Integrating Videos as an Engagement Tool for Students and Teachers
This is a sponsored post by Study.com
Since the exponential growth of mobile devices
and other technologies, students from ages five to sixteen have spent six hours or more per day in
front of a screen, including TVs, tablets, smartphones, and computers. Experts
have different opinions on how much screen time is helpful or harmful for
children, and how much should be allowed at various stages of development. One
thing the experts agree on, however, is that as much of that screen time as
possible should be spent on high-quality, educational content.
Today’s young students are accustomed to viewing
video content anywhere and anytime. In fact, most elementary school students
are younger than the iPhone and have grown up watching videos on their (or
their parents’) smartphones and tablets. Incorporating videos into the
elementary school classroom is a natural extension of this visual component of
modern culture, especially for the “YouTube generation.” More specifically,
teachers can make use of videos as highly engaging tools to improve instruction
and capture student interest, in addition to using other traditional teaching
methods. Teachers can also use videos to further their own professional
development and training, which will in turn benefit their students.
Finding and Incorporating the Best Video Content in the Elementary School Classroom
For teachers concerned about finding
appropriate educational content or feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of
options, Study.com is a provider of high
quality educational multimedia content that comes with a robust set of tools
for teachers to use in and out of the classroom. Study.com videos make elementary
school classrooms more interactive by using animation and visuals to help
students better understand the concepts that are being taught. The database has
over 15,000+ videos in subjects ranging from math to social studies to English
language arts.
Elementary school students often have a
shorter attention span than older students, so chunking material and varying
instruction techniques by using engaging videos may help them stay focused. To
this end, most of Study.com’s videos last 5 – 8 minutes—long enough to explore
a topic in some depth, but short enough so as not to overwhelm young students
with too much information at once. In addition, videos are particularly helpful
for audiovisual learners who might not respond as well to lectures, textbooks,
or group work.
In his TED Talk 'Let's use video to reinvent education,' Salman Khan discusses how video can be part
of the flipped classroom model, enabling
students to learn at their own pace and work through educational content in
their own way. For the youngest students who may not have the maturity for this
kind of learning or require more guidance, videos can serve to help flip lessons rather than
classrooms, which becomes a tool in the learning process rather than a
cornerstone of it.
Using Video Content Outside of the Classroom
While much of the school day may be dedicated
to group work and other projects that must be completed in person, students’
after school programs and homework assignments can also incorporate videos for
students to watch on their own. In addition to videos for supplemental
learning, Study.com offers a plethora of online lessons as well as built-in
assessment tools like gamified quizzes for students to complete. Teachers can
assign at-home lessons and analyze the results of student assessments, enabling
them to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses and tweak lesson plans
accordingly.
In addition, when educational videos are
brought into the home, parents can also engage more deeply with their young
child’s education and can help with homework more easily. Study.com videos also
offer on-the-go access for phones and tablets, catering to the busy lifestyles
of students, parents, and teachers.
Using Video Content for Elementary Teachers’ Professional Development
Videos aren’t just for elementary
students—video instruction can be helpful for teachers, too! Almost all
teachers are required to take some form of teacher certification exam, and
Study.com aims to provide the most robust preparation materials to help them
succeed. Video lessons related to certification exams are great for both
aspiring teachers aiming to get their credential and current teachers who are
looking to expand their certifications to new grade-levels, subjects, and more.
Study.com offers preparation materials for national exams like Praxis, as well as state-specific exams like FTCE, TExES,
and more.
Want to learn more about how you can use
videos in your classroom? Sign up for a free trial at Study.com today!
