This was a video a friend shared with me that I thought you all would like. It's the story of Matt who goes all over the world to dance. The film is hilarious, but also really heart-warming. For all of us who believe in global education and cross-cultural exchange, it's a fun film. Enjoy!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Best Global Video Ever!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Videos: an interesting tool
The more I look at online video banks like YouTube and TeacherTube, the more I realize that each individual teacher really needs to take the experience at their own pace. For some teachers, sifting through tons of videos may just be a distraction and not all that helpful. For example, for me, I only go to YouTube when someone sends me a link or I am looking for something specific (like a Palin or Tina Fey clip). It's rare that I just go poking around. This was reinforced when I went looking around as part of our activity this week. I found myself overwhelmed and completely understand why some teachers want nothing to do with it.
iCue, on the other hand, is a great resource. The main reason I like it is because I can pretty much guarantee that all of the clips are legit since they came from news sources. That doesn't mean they're all true--I would use them to launch a discussion with students about an issue or about bias. But at least I know where the clips came from and they are legit sources. For that reason alone, I think iCue would be a great resource for teachers.
In fact, one of my former Moldovan students just emailed me and asked for a place to find video clips in English so that she could practice her listening comprehension. I sent her to iCue because I think it's a great way to not only study history and current events, but it can also be used as a tool for ESL students.
I think video is a great pedagogical tool--it's engaging, fresh, and offers students some variety in how content is presented. I worry for teachers that use it too much. Just like back in the day when a teacher would pop in a video and show it in its entirety to students, I worry that teachers may show video clips with little to no context or follow-up activities. For this reason, videos should be seen as a "tool" and not as a sole source of content to be presented to students.
iCue, on the other hand, is a great resource. The main reason I like it is because I can pretty much guarantee that all of the clips are legit since they came from news sources. That doesn't mean they're all true--I would use them to launch a discussion with students about an issue or about bias. But at least I know where the clips came from and they are legit sources. For that reason alone, I think iCue would be a great resource for teachers.
In fact, one of my former Moldovan students just emailed me and asked for a place to find video clips in English so that she could practice her listening comprehension. I sent her to iCue because I think it's a great way to not only study history and current events, but it can also be used as a tool for ESL students.
I think video is a great pedagogical tool--it's engaging, fresh, and offers students some variety in how content is presented. I worry for teachers that use it too much. Just like back in the day when a teacher would pop in a video and show it in its entirety to students, I worry that teachers may show video clips with little to no context or follow-up activities. For this reason, videos should be seen as a "tool" and not as a sole source of content to be presented to students.
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