Week 4 Reflection task 3 - Digital video

Reflection task 3 - Technology group 2: Digital Video

Image retrieved from http://petapixel.com/2013/01/12/comic-the-difference-between-taking-analog-and-digital-photos/

Digital video (DV) refers to the capturing, editing and storage of video footage in digital formats (The Computer Language Company,2014). Prior to the development of digital video, the capture, manipulation and sharing of video in analog formats was expensive, time-consuming and often required specialised technical knowledge of audiovisual equipment in order to create a satisfactory product.  These factors made engaging with the production of videos largely inaccessible to most learners in a primary school setting. Advances in digital video technology have seen the capture and manipulation of video footage being readily available through devices such as digital cameras, smart phones and iPads (Brooks-Young, 2010). Furthermore, the rise of video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo has facilitated the online publication of digital video; enabling users to upload and share footage with a global audience. 

Windows Movie Maker is a free video editing program which enables users to create, edit and prepare digital videos for publishing. Digital video clips, photographs, text, music and voice-overs can be imported in a range of formats and added to slides, which can then be manipulated via tools within the program. Through the wide range of Movie Maker tools it is possible for the user to add themes, transitions, effects and modifications to each slide; facilitating creative production of a unique digital product. Completed videos can be uploaded to online video sharing sites such as YouTube, enabling them to be embedded in additional websites. In producing and sharing their videos in this way, users have the potential to present their digital creations to the world.

Through user-friendly video editing software like Movie Maker, 21st century learners are now capable of capturing, producing and consuming video footage in a digital format. According to Howland, Jonassen and Marra (2012) digital technologies, including video, have the capacity to be employed as powerful meaning-making tools in many learning areas. Digital video enables users and producers to access, analyse and produce information in visual formats which Brooks-Young (2010, p.77) suggests is where a ‘significant number of students function best’.

Classroom applications for digital video 

The applications for the use of digital video in the classroom are many and varied. At a rudimentary level, a teacher may use an online video clip as an engaging tool to begin a lesson (in much the same way they would use a storybook or static image). In this way, the learner is positioned as a ‘consumer’ of the digital product; the expectation is that they watch, listen and take in the information presented in the video. This type of application sits within the substitution and augmentation levels of the SAMR model; whereby, learning is not necessarily transformed but enhanced by the use of a digital product (Anderson, 2013). Some augmentation is evident in the capacity for video clips to present information in multiple modes (visual and auditory). Here is an example of a clip which I personally used in this way, to engage learners in a new unit about local geography:

On reflection, whilst this clip was initially produced and used as an engagement tool, it could also be used to provide learners with a model of how to create their own Google map presentations using Movie Maker. If digital video were to be used by learners in this way it could be considered a redefinition of learning, by facilitating the creation of a previously inconceivable product.

Digital video could also be used by learners as a presentation tool to demonstrate knowledge and understanding across a range of KLAs; allowing for significant modification to task design. Where written reports augmented with images are a common presentation format in primary assessment, learners could be instructed in how to develop a digital video with which to present their learning. This modification of how students present evidence of learning could provide opportunities for collaboration, as editing software such as Movie Maker enables the splicing of multiple videos and digital elements. In addition, in uploading their video to an online platform, learners could engage with experts about their findings; providing opportunities for students to deepen understanding of concepts. Here is an example of a science report presented in digital format, a task which could be duplicated by learners in a primary or secondary classroom:

References

Anderson, M. (2013). SAMR for purposeful use of educational technology. Retrieved 

                     from http://ictevangelist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/SAMR-flow-chart.pdf

Brooks-Young, S. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use: Learning with web and mobile technologies. 

                     California, USA: Corwin.

EdTechTeacher. (2014). Video in the classroom. Retrieved from 

                     http://edtechteacher.org/tools/multimedia/video-classroom/

Howland, J.L., Jonassen, D., & Marra, R.M. (2012). Meaningful learning with technology (4th ed.). Boston, USA: 

                     Pearson.

The Computer Language Company. (2014). Definition of: DV. Retrieved from 

                     http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/42112/dv