Vloggging in the Classroom

I have to admit that I've been a fan of Andy Carvin's videos and Rockteboom for awhile.

Tonight Rocketboom will be featured on CSI and vlogs will explode onto the scene.

I've been thinking of moving kids into vlogging (someone really needs to come up with a better name!) for some time. Last year we tried a few podcasts just as an experiment and it wasn't something that really took off. I didn't have enough experience working with audio (just as I won't have enough experience working with video) but I think its an important avenue to open up with kids. Once again it comes back to choice and having kids find a medium they are comfortable with. Blogs and wikis we've spent time experimenting with, video and audio may be our next step.

One short video and one short podcast each week. A group of kids spends a week researching, scripting and experimenting. The next week they would actually film and edit or record and edit. 4 groups of kids working at any one time. 2 recording or filming, 2 getting ready. 3 - 4 minutes would be the goal. Teenage life, classroom issues, life in a small town, whatever they want to focus on.

My Language Arts class seems to be fading away. Between blogging, wikis, watching downloaded videos and commercials we seem to be simply moving towards communication as a focus. We still read and write in "traditional" ways a lot, but these other channels seem to be becoming so important in what we do. Am I harming kids and their education by focusing too much on electronic forms of text? They still need to face provincial exams in the high school. What effect will these experiences have on their "school literacy?" How can I make this work in my schedule? How much time to give?

Skipping across different forms of literacy and expression, with little experience in any of them seems to be a running theme in my classroom. I'm not an expert in many of these forms of communication, but they are too important not to consider in the classroom. My comfort level notwithstanding, the kids need the experience. But what are the total effects of an education like this? I am not satisfied with the system as it exists, but am I pushing too hard, too far, too fast?

technorati tags: vlogs, learning

Comments

[Dean Shareski]

I applaud your efforts to communicate and develop 21st century literacy skills. While you may be feeling some guilt and maybe some new challenges, I for one encourage you to forge ahead.

It may even be that you'll move back towards more traditional forms of literacy and communication. For me, I often need to test the deep waters before I settle on a more moderate balance.

Keep going and yes, try out vlogging. If you're interested in some software that provides some very cool features, try Visual Communicator.

http://seriousmagic.com/products/vlogit/index.cfm

$49.