Video Technology Tools in the Classroom

For this blog, I have researched various uses for video technology tools in the classroom, namely: Flipping the Classroom, Voicethreads, & iMovie.  Flipping the classroom is a new way of envisioning the classroom structure.  Teachers record their lectures, which the students watch at home before class.  During class time, the students work on practice and application, what would traditionally be considered homework tasks.  Voicethreads are a website program that allow students to create presentations and have discussions around different videos, images or documents.  Students or teachers upload the original images or videos and participants can add verbal or written comments.  iMovie is a video editing program on Apple computers that was discussed as part of a larger middle school technology program.  

Flipping the Classroom and Voicethreads have many similar benefits in the classroom. First, they present information to students using both visual and verbal means.  They also allow students to move through content at a pace that is more individualized.  In the flipped classroom, students do not have to move through a teacher's lecture at the same pace.  They can repeat content that they find confusing or fast-foward through material with which they are already familiar.  This increases student engagement and focus on the lesson.  In addition, teachers can provide more individualized and targeted instruction during class time since they will not be spending time lecturing the whole class.  Obviously schools must account for the technology resources available in student homes in order to use this model effectively.  Also, students who are not motivated may not be willing to spend time at home listening to lectures and will then arrive to class behind their classmates.  Voicethreads, when used collaboratively within a class, also allow students to revisit curriculum content at their own pace, similar to flipping the classroom.  The voicethreads also allow students more time to formulate thoughts and contribute to a discussion than in more traditional classroom settings.  This is particularly beneficial for students with special needs who may not always feel comfortable participating in class, or may feel that the class moves on before they are ready to speak.  The information on iMovie was not as detailed or compelling for its use in the classroom.

In my own classroom, I would love to use voice threads to encourage book discussions in literacy.  I think that it would be a great way for literature circle groups to collaborate and share ideas in a novel way.  They could also work together to create a voicethread as a trailer to share their book with other groups and encourage them to read it.  As other students read the book they could return to the voicethread and add their comments.  I think that, at least initially, I see the most use for flipping the classroom in math.  Often I see students lose focus or become bored during lectures, but then they get stuck on homework problems.  I would be interested to see how my students would do learning the initial content at home and having more time to work individually and in small groups with students on more targeted practice.  It would also allow for more project enrichment for more advanced students.  The information on iMovie and other technology tools was more of a whole school iniative at the middle grades level and I cannot see as many immediate uses in my classroom. 

Articles Used:

Anderson, M.A. (2002, Sept).  The evolution of a curriculum: Yes, you can manage iMovie projects with 170 kids! Multimedia Schools. 9(4), 17-19.

Brunvand, S., & Byrd, S., (2011, Mar/Apr). Using Voicethread to promote learning engagement and success for all students.  Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(4), 28-37.

Goodwin, B., & Miller, K. (2013, Mar).  Evidence on flipped classrooms in still coming in.  Educational Leadership. 70(6), 78-80.