Video supports a multimedia learning environment and it may combine sound, text, image and/or real world situation. Although it is characterised as a linear presentational medium, video can provide high quantity and quality of knowledge transmissions bringing together experience and description of that experience enhancing students’ reflection on what they are doing.
Video data can be stored, manipulated and edited, but the most sophisticated hardware and software we will have, the better video quality we produce.
Videos are used as educational tools allowing learners to
- attend lectures/tutorial/laboratory instructions at their own time, pace and space;
- attend examples from the real world (capturing by teachers or using other video and audio archive resources);
- follow screenshot instructions (example how to construct a Gantt Chart video 1 and video 2.)
- attend real events, conferences, advertisements, an interview with an expert or an expert presentation;
- follow the process, procedures and different stages of doing something concrete (BBC, 2005, Good Shooting Guide)
- ‘think aloud’ and capture their voice and their own images as they are doing an activity; and
- attend a simulate event/situation where there is a potential risk and safety issue;
When someone attends an educational video, the production and the participants’ performance should be attractive for both learners and/or teachers. The enthusiasm of the participants, intonation, body language, articulation are couple factors that play a significant role in developing an educational purpose and influence the learners’ engagement. A clear video shot, short videos split into topic-related sequences, synchronised presentation slides to the sound, etc. are couple of factors that influence the video production and make the videos more effective for educational purposes. A “virtual teacher” can overcome the disadvantage of the passive of videos engaging students by posing questions with feedback and by having a good performance. A trick to give learners the opportunity for reflection is the videos to involve more than one person where they will present an alternative viewpoint on a specific topic. A role-playing situation allows learners to analyse different responses and behaviours gaining a greater insight into the issues at stake.
Video by Maria Limniou is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Computers in Education and not only 