Video Lessons

I came across this "Teacher Tip" in the new Origins Guide - I think it will get kids talking if you don't use it as a written exit ticket, because it's not so content-oriented:

This is something I struggle with as well. I feel as if videos get a bit monotonous and students sometimes tune them out and don't pay attention unless they are connected to an assignment. I do feel that the information in them are vital an would like some suggestions on how to change it up occasionaIly. The tips Julianne gave was good. Have you considered doing a virtual discussion? Last year I created a google doc and shared it with all my students and prior to watching the video I gave them rules about our class doc, no innappropriate commentary, statements, or images. Everybody is required to write at least one question they have from the video, try not to repeat questions. I would type a few of the guiding questions through out and at the end of the video I would give them five minutes for everyone to attempt to answer one question from another student and any unanswered questions we would discuss aloud at the end of the five minutes. because I added 3-5 extra questions there was always unanswered questions. I would start with some of the answered questions and give kudos to students that answered then and give them the opportunity to provide more detail on their thoughts which would loosen the room up for open discussion.

Thanks for sharing this Kamilah Williams , this is an interesting strategy. Would you mind sharing an example of it? I think this would work well for my AP World class but I'm also wondering how it works with other groups. Unfortunately just like Ashley Hartman noted, I usually do an EdPuzzle or other worksheet with questions/graphic organizer to fill in so this is a weakness for me as well. Julianne Horowitz 's tip from Origins is a good quick check in which I'll start to incorporate but depending on the length of the video, I might need a longer assignment to keep them more engaged.

This would largely depend on the number of students you have or the way your classroom is structured, but could you have them work in pairs on a T-Chart? One side could be evidence from the video supporting the guiding question, one side against? Obviously your groupings could change based on the video and what you're hoping they'll gain from it.

Kamilah Williams I love the virtual discussion idea! Do you have an example that you could share? Do you have students put their names in their discussion posts, or do you allow them to remain anonymous and use the version history to ensure everyone has participated? 

Sorry I took so long to reply, the school year started rolling and I just now feel as if I had time to breathe. So It's just a google doc and I sometimes add the questions and assign it as a tasks to students at random and other times i just share it with everyone in class. At the end of the semester I delete all the tasks and unshare all my docs that I have shared throughout the semester so I don't have an actual example as I haven't done it this year. So if I assign the task everyone can see who is responding but if no one is looking while the person is typing then it could be anonymous. But the point of it is to get them to talk openly and this gives me a chance to let them know they are on the right track with their thinking and gives them comfort in knowing that what they would say is not wrong. Which in turn leads to an easier open discussion about what we are watching.

Looking forward to reading some of the responses here, as I feel the same way when it comes to videos. Something I found that helps a bit with shorter videos. I have students take notes on a guided question. After the first play of the video, I’ll have students turn to their partner to do a notes exchange and discussion of the question. I then play the video again and ask them to add one more detailed piece of information to support the answer(s) they got from their first viewing. 

Oh trust me, I hear you on that... I blinked and suddenly we are two weeks away from fall break! 

I love this idea!

Ashley Hartman although you may only be able to use Diffit in trial form, if you put in the URL of the video, Diffit will spit out a lesson plan that you can tailor to your needs.  There are quite a few options that generate thoughtful question that students answer themselves and then share with a group.  I have used it a couple of time in my Government course and "no one can hide," and they have to have been engaged to use content from the video to answer....

I am going to try this when we get back from fall break! I used Diffit when it first came out a couple of years ago, but have forgotten about it. Thanks for the tip!