TechBreak 12/11/14--Creating a great flipped video!

Have you ever...

• Wished you could clone yourself?
• Wished you had more time for interactive work in the classroom?
• Wished you could spend less time lecturing? And less time answering irrelevant or repeated questions?
• Wished your students could spend more time exploring topics in-depth with your help?
• Wished you could avoid awkward conversations about "too much homework"?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, our first SMA TechBreak is for you.

My previous post on this page explored the idea of the flipped classroom as a successful method of increasing active learning in any content area. Flipping can of course happen in a variety of ways. But for content areas that involve teacher lectures, a great option is to create videos for at-home consumption.

Our TechBreak on December 11 focuses on the keys to making successful videos.

1. Keep each video short (10 minutes or less). Focus on key points. Break up longer lectures into a series of "micro lectures" that students can watch individually. Separate each video with an activity (questions, online quiz, etc.) so students can check their understanding and re-watch if needed.
2. Plan out your visuals and language before filming. Few of us are really good at ad-lib performances. You will be more efficient if you know exactly what you want to say and do before you try to create the video.
3. Keep your language simple and engaging. Speak at a calm pace in clear, short sentences. Use easy-to-understand language. Use examples and stories as much as you can (we are hard-wired to follow those more easily.) Change your tone and delivery to enhance interest, emphasize points, etc. Don't be afraid to pause.
4. But be interesting. Avoid talking heads or leaving the same visual on the screen too long. Remember that your audience is used to faster-paced, high-interest visuals. So try to include visual examples that demonstrate the content, moving/animated material if you can (pretty easy to do with Explain Everything), and funny or engaging visuals to help emphasize your points. 
5. Your chosen tool should suit your purpose and be easy for you to use. Apps like Explain Everything, YouTube Capture, Adobe Voice, Shadow Puppet Edu allow you to create your entire project on your iPad, and each offers a different experience. If you want to use a PC, try Screencast-O-Matic. Macs have a built-in screencasting option as well. The Swivl robot work with your iPad to provide for high quality video of in-person lectures or demonstrations. When in doubt, ask your friendly neighborhood tech coach (or a tech savvy student!)
   
6. Upload the video to YouTube or a similar web-based program so you can then share the link on Schoology. This avoid problems with uploading/downloading times. You can make the video "unlisted" on YouTube so it can't be publicly searched.

Want some extra resources? Check out my Pinterest Board on Flipped Classrooms below--and I will keep adding to it as I find more great stuff. And take a look too at the sample videos below.

Follow Alyssa's board Great Flipped Classroom Ideas on Pinterest.

Awesome explanation of flipped learning from Aaron Sams, a teacher from Woodland Park Colorado who is considered a Flipped Classroom Pioneer.

SAMPLE VIDEOS: