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In an attempt to maximize student engagement and minimize lectures, I’m always looking for helpful videos or audio clips to share in class. Podcasts and Ted Talks are great ways to connect students with learning, but using them runs the risk of having to cut short meaningful conversations or activities because the inspiration material was too long. Last fall, I stumbled upon video blogs as a means to convey interesting material and spark discussion among students.
Popular with students, vlogs give educational subjects a face and voice
Video blogs, or vlogs, represent a way for educators, writers and entertainers to engage virtually with audiences. In an era where YouTube is one of the top three most-visited websites, vlogging is a powerful way to connect with audiences. They cover subject areas from astrophysics to pop culture, and entries tend to appear on a daily or weekly basis. Since most vlogs are short — under 15 minutes — they’re perfect for sharing with students.
The VlogBrothers provide jumping-off points for class discussions
One vlog students may already be familiar with is VlogBrothers, whose describe themselves as “raising nerdy to the power of awesome.” A glance at their YouTube channel reveals videos like “Why is The Alphabet In Alphabetical Order? Eight Completely Arbitrary Things” and “Hank and John Explain: What is Boko Haram?” In each entry, brothers John and Hank Green provide lively, conversational jumping-off points for classroom discussions or lessons.
A recent VlogBrothers video, “Understanding the Financial Crisis in Greece,” provides timely insight into current events and would be a great addition in a political science or history class. In another entry, “How to Get Good at Everything,” Hank discusses Carole Dweck’s research on the growth mindset. This vlog would be a good discussion point for the first week of classes to help inspire students and get them reaccustomed to the learning environment. Because the channel is both entertaining and popular, using the VlogBrothers in class can be a way of recognizing where students may already be spending their time and helping them transfer their learning into other areas of their lives.
The PBS Idea Channel vlog combines education and memes
Another exceptional web series, PBS’s Idea Channel, creates connections between pop culture, technology, and art. Idea Channel’s mission is to spark and inspire interesting conversations, which can be particularly useful for engaging students. Idea Channel videos combine traditional educational sources and primary documents with internet memes and funny videos to create intense entries that pack an incredible amount of learning into each clip.
Host Mike Rugnetta ends each video by discussing the comment sections from previous videos. This can inspire students to consistently watch and interact with the YouTube channel, particularly if they feel that Idea Channel videos are conversations in which they are encouraged to participate. Some teachers routinely show Idea Channel videos in the classroom, then encourage students to develop a comment or question as a class.
Vlog starring you: Making videos as a class (or an instructor)
One final way teachers could use vlogs is to create their own or challenge students to develop a class-based vlog to convey content, create new ways of seeing or understanding conversations that began in the classroom, or even reach out to others all over the world. While the process might seem overwhelming, it’s often done with minimal audio-visual equipment and posted to YouTube, and thus has a fairly shallow learning curve.
When scripted for video, instructor lectures often become more pointed and allow for flipping some of the class content, allowing students to watch vlogs at home and arrive in class prepared for discussions or activities. Vlogs can be an excellent way to create less formal but still interesting ways of sharing this content, particularly when paired with programs like Camtasia, where audio content can be overlaid on screen captures or animated images. Students assigned to create vlogs are tasked with an interesting challenge that extends their understanding of subject content while allowing them to complete creative projects.
Using the Doobly Doo to enhance classroom content
Engaging vlogs encourage students to explore their world and perhaps even look for links in the Doobly Doo (a creative nickname for the YouTube information box) and continue that exploration outside of the classroom. Whether you assign students to create vlogs, make your own, or simply integrate clips that approach content in exciting new ways, video blogs are a fun and interesting tool to use for class presentations or discussions.
Monica Fuglei is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Omaha and a current faculty member of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, where she teaches composition and creative writing.
Categorized as: Tips for Teachers and Classroom Resources