I do believe video creation can be an amazing way of letting students show their knowledge in a different way and express themselves creatively. For instance, a student may feel more confident submitting a video presentation to show their comprehension, rather than a written piece of work. Video creation can also allow students to gain additional skills such as: role playing, directing, creative thinking, writing scripts, understanding point of view, problem solving, and gaining positive collaboration skills, etc. 

I think that video creation projects can also be helpful in the way that students could take on different roles for the jobs associated with producing the final product. For instance, if one student would prefer not to be filmed then perhaps they could put more attention into the script writing process, or the editing of the video, or the filming. The whole group could collaborate to come up with main ideas and points for the video, as well as the written script, while individuals could take on different roles for their comfort levels such as: actors in the video, videographer, editor, director, etc. These projects allow students to be creative, show their skills and engage with the task in ways that are comfortable for them with different entry points. 

I also enjoyed how in the second video, New Roles for Teachers & Students, they highlighted that you as an educator or as a student do not need to be an expert in technology and video making in order to incorporate these into the classroom or make engaging activities for students. It is entirely possible that students may know more than you as an educator about the emerging technologies and video creation, which does not need to be seen as a bad thing. Students love to show their knowledge and if an educator asks them to “can you show me how to do this” or “can someone help me understand this” they love to show their skills. In the video, they also emphasized how sharing this exchange of knowledge between educators and students can create a deeper bond. Educators showing students that they are not always the expert can also let students know that it is okay to be unsure and ask for help, if educators can do it the students can too.

-Emma Holmes

We also see in 3 Things You Should Know About My Hijab, creating with friends takes much of the stress off of students, compared to creating and sharing in front of a class. This allows students to feel more comfortable and let their true selves show when producing something meaningful to them. This being said, video is only the medium for expression, and the content can often be left to the students, allowing them to stay engaged in creating content that they enjoy!

Benefits:

Kolb (2020) further includes that learning can be enriched when students are engaging in production, rather than passive consumption. By creating videos, students utilize learning material in constructive and creative means, so that it is less difficult for them to take up complicated ideas. Through the active learning process, students acquire life skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and the importance of digital literacy.

Video making provides students the opportunity to communicate in an authentic and honest way. When students are creating their own videos, they are completely responsible for the message that they deliver and how they are saying it. This sense of agency can automatically increase students intrinsic motivation and engagement. The creative nature of video production allows students to approach problems in different ways and invites them to present their understanding in a way that is meaningful and personal to them. Along with this, I have found that video projects instill teamwork, patience, and cooperation naturally. As students work together in brainstorming, writing, shooting, and editing videos, they apply useful interpersonal skills like compromise, task delegation, and conflict resolution. Through working together, the students develop and refine their ideas and understand their content better.

Challenges

Although video-making has so many benefits, it is important to always consider the other side of video production. I believe the main challenge is ensuring that everyone is given an equal chance for access to technology. Not all individuals will have equipment or video-editing software necessary to produce high-quality videos, which can provide barriers for students to participate and contribute to the overall quality of the project.

Another problem could also be time. From personal experiences, video making involves a number of phases and all require planning and time. Along with this is scheduling, especially if you are not seeing your kiddos every day! Projects like these can take a really long time if not constantly and consistently worked on. 

My Experiences:

I have incorporated video-making into many different learning units and subjects. When I taught Grade 4, students learned about the different biomes and created news-type videos with the greenscreen to report climate, wildlife, and environmental conditions. In this project, students had to synthesize information from their research, collaborate on writing a clear message for their viewers, and present their information in an engaging and creative way. 

In Grade 5, we did a TED Talk Passion Project, where students selected a topic that they were passionate about and they created TED Talk-style videos. The project gave students the opportunity to practice their communication and think carefully and critically about a topic that is interesting to them. 

In Grade 7, we have done many different video-making ideas. In Math, students created their own lesson videos in math, where they teach a specific concept to their peers. I have my own lesson videos that I post after every lesson ( for students who are away or who need extra review on a concept area). I found that this teaches them to think critically through how to properly break down their understanding and work on their math communication. We have used different applications for this such as iMovie or Flipgrid.  

In Science, they created Climate Change Infomercials where they educate individuals about a specific environmental issue. This activity allowed students to think about the world they live in or specific regions and think critically about the different environmental issues. They also looked at what is already happening with the topic that they chose, to ensure that their messaging also has a lens of hope.

Kolb, L. (2020). Learning First, Technology Second in Practice: New Strategies, Research and Tools for Student Success, Portland, OR: ISTE.

Reflecting back on the lesson "A Cinderella Story" that Kolb (2020) put forward, I remember initially feeling overwhelmed with the amount of technology used for this lesson, thinking the same as above: that the students might become overstimulated. However, seeing the benefits and being reminded that you don't have to drastically change what you are doing in the first place (Watt, p. 96), is inspiring to pursue more opportunities for video making in the classroom.

I have had students create videos in the class, but feel reluctant to share due to my lack of editing expertise. Do my students have fun? Absolutely! Do they get loud and excited? Of course, but the difference is, they are loud and excited, but on topic. They want to complete their videos to share with each other. I think what I will do a bit differently going forward is pair up with an older task to empower more students to be involved in this process.

The authors also discussed the challenges and practical solutions associated with video creation in learning, which include: Lack of technological resources, lack of time for teachers and students to complete complex video projects, lack of training on video creation for teachers and ethical concerns(p.78-81). My own major challenges in implementing video creation in learning are: Insufficient training(maybe if I have sufficient training I would understand how to improvise for lack of technological resources), ethical concerns.

