A New Reason for Video Learning

Amid growing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, not only have businesses shuttered, but so have institutions. Schools across the globe have sent their students home to be with family in an effort to keep their communities safe. But minors require consistent access to education in order to meet developmental milestones along the way to adulthood. Now, teaching must continue to progress student achievement despite obstacles to access.

The most accessible solution to this problem is video tools. Easily-to-use video tools can provide teachers a conduit for communication with their students and a combination of video, audio, and textual-based learning opportunities. 

The Research on Multimedia Learning

According to the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning suggests that incorporating video and audio into learning materials can maximize working memory’s capacity in students of all ages. 

Equipping teachers with cost-effective video tools, and empowering students with multimedia and digital engagement tools may have always been an inevitable development in education, even before COVID-19.  

The Benefits of Educational Video on Engagement

A 2018 SAGE whitepaper outlining the effects of video on education and development surfaced these benefits to the point that it deserves to be household knowledge.

One 2017 study in Education and Information Technologies that SAGE highlights looked at case studies of medical university education from 2000-2014. The 14-year study found that watching videos was “beneficial for gaining clinical skills, changing attitudes, encouraging cognitive learning and retaining knowledge,” Sage explains. 

The researchers concluded the following from the whitepaper:

• Video is conclusively beneficial to learning outcomes. It results in stronger course performance, increased motivation and confidence, and the development of positive associations with learning. 
• Shorter videos, or a video series broken into shorter sections, results in commitment to viewing over longer periods of time and increased chances for repeat usage.
• Video allows teachers to show close-up, expert demonstrations and the option to view them repeatedly, which would “be impossible to adequately describe verbally or through written text.”

How Can Teachers Use Video to Solve Their Sticky Points?

Teleconferencing on conferencing tools like Zoom are bringing teachers into their students’ homes. But with the level of content teachers need to push out to, often, several classes of students on varying subjects, the ability to plan and record lessons ahead is crucial. 

Problem: Being present in real-time with students, one on one, giving individualized attention, is not sustainable in the current work-from-home environment. 

Solution: Teachers can work with more flexibility by creating and uploading content on their own schedule, allowing them to plan ahead. This frees up their time to focus, during regular school hours, on real-time conferences, and use off-hours to send content to students to work with on their own time. 

Problem: Video conferencing requires some technical onboarding and coordination in terms of scheduling.

Solution: Sending students video files can be more accessible, especially when the videos are uploaded directly to a student portal, and gives students the flexibility to access the content at their own pace.

Problem: Real-time video conferencing engages the student on one level: with interpersonal interaction.

Solution: Supplement real-time video conferencing with videos that incorporate editorial news footage, expert fieldwork footage (newsworthy or real-life footage) and face-on-camera shots of the teacher. 

Problem: Students are distracted at home, in a less structured environment for learning, and may struggle to digest a lot of text-based assignments.

Solution: Providing dynamic videos engages students in a visual way, while also combining text-based learning (just on-screen). This may engage multiple types of learners. 

For example- this engageing video about how volcanos are formed and other interesting facts:

Advice For New Educational Video Creators:

There are so many ways in which video tools can help teachers reach their students and engage in meaningful socialization and learning. Here are some ways to make your videos really land with impact:

1. Include video of your face on-screen, to stimulate real-life lectures and engagement. For younger children, this can provide emotional attachment and improve attention.
2. Include clear, simple images and video for instructional videos. Wochit’s Media Library has a Creative section that offers generic stock images and b-roll to illustrate points.
3. Color cards are great for longer sections of text. The blank, colored background provides room for long stretches of text.
4. Using Voice-Over can also stimulate your presence in real-time. Adding voice-over to video clips helps deepen explanations with both visual and auditory cues. 
5. Make several short videos. Breaking down lessons into smaller parts gives students the time to reflect between lessons, and also takes into consideration attention spans in younger students. 

Contact us to learn how Wochit can improve your online teaching/ learning experience.