One cannot successfully do project-based learning without knowledge of basic content
EdPuzzle is a free app that enables you to add review questions to videos.
Create a teacher account on EdPuzzle( https://edpuzzle.com/).
Watch a tutorial if needed https://youtu.be/_wCCQTAm-Qk
Create your own video(using Screencastify, etc) and add questions:
Example: https://edpuzzle.com/media/6062021bac3b1941f7a23567
or
Select a science video on Youtube that explains the content background needed for one of the Framework topics you selected.
See for example:
TurtleDiary- Science Videos for Kidshttps://www.youtube.com/user/turtlediarydotcom
PBS Zoom Videoshttps://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/all-videos/
Youtube Crash Course Kidshttps://www.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids/videos
SciShowKidshttps://www.youtube.com/user/scishowkids
Exploratorium Videoshttps://www.exploratorium.edu/video/subjects
Edit it using EdPuzzle, inserting at least five(5) questions or activities that will help the student.
Find a suitable short video, copy the URL
Log into your EdPuzzle account, or click the "Edit with EdPuzzle" icon to the bottom right of the video
Under the Content Tab, Find Popular Channels---->YouTube
Paste in the Youtube URL
Click on Questions
Add your questions
Click Finish
Copy EdPuzzle video URL ( such as https://edpuzzle.com/media/5f6cb2a46d7dcf40ac27d02c )
On Blackboard, submit a short document with basic heading information, the name and topic of the video, a link to the original video, and a link to the public EdPuzzle version you have created.
Examples:
Using the Value Control Box https://edpuzzle.com/media/60529c49eb7cc6422cf554d2
Using the 3D Warehouse https://edpuzzle.com/media/6053773a3a261c428f352cd0
Assignment:Using EdPuzzle( https://edpuzzle.com/ ), add review elements and questions to an instructional videos from YouTube or other sources
Fedeminozzi in Medium
Videos are amazing tools for learning. As an enthusiast of remote learning, I’ve used videos a lot, both as a learner and a teacher. Although rarely interactive, videos can present a lot of content in a captivating and compelling form, and due to their unique combination of visuals, effects, and oral and written texts, they can be complete and effective as a means to pass on concepts as well as reviewing or practicing what is already known. The flipped classroom, a popular teaching methodology based on individual study of content before classroom practice, often relies on video materials.
Yet, videos are no panacea. When employed in the wrong way, they can lose their effectiveness or even be detrimental to learning. Here are five ways not to use videos to foster learning. This doesn’t mean that those strategies must always be avoided at all costs or that no student can successfully learn something in these situations, but that they are generally less effective than other solutions.
Just like reading or listening activities, videos are texts too. Using a video to introduce content to be explored in the following reading activity is like using one reading to introduce the topic of another! It only makes sense if the video is exceptionally short (less than one minute) and vivid or peculiar, like an advertisement or short song. Otherwise, videos should be analyzed just like any text — with an introductory task, one or two main tasks, and a follow-up. When videos are used as a pre-reading task, there is a risk of cognitively overloading the learners.
Have you ever played a video for your learners to watch, only to observe them lose their focus after the first minute? This may be surprising for us because we think that kids and teenagers watch videos all the time. However, what they mostly do when scrolling through social media is not watch a whole video, but rather short reels. Far from reinforcing their ability to stay focused, their habit of spending time on TikTok and YouTube weakens their attention span — of course, there are exceptions, but that’s the general trend.
How long should a video be? It depends on the age of the learners and their level of interest and engagement in the topic, as well as on the video’s content density and difficulty. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn’t exceed two minutes, even with teenage students or adult learners — unless they are used to this methodology and there’s a good reason to choose a longer video.
Instructors and teachers are generally aware that activities should always be accompanied by a task to perform in order for them to be meaningful. If I ask learners to read a text without giving them an exercise, such as: “Answer the following questions,” “Create a title that fits the text,” or “Determine if the following sentences are true or false,” they won’t know what to pay attention to. Reading and listening activities should always have a purpose. The same holds for videos.
However, when I ask teachers what kind of task they would associate to a certain video, they often answer that they would divide the class in groups and set up a debate, or have them summarize and present the content of the video, and so on. Although these tasks can be meaningful, they all come after watching the video. This means that, while they are watching, students have no task to complete — which lowers their attention levels.
What could be meaningful tasks to perform while watching? Of course, they need to be simple enough not to distract from the video, so written production should be avoided. Good examples could be to identify the main themes of the video or to provide the learners with a checklist of keywords and ask them to tick the words pronounced in the video (or, for older learners, the main concepts discussed).
When we choose a video to show to our learners, we are often attracted by those with refined visuals, dynamic animations, and an upbeat tempo. However, while those videos can be more interesting to watch in our free time, they are not necessarily the most adequate for the learning setting. The combination of flashy colors, rapid scene transitions, and variously pitched voices may be distracting or confusing for some learners. Loud background music, exaggerated animations, and a discrepancy between what is said and what is shown on the screen can make things worse, especially if learners are asked to take notes while watching.
Another problematic habit is that of continuously stopping the video to comment the content, or simply talking over the video, therefore asking learners to split their attention between us and the screen. It is better to wait until the video is over — it shouldn’t be too long anyway! — and then comment what the kids have watched, or even better, ask them to summarize what they remember.
Sensory overload can be especially difficult for neurodivergent learners or students with special needs, and taking it into account is critical to fostering self-efficiency, confidence, and a positive attitude toward learning.
If we’re looking for a way to give a stylish twist to our old-fashioned classroom lectures, videos can seem like the obvious choice. They’re trendy, they’re interactive, they’re modern, aren’t they?
Needless to say, the quality of a lesson has nothing to do with the technological means used to deliver it. A plain old talk can be captivating and modern if it is well-planned and engages the students, while an interactive lesson based on group tasks and multimedia can be boring and ineffective if the topic or the activities are not perceived as meaningful or not tailored to the learners’ needs and purposes.
If — by accident or on purpose — you happen to find a video that fits perfectly into your lesson plan, that can motivate your learners, bring up their ideas and opinions, or add something to the work you want to do with them, by all means, go for it.
But the video should fit your lesson — not the other way around!
Don’t tweak your learning objectives and ignore your goals just to put a video at the core of your lesson because you think it’ll make you look cool.
The easiest way to make the most out of a video for educational purposes is to just treat it like any other kind of text — analyze it to understand how you can integrate it into your lesson plan and what it can bring to your learners.
Don’t be afraid to cut it and select the meaningful parts, just like you would with a written text. You may not be familiar with editing tools, but you can surely pause and restart whenever you want. Take control of the video and don’t count on it to teach on your behalf!
If you’re not sure, just try it out. Experiment with videos and observe your learners, ask for feedback, listen to them. Every day is a chance to become a better teacher or instructor!