Video-assisted learning is a trend that is picking up momentum, but you’ve probably heard a myth or two on the subject. Here are 5 common myths about learning with video – along with the truth of the matter – to see if adding video learning to your lessons is a good fit.
Read on to find out the truth about video-assisted learning in education. Or learn more about myViewBoard Clips video-assisted learning solutions.
The topic of video-assisted learning is slowly creeping into the minds of many educators. When thinking about using educational videos during class time, perhaps your first thought is the chaotic last couple days of term. Exhausted teachers press play and nurse their coffee in the corner, finally enjoying a moment of peace, while their students blankly watch the screen or just openly chat with friends.
However, the modern classroom is flipping that image on its head. Video-assisted learning is gaining momentum as the latest education technology (EdTech) trend. Moreover, its effectiveness as a learning tool is being backed up by an ever-growing stack of research papers.
The key is that educational videos offer an engagingly visual learning format, getting the point across quicker than any lecture or textbook can. Using video-assisted learning platforms can save teachers time, and setting video production assignments can motivate students who struggle with written tasks.
Below, we challenge some of the myths surrounding the use of video-assisted learning in school. Hopefully, we can inspire you and your students to have a go at using video in class yourselves.
Myth #1: Using Video in Class Only Leads to Passive Learning
If we are talking about those end-of-term, “let’s just play a movie” type video-based classes, then maybe passive learning is the best to hope. However, that is not what the current EdTech video learning trend is about. Instead, educational video content provides just one aspect of class activity, supporting the overall learning objectives.
When covering a complicated topic, teachers can use an educational video to provide an engaging introduction to the key ideas, concepts, or themes. This helps to cement the central points in every student’s mind, by appealing to a wide range of learning styles.
As the media-hosting site, Cincopa mentions on its blog, “The average student attention span is 7-15 minutes depending on their age.” The video-assisted learning trend is not about putting on a video for the whole duration of the class. It is about leveraging the rich learning potential the medium has to offer, to quickly engage students in potentially tricky topics from the outset.
To ensure there is active learning taking place, set questions or discussion topics before you press play. After the video, or even at moments where you can pause, students can submit their answers based on what they just learned, or discuss their ideas in small groups.
Check out more about how to use educational videos in your classroom here: Effective Educational Videos in the Classroom
Myth #2: Using Video in Class is Time-consuming to Prepare
So now, we are telling you that on top of all that marking, and report writing, and lesson planning, you have to make or find educational videos for each class too?
Do not worry — it could not be easier. In fact, the work has already been done for you.
There are dedicated online platforms with ready-made educational video content already curated according to whatever subject and age group you are working with. Many also allow you to easily customize content into your own lesson plan. Such video-assisted learning platforms include myViewBoard Clips powered by Boclips, TEDEd, and the Khan Academy.
Many of these platforms are sharing communities, so if you and your students do want to record your own videos, you can post them and help boost learning in other classrooms around the globe too. Of course, there is always YouTube as well, though it is not education-focused.
Start to build your own list of education video providers here: 18 Unexpected Free Educational Videos Website For Teachers
Myth #3: Video-assisted Learning Is Intimidating and Will Require a Steep Learning Curve
The wide majority of students use video platforms on a daily basis — whether that is on YouTube, social media, or news sites. That means if you are struggling, your students can find your source material for you. Set them homework assignments of finding relevant educational videos online, review their submissions, and then share the best ones in class. Crowdsource the task.
Better yet, set your students the assignment of making their own videos. The majority of students have their own handheld devices, such as smartphones or tablets. By putting them into small production teams, where they can brainstorm ideas, film their own scenes, and submit their final directors’ cut on whatever topic you are covering in class. Teaching others is a tried and tested means of learning any subject more thoroughly, and it gives your students a chance to show off their creativity.
Myth #4: Using Video in Class is an Intellectual Property Minefield
Many textbooks come with warnings about the copyright implications if you photocopy and share even just one of their pages. DVDs often come with exact specifications about when and where they can and cannot be screened.
Nevertheless, with videos in the EdTech world, the emphasis is often on crowdsourced learning. That means teachers and thought leaders from around the world are making their content available for you, just to give you and your class a helping hand. The education sector has come together to help boost learning for every student, everywhere, and the medium of choice is video.
For example, myViewBoard Clips powered by Boclips is a copyright-cleared educational video platform that helps teachers navigate their way through video-assisted learning, worry-free.
Myth #5: Using Video in Class Will Replace Teachers
Like any technology, educational videos free up an educator’s time for higher value-added tasks. That means that you can outsource explaining the more complex aspects of the lesson to ready-made educational videos.
That liberates your lesson planning time to devise more creative activities to put students’ learning into practice. It also leaves you more time and energy in class to direct and guide students’ discussions and application of their newly acquired knowledge.
Rather than replacing teachers, video-assisted learning transforms teachers from lecturers into guides and mentors.
Try out Video-Assisted Learning Today and See the Benefits for Yourself
With easy-to-use, education-focused online materials waiting for just a click away, you could be leveraging the power of video-assisted learning in your very next class.
As a dedicated education solution provider, ViewSonic is offering a video-assisted learning platform to help you get the most out of educational video content. myViewBoard Clips powered by Boclips is a commercial-free, copyright-cleared, and fully curated educational video platform, designed to help educators embrace video-assisted learning with ease.
To learn how to get the most out of video-assisted learning, you can read Video-Assisted Learning Insights: The Struggle for Teachers to Access Video Content whitepaper for more information. Or check out myViewBoard Clips for a complete video-assisted learning solution.