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Virginia Society for Technology in Education

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Resources for Teaching African American History

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Regardless of the makeup of your school community, teaching students about African American History is an incredibly important part of any history or social studies curriculum. EVERFI has a suite of digital resources for students focused on African American History, as well as opportunities for educators to engage with these topics in meaningful ways.laptop showing website with history resourcesWe recommend students start with 306, which takes students through key events and figures chronologically, starting with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and concluding with Mae Jemison.
As a continuation, we recommend 306 - Continuing the Story, which looks closely at events in post-Civil Rights era US.

By completing both resources, students will be able to draw connections from past and present events to recognize and empathize with the ongoing challenges Black people continue to face in the United States.

several computers with history site showing on the screens

To access these digital resources, in addition to lesson plans, worksheets and anti-racism toolkits for educators head to EVERFI’s Black History Month Hub.

Written by Teagan Seeley. Teagan is a Senior Schools Manager with EVERFI, where she works with teachers across Virginia as they implement resources designed to teach students critical life skills. Before joining the EVERFI team she was a first-grade teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools.

If you have questions about registering your students, ideas for implementation, or need troublshooting help, email Teagan at tseeley@everfi.com.

Teaching Lessons Not in Our Curriculum

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Something that is not unprecedented in the education field is teaching lessons that can’t be found in our curriculum. Whether they are big, thoughtful life lessons or just tidbits of knowledge gained from life experience, teachers are always offering something to their students that isn’t found in their subject’s planning guide. But somehow this year even those lessons feel different.

In mindlessly scrolling through my social media, I found a post that resonated with me. It said something like,

We keep saying these students are falling so behind but instead look how far they have come. They are trouble shooting technology, learning to video conference with peers, sending emails, and figuring out time management.

We find ourselves teaching technology troubleshooting. “Can you hear me now? Good!” seems to have made a comeback with all of the virtual teaching and meetings. I hear teachers quite often reminding students of ways to troubleshoot and correct technology mishaps. Students are learning how to describe problems in detail, sometimes with screenshots, because it is difficult to understand the issue when the student is at home.

Email was something we took for granted and used little to communicate with students. We are now teaching students how to access school email, properly compose an email, and the etiquette necessary for electronic correspondence. What an important life skill!

All these skills are going to play a big role in the working world as we see that is changing as fast as education is. I feel more jobs are going to be remote due to this pandemic, so maybe we are preparing students for those jobs better than we “normally” would have.

Take a deep breath and know that through all you do daily, you are teaching students more than just your curriculum. You are giving them tools for this ever-changing, technology-driven world.

What do you find yourself teaching that is not in your curriculum?

Written by Kelsey Huffman. Kelsey has been an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher for Roanoke County Public Schools for four years.  She enjoys helping teachers find new ways to teach and introduce technology in their classrooms.

Making the Cut for 2021: Video Editing Options for Your Instructional Videos

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We made it to 2021! Although, 2020 was a year that was filled with the unusual, the unprecedented, and the undesired, it was definitely a time that all of us had to learn new strategies to reach and teach our students. This in a way, was one of the most exciting years I’ve seen in educational technology as most of us dove head first into the world of virtual teaching and learning, picking up new tools and techniques that will serve us well in the coming years. For that part, I am thankful and anticipate some amazing advancements in our field to help promote and cultivate what has started to take root throughout the world of education.

One of the most exciting parts of this new territory, is the use of video instruction that we have seen surge in our classrooms. Pre-2020, most of us used some form of video instruction be it YouTube, TeacherTube, Vimeo, or those huge laser disks from the early 90s that are still hanging around some Biology classrooms. In 2020, there was a surge of teacher created videos, personalized for their individual classrooms, as the blended learning model began to roar like the MGM lion before a long awaited action film.

And with this surge, came the cry for ways to edit, clip out, and enhance videos before release. Classrooms have become mini studio offices for many divisions as teachers create countless clips for their students. This being the case, I thought it would be beneficial to list some of the the best video editing options I have found that won’t break the bank and will give you the cutting edge you need to make amazing videos for instruction.

