We all remember times, say during sex education, when teachers show films that were created back in the 1970’s. Not only are these movies outdated, but also they do not capture students’ attention or engage them in learning. “Video in the Classroom” discusses ways for teachers to catch up with society and use videos effectively in the classroom.
Matthew Needleman, an elementary teacher, describes many useful ways to incorporate film/video into the classroom. The first thing he says is to use updated videos or films. Children today have grown up with really advanced technology, and that includes advances in films. Therefore, he says they will be turned off and disinterested in the old videos and not learn as much from them.
The next part was what I found most interesting. Mr. Needleman says that students may learn better by actually creating their own film. He has been doing film making in his classroom for years now. When incorporated correctly in a lesson, filmmaking allows students to begin thinking critically about subjects, a higher-level form of thought. In addition, they have the opportunity to work on their writing skills (writing a script), and understanding how media can influence peoples’ knowledge of something.
In terms of resources, Mr. Needleman said that Skype was an okay resource, but he said that if students have access to computers with a camera in them, preferably Macs, then iMovie is a great way for students to go in and create movies easily. Another resource is VLC, or Windows Movie Maker on PCs.
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