Horizon Report Pgs. 14-15 Using Video in Your Classroom

Video Script:

Intro:

Good morning! Today I want to talk with you about using video in your classrooms. Video can be a powerful tool to use with students. Allowing students to create videos in your classroom will not only increase student engagement, but it will give your students the opportunity to show their creative abilities. Your students will enjoy a change from the traditional classroom assignment.

It has been my experience as a classroom teacher that students will also be more willing to complete the assignment and do their best work when they know they will get to do a cumulative video at the end of the unit. Using video in your classroom is something your students will benefit from.

Let’s look at some examples:

*Here is an example of a video that students from a third grade class made. They took a book they had read and turned it into a video.

*Here is an example of a video that was made showing how to complete a math word problem.

These are great examples of using video in your classroom to increase student engagement and help your students become 21^st century learners.

Now let’s talk about the technology available to you to make videos:

You can use…

 Windows Movie Maker- It’s fairly simply to use and easy for students to navigate. Its free too!

Educreations on the iPad: This is an excellent tool to use to make short “how to” videos, or explanations of things. The math video you saw earlier is an example using Educreations. Educreations allows you to record video and audio and insert pictures. It is free also.

Green Screen by Do Ink: The #1 green screen app for the Ipad. It lets you create easy videos using the green screen effect. Students can easily insert backgrounds and audio. The Thanksgiving video you watched earlier was created with this app.

I hope this has helped spark an interest for you to consider using video in your classroom. Let me leave you with a few reasons video is something you should consider implementing in your classroom:

(Show PowerPoint slide)

Conclusion: I hope you have learned something new today. Have a great day!

Remind (Formerly Remind 101)

Remind is a text messaging application that allows parents and teachers to communicate without actually exchanging phone numbers. When a teacher signs up through the app, it provides them with a system generated number that parents see when they receive the text message. Through this app, teachers can send out short reminders/messages. They can also send out pictures and other attachments. There is also a private chat feature that teachers can choose to turn on or off. This feature allows parents to respond to a teacher text and also gives them the option to text privately. I have used Remind in my classroom for several years and I love it. I use Remind in many ways. One way I use Remind is to send pictures to my whole class to share what we have done for the day. I also use the private messaging feature and class text messaging feature. Remind is a must have for excellent communication between the teacher and parents.

Teacher Blogs and Gaming Space

Teacher Blogs: 

The following blogs are blogs that I am currently following. These blogs are related to the grade I teach. They each provide me with innovative ideas for teaching and integrating technology into the curriculum. The blogs are organized by months and subject areas that you can search freely. They also provide up to date research on the best teaching practices. You should check these blogs out...

http://www.teachingblogaddict.com/2011/04/3rd-grade-blogs.html

http://www.3rdgradethoughts.com

http://thirdgradebookworm.blogspot.com

http://teachingmycalling.blogspot.com

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com

Gaming Space: 

Gaming Space is a shared space between parents, students, and teachers. It provides students with a digital environment where they are encouraged to take risk, completes task, earn awards, etc. The Gaming Space is set up in a way that a specific learning progression must be followed in order to progress to the next level. This type of learning, helps prepare our students for the 21st century technology they will encounter in college and their career. Students need to be comfortable with using technology in order to be prepared for their future. Gaming Space gives students control over their learning, which results in more engagement. Parents are able to view their child's progress, which teachers set the game into play.

Discussion Forums:

Discussion forums in a online format, should be aimed at content standards and 21st century skills. The discussion doesn't have to be a question/answer format. Sometimes, other options will give you more insight into a student's understanding of the content/material. For example, you may have students ask the questions about the material. When they do this, they have to dig deeper into the material in order to ask the question. You could also have students reflect on something in a "journal" type entry, where they share their thoughts. Forum discussion should be used to further learning, not just recall information.