Why are visual learning tools useful?
Students should be able to create a meaningful visual display. This could be to display knowledge of material, ability to communicate, and ability to make an impact on the audience.The Partnership for 21st Century Skills includes media literacy as an essential skill, demonstrated by the ability to analyze media and create media products.
They state that in order to analyze, students should be able to:
- Understand both how and why media messages are constructed, and for what purposes
- Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and points of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence beliefs and behaviors
- Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of media.
To create media products, students should be able to:
- Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation tools, characteristics and conventions
- Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate expressions and interpretations in diverse, multi-cultural environments.
When do teachers use video and photo tools?
Digital Storytelling:
People have been handing stories down from generation to generation by way of storytelling for generations. Digital Storytelling adds a visual element to this idea. Students can take, edit, post and include their own photos in their work. They can share them on a site like Flickr. Another site to look at is Creative Commons. Through this site - students can learn how to share their work without allowing companies to use their photos for their own profit.
Video Documentaries
Creating videos has become easier and now students can post them so that others can see them. By creating a video - students are engaging with the material, working with other students, getting their hands on the information, and increasing the odds that they will learn and remember the material. Students can then post their videos to a site like YouTube or TeacherTube.
David Jakes (2005) shares some great success stories in his article Making A Case For Digital Storytelling.
Photo and Video Tools
Here is a list of tools to check out with a brief description of each:
- Jing - allows users to snap a picture or make a quick video of anything on the computer screen and then share it.
- Microsoft's Photosynth - takes a collection of photos of a place or object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed 3-D space.
- Photobucket - is a photo and video site that provides free, web-based remix and editing tools.
- Picasa - is Google's software for organizing and editing digital photos. You can download the software and edit and store the photos on your computer.
- SlideShare - is a website to share presentations; users can upload, view and share their work, and have it converted to Flash for viewing.
- VoiceThread - is a collaborative, multimedia slide show site that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments.
- Windows Movie Maker - is a downloadable video creating and editing tool. (The link takes you to a version for Window 7 or Vista - If you have XP - you should already have Movie Maker on your computer)
Who is using video and photo tools for teaching and learning?
Family Stories
Dan Erikson, a Language Arts teacher in Billing, Montana, uses VoiceThread. Students interview family members and prepare a narration to go with 5 or 6 family photos. Students are writing with an authentic purpose, collaborating with others, and are working on their oral communication skills. They record these using VoiceThread and share with families.
Engaging Reluctant Writers
Edwina Martin from Kansas City Missouri School District helps reluctant writers by encouraging them to use Toondoo. They do research, write an outline, create storyboards, and select appropriate vocabulary to convey their opinions about social issues with the idea of influencing others.
Teaching Languages (The written word)
Allyssa Andersen from the Traver School in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin has students take pictures around their community. They create digital stories entirely in Spanish using VoiceThread and then cartoons using GoAnimate.
Teaching Languages (The spoken word)
Sue Allen from Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pennsylvania uses avatars created in Voki. Students post part of a dialogue in the target language and post so other students can peer review. These can be recorded using a phone. They post their code in a shared Google spreadsheet. This also gives them a chance to hear themselves.
Similar ideas can be used in math and science to create tutorials or describe a process.
If you are using some of these ideas (or something similar) - please post your ideas and thoughts as comments. To get started using one of these tools - either find someone that is already using it to help you get started - or use the sites help and tutorial section.
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