As I am preparing for my presentation on Annotating and Creating Video Lessons for the Midwest Google Summit, I am thinking of a couple recent conversations I had with a couple of teachers. These conversations all came back to one question, why should I do this when others have already done it?
It was deja vu. It was as if all these teachers Skyped together for lunch across the state. In all the conversations, they began by telling me how great videos are to use. I agreed. They then went on to tell me you could have experts on subjects teaching your students. I agree, but with caution. They said there was no reason to do extra work and create a video because someone else with more knowledge did it already. Warning!!! Warning!!! This is where I had to speak up.
I agree you cannot be the expert on everything, but you are the expert in your classroom. Students look up to you and expect you to know the answers. What they do not want is to see the teacher outsourced to someone they have no relationship with in the classroom. Yes, there are times when you may not know an answer. In those cases, find an expert who can explain it for you, but do not make that person the teacher.
Why should you make your own videos? They are a great way to build relationships with your students. They see your personality. They hear your kids in the background. They laugh at your outtakes. They look for your mistakes. Referring students to a John Doe misses these opportunities to build upon these relationships.
I parted ways with this teacher and said, as a teacher, if I did not know an answer, I would go out and find someone who could explain it to me. From there, I would take my newfound knowledge and create my own video for my students. I made the information applicable for my students. I built upon relationships and I maintained the image that I was the expert in the room.
Teachers who simply take other's information, print it out, show their video, use their lesson plans, fail to establish a very important management piece in their classroom, a relationship. So create your own video tutorials, have fun making them, build that relationship and enjoy the best job anyone could want, educating our youth.
It was deja vu. It was as if all these teachers Skyped together for lunch across the state. In all the conversations, they began by telling me how great videos are to use. I agreed. They then went on to tell me you could have experts on subjects teaching your students. I agree, but with caution. They said there was no reason to do extra work and create a video because someone else with more knowledge did it already. Warning!!! Warning!!! This is where I had to speak up.
I agree you cannot be the expert on everything, but you are the expert in your classroom. Students look up to you and expect you to know the answers. What they do not want is to see the teacher outsourced to someone they have no relationship with in the classroom. Yes, there are times when you may not know an answer. In those cases, find an expert who can explain it for you, but do not make that person the teacher.
Why should you make your own videos? They are a great way to build relationships with your students. They see your personality. They hear your kids in the background. They laugh at your outtakes. They look for your mistakes. Referring students to a John Doe misses these opportunities to build upon these relationships.
I parted ways with this teacher and said, as a teacher, if I did not know an answer, I would go out and find someone who could explain it to me. From there, I would take my newfound knowledge and create my own video for my students. I made the information applicable for my students. I built upon relationships and I maintained the image that I was the expert in the room.
Teachers who simply take other's information, print it out, show their video, use their lesson plans, fail to establish a very important management piece in their classroom, a relationship. So create your own video tutorials, have fun making them, build that relationship and enjoy the best job anyone could want, educating our youth.