What do you think the future of education will look like? Will students finally be given the opportunities they deserve to show what they know and grow into lifelong learners? Video is one excellent way to engage students in more meaningful learning and opens doors most teachers never knew existed. Allowing students to find their voices using video can help them take ownership of their own learning.
Showing teachers how video can be used in their classroom and how it will benefit student learning is necessary. Having this modeled for them in the form of professional learning using video can be very helpful. Teachers may use curated videos with their students to help introduce students to skills or review already learned skills, but there are more productive ways to use video with students. Providing feedback to students can be stressful and many times, hard to accomplish on a regular basis. What if you used video to record your thoughts so students can hear and see what you are talking about? All of this and more can be done using Screencastify in your classroom.
The uses of video in the classroom expand daily as teachers begin to stretch the boundaries of what they thought was possible. It is so easy to record videos that allow students to communicate or give each other peer feedback using video as well. Instead of waiting for students to type up a reflection at the end of a lesson; why not ask them to record their thoughts and reflections using video? Have a student explain how they solved a problem or why they chose that answer using video. This process can be completed in less time and is more helpful for students to explain their thinking too. Think of it as having mini one on one conferences with each student without wasting instructional time. Do you have students that struggle to write their thoughts down, or need accommodations? What if the student recorded what they normally would write?
Some teachers may believe creating their own videos is difficult or time-consuming, but it’s simple. Using Screencastify allows teachers to record videos with a couple click of the mouse. Integration with Google Drive allows for automatic saving and easy sharing with students. Want a YouTube link for your video? That is also available without leaving the Screencastify Chrome extension. All these easy to use features are free with the Google Chrome extension. Another great aspect of using a Google Chrome extension is that it can be used on any platform; PC, Mac, and Chromebook (Screencastify, n.d.).
For teachers who want to expand their knowledge base and learn about new and innovative ways to use Screencastify with their students; look no further than the free, video-based professional learning on the Screencastify website. Learn the basics along with engaging ideas for how to use the program in the classroom. Then extend your thinking into the Google-driven classroom and learn how to integrate Google and Screencastify in every lesson planning process. Screencastify also provides a video course just for students to learn about more ways to use the program and learn about digital citizenship. After completing these idea-laden professional learning opportunities; you will receive a digital badge from Screencastify to show you mean business. But, there is more; they also provide learning guides with dozens of examples of how to use the extension in your classroom with your students (Screencastify, n.d.). There will always be teachers who fear the change that is needed to use video in the classroom, but this type of change is the type you cannot ignore.
Innovative, engaging and easy to use with students are just a few of the reasons why using video in the classroom needs to be considered by all teachers. Using Screencastify just makes your innovative ideas blossom into riveting classroom adventures. Students will gain confidence in speaking and sharing their ideas with their classmates and beyond the classroom walls. If you truly want to help students become lifelong learners and allow them to reach beyond the norm; using video can start your students on the path to independent and critical thinking. Join the wave now!
References
Screencastify.com (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.screencastify.com/
Mischnick Mindset 