Photo by SaiKrishna Saketh Yellapragada
Making your own videos takes time (and sometimes money, though I make them for free). So why do it? There may be many reasons. Here are my five reasons for creating my own videos as a teacher:
To cater to students' unique needs
There's no need to reinvent the wheel: if an existing resource can fulfil my teaching needs, I won't create something new. However, sometimes I just can't find what I'm looking for -- time to make a video.
For example, I noticed that my students make a common error around the use of 'cannot' and 'can not'. I couldn't find any suitable videos about it, so I made my own quick video showing the difference between 'cannot' and 'can not' that I share with students each time this issue comes up.
To demonstrate something
Recording your screen (using ScreenPal or a similar tool) is a great way to demonstrate how to do something on the computer.
I made a video demonstrating how to do research on an academic search website.
To avoid repeating myself
Have you ever had to repeat instructions or key information again and again? With a video, students can watch and rewatch whenever and wherever.
I made a video to give instructions on how to format an annotated bibliography assignment. I can now direct students to the video and they can view it as many times as they need.
To give feedback
When students study online, the teacher can feel far away and communication can seem impersonal. Giving students feedback in a video helps me create a stronger connection with students. I find that students take on board feedback in video form more than written comments, and they really appreciate the personalisation of the experience.
When I give feedback on a student's written task, I will record my screen with their task and talk through my comments on various parts of their written work. I then send the video to that particular student. Here's a feedback video example from another teacher.
To inspire students
Because I teach writing, I am always encouraging my students to read more. Students often ask me for reading suggestions, so I began making videos to recommend books. Here is one example. Seeing me read in my real life shows students that I "practice what I preach"; it also stimulates interest as they see me get excited about reading.
These are some of the kinds of videos I make and the reasoning behind them.
Do you make your own teaching videos? If so, why?
And what kind of videos do you create?
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