Creative Commons: I hate to admit that I am not very knowledgeable about copyright laws. Skimming through “The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use” made me nervous! I will definitely have to look this over and talk to school administrators to get a handle on all the regulations governing creative commons.
Digital Storytelling: I have always been a fan of storytelling because I think it is a wonderfully engaging and more personal way to learn about a topic. Why not do so in a tech-savvy way? Chapter two of our textbook, Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom, gives some compelling reasons for using digital images and video in our classrooms. I agree with the cited research that visuals help students comprehend and recall the text better. I can say from personal experience that pictures, diagrams, and graphs help me understand difficult concepts much better than words alone. Attending to different modalities is an important component of effective teaching.
The text does a nice job of outlining four guidelines for using digital images and video such that the experience will benefit the students educationally. I agree with all four. They must be appropriate to the content and instructional goal; they must be accompanied by effective discussion that promotes meaningful interaction; they must not replace the teacher; they must follow copyright laws. I like the examples of questioning strategies mentioned in the chapter. The statement on p. 13 is so true: “The difference between good and bad class discussion is often questioning versus telling.” That fits in quite well with an inquiry-based classroom.
Although I have used images and videos in my classroom all along, I have not taken advantage of the many digital means of “storytelling.” The idea of students making their own video recordings intrigues me, but I am unsure of the time commitment this would require in an already cram-packed curriculum. But I am willing to investigate this further and I look forward to seeing how others are using digital storytelling in their science classes.
I found it interesting that most of the effective use guidelines came from the studies in the 50s-80s. Our profession seems to change with the next great thing but it's nice to see that the basic guidelines for using video as a tool essentially haven't changed all that much.
ReplyDeleteI like that the book emphasized that videos can't replace teaching. I think that some teachers don't understand that aspect and try to use videos instead of teaching themselves (I know a few who do this). I thought that it was good that the book explained that in order for videos to actually enhance learning they must meet the four guidelines that you listed above.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amy. Too many of my colleagues try to incorporate videos, PowerPoint presentations and other media to give themselves time off. I've observed their students as they try to connect the fun media event with the current unit. Sometimes it is simply considered to be a fun day... with no connections made.
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