Video allows students to interact with content in many unique ways.
You are probably already aware of the role that video plays in the daily lives of most Americans, especially younger generations. Video already accounts for 80% of all consumer internet traffic, and the trend is continuing to grow. According to Forbes, YouTube reports that video consumption rises 100% every single year (Templeman, 2019). Leaders in med ed are starting to take notice of the powerful role video can play when it comes to engaging and interacting with students.
Video allows students to interact with content in many unique ways. Adding the extra ability for students to pause, rewind, and listen again can have significant impacts on their ability to make lasting connections to the content. With many of the tools available, faculty might find they have the ability to embed discussions, quiz questions, and references to other resources right into the video itself. Here’s looking at you, formative assessment!
Most commonly, we see educators using video to replace live lectures. This is a logical first step in moving to a distance or online education, and there are many tools (even free ones!) that help you make the transition. All you need to get started is a computer and a webcam, and many laptops already have these built right in! If you are in the market for a webcam though, here’s an article with some solid suggestions.
Once you’ve got your webcam plugged in, you are ready to go! Record your screen, yourself, or both using the software of your choosing and post the video online for your students to access. Here’s a quick overview of how to use Screencast-O-Matic to record a PowerPoint slideshow for your students.
Beyond simple lecture recordings, you may consider using tools that allow you to make your videos more interactive or even live online lectures! Here’s a list of software we’ve seen used successfully in Leo:
Apart from tools to help you utilize video in your online or distance learning course, think about using other tools that allow for synchronous and/or asynchronous collaboration. Nearpod and Padlet are some of our favorites. These could be used in conjunction with a live stream or posted for students to access as needed. Also, don’t forget about more traditional applications for collaborating online like G Suite for Education and Microsoft Office 365.
In Leo, you can provide links to tools like Padlet and Nearpod in the event materials, or even embed them into the event or course description.
Embed content in Leo! From the event screen, just click on the gear wheel and then choose “Description”. To add the embed code you copied from another source, just click the “Source” button and paste the HTML embed code. Voila! Your embedded content should appear!
Video is truly an important medium that your students are already consuming at an incredible pace. Why not tap into that trend and provide some video content of your own! Lights, camera…