Efficacy of Practice

The use of videos in the classroom has been widely studied. Videos can be used for initial instruction in the classroom or as a means to flip the classroom. Metzger (2010) states: "some critics may be tempted to dismiss movies as fluff, his- tory films often present powerful messages about the past and for that reason may deserve a place in the classroom when used to advance student understanding".

Movies can, and at times, should be utilized as an alternate form of teaching. Presenting information through the use of Hollywood films may engage a different set of learners that may find other media challenging. Though not all movies about a given subject are worth using in class, finding a worthy film can enhnce the learning experience of students.

Audio is similar to video in its use- a smple audio recording or PodCast can be used efortlessly with new technology platforms and accessed from anywhere. Drew (2017) mentions: "As downloadable content, students can carry podcasts on portable devices and listen to them in places that suit them, such as on busses, in the car and while exercising, making them a valuable affordance for blended and distance learning. For teachers, podcasts are cheap to produce, requiring little more than simple recording software and a microphone."

References

Metzger, S. A. (2010). Maximizing the Educational Power of History Movies in the Classroom. Social Studies, 101(3), 127–136. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=eric&AN=EJ881880&site=ehost-live

Examples of Use

Here is an example of an assignment which utilizes an embedded link to a short TEd Talk video with comprehension questions built in.

An assignment like this is easily generated from content you may already be familiar with, you simply need an idea of what questions you want to ask of your students.

This same form of assessment could be incorporated into a test using the recent updates to Google Classroom, and the monitoring system Hapara- creating a "Quiz" on Classroom automatically locks the students screen on the assignment and allow you to use "PARCC-style" multi-media questions.