Capturing hard to teach concepts

This is an entry about Screen Recordings. I think that Screen Recordings are great for teaching students concepts like procedures for the mechanics of writing term papers for example. Personally, a learning unit that I would use Screen Recording for would be the concept of importing a graphic into PowerPoint. I like for my students to make PowerPoint presentations. The problem is that many students are not sure of how to import graphics into PowerPoint and specifically how to size and crop an image, which is critical to know. I would create a Screen Recording of the steps for importing an image into PowerPoint and then steps that would be needed to size and crop the picture. Another Screen Recording that I would teach would be how to make the transitions in PowerPoint. It is critical that transitions enhance a presentation, not take away from it. As an educator, I want my students to do their best work when presenting their information about the views of Federalists v. AntiFederalists or what position(s) were taken on issues between the North and the South during the U.S. Civil War. Simply put, it behooves me to make sure that my students have essential computer skills,so that they can function effectively in the school setting and in life in general. Screen Recordings are best used for concepts that students have trouble understanding time after time. Screen Recordings are not used as often as some other classroom tools, but it is a tool that can a great help to any teacher.

Student Success is only a Flickr away

I have recently discovered the wonderful software called Flickr. It allows you to upload and share photos in a controlled setting, where you can maintain your privacy and your student's privacy as well. I have thought about the idea of incorporating Flickr into a learning unit on the history of my town. I believe that I could have students take pictures of older homes in my town, documenting where founders of the town use to live. My students could use Flickr to document how some of the older businesses in town have changed over time. My students would write reports about the history of the businesses, how they were started and the impact that certain historical events like World War II and the rationing of goods had on these businesses.

My students could also use Flickr to document how traffic patterns have changed in recent decades with the influx of new people moving from nearby major cities to avoid paying high taxes. How would the increase in traffic and need for housing effect the community in which my students live? What are the implications for the need for more teachers in the local schools? The need to open more coffee shops or fast food restaurants? Population trends over time could be studied. Specifically, my students could take pictures of the newer local businesses and use these ideas as springboards into research about economic trends in our town and other nearby communities.

These are just some ideas of how to incorporate Flickr into a teaching unit for my students.

How to educate In Social Studies Class with YouTube

In doing some research for how to incorporate more video into classroom teaching, I came across these videos on YouTube. I would like to a little bit of time and discuss each one of the videos and how they could increase the effectiveness of my teaching. One of the videos that I enjoyed looking at is a video on Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. This short video makes a good connection between the culture of the 1920s and into the 1930s and shows how timely the poetry of Hughes is even today. What I mean is that many issues that Hughes addresses in his poetry is being currently felt by our nation. It’s easy to say that the past is not relevant anymore. I beg to differ. Langston Hughes was a very talented poet who has inspired our nation. This video would meet a goal I have of helping students get a good basic foundation for the culture of the Harlem Renaissance, so we can explore the issues that the poetry of Hughes and other writers raises within the proper cultural context. The video is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehprXnIP7X0.

Another video that I found that has piqued my curiosity is a video about the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the true stories of people who worked for them that lived in Central Pennsylvania. I think that using primary sources to explain and clarify history is critical for student’s understanding of how history touches their lives. These true stories show the good, the bad, and the ugly of life in Central Pennsylvania in the 1930s. The Great Depression was a time when people got up everyday, not being sure if they were even going to eat or not. I can draw parallels to the economy today. Many people are facing uncertain economic futures. Many people are simply grateful to have jobs to go to. This was much like Central Pennsylvania in the 1930s. I would use this video to draw students into the Great Depression era and help them understand that economic hardship affects people in all levels of the social strata. I believe that it would be a good idea to make sure that students are presented with historical accounts from politicians, movie stars, and other writers from the 1930s, to get a more accurate picture of the 1930s.
The video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zjps2RY7l8.

One last video that I wanted to share with you is a famous speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that he made after Pearl Harbor on December 8,1941. This speech was listened to by the whole country. This speech ended up convincing a nation that we must go to war to protect ourselves. Roosevelt emphasized places by name, that the Japanese had attacked. Roosevelt used rhetorical techniques to convince people of the need to go to war. I would like to use to video to help make those old textbooks come alive. History is alive and well. It is vibrant and full of life. Many people wrongly presume that History should be studied because we have to do it.
History should be studied to help us better grasp how important it is to simply live our lives, knowing we make history, everyday, even if we don’t plan on it. Roosevelt had no idea had no idea how long World War II would last. He simply did what he believed needed to be done at the time. It is a very brave thing to do to ask people to go to war over something. I definitely want to use Roosevelt’s speech and break it down for students to give a clear perspective on the implications of what he is was saying and how that impacted the entire United States from that forward. You can find the Roosevelt speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgthakFtZQY.
I think it’s clear that I have a strong belief in using videos to help teach my students. Who would have thought that there was so much information available for teachers on YouTube? I, for one, was pleasantly surprised and thrilled. Now, let’s see what I find on YouTube for my next lesson…