Week 12 Reflection

Lights, Camera, Action!!!

This week we created our lesson using video.  I originally thought that this was going to be one of the easier assignments (just hit record, right?), but I was sadly mistaken.  I really wanted to make a good video, so I borrowed a camera from work and used my cell phone for alternate angles.  I edited in some music and used my mp3 recordings from a few weeks ago.  It was a very long process, but it allowed me to flex my creative muscles so it was an entertaining time.  The end product, while not as glorious as I had imagined in my mind, looks good and gave me valuable experience that I hope to be able to apply to the next video that I make.

Designing instruction from video is beneficial because it allows for the most opportunity to reach the learner. Some learners learn better by viewing, others by hearing instruction, but the video allows us to reach both kinds of learners.  It provides the learner with something that they can look at regularly to learn the material.  The difficulties come from putting this instruction together.  It's much harder to film a video that it may seem by looking at YouTube!  Lighting has to be right, angles are important, and sometimes you only have one shot so you have to make sure you get it right.  In my mash-up video the week before, my normally well behaved daughter decided to turn into a diva and I wasn't able to record what I wanted.  That's another difficulty with video- the actors!  Finally, the editing process, even though I had a great time doing it, is a long and tedious affair.  

The whole process changed my thinking about teaching via video.  I always thought that it was something I should do more often, but now I know that I need a little more practice and a great deal of time.  Looking at the finished product, I also feel as though it was worth it.  A video is a much better medium than a single-media-only instruction because it covers all of the basis in regards to learners and their unique learning styles.