#EdTechTeacherChallenge August 2020: Bitmoji Classroom, Day 17

 

Welcome to Day 17 #EdTechTeacherChallenge August 2020. Yesterday was our heavy lifting day, adding content information that will change over time. Today, you are going to introduce yourself to your students in a welcome video. If your computer did not come with video recording options, here are some products you can look into. I do not endorse any of them because that's not the purpose of this blog. I will do product reviews at a later time. I suggest researching all the products mentioned and choose the one that suits you best. All the options I have listed market for teacher and student use. Be sure to check their user agreements to make sure they are compliant with child, internet safety and accessibility laws.

* Screencastify: This is a Chrome extension that has limited free use. It allows for easy recording, editing and converting video presentations. Videos store right to your Google Drive or to your computer.

* Loom: This app is free and can be downloaded to your computer or installed as Chrome extension. Features and ease of use seem to be similar to Screencastify.

* Screencast-O-Matic: Another free option that has simple and intuitive tools for recording, editing and distributing video content.

*QuickTime: This is an Apple product and should be standard on Apple laptops and desktops and says it integrates between iPhone, iPad and iPod to easily record content and then edit on.

There are other options. These seem to be the most popular with teachers. Let me know which you like the best in the comments below.

Recording your video

After you have decided what platform you are going to use, you are going to install the software you need (from the links above) and record you video. I am not going to go over the specifics of how to record because each of the platforms are slightly different. I will say that when you save your video, please make sure that it is in .mp4 format. This is the only video format that Google Slides (and other Google apps) will read.

I will also mention to be mindful of time. This is meant to be an introductory video for Back to School. It should not be more than 5 minutes. You are going to want to make own videos for your lessons as well. For the sake of your students, please do not make these videos more than 15 minutes long. Make the content as concise as possible. Save extensive examples for your live instruction or consider making interactive notes (tutorial coming) to go with your videos. 

Pro-Tip: Script out what you want to say and what you want to show. This will keep you from going off topic and stuttering through content.

Pro-Tip: If you are showing an image or working out a problem, have your camera set on you at the same time. Your students would be looking at you as you teach in the classroom. They are going to want to see you in your videos. 

Pro-Tip: Dress the part. And be mindful of you posture while you are recording: shoulders back, back straight and tall, sitting arms length from the camera to get your whole upper body, not just your face. Despite the online format, you want to present yourself as professional as you would in your classroom

Uploading Your Video to Slides

After you have recorded your video, viewed it to make sure it is acceptable, edited it as needed, you need to present it to your students. To do this, you are going to upload it to your opening slide. Some teachers like to store their videos in YouTube and then post the videos to their slide. That way, students can access the videos whenever they want, even after you change the content of your classroom. You could also post them to your website and then link to them in your Slides. If you are not ready for YouTube and Sites yet, it's ok. You can still upload your videos. 

Virtual Classroom w/ text on IWB

There are two ways to add a video to your presentation depending on how you set up your IWB.

Version 1: You have a blank IWB

If your IWB is blank, you are going to first add a text box over the entire board and type a welcome message. Size it to fit the board and make sure you use a font that is easily readable by students (avoid script and heavy block lettering). You are then going click on the edge of the text box so that the cursor is no longer blinking. Next, click Insert -> Video and find your video based on where it is stored. I do not suggest inserting a video directly into your presentation. Inserting to a linked text box or image avoids a potentially awkward video shot.

Version 2: You have text already on your IWB

If you already have text on your IWB (like I have in my classroom image above), you are going to Insert -> Shape -> (rectangle) over your entire IWB. You are then going to make the rectangle transparent with no border by clicking on the shape edit buttons in the tool bar. Next click Insert -> Video and find your video based on where it is stored. 

You now have a video added to your Slides making your virtual classroom more personal, allowing your students to see and hear directly from you, and providing more functionality to your virtual classroom. The next step is to decide how often you are going to change the video. Some teachers, especially elementary teachers, like to change their intro video every day. You can do a weekly message if recording five days of videos seems like too much. I would not go more than a week. Again, the purpose to your virtual classroom is to be functional and relevant to for your students. Having an intro message longer than a week reduces the engagement of your virtual classroom and may loose its relevance over time. 

Let me know your questions in the comments below. Share your progress with me @mrsmathmagician on social media. Be sure to use the hashtag #EdTechTeacherChallenge. I look forward to seeing your creations.

Peace, love and happiness always!!