Week 4- Using Video to Convey Information

This video "Seasons Song Video" is one I have used in my classroom for the past two years. At the beginning of first grade our science unit focuses on the seasons of the year and different attributes to those seasons. Before beginning the unit I ask my students what they already know about each of the different seasons as a pre-assessment. I then introduce the educational video to my students. I have had a lot of positive feedback from both students and my administration in regards to this video. My students love the catchy song as well as the graphics provided in the video, and my administrator enjoyed that I was incorporating a fun video into our lesson. I typically show this video 3-4 times a week at various times and allow students to sing along to better their understanding of the seasons.

When selecting a video to evaluate I considered all 10 factors and design principles of multimedia. I found a video that was: 1-appropriate for the lesson. 2-Enhanced my students understandinf of the seasons by using words, a tune and visuals. 3-Is in an acceptable manner for first graders (cartoon, kid-friendly terms). 4-Shows the seasons in a way that coincides to the science unit in my classroom. 5-This video contains a catchy tune that will stay stuck with students and adults even after the video is done playing. 6-This video can be shown on iPads/chromebooks as well as on the projector for students to view. It also comes in a downloadable file on iTunes for $.99 ( it was a great purchase for my classroom as well as some of the other songs produced by this company!). 8- I have found this video to be a great additional resource for my students. While we are lucky to experience all seasons during the school year (some lasting longer than others), it proves a great refresher for students to recall what summer is when it is the middle of the winter.

There are many different ways I could incorporate this video. Just as the video I evaluated, I could show this quick animation multiple times a week. I could use it as an introduction to the whole weather watchers unit, I could show it after learning about each season. I also could show it as a refresher throughout the week on what we have learned and are going to learn. Once completing the video, students will be able to clearly state one characteristic of each season as well as identify one holiday during that season. When designing the video I kept a couple principles of multimedia learning in mind. The first principle I focused on was the multimedia principle. I focused on having each slide contain words as well as images representing those words. I also focused on the spatial contiguity principle. Rather than having students read the words and then see the images at a distance, I kept all images close together in accordance with the vocabulary being presented. I believe having students see a handmade video will allow them to realize that they too can be creative when learning about the seasons and allow that creativity to blossom. I really enjoyed working on the project this week. I at first was very concerned and extremely nervous I would not get everything completed. Once I realized I didn't need to find the perfect video to evaluate and that my first animation wasn't going to be perfect everything really seemed to come together. I very much enjoyed working within Powtoon.