Food for Thought: Video and Multimedia Presentations in the ESL and Science Classrooms

One of this week's course readings on Video and Video Editing gave me much food for thought. I found the New York Times article, Idea Lab: Becoming Screen Literate, well-written (I'm an online subscriber to the New York Times), thoughtful and thought-provoking, and rich in detail and examples. Combined with last week's reading of The Visual Literacy White Paper, I was left with much to think about in regards to my own teaching practice at International School Bangkok (ISB). Teaching high school ESL and science classrooms at ISB, language literacy and scientific literacy instruction is at the core of my pedagogical practice. I have seen the 'traditional' view of language literacy change in my twenty plus years of teaching English as a Second Language from a focus on a small set of basic skill competencies (RWSL) towards a more contextualized, individualized, yet broader view of language literacy that crosses disciplines (EAP and ESP) and incorporates not just ways of communicating but of thinking, knowing and understanding. Similarly in the sciences, there has been a shift towards a more constructive, interactive, and transferable view of scientific literacy. (See: National Science Education Standards definition of scientific literacy.) Having enrolled in this course, I realize that literacy for students in my ESL and science classes goes even further, cuts across language literacy and scientific literacy, and encompasses a range of other diverse and disparate literacies: information literacy, technological literacy, visual literacy, screen literacy, and ___?___, ___?___ , and ___?___ literacy (fill in the blank with your literacy of choice!). Finding an appropriate and effective place to introduce, instruct, assess, and build on such a range of diverse and disparate literacies seems beyond the scope and sequence of any one of my ESL or science courses! This clearly needs to be thought of in a K-12 curricular context. Food for thought...

A succinct and well-referenced overview of the paradigm shift that has led to our changing definitions of literacy in a range of fields, from more traditional skill-based definitions to more "interactive, constructive, strategic, and meaning-based" definitions is found at the following link, Definitions of Literacy by Julia Scherba de Valenzuela, Ph.D.. I also recommend the book, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy by Robert M. Hazen and James Trefil for both science and non-science teachers and students. (See Amazon.com link for the book.)

So, back to this week's blog question, "How has the explosion of web based video changed the teaching and learning landscape (in my ESL and science classrooms)?" Since starting my teaching career in the early 1980's, the teaching and learning landscape has changed as much as our definitions of linguistic literacy and scientific literacy. In my and most other ESL and science teachers' classrooms at ISB, video/multimedia has become integral to the teaching and learning landscape. I think this change is a welcome and valued change on the part of most students with the caveat that the inclusion of such multimedia can be done in ways the facilitate and enhance students learning just as easily as they can be included and used in ways that hinder and take away from student learning. As with any tool (and going back to my "food for thought" theme), the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Using a video to show students how to make pudding is not a de facto better pedagogical tool if it does not help students learn how to make (and discuss and reflect on making) a better tasting pudding! Having said this, some of the most effective uses of video/multimedia I have seen in my and others' ESL and science classes at ISB that support our evolving definitions of language and scientific literacies are:

Science Classroom

1. the use of online video to demonstrate various scientific concepts and phenomena (See my earlier blog post of October 5, 2009)
2. the use of screencasting tools to guide students through the use of various tools needed for data analysis in the science classrooms (Logger Pro, WORD Excel, graphpad.com)
   
3. the use of a "website-like CD 'Scientific Writing Guide' for teachers and students to use as a resource in learning to design, conduct, and report on scientific research" (See Jon's blog for more details)
4. the use of online interactive resources (See my earlier blog post of October 5, 2009)
5. the use of PowerPoint presentations embedded with still images, video, and active links to other web-based resources
   

ESL Classrooms

1. the use of a course wiki, and Ning (a social networking site) to develop language literacy (See SlideShare slidecast from TESOL 2009 Convention)
2. the use of a Voice Thread to create and share personal recounts
   
