Videos can be used in many ways in the classroom and in professional learning, and they can greatly benefit students if they’re engaging and thought-provoking.
They’re also valuable tools for educators who wish to access on-demand resources for students, who want to learn more new instructional strategies, or who want to expand their professional learning.
Check out the following four videos for help with your professional learning network (PLN), to supplement lessons about video essays, to help students self-assess, and more. You may want to use these videos with existing lessons next school year, or you may find yourself creating new lessons around the video content.
These videos are supplied by the editors of Common Sense Education [1], which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.
1. 9 Great Documentaries for High School Classrooms [2]
If you want to get your students’ attention, show them how real-world issues affect people. From bullying and racism to poverty and economics, the topics tackled in documentary movies can open kids’ eyes, encourage critical thinking, and spark great conversations. Better yet, when these films are shown as part of a lesson, we can give students opportunities to better understand and analyze what they’ve seen.
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2. Get Students to Self-Assess After A Quiz with Kahoot! [3]
Check out this simple formative assessment tip designed to make the most out of Kahoot. Go beyond quiz games and explore how Kahoot’s polling and surveying features can get students reflecting, self-assessing, and figuring out next steps for their learning.
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3. 10 YouTube Channels for Teaching Videos Essays [4]
YouTube has given life to some truly unique genres and types of videos. One of these–the video essay–can be a great tool for media-literacy education. Here’s why: Video essays ground their arguments in important cultural or political topics. For instance, some video essays might expose the way media represent gender or race. Others may look at how media evolve over time and interact with the world at large. Almost all of them present compelling questions or topics, then dig into them using media as evidence and explication. Most importantly, video essays model for students how YouTube can be a platform for critical communication.
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4. What’s a PLN? And 3 Ways Teachers Can Get Connected [5]
As teachers, we all have unique interests and needs when it comes to our professional learning. In addition to traditional PD, why not start your own PLN, or professional learning network? It’s a truly personalized way to learn from other like-minded teachers. Plus, through your PLN you can also share your own knowledge and insights with others. PLNs are all about supporting each other and growing as professionals!
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