Make Yourself Redundant!

For the last couple of days I have been off work ill (ahhh poor me). I was disappointed as I had planned to get the children to upload their 2Create presentations to their blog so they could share these with each other and engage in some peer evaluation through commenting as well as show their parents.

I was fine to sit at a computer, so rather than wait a week for the opportunity to come around again where the impetus would be lost, I decided to use a screen recorder to create a video tutorial for them. I uploaded the video to a multimedia activity for them and left a message with a member of staff briefly explaining what I wanted the supply teacher to do (tell them where to view the tutorial). I took a look at the end of the school day at the blogs entries they had created and almost all of the class had managed to follow the tutorial correctly, allowing them to proceed without me being there!

Despite the title of this post, I’m not suggesting that everyone on their death bed boot up a screen recorder and upload a days worth of tutorials to Studywiz. What i am suggesting is that video teaching, or to be more exact video learning can prove a valuable tool in the classroom. As a teacher it can give your lesson structure freedom and satisfy even the most hardened ego as up to 30 children simultaneously view and listen to you. As a learner you are able to pause and rewind, taking your learning at your own pace.

It also opens doors to a host of exciting possibilities. For example, with a few class computers, netbooks or Ipod Touches you suddenly have a resource that children can choose to use to support themselves independently, in addition to support from you as a class teacher. Taking this further, with a class set of computers or Ipods, video tutorials could contribute to personalised learning with children choosing their own learning paths and reflecting about their learning in order to continue their chosen path.

@primarypete_