Presenting Scenarios and Telling Stories with Online Video
It is now easier than ever to incorporate video into teaching. Because of advances in technology such as digital video cameras and easy-to-use video editing software, advanced professional skills are no longer required to create and edit simple videos. Internet Web sites such as YouTube make it possible to share videos quickly and easily. With greater access to broadband connections, people can watch video on their computers or download it to a mobile device.
Video can provide educational advantages over other teaching methods in certain teaching and learning situations. Video can be especially powerful for conveying emotion, body language, and the sound of a voice. Also, video can enhance understanding concepts that involve movement (such as physical procedures) or dynamic processes. In sum, the inclusion of video can engage students more deeply in a subject matter and increase their motivation.
Seminar
March 5, 2008
12:00-1:30 p.m.
101 Walter Library
East Bank, Twin Cities campus
Access a UMConnect recording of the seminar, or subscribe to the podcast or vodcast.
Moderator:
Tonu Mikk
Digital Media Center, Office of Information Technology
Panelists:
Kristin Janke
Office of Educational Development, College of Pharmacy
Katie Granholm and Bill O'Connor
Orientation & First-Year Programs, Office for Student Affairs
Cari Michaels and Nicholas Leonard
Center of Excellence in Children's Mental Health,
Children, Youth, and Family Consortium
Campus Projects
Kristin Janke, College of Pharmacy, asked students in her class to create digital stories focusing on their personal leadership. Katie Granholm and Bill O’Connor, Orientation & First-Year Programs, teach a course for first-year and transfer students. They supplement their longstanding course in WebVista with videotaped testimonials in which students talk about their experiences and share information about being a student at the University of Minnesota. An interdisciplinary online course created by Cari Michaels and Nicholas Leonard, Center of Excellence in Children’s Mental Health, features a video of a simulated doctor-patient interview that is treated as a case study. The case study is created in the Pachyderm authoring environment, using Adobe Presenter for the questions.
Readings
Bleed, Ron. “Visual Literacy in Higher Education.” ELI Explorations (August 2005). http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI4001.pdf (accessed February 2008).
This article provides a comprehensive overview of visual literacy in higher education and provides definitions, explains differences between instructors’ and students’ perspectives, and reinforces the need for assessment. Of particular interest are the author’s insights on how to incorporate visual literacy into the curriculum and on the importance of providing education and training for instructors.
Daley, Elizabeth. “Expanding the Concept of Literacy.” Educause Review (March/April 2003). http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ffpiu027.pdf (accessed February 2008).
Daley proposes to reconceptualize literacy by adding a “multimedia language of the screen” to the conventional abilities of reading and writing. Daley develops her ideas with four arguments:
- The multimedia language of the screen has become the current vernacular.
- The multimedia language of the screen is capable of constructing complex meanings independent of text.
- The multimedia language of the screen enables modes of thought, ways of communicating and conducting research, and methods of publication and teaching that are essentially different from those of text.
- Those who are truly literate in the twenty-first century will be those who learn to both read and write the multimedia language of the screen.
Davis, Claire, and Elizabeth Wilcock. “Teaching Materials Using Case Studies.” In Materials Education: 12 Guides for Lecturers, edited by Caroline Baillie and Leone Burton. UK Centre for Materials Education. http://www.materials.ac.uk/guides/casestudies.asp (accessed February 2008).
Video can lend itself to teaching based on case studies, and this article provides a practical introduction to this teaching method. The authors compare problem-based teaching with case-based teaching and explain their reasons for adopting the case study teaching method. The authors also provide five examples of case study scenarios in materials science disciplines.
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). “7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling.” EDUCAUSE (January 2007). http://connect.educause.edu/Library/ELI /7ThingsYouShouldKnowAbout/39398 (accessed February 2008).
Video lends itself to digital storytelling, which can be a powerful way of sharing and teaching beliefs and values. This short article describes what digital storytelling is, how it works, and why it is significant for teaching and learning. The article suggests a process-oriented approach through which students think critically about the message they would like to provide, then find or create digital material (images, sound, and movies) that supports a main idea, and lastly, organize the digital content into a movie so that their ideas are presented with the most impact. The article also suggests that by engaging in digital storytelling students will gain greater appreciation for the educational potential of technology, particularly in non-technical subject areas.
Harris, Beth. “Video in Education: A Practical Guide for Teachers.” Meridian Middle School Computer Technologies Journal, 1, no. 9 (2006). http://ncsu.edu/meridian/win2006/video_ed/video_ed.pdf (accessed February 2008).
As the title suggests, this article provides a practical guide for bringing digital video into the classroom. The article provides an overview of research regarding video use in courses and follows with a tutorial style description of the video production process. The article also includes links to Internet resources on video use in a classroom. While targeted to middle school teachers, the content is also relevant to higher education.
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead, 2005.
Pink argues that we are undergoing a paradigm shift, from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age, and describes the forces at work in creating this transformation. He further argues that a new paradigm requires the development of new “senses”: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Video in instruction is useful for appealing to and reinforcing our new “senses.” For example, videos may help us connect through empathy or learn through a playful, humorous approach. Students may further develop their own abilities in story, design, and meaning by creating their own videos. This book can offer new insights for instructors who are interested in thinking about the educational potential of video.
