Through last weeks blog, The Power of Blogs, we learned that the world we live in today is populated by technology. To ensure your classroom is in touch with society it's important that digital media is used as teachers become the catalyst for educational change. Students and teachers are surrounded by simple digital media in the way of content through images, audio and video on day-to-day basis but it is also important that students are using these medias to create.
Images
Its world-wide knowledge that "a picture can paint a thousand words," but what is an image in the classroom context? An image refers to a photo, diagram, graphic organisers, infographics and mind-maps. Although images may come across as simple or self-explanatory, there's still lots to learn about them. The most important things to learn about images if their file type, size and copyright laws.The image below give you a basic overview of image types.
The size of an image is measured in pixels and it's important to be able to know the dimension of a picture and be able to manipulate these measurements depending on the file size and requirements. A quick tutorial below gives a brief outline on how to resize images. This will vary depending on the computer.
Finally, lead by example in the class when it comes to copyright. Each image will have different requirements when it comes to this so make sure to do your research. There are great websites that can be used to assist in this. For example Photos for Class downloads an image with complete copyright notice.
Students can create great mind-maps by using websites such as Popplet and MindGenuis. Thinglink is another great tool where students can create images and/or video and annotate them digitally. An example is here.
Audio
Podcasts are the most commonly tool when referring to audio. A podcast is a sound file that is typically a subscription uploaded to the internet or other streaming website (Mindvalley, 2019). Some of the most popular Podcasts can be shared/uploaded/listened to on:
By listening to exisiting podcasts, students can get an idea on what they are and how they could create their own. A common free audio recording software is Audacity and most laptops/devices that are required in classrooms generally have a built-in microphone making it easy for students to create.
Whilst podcasts can be great tools and are a great ICT, you must ensure that this media works for your particular learners and discipline areas. For Business and English, working with just audio can become boring which leads to decreased student engagement. Audio can still be effectively incorporated through multi-modal tasks such as a PowerPoint.
Video
Video incorporates many digital medias all-in-one including image and audio which makes it such a useful and effective tool in the classroom. Video also has a range of higher-order thinking skills that are used when students are creating such as, communication, observation, analysis and reflection (Schuck & Kearney, 2006). Although extremely effective, it takes a lot of teaching to students to perfect the art of video. I have included some steps below that are crucial when teaching students video for a cohesive outcome.1. TEACH!
Most students do not the dangers around video. Make it known that it isn't just about hitting record. It's about taking short snapshots and merging them all together when editing. They also need to be aware of storage size of file and the importance of filming on the same device. Too many different file types will make the editing software crash. This is a great time to also learn the basics of editing:
2. SET A TIME LIMIT!
Give students a set time frame for planning, filming and editing.
3. PLAN!
Every video needs a concept that follows a story line. There is no point in just picking up a camera without planning - this will lead to copious amounts of irrelevant footage. Make sure you sign off every students storyboard in order for them to continue to process. Below is a short clip on the introduction of creating a storyboard.
4. LET STUDENTS CREATE!
Once expectations have been explained and students have an understanding of all video concepts it's time for them to independently create. In the meantime, I would recommend to have students download VLC on their devices. If clips are in filmed on different devices and need converting this program have easy converting tools. It can also play most video types!
Linking digital media with my discipline areas
For my particular discipline areas of Business and English, images, audio and video are three of the most useful digital tools to utilise in a student-led learning environment. There are many examples for using these medias in a classroom setting when Bloom's Taxonomy and SAMR are taken into account.Please note: there are many more digital medias such as 3D images, 360 panoramas and virtual reality that can be useful in a classroom setting depending on your subject areas.
The image explains each level of SAMR:
Substitution:
Podcasts are a great substitution tool in the classroom. Instead of reading the Business textbook on International Business, students can listen to the Business English Pod to learn the same information as they 'remember' and 'understand' the content in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy model.
Augmentation:
Podcasts are another great example for augmentation; however, it's difficult for them to move past this stage. Following the above example, students can create their own podcast on International Business where they focus on one real-world business. Students are to record this via Audacity and upload it to to the schools online learning place. From expanding the above example, students are now incorporating 'remember', 'understand', 'apply' and 'evaluate from Bloom's Taxonomy.
Modification:
Images and the use of Thinglink are a great example of modifying a task. Instead of having to role-play a business meeting in a different country, students learn how to use a new website and can draw how the meeting would play out and annotate the significant differences that need to be noted to ensure a successful meeting. This allows students to explore all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
Redefinition:
Using video and having students plan, film and edit is a great way of redefining a task. An example for International Business would be to have students pick a country of interest, plan and research what business is like in that country and film and edit this into a short educational film. Students can upload this film to YouTube where it is accessible all over the world.
References
Mindvalley. (2019, January 4). The Podcasts Beginner Guide: what is a podcast, how to listen & why it enhances your personal growth [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.mindvalley.com/podcasts-beginners-guide#00
Schuck, S., & Kearney, M. (2006). Capturing learning through student-generated digital video. Australian Educational Computing, 21(1). Retrieved from http://acce.edu.au/sites/acce.edu.au/files/pj/journal/AEC%20Vol%2021%20No%201%202006%20Capturing%20learning%20through%20student%20gene.pdf
The SAMR Model [online image]. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.showbie.com/using-showbie-with-the-samr-model/
I really enjoyed the read! You incorporated some great information. However, I think it would be beneficial if you had put legal/ethical considerations for your students. Overall, a really good blog post!
ReplyDeleteSophie... back at it again with another funky theme. I like how well you have described each media type and sourced your statements. Also, you have provided four qualtiy, in-depth examples of applying SAMR into your class. Maybe you could have given a few other examples covering the full range of images, audio and video. Also, you could have shared your personal exporation of some media types with some screenshots. This being said, you have discussed Bloom's Taxonomy and SAMR very well.
ReplyDeleteSuper good post Soph! You managed to make a fun and informative post, well done! Your ideas on incorperating digital media into the classroom are really good and well thought out. I do, however, think that you could have talked a little about the legal, safe and ethical considerations to really add the cherry on top of a lovely post. Keep up the good work :)
ReplyDelete