AWESOME Digital Learners Video!!

I came across this insightful video this morning about Digital Learners and why technology is important to incorporate when teaching students.

This is not a new idea, but one that is dear to me.  Use this video anytime you have a room full of teachers and you’re trying to help them see why technology is important.  Not just to help them teach, but to engage the students and help them learn.

On a sidenote, there was an article a couple of days ago on CNN: “Study: No benefit going high-tech for math and reading.”  The article reviews an attempt to incorporate “software products” in elementary and secondary reading and math classes.  Three things strike me about this study:

1. The title suggests that technology is not helping in the classroom.  Although I’m not sure what ‘software products’ means, I would certainly guess it is not something akin to podcasts, blogs, cell phones, social networks and other technology that is exciting to elementary and secondary students. 
2. I am still disturbed by the constant need to gauge success in the classroom by scores.  The article mentions nothing about the student reaction to the change in the classroom.  Are the students excited to come to class?  Are the students engaged in class?  Is there a change in the drop out rate for students using technology in the classroom and those that aren’t?  Do students that use technology in the classroom go on to higher paid, professional jobs? 
3. Although the study didn’t produce higher standardized test results,
   when teachers were asked if they would use the products again nearly
   ALL indicated they would.  The teachers in the classroom obviously see the importance of the technology.  It may be because it makes their jobs easier, but I think teachers can also see that more students are engaged and more students are willing to learn. 

Just my 2 cents this morning…

Five Ways YOU Could Use Video in EDUCATION

Lifehack.org posted an article today in which they declared this year the year of the Internet Presidency (in light of all of the recent announcements from US candidates for president). They then went on to list five ways we could all take advantage of the internet video. Great article… highly recommend for promoting your thinking caps.

Joining in the spirit of the year I have put together a quick list of Five ways to use Video in EDUCATION this year!

• Record Class Presentations – Record classroom presentations. Your lectures will be a great resource for your students to look back on what was said in class. Make your lectures available to the students, but for heaven’s sake, don’t charge them for it. If you record student presentations keep those around (with the student’s permission of course) and show the best one’s to your students in coming years of what a presentation or project should be.
• Video Projects – Nothing motivates a student like using exciting technology to create something amazing! Let the students have the option of using that excitement in their projects for the class. You’ll be amazed how some of the students grab onto something like this. If they post them online they will also be able to share their work with family and friends.
• Instructional Video’s – Do you have a special topic you are teaching that would be useful to take a little field trip. Go out a day or two in advance and record an on site explanation of the topic. This will work great with science, history, archeology, and many other subjects.
• Video Blogs – Create a class blog and have your students record their reactions to literary or other assignments and post them on the blog. Give them specific assignments and have them post those on the blog.
• Use Online Video Already Available – There are massive amounts of video already available online in all sorts of topic areas. Utilize that video in your curriculum. It will increase the student’s retention of the subject and encourage them to seek out educational video’s as well. As more and more teachers get into making video’s there will also be more resources available.

These are just a couple of ideas, but there are surely dozens of other ways to use online video in the classroom. What other ideas do you have? Specifically, how can we, as educators, utilize the budding social ramifications of internet video in the classroom?