Making Videos
1. Why flip your classroom?
National and international research data indicates a wholesale student preference for this manner of learning.
Additionally, student results are consistently demonstrated to be raised when this strategy is employed, compared to the traditional model of teaching.
The flip classroom model will provide a higher level of differentiation to your students, and will free up time in your classroom for more engaging activities.
2. What is the flipped classroom?
At its simplest level, the flipped classroom is the use of teacher made learning videos, (or screencasts*) at home or in the classroom, in the student's individual space, to support a student's learning.
The obvious advantages of using learning videos is the capacity for 24/7 learning at any time and place, and the ability of students to pause and rewind their teacher. Parents can also partake in their children's learning. Furthermore, classroom time can be freed up to make way for higher order learning activities.
Have you ever used a Youtube video to learn a skill? :)
*screencast - a sound and video recording of a computer screen, usually including the teacher's voice.
3. Will this change my classroom?
Yes. Students should begin to take more responsibility for their learning.
Additionally you will no longer be the 'Sage on the Stage' (the sole source of learning). Rather you might become more of a 'Guide on the Side'.
You should begin to have more class time available to you, and your students, because you are no longer 'lecturing' from the front.
Furthermore, if you have moved your 'lectures' out of the class (perhaps students are viewing them online as homework) there is the opportunity to engage in more 'active learning' style activities in the classroom - such as Project Based Learning, or experiments.
It is a change. But you can control the change. How much you want to change is up to you.
Obviously debates and classroom discussion cannot be delivered via video! :) But traditional lectures can...
4. OK. I'm open to experimenting with this. How? (Using PowerPoint.)
a) First you will need to decide on a lesson (or lesson sequence) to record. I suggest you plan it, using PowerPoint. You can add your voice later.
(You might already have lots of lessons ready to go on Powerpoint! It's a popular tool!)
b) OK. Now you have a lesson ready, on Powerpoint. The great thing about Powerpoint it that it already has a 'video-maker' (screencast-recorder) built in. Right on on your staff laptop! :)
I have made a perfectly adequate (though quite rough) video on how to use the voice and slide recorder in PowerPoint. Here it is! Watch the video! It will teach you! :)
By the way there are other ways to make videos....(see below for another example) but PowerPoint is a good start.
Here's another way to make a video. If you wanted you could use PowerPoint to create what's called a Screencast. This is a recording of your computer screen, and your voice going over the top of it! Here's how you would do that:
5. Activating a Youtube Channel
OK. You have made your video. Now it's time too upload it to Youtube. It's so easy! You already have a channel. It's linked to your school email. Your school email and password is the data you should enter into Youtube when prompted to.
Please watch the videos below in order to guide you through the process.
6. Uploading to your YouTube channel
OK. So now you have activated your YouTube channel. Good. Now...you need to upload a video to it! :)
I hope you have made one already, using 'Office Mix' (or other) as outlined above. You will (or course) need a video to upload! :)
The following video will show you how to upload to YouTube. Please enjoy.
6. Sharing your video to a Google Site
Google Sites are easy. But they are a big topic. The below video will very briefly go over how one might create a Google site and then link a YouTube video to it. Hope it helps! :)
7. Editing Your Video
I know. This is a bit out of order. But....if you are at the level where you want to cut, trim and add effects to your video, you can't beat Wevideo for simplicity and cost. Here's a how to:
8. Rapid Video Production and Sharing
Want to make a very quick screencast, and share this with group of students - all in under 3 minutes?
Well, you can't beat Screencastify. And it's free!