The topic covered in class this week was about audio and video. Growing up in this generation, I think using audio and video in the classroom is almost a given. Some of the benefits of presenting educational videos is that students are able to review, rewatch, slow down, and repeat sections. I know from personal experience that videos are a great tool when you do not understand a topic and need extra clarification. Even for this course our professor provided us with videos on how to set up our website and access basic functions.

In class we talked about all the different types of effects videos can have. Time-lapse videos can be used to show something over time, for example, a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Slow motion videos can be used to observe something fast, such as a hummingbird. There are also resources such as read along story books and screencast videos. Adding GIFs to a presentation can really add to a presentation, whether getting a point across or adding comedic relief.

This week we also discussed finding and storing useful resources. A saying from class I found very useful was “seek-sense-share”. This refers to looking for information and building a network, personalizing and reflecting on the information, and then sharing and exchanging the resources and ideas you have come across. Teaching is an extremely challenging and time-consuming job, so to have resources available to you is crucial. Building a network of trusted educators and sources will allow for teachers to be more confident in their ideas and create unique lessons. I am very grateful for all of the tips we have been learning in this class, as it will simplify things in the future.

I definitely think in the future I will be someone who uses videos already created rather than making my own, but maybe by practicing I will feel more confident creating my own content. Next week for EDCI 306 I have to post a video on this website, and I plan to use iMovie to combine the clips. I am nervous to do this, but excited to experiment with the program a bit more. Typically with school projects I would not be the person who edits the video, so this is a good opportunity for me to try. Stay tuned!