Utilizing Video in the Classroom: Resources and Ideas!

Utilizing Video in the Classroom: Resources and Ideas!

Look below for ideas and resources for the videos you can share from your classroom! We  are looking forward to four videos from your class by the end of the year, two before winter break (including your classroom tour) and two after winter break. 

Creating a Video Resources and Links:

How to Shoot Mobile Video by Evan, our magnificent video production editor, provides great tips to consider when filming videos, such as lighting and to hold your phones and Ipads in the horizontal position when filming.

Want to create a video without installing software? 

Here is an excellent article that provides a 6 step video curriculum, video formats, video sharing sites, and ideas on how to integrate videos into the classroom from EdTechTeacher.org.

Looking to introduce video production to your students to include them in the process?

Six Steps to Introducing Video Production with your Students:

       
1. Outlining- Understand to goal and purpose of what you want to film.
2. Scripting- What will be said and by whom. 
3. Storyboarding- Planning out the shots that will be filmed. 
4. Filming- Have fun filming! It's best to record more than you believe you may need. 
5. Editing- Looking at everything that has been filmed and creating the story, being mindful of sound quality.
6. Publishing- Making sure to publish your videos on YouTube either as public (any can view) or unlisted (only those with links can view). 

Vocabulary Development: 

This is great way to incorporate ELA vocabulary by in introducing or reviewing story development vocabulary:

• Plot
• Narrative
• Characters
• Conflict and more!

Here is an extensive vocabulary list to introduce theater and story building vocabulary and you can use this list, both by SPARKed in Education, featuring in-depth definitions for video production.

Ideas for Video Topics from your Class

Remember, these are home videos! There is no expectation that they are super professionally produced, or that the kids will be great actors.  It's totally OK if they are camera shy or look nervous. Lots of people look like that on film.

You Mentor wants to hear your kids' voices and see where you all spend your days together. Also, brief is better. They tell us that they prefer videos that are less than three minutes. 

Remember too that a video can have several audiences -- maybe you shoot an instructional video for other students at your school and across CC about how to play a recess game, and share it for Friendship month or as a Leadership project. Other kids benefit, and your mentor sees that they have inspired your class to do something for others around the topic.

There are several ways to meet the challenges that your athlete mentors offers in their videos, and to show them their impact as a member of your classroom community. Below are some ways to consider using video when exploring the many topics!

                                        

• Create a PSA that your students can share with the school community highlighting what they've learned from exploring their monthly topic. 

• Create short skits modeling examples of how to engage and how not to engage with a topic. Fair Play is a great one to explore with this method!

• Slide shows can often be set to play as if they were a movie. Many platforms have a function that allows a voice over. Your students could narrate a wrap up of the month featuring photos of them working on projects, photos of the work produced, books read, kids watching the video lesson.... simple and a nice way to show the month.

• Have students write poetry, songs, or monologues inspired from the monthly challenge.
• Extend this to pull one line from each of the student's writing to create a choreopoem where students can create community by tieing in their collected voices. 
• For older students here is a short video of youth performing a choreopoem as a flash mob and incorporating dance. 
• For younger students, you can explore a call and response to explore a topic. 

• You can consider creating a commercial with tag lines, unique jingles, and even creating fun and different items that students can "sell". 
• For example having fun with the idea that an apple a day keeps the doctor away for Healthy Living, how could your students create a commercial about this idea by working together as a group and capturing their audiences attention. 
• Here is a great example from professional actors showcasing their improvisational skills, but feel free to create scripts for your students! Here is a sillier version of high school students engaging in the same activity!

• Movie Trailers are also super fun and can tie into several monthly topics, such as:
• Exploring friendships for the month of February
• Creating a trailer about a movie that explores perseverance for January and so much more!
• iTunes has templates for this, and copyright free music for the background.

• Hosting your own talk show with your students can also be a great way to explore the monthly topics! Here is an article from Edutopia.org of a teacher using the talk show format to teach history that could be easily modified for any of the monthly topics. A silly news show may also be a way to explore topics.

• Your students could interview a community member, perhaps a local leader for Leadership.

• For fun, you can also post photos of you shooting the videos and the behind the scenes stuff.

If you ever want to brainstorm, please join us for the monthly planning meetings! Happy filming!