Videos and Photography in the Classroom

I am a huge fan of visual media in the classroom. Okay, really the bottom line is that I tend to be a visual learner! However I am challenged because every time I move I teach a new subject (or subjects) and grade level. How do I compile materials when one semester I teach elementary and the next semester I teach freshman biology?


I use my travels to my advantage.

I have learned that the best way to avoid the gray area of copyright law is to use my own work as much as possible. I made videos back in college, but I find they quickly can become irrelevant due to the differences in content requirements from state to state. What is completely aligned one time I cannot seem to properly fit into the lesson plans at the next. Maybe this is due to my lack of flexibility, I chalk it up to my need to always be working to create new things. I can't seem to get comfortable with using exactly the same thing twice! (Remember I have yet to teach the same class twice.)

Photos are, to me, shorter bursts of content exploration that I can apply no matter what grade or class I am teaching. For example, this photo of sailing on Lake Erie I have already applied to multiple grade levels. Since I am always adopting to content, I have found I use Inquiry as my mainframe of educational technique. Problem solving and critical thinking are the foundation for every class I have taught. Therefore, creating photos like the one below applies whether I am teaching first graders or juniors. The question can stay the same! First graders are working on similarities and differences and using their five senses. High school focuses on application and understanding of scientific principles.

My first graders are the most excited about these questions because they still enjoy the challenge. Some ideas of quite creative regardless of being scientifically sound. They learn how to be "good scientists" and look carefully at details. Notice that some boats are sailing the opposite way. Some boats have different shape sails. And the list goes on...


My high schoolers tend to not be as excited about these questions because they are required to write journal entries about them. (Just five minute troubleshooting notes.) They enjoy the photos most because they enjoy seeing other parts of the country and world. Some students have been known to keep track of locations, and demand opportunities for new places! These students have to work to understand how the photo relates to whatever topic we are studying. These ideas, after practice, bring out some really creative ideas as well! For example, I have given this photo to a class studying earth science. How do the differences in sailboats apply to earth science?

I enjoy using this media because the discussions that evolve are some of the most exciting in my teaching career! Now I just have to keep traveling to keep the variety exciting!

This week I learned that there are more and more free downloads out there for my students to make use of. I have lost track of keeping up with those kinds of applications; this week has reminded me to keep surfing for the lastest tools! Also the amount of videos that my peers provided this week has reminded me that with a little work I can find applicable video. I enjoyed checking out suggestions including: UC Berkeley's YouTube site, and Siemens USA. These will certainly be references in the future!

One site I have enjoyed using is Bio-Alive.

The video below is something I have used in response to questions about antibodies, which of course are only briefly discussed in middle school science texts, and always end up doing more hurt than help. This lacks audio dialogue which I find helpful because my students cannot always understand the verbal banter that accompanies most videoes.