Teachers Creating Educational Learning Objects

Build Teaching Library on Teachertube as Collaborative Project

Aug 19, 2009

Learning objects are flexible, versatile genre for teachers who would like to make their own resources. Collaborative projects make building an educational library easy.

Online video sharing portals such as Youtube.com, Teachertube.com and the EDNA website offer access to all kinds of educational film clips. Teachers who hone their video editing skills and work with their classes in collaborative projects can contribute to, and learn a lot from, these learning communities.

Teachertube.com is an educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site, which provides videos that can be accessed as professional development. It is a place where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill. These multimedia videos are often called learning objects.

On the EDNA website it is claimed that Teachers and students find online curriculum content engaging, interesting and effective. Integrating learning objects into teaching and learning can have a positive effect on student outcomes. When students learn from “teacher created” multimedia learning objects there are many advantages for both teacher and student.

Advantages of Creating Tailored Learning Objects

Lessons will be enhanced as teachers and students learn to become movie creators. They will get a feel for this type of teaching and become more intuitive when working with various elements of expression. Aspects like location, (where the movie has been shot), the degree to which the camera operator zooms in and out and how the camera operator focuses on the activity will influence the success of the venture. It is the way a movie is captured and later edited that gives character to its expression.

Hopefully the camera operator is considerate of his or her audience. He or she will know who they are shooting the movie for and will have an idea of the type of effect they wish to create. Like any good story, a learning object has a beginning, middle and an end.

An Example of Collaboration

The camera operator may not be the same person as the editor who creates the story. In a community such as a school, many teachers may take short films of their classes and submit them to an editor. This material can then be fashioned into a cohesive story about what happens on any typical day in school. Perhaps the editor might take these clips “as is” only shortening them and cutting out the boring parts.

On the other hand, he or she may make a selection based on a need such as fun, industriousness, or simple good teaching practice. As the editor makes creative artistic decisions, he or she will fine tune the work, arranging and rearranging each part to create a unified whole.

Learning Objects as Valuable Teaching Tools

Artistic directors and editors aspire to develop a rapport with the audience. They hope with practice to be able to intuitively know how to evoke an emotional response from their viewers. Birney, Lichtenberg and McEvoy say on page 5 of Windows Moviemaker Handbook, that editors and directors are able to make stories to educate and inspire; that promote teamwork and build team spirit.

It is suggested that teachers and students who use Moviemaker to create educational multi-media learning objects have the capacity to do the same. With experience project makers should be able to deliver their material in a calm and confident manner. This will encourage the viewers to believe they are capable of achieving the same effect.

Class projects can emphasise both what is good and what is mistaken. Art teachers can create learning objects that show the correct way to approach activities such as painting using a particular technique. They can also contrast this against an incorrect or mistaken way of painting. As the movie rolls, project makers can also insert great examples (still shots) of the chosen technique or artwork and contrast them against less artistically worthy choices. Project makers can of course include written text, music and other sounds that enhance the educational experience.

The copyright of the article Teachers Creating Educational Learning Objects in Video Art is owned by Jo Murphy. Permission to republish Teachers Creating Educational Learning Objects in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.