Video Texts Instead of Netflix!
Due to start this course, we were asked to create a video introduction of ourselves and post it on Facebook for our classmates. Well, that was a hot mess! Now that I have gone back and analyzed my original introduction video, I have realized that I really didn’t speak to a particular audience- I was just spewing information about myself without a thought as to why videos, especially in this digital world, are so important. My new video adds interest, music, graphical elements to draw in the viewer. I took into account Hicks's (2013) suggestions regarding digital editing:
- Narration
- Panning & Zooming
- Repetition
- Time effects
- Film Effects
- Transitions
- Sound Effects & Music
- Caption & Text
So this brings me to my next question/thought: Why do people spend countless hours watching television, videos, YouTube, and/ or TikTok for up to five hours a day (Turner & Hicks, 2017)? Well, in short, we want to be entertained and when something is visually appealing to us, 90% of the information is retained- not necessarily useful information, but information (HigherVisbility, 2020). In the education world, we obviously want our students to retain the information we feed to them, so why not feed it to them in a way that keeps them engaged and interested?
I’ve noticed a recurring theme in my past few blog posts and they circle back around to student engagement in some way, shape, or form. After teaching a large group of first graders remotely, I guess my first thoughts are always geared towards engagement because I spent so much time critiquing my lessons and activities to make sure my students were learning as much as they possibly could given the circumstances.
Visual media is a powerful tool and by incorporating “moving or still pictures, narration and music, and the gaze of the camera,” we can leave a lasting impression on viewers, or, in this case, students (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 85). So what does this look like exactly? Especially in an elementary classroom? Over the years I have incorporated a litany of videos to help enhance my instruction and one common theme I have noticed with these videos is that they aren’t necessarily elaborate but they are entertaining for their intended audience and they deliver content in a way that makes students not even realize they’re learning. I could essentially stand up in front of my classroom all day and teach students the elements in a story and they would still look at me like I was an alien. However, by adding a video by Jack Hartmann which contains a catchy tune and a man singing and dancing, I am able to deliver this critical standard in a completely different way and in a way that excites my students.
Presenting students with videos within the curriculum, introduces them to the way they can productively consume videos versus mindless watching. If we can teach them to produce early on, we can get them into the habit of searching and looking for videos that invite a variety of responses and encourage them to dive deeper.
On the opposite side of presenting to students, it is important to introduce students to producing video texts as well. Giving students the chance to create, manipulate, and edit their own videos, not only introduces them to potentially bigger video projects (Turner & Hicks, 2017), but it also provides them the opportunity to take ownership and pride in something that is their very own. Because my students are so young, this is a slow process, but it is also an amazing learning experience. One point Troy Hicks (2017) expresses when students are first learning to create videos, is the importance of giving them a chance to play and become immersed in the process in a low-stakes manner. An elementary school in Pearl City, Hawaii allows its third grade students to produce videos in which they can explore their own interests, experiences, and desires and incorporate them into their schoolwork (Buckingham, 2002). I truly believe that if students were given more freedom to use their own voices, such as this, we could open up a whole new opportunity to create productive conversations and arguments within the classroom. We just have to put the right tools in place to guide our students to this world!
Buckingham, D. (2002). Teaching popular culture: Beyond radical pedagogy. Taylor & Francis.
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres (1st ed.). Heinemann.
HigherVisibility. (2020, December 18). How to effectively display infographics on your site. https://www.highervisibility.com/blog/how-to-effectively-display-infographics-on-your-site-2/
Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel. (2017, December 29). Parts of a story | language arts song for kids | english for kids | jack hartmann [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_nePjWXecQ
Turner, H. K., & Hicks, T. (2016). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts (Illustrated ed.). Heinemann.
2 comments
April,
ReplyDeleteI love how you discuss student engagement. I think the more interactive they are not only with their mind but also with others is so important. According to Mirza, "digital storytelling is essentially a creative practice, and one of its goals is to encourage communication and collaboration among individuals" (2019). Digital arguments can be a collaborative effort. Students would love to work with their peers and it would allow them to be even more creative because they have multiple opinions on the direction their media can take. While I think collaboration is important for students, I also feel that they need opportunities to create a digital argument themselves. Turner and Hicks state, "just as in all reading and writing-students need to make choices based on their purpose, the work's context, and the work's audience" (2017, p. 128). In doing this, students find their voice and the argument becomes authentic for them and the target audience.
References
Mirza, H. S. (2020). Improving university students’ english proficiency with digital storytelling. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 7(1), 84–94.
Turner, H. K., & Hicks, T. (2016). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts (Illustrated ed.). Heinemann.
Hey April,
ReplyDeleteThis is so inspiring! I absolutely loved watching how you incorporated such a wide variety of different digital elements, I thought your choice of music was perfect for this too! My favorite part was where you said "Let them Explore," and that is so important for us to remember as teachers that might be on a tight schedule or might not have "time." As I was reading the section in the book about the female student making her "Don't Ruin Your Image" video, I couldn't help but wonder how hard it was for the teacher to give her students this much freedom (and time) to do this assignment. But, we must learn to relinquish a little bit of control if we want our students to learn from each other and produce a quality product (Turner & Hicks, 2017). Thank you for sharing!
Turner, H. K., & Hicks, T. (2016). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann