Thinking About the Effective Use of Video
The economics is simple to understand: Video production costs are dropping while the cost of the printed word is rising. Ergo, the increasing use of video for educational purposes. The question on my mind is whether anyone really understands how to effectively utilize videos for teaching and learning.
I've used two types of videos in my economics classes. One type utilizes professionally produced segments illustrating key economic issues. These tend to be about 15 minutes long and they include interviews with experts, narration, music, and scenes of everyday economic life. The second type of video I've used are those that I've produced in my office. These have me talking about an economic issue for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Regardless of the type of video, I've always implicitly understood that videos are primarily devices to increase student engagement. The real learning takes place as students, their interest piqued by a video, approach the tasks associated with deep learning with an attitude that makes them want to think and learn. The linked CBS News item tells a different story.
Increasingly, videos are being used as the primary or even sole learning tool for some kinds of courses. The title of the story asks the question, "Can Video Replace the Written Word?" I don't want to seem old fashioned, but my answer is a resounding, "NO!"
It strikes me that watching a video is even more passive than listening to a lecture. If we want to create an active learning classroom environment using video then we need to create interactive video presentations. Interspersing videos with questions, surveys, and activities promises to increase the value of videos as learning tools. But videos should still mostly be used as supplements because the written word is indispensable for most educational purposes. For proof, I offer you Meet the Press. Yes, you can tape the show, but you'll notice that the producers offer during the closing credits to sell viewers a transcript. Most of us don't need a transcript because the level of information content we require is satisified by watching the show. Professionals, however, need a deeper understanding and so they buy and read the transcript. Our students often need a deeper understanding too, and so faculty should assign a textbook and students should buy and read it. If the typical student is anything like me, maybe they should read it more than once. It won't hurt the textbook a bit if it's read over again.
I've used two types of videos in my economics classes. One type utilizes professionally produced segments illustrating key economic issues. These tend to be about 15 minutes long and they include interviews with experts, narration, music, and scenes of everyday economic life. The second type of video I've used are those that I've produced in my office. These have me talking about an economic issue for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Regardless of the type of video, I've always implicitly understood that videos are primarily devices to increase student engagement. The real learning takes place as students, their interest piqued by a video, approach the tasks associated with deep learning with an attitude that makes them want to think and learn. The linked CBS News item tells a different story.
Increasingly, videos are being used as the primary or even sole learning tool for some kinds of courses. The title of the story asks the question, "Can Video Replace the Written Word?" I don't want to seem old fashioned, but my answer is a resounding, "NO!"
It strikes me that watching a video is even more passive than listening to a lecture. If we want to create an active learning classroom environment using video then we need to create interactive video presentations. Interspersing videos with questions, surveys, and activities promises to increase the value of videos as learning tools. But videos should still mostly be used as supplements because the written word is indispensable for most educational purposes. For proof, I offer you Meet the Press. Yes, you can tape the show, but you'll notice that the producers offer during the closing credits to sell viewers a transcript. Most of us don't need a transcript because the level of information content we require is satisified by watching the show. Professionals, however, need a deeper understanding and so they buy and read the transcript. Our students often need a deeper understanding too, and so faculty should assign a textbook and students should buy and read it. If the typical student is anything like me, maybe they should read it more than once. It won't hurt the textbook a bit if it's read over again.
posted by Ronald M. Ayers at 5:36 PM
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