Animated Presentations
Animated presentations can be used to differentiate instructional assessments in the classroom as well as allowing diversified presentation possibilities for the students. The Animoto video below was made as part of a class assignment. Animoto was easy to use and the basic service was free. Animoto also offers different subscription services for those that would like to make longer videos and have more format options. Students could use this in a variety of ways in many different subject areas. I would be interested in utilizing this to see where the student's creativity took them for a guided project assignment.
Animoto Video: May 2011
Where To Find Good Lesson Videos
I decided to add this area because there are many websites out there that have great educational videos done by teachers and students alike. While student teaching I was really shocked to find that many educators in the classroom were not aware of some of these opportunities to add short clips into their curriculum. Engaging students is a priority in the learning process. If they aren't engaged, they will not learn!
School Tube:
I haven't met very many people at this point that haven't heard of YouTube, but what I have met are plenty that have not heard of School Tube. School Tube gives the ability to educational and school related videos to be posted by school name. It is a great way for students to post video productions of their work and have it annexed under their school name to share with others. I've seen great one act plays, song remixes, and just plain silly things on this site. What a way to showcase the talent at your school. I would advise adhering to your districts policies concerning online videos with the school's name and students involved. If it is cleared with your administration, then what a great tool for the classroom! Check out my favorite video HERE.
Teacher Tube:
I really liked Teacher Tube because there were so many videos that related to lessons in the classroom, but also professional development. Videos range from power point voice overs to the silly teachers who dress up and rap to engage their students for learning. What I really found out was that my students loved what I could find in Teacher Tube for them, and they loved knowing they could look things up that dealt with our current lesson.