Camtasia
screenshot of camtasia programOne of my favorite video editors on the market today is Camtasia. It has been my go to software solution for creating and editing videos for many years. Although it comes with a $250 price tag, it is definitely worth every penny as it has built in green screen/color remove, audio enhancement, clip speed adjustment, and even cursor and gesture effects to make your videos sparkle and shine. The built in library of lower thirds, transition effects, background audio, and intros make this a top choice for anyone looking to up their video creation game. Being the powerhouse it is, Camtasia will only run on a Mac or PC. Never fear Chromebook users, yours is next in line.

Clipchamp

Screenshot of clip champ pluginFor the Chromebook users out there, let me direct your attention to Clipchamp, an amazing cloud based video editor that gives you a production studio inside the comfort of your favorite browser. With transitions, textoverlays, and a stock footage library, Clipchamp gives other video editors a run for their money, especially when it comes to users with limited hard drives and processing power. Another amazing feature recently added to Clipchamp is the ability to import and edit videos you have stored in your Google Drive. As with many services today, Clipchamp is free to use unless you want some of the more advanced features such as custom logos on your videos, picture in picture, and higher resolution exports. Prices range from $10-$40 per month with varying levels of awesomeness packed in each step.

iMovie

I wouldn’t be much of an Apple enthusiast if I didn’t mention their go-to FREE video editor that is available on MacOS and iOS/iPadOS. Although not much has changed in iMovie in recent years, it is still a top contender for the amateur instructional video creator, especially with iCloud integration that allows you to work on a video project using your iPad, then move over to your Mac or your iPhone as needed, or vice versa. If you have an Apple product, I would highly recommend checking into iMovie if you haven’t already.

Adobe Premiere Rush

screenshot of adobe premiere rushFor the Android users, Adobe has you covered with an amazing resource for creating video productions. You’re possibly familiar with or have at least heard of Adobe Premiere, the high end, Hollywood quality video editor that can do about anything you want in regard to special effects and video wows. Enter, Premiere Rush, Adobe’s mobile option that doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles as its parent product, but has enough to keep you busy creating amazing videos using your Android, iOS/iPadOS, or desktop. The free trial allows for limited exports but at $10 per month, it’s definitely a great and affordable option for your video editing needs.

There are so many other options out there for you to choose from when it comes to creating and editing your videos, far too many to name in a single blog post. Options like HitFilm, WeVideo, Filmora, and FilmoraGo, are definitely worth looking into if the ones mentioned above just don’t seem to fit your needs, and if you still don’t see one you like, it’s worth a Google for sure. The biggest and most important part of finding the right video editor for your instructional videos is finding one that works for you. Happy editing and Happy New Year!

Written by Daniel Vanover. Daniel is a Technology Coach for Wise County Public Schools with 14 years of experience in education.  He holds a M. Ed. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University and is a Google for Education Certified Trainer.

Providing Quality Feedback with Hippo Video

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Professor James Pennebaker from the University of Texas at Austin noted that in the history of learning research, the role of feedback has always been paramount: “When people are trying to learn new skills, they must get some information that tells them whether or not they are doing the right thing.” While feedback is widely accepted as essential for meaningful learning, it is often something that teachers struggle with the most. During the pandemic, as students and teachers have been thrust into uncharted territory with some or all learning online, feedback has become even more critical for student success. This has forced many instructors to get creative in the use of online tools to provide feedback in a number of ways. One such way, we can provide our students with timely and in depth feedback, is by utilizing a number of video tools such as Hippo Video that will help students grow in their knowledge and skills.

Why Feedback Matters?

While the term feedback is used to describe a wide range of comments in the classroom, feedback is elementally information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal (Wiggins, 2012). Beyond value statements, advice, or simple evaluation, feedback is observable and always goal oriented. Supported by decades of education research, the idea that we can produce greater learning by teaching less and providing more feedback is recurring, (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000; Hattie, 2008; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). It is more than a grade, a checkmark, or advice, helpful feedback is goal-referenced; tangible; actionable; specific and personalized; timely; ongoing; and consistent (Wiggins, 2012).

In the traditional classroom, that feedback is an ongoing process of feedback loops between the teacher and the students as well as between students. In the online classroom, feedback can occur in online live sessions but for many instructors feedback is relegated to the comments inserted in a Google Doc. But is that the best or only way to provide effective and timely feedback? Not if you have a tech tool like Hippo Video.

