Camera, Sound, Action....... tools for teaching

Navigating the music industry over the last 15 years I have had a healthy dose of editing photos, recording sound and making videos. This week I am looking at these activities from a teaching perspective. How can we use images, podcasts and video to create effective learning programs?

Images

No doubt about it images are a very effective way of communicating information - a picture tells 1000 words and all that.  Gardner's multi intelligences theory states visual media can also help students develop their ability to define objects and space, and their motor skills in a way written material can't.    

Images incorporated with written text and other formats such as music, can be a very powerful method to show a large amount of information quickly, and to create new concepts.  Images can also add colour and humour and can be a saviour for a drab piece of academic writing - I know this first hand :-)  Images also provide a fresh and different perspective for readers.

I won't 'focus' on this too long because I have my eye on the video section and I have been reprimanded already for lengthy blogs. Just to ensure my photo editing skills are not too rusty, here is a picture of the back of my head taken in my mac photo booth and resized with some text using Gimp software.  You don't want to see the front this early in the morning - trust me!

Podcasts

I have always been keen to delve further into the world of podcasts. My experience was limited to listening to ABC national radio (this guy knows how to party).  Today I found a whole world of pod goodness out there.  Everything from incredible adventures in the wild and cutting edge political debate through to how to look like Justin Beiber and I only scratched the surface. 

In the spirit of building a 'starter pack', below are some podcasts I found relavant to me as a pre-service teacher and to any future students I may have the pleasure of sharing with.  I have included the more serious ones - although I was tempted.

The ABC's Indegnous podcasts are a wonderful series exploring everything relating to indigenous Australia from bush remedies and biographies to current affairs and politics.   A valuable resource to ensure a broad range and understanding of both modern and historical indigenous issues.

International Audio tales is a varied selection of stories from around the world narrated by children and teachers.  This could be an effective site to utilise in early primary reading activities.  How much fun having a child from across world tell your class a story.

The Queensland State Library webcasts have a broad range of interviews with interesting and notable Australians.  Covering a range of topics relating to Australia these would be a great source of inspiration in class to kick-start issues discussion and development

The Guardian Tech Weekly podcast is a rich source of all the latest innovations and innovators in the technology industry.  A great place to listen in for professional development and to stay one step ahead of the kids!

The Nature weekly podcast explores the world of science and the environment.  A adventurous and inspiring source of knowledge about science, travel and the environment.

In Wunderground meteorologists and weather experts explore the latest news and development in global weather patterns offering an interesting take on weather studies.  After all the weather is still the most talked about domestic topic.

The TED talks webcasts have an ever growing range of inspirational speakers on topics of global interest.   TED provides an often humble insight into the big issues for both teachers and students.

Podcasts offer the opportunity to teach and learn using audio and music. According to the VAK (Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic) learning style, auditory learners are most effectively taught utilising verbal material.  Gardner's multi intelligences theory states musical and linguistc learners respond well to learning through sound and words.   

In my view podcasts offer a more accessible format for teaching and learning than video, as most students have access to a listening device (ipod) and a recording device (mobile phone).  Podcasts can also be listened to while doing other things unlike video which can be all consuming.  

Here is another study room creation - my attempt at a Podcast.  In search of something to talk about I chose the current dengue fever outbreak in my suburb of Whitfield in Cairns.

(Image from www.skeeterbite.info; Music John Butler Trio Oceans)

Videos

I had two very helpful budding actors join me this afternoon to explore the world of video.  We made it all the way from the desk to the stairs for filming. I used Imovie to edit and Gimp to make the graphics.  Tashi and Polo did the choreography.

(music from Edith Piaf and Puccini)

I found video to be a diverse media format to work with.  For me it is the superstar out of the group discussed today as it provides loads of options to include effects and just about all other forms of media.  It is also a very creative, inviting and fun forum for collaborate work to keep the social constructivists happy.  Teachers can provide clear and effective scaffolding e.g. choosing content outcomes, while still allowing students to have creative control.  I also like video's potential to develop both declarative and procedural knowledge working with content and a skills. 

Conceptualising video around content, recording and editing all provide opportunities to deliver both declarative and procedural knowledge as prescribed by the Dimensions of Learning (Marzano and Pickering 1997).  As video activities can be collaborative and shared and researched online they are supported by social constuctivist and connectivist learning theories.  

Bye for now.  Thanks for the comments and for the other blogs out there which keep me sane.

P.S. For anyone wondering how I got the speech bubbles on my video.  I found an empty speech bubble image and then used Gimp to add text and saved each image as a png.  You can choose this option when exporting.  In iMovie you need to turn on your advanced settings in preferences.  Drag the png image and drop it over the part of the video you want to put it in click on it to bring up a drop menu.  On that you choose picture-to-picture which includes the image as part of the video image.  You can choose position, colour, fade in etc.


References

Marzano R. J., Pickering D. J (1997). Dimensions of Learning: A Teacher's Manual. ASCD publishing. Denver, Colarado