3. the use of an online glossary of words, with accompanying written text, images and voice
4. the use of podcasts and other online video as sources of information for the production of both written and oral text types (See my earlier blog post of October 5, 2009)
5. the use of Google Docs to collaboratively create shared text types
   

What I hope next to see in my and others' ESL and science classes at ISB is an overreaching scope and sequence of curricular outcomes for other relevant literacies such as visual, information and technological literacy incorporated in a K-12 curricular context into each of our ESL and science classes. There is a lot going on in terms of the effective use of video and multimedia in my and others' ESL and science teachers individual classes at ISB; however, these occurrences are not a fixed and articulated component of the class curricula and as such are experiences some but not all students take away from ISB. As a common team curricular document, the curricula for these classes has not been expanded to include outcomes derived from these new visual, information and technological literacies. Further food for thought...

Towards Better Presentations..."My Seven Deadly PowerPoint Sins"

Periodic Table Families Revised 09

View more presentations from Karen Reau.

Periodic Table R08

View more presentations from Karen Reau.

I use PowerPoint in my science classes most days as it is an easy way to organize and share the information I want to cover with students and it provides a record for me and my students of what we discuss each day when reviewing a day's material and at the end of a unit when preparing for tests. I also like PowerPoint as videos, images, url links to information on the web can be contextually embedded in the PowerPoint presentation to enhance the presentation of class content. PowerPoint also allows me to easily revise or add to my presentation based on student misconceptions and depth of understanding on the spot or for subsequent classes. As a language teacher, I like the ability of PowerPoint to support a student's listening comprehension and understanding of a lecture along with student note-taking and deciphering of teacher handwriting and speech decoding. PowerPoint presentations are unfortunately easy to put together quite horribly. Text and images can fill and litter an extensive number of PowerPoint slides in a miniscule number of minutes...to the detriment of student learning and effective teaching. There are many great resources on the web to help presenters create more effective PowerPoint presentations. I especially like these blogs from Presentation Zen blog website:

• What is good PowerPoint design? (talks about the importance of context in determining what is 'appropriate or inappropriate' in terms of creating and presenting a 'great' PowerPoint)
• From design to meaning: a whole new way of presenting? (talks about six fundamental aptitudes relevant for today's 'conceptual age' and presentaions: 'Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning')
• Make your next presentation naked (talks about designing and delivering presentations with 'simplicity, clarity, honesty, integrity, and passion')
  

As a teacher, reading the above and other resources I did not so much find myself surprised at any novel ideas found in these articles but rather ashamed that in the interest of time I was using PowerPoints that I knew could be greatly enhanced for more effective student learning and teaching. So as a reminder to myself and a visual record of my promise to find the time to create better PowerPoint presentations for my students, I will list my seven deadly PowerPoint sins...

1. Using PowerPoint as a time saving rather than a creative tool
2. Using PowerPoints that require students to be passive listeners rather than active participants
   
3. Using PowerPoint to relay (lecture on) rather than discuss class content
4. Using PowerPoints in ways with which I am comfortable and familiar
5. Using PowerPoint slides that are loaded with sentence-level text using complex structures and vocabulary
   
6. Using PowerPoint slides that are 'busy' with text, images, links, color
7. Using PowerPoint slides that are impersonal, not show my personality
   

A first step in moving beyond these sins has been the revision of the attached PowerPoint. Periodic Table_r08 is the original class PowerPoint and Periodic Table_Families revised_r09 is the revised class PowerPoint predominately for slides 37-48 of the original PowerPoint. In comparing the two PowerPoints, I hope the following areas are notable and improvements on the original PowerPoint and my seven sins:

1. Time was taken to improve a PowerPoint used in previous years in order to enhance its pedagogical and creative potential
   
2. The images depicting key terms (slides e.g. slide 22), videos (slide 15), interactive web sites (slide 3), and blank slides for student generated text (slide 8) require active participation on the part of the students
3. Active participation as demanded in # 2 above and the elimination of the need to take notes with the provision of a PowerPoint slide handout facilitated class discussion
   
