During the COVID-19 pandemic, school and education looked quite different for a period of time. When students used to be able to sit and learn right in the classroom, they had to move their classes to computer screens and video lessons. For faculty and teachers, this was a big transition that many are still navigating and improving.
If you work as a teacher, you are passionate about getting your students the proper instruction and all the support they need. One of the best ways to do just that is with better online video instruction that gets information across in creative and engaging ways. It can be hard for students of any age to sit in front of a screen and listen to one person talk for hours and hours. Honestly, it’s exhausting for anyone and makes it easy for students to miss things. Finding those creative ways to make the most of video education can mean more than you know for the future success of your students. Here are some ways to improve your online video instruction.
Encourage the students who are showing dedication to their education.
Any class is always going to have some people who are really engaging well with the material. Especially through a virtual medium, it’s more important than ever to recognize and encourage those individuals. Give them great praise and offer academic honors to these individuals with the highest GPA who enjoy honors courses. People who are looking at graduating with honors love the extra care and assistance from their teachers and mentors. Help them reach academic excellence with extra assignments, deeper discussions, and additional care over video.
Work with video production tools and experts.
Not every teacher is going to be completely well-versed in technology and video production. Try your best to improve your video quality with online tools and help from the experts. A video production company can help you come up with different transitions, more dynamic graphics, and creative ideas to get your students more engaged in your lesson plans. You can even work with live video production companies to assist you as you’re teaching classes to live on whatever medium you prefer. Everything from great lighting to better sharing will be available when you work with the right companies.
Find ways to engage with the video medium in creative ways.
Simply talking at students for hours on end from a video square can be tedious and tiresome. Look for new ways to engage and utilize technology in more creative ways. Allow students to respond to you with chat functions. Play virtual games to make sure the information is getting across. Or try to still create group discussion capabilities. Take advantage of the virtual space and try to engage with the video medium in creative ways that will help students get more involved.
Offer more flexibility to your students.
One of the benefits of video instruction is that it’s available in a variety of ways. Enjoy a greater amount of flexibility for your students to enjoy. Rather than forcing everyone to watch a lecture at the same time, you can upload a video and allow students to watch it on their time. They’ll also be able to revisit lectures until all the detail sink in. This is one way how video instruction can actually benefit your students.
Switch up the different types of videos you’re making.
Videos come in all types and formats. A piece of advice is to switch up the types of videos you’re making. Between tutorial videos, training videos, presentations, and explainer videos, you can have fun trying different methods and teaching in new ways. This will help all your students engage with the material differently and in the best way for you.