As with many districts across the United States, my district blocks student (and teacher) access to social media. Thus far, we don't have a policy anywhere near as draconian as the one proposed in Rhode Island. Here's a little Xtranormal video I ran across on Twitter (via @SPLC) that explains the situation.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
05 March 2010
From the Web::: JamesBurkeWeb's YouTube Channel
I love James Burke's various video series. I've even used them in class. Now I can watch the videos whenever I want on YouTube! Of course, YouTube is blocked at school, but I could direct students to the videos and have them watch at home.
One note of caution....Over the past few years, when I have used these videos, my students have said they don't like them. They claim to have a hard time following Burke because of his accent and they also have trouble following the connections he is making between people and events. I'm not quite sure why this is happening, but next time I use any of them, I will use some sort of graphic organizer to help students get through the video.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
One note of caution....Over the past few years, when I have used these videos, my students have said they don't like them. They claim to have a hard time following Burke because of his accent and they also have trouble following the connections he is making between people and events. I'm not quite sure why this is happening, but next time I use any of them, I will use some sort of graphic organizer to help students get through the video.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
24 January 2010
It's not just an escalator
I've been watching the discussion on Twitter and several education blogs about the idea of teachers (and others in education) being stuck. Many of us don't seem to be willing or able to think outside the box to make the necessary changes in education. Someone posted a link on Twitter to this video yesterday (unfortunately, I don't remember who it was) saying that it reminded him of the conversation. I have to agree. I've watched the video several times and I keep thinking that here we have solutions right in front of us, but so many of us aren't doing what it takes to make it happen. When will we get off the escalator?
17 January 2009
12 November 2008
You're on Candid Camera!
Recently, on the AP World History Listserv, there has been a very active thread on students recording teachers in the classroom. It seems to have started with a teacher asking for thoughts regarding a principal giving students permission to bring their laptops to class and record their teachers with the built in web-cams. The discussion has been fast and furious.
I've noticed two things about the discussion. First, there seems to be an US/THEM mentality between teachers and administrators. I am interpreting some of the responses to mean that teachers are viewing this type of administrative action as an attempt to "catch" teachers doing something bad. Second, nowhere in this discussion has anyone discussed the need to educate students about their responsibilities in using such technology. The assumption seems to be that students will take the video and/or audio and use it for evil.
I've written about this problem before. As educators we are getting into the habit of demonizing the technology rather than teaching responsible behavior. Even NEA Today published a recent article about the pitfalls of allowing students to record in the classroom. Yes, we all have bad days and may even say something that unintentionally offends someone's sensibilities, but banning the technology just doesn't seem like the right answer in 2008. Perhaps we should all take a deep breath and examine resources, such as those offered by CommonSenseMedia, that will help us educate our students and their parents about responsible use of technology.
I've noticed two things about the discussion. First, there seems to be an US/THEM mentality between teachers and administrators. I am interpreting some of the responses to mean that teachers are viewing this type of administrative action as an attempt to "catch" teachers doing something bad. Second, nowhere in this discussion has anyone discussed the need to educate students about their responsibilities in using such technology. The assumption seems to be that students will take the video and/or audio and use it for evil.
I've written about this problem before. As educators we are getting into the habit of demonizing the technology rather than teaching responsible behavior. Even NEA Today published a recent article about the pitfalls of allowing students to record in the classroom. Yes, we all have bad days and may even say something that unintentionally offends someone's sensibilities, but banning the technology just doesn't seem like the right answer in 2008. Perhaps we should all take a deep breath and examine resources, such as those offered by CommonSenseMedia, that will help us educate our students and their parents about responsible use of technology.
16 August 2008
Multitasking at the Gym
There never seems to be enough time in the day to do everything we teachers have to do. Multitasking seems to be the way to go. The gym turns out to be an excellent place to get a little work done. I'm not talking about grading papers. I'm suggesting that we can get video previewing out of the way while walking on the treadmill!
Why am I concerned about video previewing? After all, the videos purchased through my school were secured through reputable educational video distributors. Sometimes the standards of reputable distributors don't match community standards for classroom viewing. Several years ago, while teaching middle school, I used several episodes of a well-received series on Ancient History. In a hurry one afternoon, I checked out the next episode from the school library and set it on my desk figuring I didn't need to preview it...after all, the other episodes were excellent and contained nothing untoward. Fortunately, something made me leave my car and go all the way back to my classroom to get that video. I would have to find the time to watch it that night.
