VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Front Page Middle

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, January 26, 2021

by

logo for go open vaJean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads the #GoOpenVA initiative in Virginia. This collaborative initiative enables educators and others throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations.

The database is growing. Jean recently created a collection for resources specifically related to professional learning. Technology coaches from across the state have contributed and you can learn more here.

We asked Jean to periodically curate a few of the resources to give a sense of what is available. Start with these but stay for so much more! And be sure to follow Jean on Twitter.

Remixes, or adaptations of lesson plans, are one of the great strengths of OER.  Below are two remixes of plans from outside Virginia, but customized to our SOL by our own Virginia teachers. Then there is the learning object that is user-ready but which you can remix to make your own!

Viaduct on the Baltimore and Washington Railroad Lesson Plan, from Janet Page of Nelson, is a remix of an OER lesson plan which is not on #GoOpenVA currently. Her remix is excellent and includes all the information you need to implement a lesson in reading…using art!

Shopping Spree – Remix is an adaptation of an older lesson from our neighbors in North Carolina.  The lesson asks students to apply math to an everyday situation.  Laura Brown of Loudoun updated the lesson to use digital resources rather than print, and to adjust the activity for older students.

Parts of a Computer, developed by Dana Smith of Tazewell, is exactly what teachers need! Everyone will be working to address the new Computer Science standards and it’s nice to know you don’t have to create ALL of your own materials.  Dana put together a nice short presentation on the parts of a computer, along with clear illustrations.  Use it as is, or adapt it for your own students.

Featured #GoOpenVA Resources, January 19, 2021

by

logo for go open vaJean Weller, VSTE Board Member and VDOE Technology Integration Specialist, leads the #GoOpenVA initiative in Virginia. This collaborative initiative enables educators and others throughout Virginia to create, share, and access openly-licensed educational resources (OER, also known as open education resources). OER are free digital materials that can be used or modified to adjust to student needs; they are openly-licensed unhampered by many traditional copyright limitations.

The database is growing. Jean recently created a collection for resources specifically related to professional learning. Technology coaches from across the state have contributed and you can learn more here.

We asked Jean to periodically curate a few of the resources to give a sense of what is available. Start with these but stay for so much more! And be sure to follow Jean on Twitter.

 

We’re starting the new year off with some great lessons contributed by Virginia educators!

“The Moth” Pod Activity lesson plan, from Virginia Beach educator Macy Pniewski, uses a storytelling podcast called “The Moth” to address several 9th grade English SOL.  Listening, of course, is a skill that needs to be practiced at all ages, as is the self-reflection built into the activity.

Domain and Range: To Infinity and Beyond is an Algebra 1 Desmos activity provided by Javier Cabezas of Henrico County.  The lesson link takes you to the Desmos teaching website so you can use this with your own Desmos tool. It is an exploratory lesson that leads students to understand how to describe domain and range with set notation and interval notation.

Regions of Virginia and Art was developed by a team of Chesapeake teachers: Jamie Marquitz, Jessica Brown, Candice Anthony-Cazenave, and Amy Erb.  This cross-curricular lesson addresses the study of the various regions of Virginia while introducing students to an intriguing art technique using colored pencils.

If you reuse or remix one of the lessons, please let us know. If your remix or other resources are featured, you will earn the #GoOpenVA badge!

GoOpenVA Badge

 

VSTE and Secured Tech Solutions Join Forces to Bring You EdTech Connect – VA

by

By Cody Lopez

As nearly a year of virtual conferences comes to a close, I am grateful to look back and recognize how fortunate I’ve been, not only to have had the resources to participate, but also to have learned so much from and with so many wonderful people. Connection, in whatever manner and for whatever purpose, has likely been what we’ve all needed most this year and has become a focus of mine as I look toward 2021.

VSTE 2020 provided me my first experience with Discord – the application that allowed all of us attending the conference last month to ask for IT support quickly, learn about products from the event sponsors and vendors, and (most importantly) connect with each other, asking and answering questions, sharing ideas, and driving the most important aspect of a typical conference forward.

Because of this experience, I began thinking about how all of us in the ed tech space, particularly in my home state of Virginia, may be able to continue supporting each other. My team at Secured Tech Solutions and I have been thinking a lot about these questions and are excited to announce that we are partnering with VSTE to host a Discord Server year-round for all folks in education technology throughout the state of Virginia!

Not only do we envision this as a space for discussion, networking, and Q&As, but we want to do so much more (from podcasts to Lunch & Learn workshops) and allow for everyone who joins to help mold this space in the long run. Discord is free, simple, and is available in app form on Windows, MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Linux.

Join “EdTech Connect – VA” here and let’s start 2021 the right way...supporting each other!

Want some help navigating Discord? Check out our Discord Help File, complete clickable links:

Getting Started with Discord

Smiling man

 

Cody Lopez, Mid-Atlantic Relationship Manager
Secured Tech Solutions, LLC
Arlington, Virginia

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

by

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

by

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.