What is Hippo Video?

Hippo Video is an easy video creation tool for teachers or students. It allows you to record a digital whiteboard explainer, lesson activity or lecture, interview through webcam or screen record an entire web browser, including audio to boost engagement rate and video for nonverbal cues. Hippo Video is browser based or you can utilize the Chrome extension to quickly launch it to use it with webpages or other applications. It offers a simple interface that allows you to login with your Google Account and record in just a few clicks. When you are done you can edit and export videos into multiple platforms or formats ranging from Youtube to Google Classroom to Google Drive or download them.

The Benefits of Feedback with Hippo Video?

So you have assigned an essay for your students. They turn it in through your LMS and you begin the long and often arduous process of providing comments and corrections. This can take hours and hours and I often find myself wanting to say more but feel pressured to give “timely” feedback. Then after I sent my written feedback, I still have students who do not understand or need more information to be able to improve their work. This is where using video feedback tools like Hippo Video really can help save time AND provide more detailed feedback for your students. With video feedback, you are able to provide detailed feedback in a way that is more economical for the learner and can be watched again and again to help them edit their work toward the specified goal.

Hippo Video is essentially a screencasting tool that allows you to record your screen, audio, and even video. In this application, I primarily use the screen recorder and audio to focus attention on the student’s work. Thinking back to Wiggin’s definition, helpful feedback is goal-referenced; tangible; actionable; specific and personalized; timely; ongoing; and consistent (2012). Using video feedback helps you to focus the students attention to their work and provide clear evidence of their learning and progress to their goal.

The video can be watched on any device and repeated if necessary making it tangible and very personalized to the student. Because you can quickly and easily produce unlimited quality videos, you can make this type of feedback timely, ongoing, and consistent as well. While, video feedback is a great way to utilize Hippo Video, you can use it to create a wide variety of videos for your students and they can even create their own videos to demonstrate their learning. Give it a try by installing from the Google Chrome Store.

References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Hattie, J. (2008). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge.

Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Stenger, M. (2014). 5 Research-based tips for providing students with meaningful feedback. Edutopia, August 6, 2014. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger

Wiggins, G. (2012). Feedback for learning. Educational Leadership.Volume 70 Number 1 Alexandria, VA: ASCD, pgs 10-16.

Written by Heather B. Askea. Heather is an Instructional Technology Coordinator at The University of Virginia's College at Wise Center for Teaching Excellence. She is also a member of the VSTE Board of Directors.

Getting The Most From VSTE 2020 (Virtually)

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Although we won’t be able to see everyone in-person at the annual VSTE Conference, we will still have plenty of great learning experiences and ways to connect with educators from around the state.

If you’re attending the conference, and especially if you are presenting, there are some things you can do before the opening day on December 9th to enhance your experience.

To start, visit the Conference schedule and login or create an account. Then go to the settings and update your profile. Since we won’t be able to have the usual hallway conversations, this will help your fellow attendees find and connect with you.

Next, review the schedule and find the sessions you would like to attend. Sched (the web service we are using) makes it easy to browse by day, session category or vendor/sponsor, but you can also search by keyword or name of a person.

When you find a session you might like to attend, click the circle in the block to add it to your personal schedule. Remember that this is just a collection of sessions in which you are interested. It does not guarantee a spot in the room (we will have limits to the number of participants in each live session) and does not obligate you to attend.

Since recordings for all sessions will be available for 6 months after the conference, include the sessions that you can’t attend live but might want to catch up on later. Also, presenters are encouraged to upload materials and add links to their resources in the listing for their sessions, so Sched will also be the place to come when you want to do more exploring into a presentation topic.

Finally, encourage your friends and colleagues to join you at VSTE 2020. They can view and browse the schedule without registering and even attend the sessions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning at no charge. If they see something they like, “walk up” registration will remain open for most of the conference, so they can pay and join you for the Friday spotlight with Lynmara Colón, the keynote with Kim Lane Clark on Saturday morning, and all the great sessions on the weekend.

While it cannot replace the experience we would have had if we were able to meet live, we hope that you will find much to learn and people to meet at the VSTE 2020 Virtual Conference.

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