Why are Instructional Videos a Good Vehicle for Learning?

Instructional videos can serve many purposes in the classroom. For starters, they can help hook the audience (your students) on a new topic. Lead into a new unit with a video clip and have the students guess what you will be studying next. Additionally, instructional videos help to increase student engagement during all parts of a unit. They can help otherwise dull content come to life, they can help students who are uninterested connect to the material, and they can add variety to a lesson. Not to mention that videos can be used for any subject, any grade level, and any type of learner.

Learning Strategies for Instructional Video Viewing

There are many learning strategies for using instructional videos. They can be used to differentiate the material being taught. Students with no prior exposure to the concept at hand can be assigned an intro video while students with prior knowledge can watch a more detailed or complex clip. Videos are also nice for differentiation because students can pause, rewind, or stop the video so that it is running at their desired pace. This also allows for students to watch the video multiple times if they just aren’t understanding what they are supposed to be learning or need to take a second look.

Instructional videos can also be more engaging for students than listening to a long lecture for a few different reasons. For starters, it helps break up the lesson. Instructional videos can include exciting graphics, clarifying captions, and filters that draw the audience in. When used during instruction, this can help refocus students and keep them engaged.

Simply playing an instructional video may not be enough to engage students. Educators will need to be specific with their purposes for implementing a video. Before playing the instructional video, turn students’ attention to the goal at hand. “While you watch, pay attention to…” Teachers can require students to take notes, write down key ideas, or look for a specific topic that is mentioned. This helps keep students from zoning out and gives them a clear purpose for why they need to watch.

Instructional Video Tools

Vialogue

There are many web tools available out there to help you get the most out of the instructional videos you choose to use in the classroom. One such tool is called Vialogues. Vialogue, which stands for ‘video plus dialogue’, is for online videos but includes a group discussion feature. Students can interact with the videos by adding comments that appear in a time stamped order. Teachers can use this as a way for students to respond to posted questions, reflect on what they see, or comment with any thoughts they have. It is also unique because not only can users add their own videos, but they can search for videos (climate change, wars, even Beyonce…) and add comments to those videos too.

Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle is a fan favorite among many in the educational world. It holds students accountable by tracking if they are actually watching their assigned video, how long they spend in different sections, and if they are comprehending what they are learning. Teachers can add voice comments and questions throughout the video that students need to pause and answer before going to the next section. Users are able to upload their own videos, or use already made videos (Khan Academy, YouTube, etc). This website’s basic version is free for teachers and students.

Hapyak

Another great instructional video tool is called Hapyak. This engaging video tool allows users to annotate their videos from YouTube or Vimeo and create multiple choice quizzes or free-text questions. You are able to add text anywhere in your video, insert links, or overlay an image. You can also share commentaries and link any specific moment in your video for easy viewing.

Blubbr

Blubbr is one last instructional video tool that deserves a nod. This tool lets users create quizzes on top of YouTube videos. These quizzes, which are called Trivs, can be designed to be used while the students are watching the clip or after it is over. What is unique about Blubbr is that feedback is given to students after every question they answer. This way students can monitor their own understanding of the content and know if they need to focus a bit deeper on the material at hand.

The use of videos in the classroom can be an effective tool to better engage students on the material they are learning. The visual aspect of videos allows the teacher to do less telling and more showing. Videos not only deepen student understanding, but spark interest and help to clarify questions. They are a great vehicle for learning and worth implementing into any lesson, on any subject, on any given day.

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When are Instructional Videos Appropriate to Use?

Instructional videos are repeatedly used, but when are they most appropriately inserted into instruction? In the age of COVID-19, just about anytime it seems. Teachers are finding that they can still meet educational standards by pre-recording themselves teaching. These videos are being used by students in a hybrid model who are not going into the classroom each day, but as a way to still “see” and hear their teacher instructing. Instructional videos are another nice way for students to re-listen to a lesson if they missed it or if they need to hear it a second time for clarification or understanding.

Instructional videos are also a great way for educators to share the workload (think one teacher records the math lessons for the week, one records reading, one science, etc). Some teachers are even having the option of using pre-recorded lessons to take the place of needing a sub. The options for instructional videos continue to evolve and fine tune themselves, and the market for users is only going to continue to grow as we navigate this world during and after this most recent pandemic.

Types of Instructional Videos

There are many types of instructional videos that are popular amongst teachers. Some teachers record themselves during each of their live instructions. They use these recordings either for students who have missed class, to share with other teachers, or so students can refer back to the video if they have questions. Zoom has a screen recording feature built right into it, so teachers simply have to click  “start recording.” Others may prefer using Loom or Ezvid, both free for teachers.

Educators also use instructional videos to record themselves prior to meeting with students. They then use this recording to play for students while they are all together on Zoom. Some teachers do this for the purpose of being able to make sure they present the material in a way that sounds clear and concise. Additionally, some educators don’t like the pressure of “live” teaching from home with an unknown audience in the background with their students (parents, grandparents, etc.). Recording their lesson ahead of time gives them the chance to make sure they do it to their liking and free from mistakes.

Another type of instructional video that is being used is pre-recorded videos that take the place of having to get a substitute teacher. Think how differently students respond to their classroom teacher versus when a substitute is in the room. The teacher has the background knowledge and experience in the curriculum, and in many ways it just makes sense to let the teacher do the lesson (some teachers also enjoy the perk of then not having to use any sick time). Additionally, teachers are using pre-recorded videos to ensure that their recording doesn’t have any students in it (data privacy), which can sometimes be tricky during live teaching since teachers are typically calling on students for participation.

Lastly, teachers like using videos to take students beyond where they could otherwise go (think virtual field trip) or for science experiments that would be hard to conduct from the basement of one’s house or inside the classroom walls. There are so many types of instructional videos ranging from the ones teachers personally make to the ones available for educators to insert into their lessons. What makes these videos engaging for students to watch? There are a few things educators should pay attention to when choosing or creating an instructional video.

Strategies for Creating Engaging Instructional Videos

There are a few things educators should remember when creating or deciding which instructional videos to use during teaching. Most importantly, the video should support the instructional goal at hand. It shouldn’t take the place of direct, explicit instruction, but should compliment it. The video should be engaging and hold students’ attention. It may even have places built in for teachers to pause and ask questions to check for student understanding.

When teachers are creating their own videos, they should think about the environment where they are creating them. Sometimes it might help draw the students in by changing location (think going outside for a science video or changing to another location in one’s house to help attract student attention). Are students learning about healthy foods during health class? Why not open your fridge and talk about the items inside. Is the next math unit on measurement? Do a live demo of measuring different items in your house. The students will be sure to enjoy another look into their teacher’s life.

The videos used and created should also integrate digital tools. Teachers can use engaging platforms such as Powtoon or Biteable to grab students’ attention. These fun video design sites give teachers an exciting starting point for their video creations, as well as a jumpstarted way to model a presentation tool students could use for assignments. There are dozens of software options out there for creating animated movies to help make instructional videos successful.

Instructional videos are not a new tool in any educator’s teaching toolbox. However, they are growing and evolving to help with the many different learning models students are finding themselves in this year. They help engage learners, they compliment instruction, and they give flexible teaching options for educators. Instructional videos have been around for ages, are now being fine tuned and enhanced with digital tools, and are only going to continue to be a “go to” teaching tool.

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