An e
ffective medium for curating visual and auditory resources is through video. Students can find educational videos on the internet or in the library, however the process may be time consuming. The ERAC bundle that is included on Digmore under the student e-library has a video site called Learn360. The site houses videos that have been vetted by educators around the province and are suitable for school audiences.
There are a wide variety of videos to choose from such as Madame Marie Curie: Famous People, Incredible Lives or Whale’s Voyage, A: Incredible Journeys. One of the best features of the site is that you can create your own account to save only segments of videos so that you are not required to show full length videos during class time. Students could then watch more of the video as a homework assignment if necessary. Even if you do not have an account, you can still choose to watch only a segment of a video. Some movies such as the Whale’s Voyage give you the option of watching “full video” or “segments in this video” such as “open sea off San Diego, CA” or “Vancouver Island”.
Using short clips of a video is an effective way to engage your students in learning when beginning a unit or discussing a certain topic. It also offers them multiple means of representation. Learn360 is a great place to start if you are looking for just the right video.
This resource is well placed to support the Universal Designs for Learning (UDL) approach. UDL guidelines propose that learners should be provided with multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression so they become more purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, as well as strategic and goal directed. For example, students can access visual or auditory information as well as text to gain knowledge and understanding of concepts. It is important that students have access to learning resources that are multi-represented to foster participation and competency.
Jenkins (2009) describes participatory culture as, “a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing creations,…” (page xi). As students have greater access to digital tools that allow them to express themselves in multiple formats such as iMovie, Explain Everything, PicCollage and “Ok Google”, they are becoming increasingly digitally literate in auditory, visual, and text mediums and more actively participating in classroom learning. In addition, students are able to create as well as curate material using digital devices such as iPads, smartphones or computers.
Laurie Petrucci