Obviously yes. I generally teach high school science classes and finding hands on, real life experiential learning is important but sometimes impossible. Take an anatomy unit as an example. Watching gas exchange in the lungs is impossible to see within the classroom. This is where video comes in. Having a video showing this exchange helps students to visualize the process, making the process real. It gives those visual learners in your class clarification and gives everyone else another way to view gas exchange.
Video is also great in explaining things in a different way. Have you ever been listening to a teacher explain something and you just don't get it until your friend leans over, whispers an alternate explanation to you and everything finally makes sense? I believe the answer would be yes. A video can be just like your friend. It can explain things to your class in a alternate way then you, as the teacher, have, and this can help get more students to understand.
Their are a variety of places to find video like Ted Talks, YouTube and Discovery Ed. Though these can take a little work deciphering what is good and what isn't, finding good channels, people or streams do help.
For our project we are suppose to find video's that we would find interesting to teach in class but instead I am going to list a few good channels and websites where I have found some meaningful videos in the past.
Discovery Ed one I like but it requires a subscription so if you are in a school bug them to get one to this great video site.
Chrash Course: a great YouTube channel that you could use as a test prep or a way to introduce a unit or topic. The videos are 10 minutes and go through a topic quite fast, just touching on the important details They are well done and have great visuals
Chumamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story, this is a great video that can be used to talk about racism in a classroom. It could be used as part of the curriculum in a social studies class or just a time filler in any class.
Graphing stories-15 seconds at a time: This is a great website created by my favourite blogger, Dan Myers. It shows different, real life events, and asks the students to graph the story. It walks the student through the answer at the end too! A math teachers must!
http://graphingstories.com/
National Geographic: This YouTube channel holds tons of great resources for videos. They are well categorised and so are easy to find. Great for activating a class!
http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalGeographic
This is just the tip of the iceberg Just google top YouTube channels for teachers and I am sure you will find tons of other great ones as well.
I also think it is important to let students create their own videos and post them to YouTube, Animoto, or whatever movie making site you choose to use in your class. It is fun and makes students accountable for their work. It also allows them the opportunity to share what they create with family and friends and if they post it on YouTube then in the future they could use it in job interviews or as part of having that positive digital footprint.
Thanks for taking the time to give us a 'crash course'! So often I find we reference great ideas but don't put the effort in to showcasing it for others. Well done!
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