Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
The Connected Classroom
April 7-9, 2002
Use of Online Videos As a Teaching Tool
|
By: |
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine the usefulness of online videos on various subject areas as a tool for elementary teaching methods classroom. There were 35 junior level students majoring in elementary education participated in this study. They watched one video on each subject areas of mathematics, science, and social studies in which classroom teachers were teaching those subjects. Then they wrote a critique on each video commenting on the teaching style and student behavior and their motivation in the videos toward learning the content. The student responses reveal positive comments on every aspect.
Description
Educators have been questioning the ineffective classroom instruction in the teacher education program. They claim that such ineffective teacher education programs are producing future elementary teachers that are not equipped with the appropriate teaching tools for the new millennium (Khalid 2001). This is because of a predominantly teacher-centered environment in a majority of our teacher education classrooms (Lord, 1999). Recent advances, however, have made possible the use of various tools to improve teaching-learning process in the classroom.
Technology is a set of the powerful tools that the teacher and learner can use to facilitate the learning process (International Society for Technology in Education, 2000). Technology resources can be used to provide opportunities for learning and create the "conditions that optimize learning" (Switzer, Callahan, & Quinn, 1999). As the technology is getting more and more popular in the daily life activities, the need to include technology in the classroom instruction is increasing even in the elementary classrooms (Martin, 2000). That's why the National Science Education Standards describe technology such as computers as "exciting tools" (p. 24) to do inquiry activities in the classroom (National Research Council, 1996).
This study was a part of the InTime (Integrating New Technologies into the Methods of Education) project. This project is intended to produce changes in teacher education programs in various ways. It has generated new learning resources on the web to support new teaching and learning processes in education methods courses. New learning resources include video scenarios of Pre K-12 teachers effectively integrating technology, along with components of quality education, in a variety of grade levels and content areas. These videos are accessible online.
The objectives of the research were:
- To determine the usefulness of videos in enhancing pre-service teachers' understanding of various innovative teaching styles and their effects on student learning.
- To determine if the pre-service teachers are able to use the technology in their classroom teaching.
The participants in this study were 35 junior level students majoring in elementary education at a regional Mid-Western university. The data were collected during the Fall of Spring and Fall of 2001. The students watched three online videos in which the classroom teachers were teaching various contents in science, math, and social studies using various type of technology. They were also modeling the student-centered approaches in their teaching.
The students wrote a critique on each of those videos. Their comments were on the teaching style and student behavior and motivation toward learning the content. In their critiques, not a single student gave any negative comments. They admired the teaching style and appreciated the use of technology that motivated the students. Later on during the field observation it was noticed that most of the students used student-centered approaches during their teaching in the elementary classrooms and incorporated various type of technology as the supporting tool.