How To Videos

Today I created a 2 minute instructional video to show students how to create and share a Google document.

The video in question

The process of making the video wasn't all that difficult. I used the TechSmith SnagIt tool, which adds itself in a second to Chrome and will work fabulously with my Asus Chromebook, and I easily posted it on my YouTube account. Then I shared it with my current J Term course (we spent at least 30 minutes of our first meeting going over things like Google Documents) on our LMS page and asked for their feedback. (Not sure I'll get any, though, unless I ask them about it in class; so far, they haven't responded to any of my LMS emails, though I know they read them since they do all the things I ask them to do in the emails. I'll have to ask them in class tomorrow what works best -- the in class hands-on tutorial or the instructional video, or both. Since all four of the students in the course are education majors, I'll trust their impressions.)

Listening to the video I created, though, was kind of a bummer. It made me self conscious, first of all. I don't like the sound of my voice. And then I couldn't remember everything I wanted to say without hesitating and repeating myself. Somehow, talking to my screen isn't as effective as talking to a live audience. Now I can hear all of my verbal tics (ugh), and students can't ask me to clarify anything so I don't know if what I'm doing is clear, concise, and effective. Perhaps, though, it's a good exercise to talk through whatever it is I'm doing, so that I can streamline what I say in class.

I can see making more of these videos to help students remember, after class, when they actually sit down and begin to do their first assignments, how to get up and running. I'll need one for creating and sharing a Google Document, one for creating a group contact list on gmail, and maybe one for using Google Documents to give feedback to each other's work.

I've also thought about teaching this writing workshop as a hybrid course in the future -- or completely online. Then more students could take it without having to drive in or having to find a place to live on campus for the J or summer term. Then I'd use introduction videos to introduce myself to the students and give them a more "human" feel.