I've been working in a classroom in the area of math. I have utilized a few instructional videos made by using Educreations and ShowMe. The one thing that I really had to spend time talking to them about was the "power of the pause button." I would see them listening and watching, trying to write, looking for their pencil, and needing a tissue. In the midst of that, I saw pure panic. I finally stopped the class and told them that it was ok to stop the video. It's ok to rewind if you think you missed something or need to hear it again. It's ok to watch the video more than once. This made a real difference the second day of them interacting with the videos. Less hands were being raised just to tell me "I missed a part and I think I'm supposed to write something!". I saw them pausing, rewinding, watching it more than one, and becoming independent. I have seen such growth in the week of us working with the iTunesU course which I will tell you all about when we get deeper into my project with an awesome teacher who was willing to be brave and try something. Her goal was to create a self-paced, differentiated atmosphere where kids could work at their pace, get exactly what they needed, check in, and she can work with kids one on one and in small groups.
Goal=ALL STUDENTS participating in meaningful work
I have made instructional videos for the iTunesU course and I have used some that I found online. I asked the kids if they liked it, and so far so good. The pause button is just as important as the eraser tool in most apps. Without it, panic can rise.
Take the time to teach students the power of the pause button.
Posts
