Thing 20: Online Video and Audio Resources Reflection

Online video and audio resources are a great educational tool that has become very useful and easily acquirable in the last decade. Tools like youtube, teachertube, discoveryeducation, and learn360 are all great locations where videos have been collected. Now even better curation tools are making their mark to create collections of videos for educators and students. Curation sites like mentormob and sophia are free tools that help educators find videos that are the best of the best. These curation tools make it easier for teachers to find what they need, when they need it, quickly. Audio tools like iTunes often have videos attached to them so a student can see what is going on in a podcast. These videos and audio resources help me to connect students early on to something interesting and in a media format that catches their attention. Video and audio resources are a great way to motivate an opening to a lesson.

Videos are great for seeing and hearing the big picture for a particular topic so a student receives the information in more than one way. Videos require the ability to view as well as hear so a video can’t be used when walking or driving. An audio resource could be used while walking or driving because listening is all that is required. I think it is best to remember that a compilation of resources is best without focusing on just one mode of learning.