High-quality education coupled with digital technology has the power to develop human talent and nurture young minds for the opportunities arising on a global scale. While there are a host of digital technologies impacting education, it is the video format that has emerged as the greatest agent of change, especially in K-12 education. Interactive videos facilitate collaboration, cater to different learning styles and abilities, increase engagement with the content, and ultimately improve learning outcomes.

The best way to use videos in K-12 education is to ensure that they are interactive in nature, allowing students to be active participants while learning. To maximize the effectiveness of video-based learning, students should be able to read and react, comprehend, analyze and critique, and gain knowledge from videos.

Related Read: Top 5 LMS for K-12 Education

How to use videos in K-12 education

1. Virtual field trips

In a geography lesson for instance, take your students for a virtual tour around the world without actually leaving the classroom. A virtual trip also frees you from the bounds of physical space and time. So you can take them to the Himalayas or the Alps,  show the wildebeest migration in Kenya and Tanzania, or trace the route of Christopher Columbus to find the New World. You can also organize virtual field trips to some of the greatest cities of the world, or even provide a complete perspective of the renaissance period in Florence, Italy. No matter what the subject, virtual field trips make the lessons more real and relevant.

2. Preview upcoming concepts

Rather than jump into a lesson directly, you can use videos to preview upcoming concepts and give the students some food for thought. Previews are a great way to spark interest and set the ground for the actual lesson. While algebraic formulas may not stimulate excitement in all minds equally, visual content will help build a better connection with the material.

Also Read: How Do Videos Improve K-12 Learning Outcomes?

3. Record in-class activities

The use of videos in K-12 education can also break the sense of mundane that sets in with regular classes. Recording and sharing in-class activities with the students can help in breaking the monotony while also giving them a sense of their participation during the lesson. In-class recordings are also a great way of engaging with parents and showing them how their wards work and respond in the classroom.

4. Encourage creativity

Taking the above point further, students can also be asked to create videos about the country they are studying or enact a scene from a Shakespeare play. They can also post password-protected videos on sites such as Vimeo and share them with their family and friends.

5. Instructional learning

Videos in K-12 education can also be used for demonstration, for example, a video of a science experiment. Rather than just reading and listening to the instructions, students can watch how a process works and then try it out themselves. These step-by-step demonstrations eliminate or minimize gaps in communication or understanding, allowing for greater learning.

6. Blended learning

Schools and higher education institutions are increasingly leveraging online resources to supplement their classroom sessions. This has given rise to the popular blended learning format which is a mix of traditional and online learning. For instance, simulated videos that imitate and enhance reality are now being used to support learning. To explain how these work, take the case of a biology lesson on the functioning of the heart. A simulated video can show the students how the blood circulates in the four chambers of the heart.

Related Read: 7 Steps to Designing Effective Blended Learning Courses

Today, almost every student has a smartphone. All they have to do is download an AR app and point it to the text or image in the textbook that is linked to the simulated video.

7. Review class material

Apart from blended and instructional learning, videos in K-12 education allow students access to the lessons they have missed. This can be done through in-class recordings. But, it may be that the instructor has to go on leave. In that case, they can create and upload videos and share the URL with the students so they get all the information they need even when the teachers are absent.

8. Vocabulary videos

Videos make learning vocabulary terms fun and interesting. Almost all subjects have terms that students ought to know. Teachers can make these videos and upload on the content delivery platform. Alternatively, students can also be asked to make these videos for homework and then share with the rest of the class. Creative activities such as these encourage students’ interest and participation with the subject, ensuring long-term learning and retention.

9. Research projects

Instead of just listening to a lesson or reading about a subject, students can be asked to prepare a video-based research project. The students can easily find a wealth of information on any subject on the Internet. Videos in K-12 education can be a good supplement, allowing students to discover their different strengths and see what they are capable of. These videos encourage independent learning and also inculcate skills that will hold students in good stead at a global stage.

10. Introduction videos

Videos in K-12 education can add a fun element while also allowing students to get to know each other without the pressure of public speaking. This quick get-to-know-you approach can further be used along the line with students being asked to create biographical videos of the personalities that influence them the most.

Also Read: How to Create and Deliver the Best K-12 Learning Solutions

In conclusion

K-12 education is increasingly leveraging videos to introduce lessons and then further as teaching aids to supplement teaching. Interactive videos can be used to give concrete shape to abstract concepts, especially in subjects students generally find difficult to comprehend such as Math and Science.

HurixDigital offers a digital content library for K-12 students, with over 2500 interactive videos covering Math and Science. These videos are mapped to the global curriculum and are available in multiple languages. Students can leverage this K-12 library to learn various Math and Science concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.

Learners today are hooked to their smartphones, constantly browsing through videos on YouTube and messaging apps and so it makes sense to capitalize on the trend to engage their interest. There are several other ways to access video content for K12 education. For example, the website of Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration provides standards-based lessons from experts on hundreds of science centers, zoos, national parks and museums, which can be used to supplement classroom teaching.

Video learning in K-12 education is more in tune with the evolving pedagogical practices to encourage independent learning in students while also enabling them to hone skills, capabilities and behaviors for the global workplace.  The advantages are clear, the technology is here and the timing is perfect for K-12 education to adopt video technology.

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