Blog Post #2

Video Sharing On the Web

Can designing, producing and publishing digital video provide a meaningful and productive learning process for students, and contribute to their involvement?

Videos are for sharing!

When I was a child, I thought my uncle’s face had a movie camera attached to it. I’m talking a device that was about three feet wide with huge lights mounted at the end so that he would get optimal shots with enough light. There were no editing devices other than cutting, and splicing images together. If the record button was held down too firmly while recording, the frames actually burned and your movie or at least part of it was destroyed. My uncle took footage of everything he could at each family gathering. The unfortunate part was that we only got to see those movies at his house and only if he felt like setting up the equipment since that alone took a good hour. The whole procedure was such an onerous one that some of the footage was never viewed. My uncle finally gave up making home movies and it took 20 years to convince him that the ones he had made from our childhood were works of art for the time.

Well, thankfully, creating videos these days does not take the hours or frustrations that making an old style movie did. Digital cameras, and camcorders, cell phones and laptops are used by students, teachers, and the general public to create videos of various quality and purpose. One of my tasks for the coming year it to create an archival video of our library and school which will be destroyed in two years to make way for an LRT extension in our city. That’s sort of how I feel about Web 2.0 tools, there’s a train on the tracks but I’m standing right in the middle of the crossroad.

Video sharing is changing our world. Now, with the use of free video creation and sharing sites such as Flickr, Facebook, Animoto, Photobucket, Teacher Tube, YahooVideo, SchoolTube, and the top rated video share site, YouTube, anyone is capable of becoming a producer or celebrity. One of the reasons that YouTube makes it to the top of the list is that it is possible to find a video on almost any topic, interest, or occupation plus it has the added bonus of features that make creating and uploading videos extremely easy. I have used You Tube to download various music videos for use in my classroom, as well as for personal enjoyment; however, I have not used it to produce a full video as yet. I now own a Canadian YouTube account so I will be able to play more extensively with creating videos. YouTube allows users to upload and view movies from many interest areas, using various channels. While registered users are allowed to upload extensively, unregistered users may only download. Using Adobe Flash Player, YouTube offers quality uploading and viewing with over 100 million videos being watched (Richardson, 2009) YouTube video is easy even for an amateur like me.

Unfortunately, while I was creating my video, there was too much noise in the background so I will try it again. Using my laptop with its built in camera and mic system provides great ease for a beginner; however, if I was creating a video in a larger venue, I would need to use a camcorder with a microphone system. Our school dance instructor uses the camcorder to record her dance performances and finds that she is able to produce quality video that students and parents wish to download. Richardson comments that YouTube, while being highly popular is the most likely site to be blocked by schools. This is also true of my school. It isn’t that we do not wish students to be on YouTube but rather we are attempting to create a learning space for students. If a student is working on an assignment that requires YouTube, we provide headphones so that student may complete the task.

After reading Joyce Valenza’s article, Announcing: Animoto for Education I did take a few moments to attempt a video using Animoto. Creating a mini-video on this site takes only the time to upload photos, select a piece of music and allow the application to configure them. I created a short video which I have uploaded to my Flickr account. I won’t say the photos I selected were wonderful and I did select the shortest length video but the application worked well. This is certainly a site that could be used to create a video type collage of sporting events, personal art collections or daily school happenings for presentation to a variety of audiences.

What does technology offer students? Technology makes learning complex but it also brings added value. According to Coleman, Neuhauser, and Vander Zwaag, in their “Play it Again, Zack!” Video Classrooms: Proven Practice and Projects, “students gain many beneficial skills through the use of student produced digital video: project planning, collaborating, critical and reflective thinking, organizing, communicating, fostering media literacy, and researching,” (2004) to name a few. They discovered in addition that students accessed emotions and drew upon the community of family in order to gain the information and knowledge required for the project. For Jonassen (2000) , meaningful learning is active, self-directed, constructive, individual, collaborative, conversational, contextual, guided, emotionally involving, goal oriented, reflective, transferable, abstract, and leading to an awareness of different perspectives.

Video sharing is very beneficial to students who are audio/visual/kinesthetic learners. Because students would be working with images, labeling and/or attaching narration or music or both, the application becomes more meaningful and students are better able to engage in their learning. Numerous student projects using video sharing enhance learning and build visual literacy in the classroom. These projects range from viewing and commenting on current events , giving book chats, sharing student life and family stories, presenting story or poetry representations, showcasing learning such as art displays or sports drills and techniques, advertising special events, feeling a part of special events or places around the world, and building community through parent/teacher/student cooperation. Video sharing has much to offer students and the community of learners in any school.

