During the months of June and July this year, I enrolled in a course about media-enhanced learning. One of the course outcomes was to create appropriate media to support learning. This was a new experience for me to learn another valued skill in teaching. It was both challenging and exciting. Here, I will share to you these experiences hoping that you will be able to also learn from it (and hopefully use these in your teaching practice!).
My First Video on Presenting our Research: What I learned, How it fits in my teaching practice, and Points for improvement
I first created an animated whiteboard presentation about my research on religious priming. Creating the online whiteboard presentation video challenged me to think on how to simplify the contents and present it in a few words. Putting too many contents (and words) in the presentation defeats the purpose of the video. Hence, I strived for simplicity and brevity to convey my message to the audience. It is a work that took more time than I expected. It may be because I am still starting to learn this new skill. I spent a total of 30 hours to finish my first version; thereafter, I did 5 revisions before I got satisfied with the work. Yet, after several days, I realized that it was better to first record my voice and let it serve as the guide for the animation and the contents. In general, it was a challenging task that tested my skill in simplifying the concepts and information while also taking my presentation skill to another level.
(Batara, Franco, Quiachon, & Sembrero, 2016)
An online whiteboard presentation video can be used as a preliminary material for a specific topic. It cannot be the discussion itself but an introduction that serves to stir the interest of the learners which then facilitates them to read more about the topic. Online whiteboard presentation video is useful research presentations. Creating my research presentation forced me to think about how to present the research in just 5 minutes but can still provide substantial information. Hence, it involves creative thinking, and with repeated revisions of the video, I mastered the contents in a simpler way. Similar to repeated exposure to a learning material, creating the whiteboard presentation video lets the creator develop mastery of that material.
The trial version of Moovly is limited in its features. I think this is also the case for other free trials. Hence, if I want the presentation to be more dynamic (and with no watermark), subscribing for a fee may help me (so I did subscribe at a later date!). However, even with the trial version, an acceptable whiteboard presentation video can already be produced. With that being said, careful planning on the contents and outline of the video have to be given more time so as to arrive at a more organized and well-thought-of output. I made mine by trial-and-error in which I realized several mistakes and needs for improvement after it was finished. Nevertheless, the experience was helpful in a sense that it made me more familiar with Moovly, so the succeeding revisions were not that laborious compared to the first draft. I also noticed that lengthy whiteboard presentation videos may be too much for an introductory lesson. I am thinking of creating whiteboard presentation videos of not more than 3 minutes in my classes and accompany it with the appropriate reading materials.
My Second Video on My Research Journey: What I learned, How it fits in my teaching practice, and Points for improvement
Because I used the same app (i.e., Moovly), I navigated through its features comfortably compared to when I was creating my whiteboard presentation. I still aimed to simplify the concepts and information throughout the video. This time, I started with recording my voice and synced my transitions and videos with it. Throughout my voice recording and several revisions, I realized that choosing the right words/phrases and emphasizing the relevant information were keys to effectively conveying my message. Along with this emphasis, the timing of the appearance of the key words or phrases in the video was also crucial for effective communication. Moreover, a video clip that fits the specific message had to be carefully chosen in order to supplement the learning experience of the audience. All of these considerations can only be done with elaborate planning – a lesson that I learned from the first video. In general, constant revision of the output had to be done to ensure that all considerations have been met.
In contrast to a whiteboard presentation, an animated educational video can be used both as an introduction to a lesson and the main lesson itself. It depends on the duration of the video wherein an introductory video needs to be shorter (less than 5 minutes) than a main-lesson video. This is because through animated videos, I can keep the interest of the learner by using demonstration video clips, interesting and relevant video clips, and even video clips that motivate a learner while doing a small activity in the animated video itself. This is how I am using animated educational video in my current classes. One advantage is, as with other online videos, the learner can refer to the video anytime and several times.
In my succeeding animated video creations, I plan to shoot my own videos especially if the lesson is about a specific skill such as analyzing data, gathering data through interviews, or designing an experiment. There are several applications which can help me record my screen and my face as I discussed the materials like screencast-o-matic, and even Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft powerpoint to name a few. I think if the places and faces in the video are familiar to the learners, then learners can easily connect and interact.
What are my general insights in these experiences?
I am currently incorporating the technology I learned in this course in my teaching practice. There are several reasons for this decision. First, learning a new technology in teaching is a worthwhile experience in itself. For me to be able to teach, I must first be able to learn what I teach. This is also the case with learning a technology that aids me in teaching other learners.
Second, using technology in teaching is efficient in terms of time and finances. It is time efficient in a sense that I can create an online material where learners can access anywhere and anytime – this prompted me to create my YouTube channel as part of my teaching platform. If there are questions and concerns, a learner can communicate with me. If there are a lot of these questions/concerns, I can cluster these and provide a section on frequently asked questions. It is also financially efficient in a sense that the learners do not need to spend money by going to the campus in order to attend a class or listen to instructions where such can be done online through a video or other online platforms.
I admit I had hesitation in the use of online technology in my classes. I was worried because doing a class online lacks face-to-face interaction wherein I will not be able to gauge the learners’ feelings and behaviors through their nonverbal behaviors and microexpressions. However, with more opportunities to attend or facilitate online classes during this pandemic, I realized that there are creative ways in which the learners’ feelings and behaviors can be gauged online. For example, I can directly ask them how they feel and their motivation to attend or finish the class. Another way is to engage them in online educational games or engagement activities during the online discussion. Also, asking the learners to do their own educational outputs and showcase these online, as what I experienced in this course, can increase interaction from students. For a class that needs demonstration, data analysis for example, a simple sharing of the screen in performing the analysis is already effective in teaching the learners. This can be done either synchronously or asynchronously. Hence, an online class may have disadvantages but there are also clear advantages in terms of its efficiency.
Third, the use of online technology in teaching facilitates creativity among learners. In this approach, the facilitator provides introductory online discussions and appropriate learning resources to the learners, then the learners have the autonomy to expand their knowledge and skills by going beyond the learning resources provided. This learner-centered approach fosters creativity in a way that learners create their own network of resources by navigating online in search for answers to their questions and for additional resources that can help them enhance their outputs. This is what I experienced in this course and also reflects the ideas of connectivism learning theory.
Finally, online classes and other online technology in teaching are relatively new fields for me. I have experienced it before but not on a daily basis. With the new situation brought about by COVID-19, most classes are moving online. Hence, learning this field offers me an opportunity for new teaching and learning experience – an experience that never ceases to excite me.
Do you have some online and media-related tools which will be helpful in teaching and learning? I am excited to hear it and hopefully share to my fellow learners and educators.
flowjame 