Videos in the Classroom

Students today take in as much as 50 percent of the information they receive through visual images. Teachers are using visual media such as television, movies, video games, photography, and Facebooking both to engage this "eye-curious" culture and to help students think critically about what they see.

The Washington Post, July 6, 2007

VIDEO BASICS

Videos are a powerful visual resource for your classroom - whether you download them to show your students, or upload students' work to share with others. Some terms you will come across:

Streaming: playing video straight from the internet

Downloading: saving the video to your own computer, to play at a later date (you would no longer need to be on the internet)

Embedding: Add a streamed video to your own webpage or blog. The video would then play from your page - it is not a hyperlink to another site, although it is stored on an external site (you do need to be connected to the internet).

Example of embedded video: When I Become a Teacher ....

Editing: making changes to a video. You can use Windows Movie Maker (free download) to cut away the bits you don't want eg you might only want 5 minutes of a 20 minute video. It's easier than you think.
Help with editing in Movie Maker.

Converting: Changing the format of the video so you can play it from your computer.

VIDEO SOURCES

The Loop
Clickview - try here first! These are fabulous educational videos created for Australian and New Zealand schools. They are neatly divided into chapters, so you can play as much or little as you wish. You can also choose to take them home in your 'schoolbag'; put a few clips together to make a 'lesson' for your students to work through at their own pace; request a recording of a TV programme coming up; use resources supplied with the video. ONLY available as part of The Loop (school, not home).

New Zealand ContentTV New Zealand on Demand View or download full-length New Zealand shows. Streamed only.
TV New Zealand on You Tube popular segments from a selection of New Zealand shows - mostly news and current affairs. Streamed from YouTube, or can be converted via ZamZar.TV3 Current affairs; news; business; science/technology; weather/environment; health and sport videos. Streamed only.

Made for Teachers
Teachers TV 15 minute videos which can be streamed or downloaded.To download a video you must first register with Teachers TV and log in to the website. All of their downloadable videos are available in Windows Media Video (.wmv) format (no conversion needed). More recent downloadable programmes are also available in QuickTime (.mov) format. Most videos also have supporting resources available.
Teacher Tube Videos from teachers, for teachers. Can be streamed, downloaded (and converted via ZamZar), or embedded into your webpage. Some even come with support files! What about uploading some of your own videos here to share with others?!

Video Classroom Videos for teacher Professional Development. These videos cover most subject areas and provide a lot of inspiration for teachers.

International
YouTube A plethora of videos on every subject imaginable. Try searching for something - you might be surprised!

• YouTube do not include a download option, but videos can be dowloaded and converted via ZamZar.
• If you want to play several videos at once, create a 'playlist'. You can save your playlist and access at a later date (you will need to create an account).
• To include a YouTube video in your Slide Show, just copy and paste the URL to your PowerPoint slide.

Google Video Streamed video, many of which have an option to download for both Windows and Macs, or can be embedded straight into your blog (blogger) with the click of a button. Also worth a look is BBC on Google Video.

Internet ArchiveMoving Images library of free movies, films, and videos. This library contains thousands of digital movies which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to videos of every genre uploaded by Archive users. Most of these movies are available for download.

Breaking News Videos from CNN Streamed videos only
Expert Village Video tutorials on all sorts of topics - don't forget to browse through the 'Other' category.
National Geographic High quality, professional videos: Environment; Animals; People and Places. Streamed only

VIDEOS IN THE CLASSROOM

Get ready!

• if you are showing a video to the class, bookmark your video page in advance then open it and let it play through once directly BEFORE the class. This will ensure it plays smoothly.
• if you want students to look at several videos, create a page of links for them. This can be as simple as a word document; add the links to Moodle; or create your own Google Page.
  To add a hyperlink in Word, just type the descriptive word for the video - highlight it - right click - hyperlink - add the web address. Make it look like a 'proper' webpage by formatting the background with a nice texture, and saving it as a webpage. This can then be opened from your browser - your own webpage (for in-school use), complete with hyperlinks!
• locate the class set of headphones, so students can listen without disturbing each other.

To download and convert videos:
Choose this option only if it's impossible to use the internet in the classroom. Preferably save the downloaded video to your flashdrive, or a CD, as space is precious on the school server.

If a downloaded video won't play on your computer, go to ZamZar to convert your video into an appropriate format. For Windows machines, you want a Windows Media Video File (wmv), or Windows Video File (avi).
For Mac users, look for an Apple Quicktime Movie (mov).

Get Creative
Many of the above sites also allow you to upload your own videos. You will be amazed at how engaging students find this activity. Think about Digital Story Telling - you don't need a movie camera, still digital photos can quickly and easily be turned into a movie with narrations, titles and background music using either Movie Maker or, even easier, Photo Story (both free downloads from Microsoft).