Thing #4: Video Hosting

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
I am posting an Animoto image video that I can use as a "set" in the classroom. The images and music should evoke a response from the students and facilitate their recall of knowledge about plants. This will be a different way to introduce a topic. For an independent assignment, the students might wish to create an Animoto video of a particular organism and present it to the class as an opening or closing to their lesson. Images and music, together are powerful and can evoke emotion, which can assist with attention and retention.

Having teaching and learning videos available for students in the classroom is an incredibly useful resource. Students can learn techniques or topics from others, and teachers can use some of the videos for their own learning or instruction. I recall watching a teacher on Youtube that was reviewing her students for a test. This is one possible use. I also learned a different way to make an abstract genetics topic more concrete, using a prop, in this case a telephone cord in the same teacher created video. Youtube, Schooltube, and teacher tube are excellent ways to both increase connectivity and learn. I'm pleased to teach during a time when I have access to all of these wonderful resources that make teaching and learning more enjoyable.

The disadvantage to videos on Youtube, etc is time consumption and student access to inappropriate videos.

I looked at some student-created project videos including an assignment that required the students to create a song that explained a topic. This is an entertaining and unique way for the teacher to differentiate in the classroom. This is a possibilityfor my own classroom next year. The drawback is that some parents might not want their child's image on the Internet.