4. Using PowerPoints to facilitate class discussion
   
5. Each slide has less text than the original and color to identity key terms and images depicting key vocabulary
   
6. The slides have more images, color and links but less text (~a trade-off, perhaps)
   
7. The choice of images (slide 31) and cartoons (slide 9 and 24) showed my personal interests and humor
   

In using the revised PowerPoint with my Chemistry 9 students I noticed a greater interest, understanding, and retention of the content through the use of more video clips (especially MythBusters, which the students ask every day if we can watch another video clip from what has now become their favorite Discovery channel show), images, and less text per slide. I also printed the revised PowerPoint for the students as a 3 slide handout so that the students and I could focus on discussing together the content of the presentation rather than having the students' focus taken up with notetaking. Having more video clips, URL links, and images and less text also freed me to engage the students in a more natural discuss versus lecture on the class content. Overall, I found the PowerPoint, revised and presented as describe above, provided the students more time for reflective thought and class discussion while presenting the content with more salient and memorable visual connections. There is much more I can do to improve this and each of the PowerPoints I used in my class so I encourage myself to continue by the words of Scott Reed, "This one step - choosing a goal and sticking to it - changes everything."

When and where should we be teaching students about their digital footprint? Part II (March 22, 2009)

After reading some of the other blogs in the class -- particularly science in flower, Eschew Obfuscation, and Martin's COETAIL -- I would like to say more on the topic of when and where educators should be teaching students about their digital footprint and AUPs. As stated in Part I of my blog on this topic, I feel that teachers and parents should both be educating students about the nature of their digital footprint and how to manage their digital footprint in a way that protects them and others (starting with first time online users, children) and allows them to create an online image (starting with MS students) and brand (starting with HS and college students and adults) that contributes to and showcases their learning, accomplishments, values and relationships. Given the wired world kids of today are born into, this education needs to take place at a very young age -- when they first enter the wired world -- both at home and in our schools.

In her blog on the topic, Patience stated that she felt educators (and ISB) need to do more than teach about the "dangers of online life" and that while there was some classroom instruction on the topic taking place at ISB, "these efforts (by teachers 'in-the-know') can not be counted upon to reach all students" she was not sure of the best place ('approach') for these lessons (whether it should be the classroom, freshman seminar, or counseling).

In his blog on the topic, Jonathan stated that he feels "we need to be teaching students from an early age about their digital footprint." and that "ISB’s AUP ... is more a statement of ideas and philosophies, than a policy."

Finally, in his blog on the topic, Martin stated that "Digital footprints are most likely not the domain of any one course and time" nor of just parents or teachers and that classrooms (technology, Humanities and others) are places where he could see this issue addressed recurrently throughout the school years. As for the MS AUP, Martin expressed general satisfaction with its wording in addressing this issue and stated, "it's just a matter (now) of disseminating this information to staff, students, and parents."

Reading these three blogs and others helped me clarify where I feel students should be 'taught' about digital footprints in the schools. And I do think they should be taught. Having a clear and targeted AUP, especially an AUP that staff, students and parents are not familiar with nor invested in, is clearly not sufficient. I believe such instruction belongs appropriately embedded in the curriculum of every class students take K-12, not in a separate technology course, or 'home room', or grade-level seminar. Just as we were asked to embed the NET Standards for Students into our final course project (to combine our unit standards, or outcomes, with the NET-S standards), I think each course, grade-level, or department should be asked to similarly embed 'standards' addressing the safe, responsible and effective management of students' digital footprints. Doing so will allow all students to be effectively 'reached', to allow students to become safe, responsible and effective managers of their own online brand (a 'transportable gift' in the parlance of ISB), and to allow staff and students to feel comfortable enforcing and following a clear and targeted AUP about which both students and teachers are knowledgeable and invested.