I am seeing more and more ways that teachers are effectively using videos to support instruction in science classrooms.  Let’s face it: It’s no run in the park to see students sleeping, drawing, and passing notes during a video right as an administrator is walking by your room.  How can we—as science teachers—get our students to appreciate videos when we integrate them into the lesson?  One educator talks about the importance of previewing video clips and creating video questions. The National Center for Technology Innovation (2010) addresses the relationship between video technology supporting literacy in science.  Of course, I am sure there is more literature for video integration in science classrooms, but I want to leave you something to search more on! 

 

Well, I found Vodpod, which is a site that allows you to take all your favorite videos and place them in one library.  You can upload from YouTube, Teachertube, Schooltube (use the old url code for this one) to name just a few.  My favorite feature is the ability to add a Vodpod widget to my blog page for my students to check out videos that support topics we are covering in class.  The advantage of such a feature to your teacher website is that it doesn’t limit you to just sharing videos during the school hours.  Perhaps, students can be assigned to watch a video and be prepared for classroom discussions on a new topic.  The ideas are limitless when it comes to effectively using videos in science!