So, how does video streaming and other technology work for students outside a classroom influence? Does this mean there is a digital rift in our society? While others claim that access to technology creates a difference between the “have’s and the have not’s”, Professor Stephen Heppel in Connected Magazine, claims that technology attracts those who have been dis-enfranchised by typical verbal infrastructures found in most schools. Students are excited by technology and produce some amazing videos while imposing their personal style just as does any producer. It is his opinion that technology does not create a digital divide if one is exposed to schools and libraries that offer 21st Century learning tools. Students can talk to other students around the world, build their own web sites, and exchange stories with anyone, anywhere as a result. They may not have a computer at home, but they do have access through local libraries and schools. This is the case with several students who come to the library after school hours to not only socially connect but to work on their various video projects since school is the only place in which they have access. They are more than willing to spend their lunch, pre and post school time doing just that.

It is surprising how many of the students with whom I come into contact have created and posted a short video to YouTube or an ipod. As a result of this trend, many teachers are offering video creating and sharing as a presentation choice for students. This means that students select their own applications, create the video, and present it to their classmates, keeping in mind the objectives of the assignment. Although videos do not lend themselves to all assignments, I have seen some commendable videos produced by students particularly with the use of YouTube technology. The downside of allowing students to select their own video applications is that our school system blocks several of the options available at home. It is my opinion that teachers and teacher-librarians need to become more proactive in letting students know which applications are available at the school.

What does video sharing offer teachers? In 2007, Japan underwent a reconstruction of its special needs education largely due to there not being enough teachers with special education expertise in the classrooms to teach these children. The concept of special needs classrooms was so new that Masahito, Masaki, Maomi decided to use video to capture behaviours students were exhibiting so that they could develop teaching strategies in collaboration with the few special education teachers that existed. Through the use of video sharing, they were able to archive information, develop case studies and teaching strategies within a collaborative community. As a result, teachers have been able to create a series of videos demonstrating the behaviour and the way the teacher attempts to deal with the behavioural problem. In this manner video sharing has been used by teachers for teaching. Teachers use video sharing to communicate lessons or to drive home a point for students every day somewhere in our school. In this manner, teachers are more connected to students and are employing best practice. The first and final point that comes to mind regarding photo or video sharing of any kind is that we are making memories live.
The Japan study, although the video was discrete and did not show student faces, still causes me to stop and remind myself that FOIP guidelines still need to be respected to maintain student safety. Despite there being many excellent video sharing opportunities, we still must follow the rules of FOIP in order to maintain safety for all. I find that students are usually sensitive to following those rules but the following video is an excellent form of reminding students that “once you’ve posted online, you can’t take it back”.

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=660&title=Think_Before_You_Post

I have shied away from working with videos and video sharing in the past because of the sophisticated software that I was attempting to use. I had been advised by a colleague to purchase Pinnacle Software for creating, editing and streaming video; however, I was only able to flounder around unsuccessfully. This proved to be very frustrating so I have not gone back to attempt further extensive video construction. With user friendly applications available, I will create my library video.


References

Connected Magazine, issue 17, Stephen Heppel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2YCOhljF6U

Coleman, B., Neuhauser, J. & Vander Zwaag, C. (2004). “Play it Again, Zack!” Video Classrooms: Proven Practice and Projects. In L. Cantoni & C. McLoughlin (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2004 (pp. 4723-4728). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/p/11745.
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Jonassen, D. H. (2000). Computers as Mindtools for Schools. Engaging Critical Thinking. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Jonassen, D. H., Peck, K.L. and Wilson, B.G. (1999) Learning With Technology: A Constructivist Perspective, New Jersey, Prentice Hall.

Kougar-Melton, P. & Johnson, P. (2006). 24/7 Video Storytelling. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2006 (pp. 692-695). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/p/22125.

McCulloch, A., Smith, R., Wilson, P., McCammon, L., Stein, C. & Arias, C. (2009). Creating Asynchronous Learning Communities in Mathematics Teacher Education, Part 1. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (pp. 2872-2875). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/p/31075.

Nagamori, M., Nagasawa, M. & Ueno, M. (2008). Webcam-Based Knowledge Management System for Special Needs Education. In Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2008 (pp. 3500-3509). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/p/28870.

Pena, C. & De Leon, L. (2009). The Use of Digital Video to Foster Reflective Practice in a Teacher Education Program. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (pp. 667-669). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/p/30679.



Richardon, Will (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, California, Corwin Press.

Valenza, Joyce (2008) Announcing: Animoto for Education, School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/1560024356.html