Video during the Pandemic and tools for Virtual Learning

There is a saying that goes “seeing is believing” or “a picture is worth a thousand words”. We learn so much more seeing something than reading it, our brains take in more information this way. During this pandemic the use of video is vital for students to learn through virtual learning. Many students have agreed that the videos teachers post allow them to complete the assignments much easier and the Zoom meetings provide that much needed way to connect with their teachers and to ask questions. Zoom`is a great tool to use for virtual learning, teachers can record the meetings and send the links to students who were not able to attend the classes. I like that a Zoom recording can be posted on Blackboard and many other platforms. Another tool would be Loom in which I joined. It is very easy to understand with quick instructions on site to explain. I like that you can share the video with the group and even have them edit the video/presentation. This would be great for group projects when students can not meet in person to complete a video. When using Powtoon there is a free option but I did not want to deal with canceling it later. I love the templates that were easy for students to use; two templates I suggest to use in the library would be the book report and project goals. Now Wevideo offers a free version that allows up to 5 minutes a month; I myself have used this tool and enjoyed the easy editing to include music and fade in and out. There was many other tools that I have yet to explore. Under the Support link there are tutorial videos to assist in using the program including how to make a video. The Read Aloud function has not yet been explored by this user but I am eager to see the pages of the book be the focus while I can read the story. The 30 second book talk would be a great tool to introduce the new materials in the library. Another function of the tool was to create a book trailer; the examples were beautiful! Another tool to use during the pandemic would be Google Arts & Culture which has awesome tours of museums around the world. I know the sight does not have video but the pictures allow the ability to explore the exhibits and I love it!

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