I found the time and, boy, am I glad I did. Smack in the middle of the video was a lengthy segment on the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It showed many interesting features of these ancient cities including the frescoes on the walls of the bordellos! Yikes! That was a close one. All's well that ends well as they say. When the video got to that part, I shut off the TV and we had a great discussion about Pompeii for ten minutes. We resumed the video and no one was the wiser.
So, I learned my lesson. ALWAYS preview videos before showing them in class. This is where my video iPod comes in handy.
As my school has been increasing the number of videos in its library, I have been borrowing them and converting them to view on my iPod. While on the treadmill, I can view a significant portion of the videos (sometimes the whole thing) and make decisions about which parts I will show. For conversion, I use Pocket DVD Wizard, a PC only program. Pocket DVD Wizard allows me to convert the video to pretty much any small format video player I want. In a few clicks of the mouse I have the program running. It is a resource hog, so if your computer doesn't have a lot of power, expect the video to convert in real time at best.
Pocket DVD Wizard offers a free trial that lets you convert five minutes of video. I paid $19.95 for the program about a year ago.
Of course, sharing the converted file is a no-no. Nor would it be appropriate to give a converted file to a student to watch at home.
Being able to view videos at the gym has been invaluable for me over the past year. I like to show parts of films to illustrate events or concepts and I'm not sure how I would have found the time to preview all of these videos without using the iPod.
Why am I concerned about video previewing? After all, the videos purchased through my school were secured through reputable educational video distributors. Sometimes the standards of reputable distributors don't match community standards for classroom viewing. Several years ago, while teaching middle school, I used several episodes of a well-received series on Ancient History. In a hurry one afternoon, I checked out the next episode from the school library and set it on my desk figuring I didn't need to preview it...after all, the other episodes were excellent and contained nothing untoward. Fortunately, something made me leave my car and go all the way back to my classroom to get that video. I would have to find the time to watch it that night.
I found the time and, boy, am I glad I did. Smack in the middle of the video was a lengthy segment on the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It showed many interesting features of these ancient cities including the frescoes on the walls of the bordellos! Yikes! That was a close one. All's well that ends well as they say. When the video got to that part, I shut off the TV and we had a great discussion about Pompeii for ten minutes. We resumed the video and no one was the wiser.
So, I learned my lesson. ALWAYS preview videos before showing them in class. This is where my video iPod comes in handy.
As my school has been increasing the number of videos in its library, I have been borrowing them and converting them to view on my iPod. While on the treadmill, I can view a significant portion of the videos (sometimes the whole thing) and make decisions about which parts I will show. For conversion, I use Pocket DVD Wizard, a PC only program. Pocket DVD Wizard allows me to convert the video to pretty much any small format video player I want. In a few clicks of the mouse I have the program running. It is a resource hog, so if your computer doesn't have a lot of power, expect the video to convert in real time at best.
Pocket DVD Wizard offers a free trial that lets you convert five minutes of video. I paid $19.95 for the program about a year ago.
Of course, sharing the converted file is a no-no. Nor would it be appropriate to give a converted file to a student to watch at home.
Being able to view videos at the gym has been invaluable for me over the past year. I like to show parts of films to illustrate events or concepts and I'm not sure how I would have found the time to preview all of these videos without using the iPod.
06 July 2008
Exploring "Eating Local"
In May another teacher at my school and I took 60 kids and several parents on a trip to the San Francisco Ferry Building and the Asian Art Museum. The task for my students at the Ferry Building was to explore why it might be important to buy and eat locally produced food (once the rising cost of rice hit the mainstream media we spent quite a lot of time in class talking about the issue). They were to interview merchants to see what they could learn, then turn the whole thing into a video to show others. Several projects were posted on YouTube. Students recorded their interviews with digital cameras that had video function OR their cell phones. Most of the students put their video and titles together using MovieMaker. Overall, they did a really good job getting the interviews and asking the questions. The merchants loved the assignment and were effusive in their thanks for getting kids to think about sustainability. It was a pretty easy assignment and I think in the future I would spend more time preparing them for the content and the filming. Just for the record, this isn't all of the videos.
My purpose in this activity was not to have a fancy video production, but to explore an issue and have an audience for the outcome of their exploration. Some of the students had not made videos before, but reported they had a good time. They were excited to share their products with me and with their peers. That was the most important thing.
My purpose in this activity was not to have a fancy video production, but to explore an issue and have an audience for the outcome of their exploration. Some of the students had not made videos before, but reported they had a good time. They were excited to share their products with me and with their peers. That was the most important thing.
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