Video creation in learning context meets all the 3E's in Kolb(2020), in the following ways:

Enhance: Video production encourages deep learning beyond traditional way of learning.

Engage: Many students see video creation as an exciting activity, since they are actively creating which increases their willingness to participate.

Extend: Video creation allows students to apply knowledge to real world context and also equip students with digital multimodal communication for their future use.

References

Shafirova, L., & Cassany, D. (2023).Challenges of introducing video production tasks into the classroom. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 33(1), 73–86. https://doi-org.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/10.1080/1475939X.2023.227193

Kolb, L. (2020). Learning first, technology second in practice: New strategies, research, and tools for student success (Chapter 5: Meeting the Three Es: Authentic lessons from K–12 educators + Case study of choice). ISTE.

As with using any technology, one of the biggest challenges can be access. There are still many schools that do not have access to technology. Another challenge could be the learning curve. Not all teachers have experience making videos, therefore they might procrastinate or obstinate from using it in the classroom. Even if they do have the experience, it does take time to teach students this skill as well. For the teacher who teaches media literacy, this could be a part of that lesson. If a teacher does not teach media literacy, then teaming up with the media literacy teacher would be beneficial for the teachers and students. Depending on the task, having students in the video could be a challenge from a privacy and or permission standpoint. 

Benefits: 

Many students are more motivated and excited when using technology. They get to collaborate with others and thus expand their learning. With video, students can get their point across faster and clearer. They can share their learning in playful and creative ways, which in turn can help them feel more successful. Watt (2019) 

Personal Experience: 

While teaching in the Public system, we had a lot of access to iPads, iOgrapher kits and Chromebooks. I often had students do short iMovies to show their learning. It was easy to get the students trained in iMovie in just one class, and then with continual use, they became quite proficient. For example, my grade 4’s would do a short iMovie introducing the different parts of the school, who works there and what a student does there. In Grade 8 Core French, one of our final tasks was to create a “draw my life” video, where students used the vocabulary and sentence structures we learned during the unit to talk about themselves in the past, present and future. We had done mini projects leading up to this where students learned to do sketch noting, and use imovie. Since some students were already using other editing softwares at home, they were given the choice as to which editing software they wanted to use. The first time I did this project, I was surprised that there were still many students that did not know much about editing software and were not interested. One class was very motivated and loved the project. They produced some fantastic videos. Whereas the other two classes were a mixture of students who were not motivated and a few who were. There were even a few who still just did the project in Google Slides in the end. The benefits of using video include students getting to use the creative process, critical thinking and they get to show their learning in their own way. In my current position, we do not have access to technology. Therefore I get the students to act out their AIM plays in front of a green screen and then I put the video together myself instead of having the students do it. They love to watch themselves on the big screen in the primary grades. The parents also love to see what they are doing in school. However the best part is when we film their practices and watch it so they can self evaluate. They have to tell me 2 things they did well and one thing they will work on for the next time. They sometimes surprise me and pick up on things I did not see.

Watt, D. (2019). Video production in Elementary Teacher Education as a critical digital literacy practice. Media and Communication, 7(2), 82–99.

Watt, D., Leader of the Global Education Cohort, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, World Education Research Association, & Hong Kong Education Research Association. (2017). New Literacies and Global Education: Video production in Teacher Education as a Critical digital literacy practice.

In the language course that I teach, students have the opportunity to create videos practicing the language they are learning. I found with these activities students do some of their best work because it feels fun, and they come up with either great skits, music videos, or reenact real life scenarios. For students this can feel like less pressure than being forced into a face-to-face discussion because it is fun for them and they have ownership over the direction of the video and the final product.

In the history course that I also teach, for one assignment students choose a historical event they learned about, create a script and film a video acting it out. I found that this activity was a nice change from other history assignments that are more focused on writing, and it also helped students really understand the event and the context because they had to know it well and step into the shoes of these historical figures.

Video creation, in particular, is a powerful tool for both teaching and learning. As Stark et al. (2023) explain, it allows students to reach learning goals by either making videos or watching them. This approach encourages active engagement, giving students opportunities to interact with the material and discuss what they have learned in a dynamic way.

However, for video-based learning to be effective, students need to feel comfortable with the technology. Stark et al. (2023) emphasize that teachers should provide essential guidance to help students achieve learning objectives. Additionally, educators must ensure that videos promote interactive and constructive learning rather than passive consumption (Stark et al., 2023).

Reference:

Stark, K. S., Wekerle, C., Bischoff, A., Schweiger, M., Peuschel, K., Proske, K., … Schindler, A. K. (2023). A heuristic framework for video-based teaching and learning scenarios in higher education. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 57(2), 405–416. https://doi-org.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/10.1080/15391523.2023.2242980

Reference

Smith, B. E., Amgott, N., & Malova, I. (2021). “it made me think in a different way”: Bilingual students’ perspectives on multimodal composing in the English Language Arts Classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 56(2), 525–551. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3064

Some of the constraints noted by Smith et al. include technical issues with the programs used to make movies, struggles with not knowing how to use the programs, the need for reliable computers and internet connections.

With my own students, I would like to explore video making through projects such as book reviews, interviews and informative documentaries. I believe that these projects would enable my language learners to develop their oral communication skills through the creation  process, the collaboration process, and the analysis process. This would also give them the opportunity to express their identity and explore various ways of meaning making  in a new language. I can see these reasons providing motivation for my students to learn and engage in the analysis and creation of texts in deep and creative ways.

Reference

Smith, B. E., Amgott, N., & Malova, I. (2021). “it made me think in a different way”: Bilingual students’ perspectives on multimodal composing in the English Language Arts Classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 56(2), 525–551. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3064