Naomi Meredith  00:00

The use of video and audio in our world is rapidly growing to help us share information in more tangible ways. Just like this podcast, this type of production is vital for our students to learn, so they can effectively communicate their ideas. While the audio from this episode has never been heard before on this podcast, this presentation is from an online summit I did in the past, at one of the Wonder workshop international STEAM summits, I'll be sharing with you five different ways that you can integrate video and audio production into your classroom, and some examples of lessons you can try. 

Naomi Meredith  01:09

Hey, everyone, thank you so much for coming to my session today. And we will be talking all about video and audio production in the STEM space. There definitely is a place for this in the classroom and no matter what grade level you teach, you can definitely level this up, level this down and make it work best for you. Now, if you don't teach STEM specifically, and you're a classroom teacher, or you teach other content areas, you definitely can find a lot of valuable information in this presentation. So don't feel like you just have to be a STEM teacher to be in this presentation. I was a classroom teacher for six years before I became a K through five STEM teacher. And you can still do these awesome things in your classroom. So a little bit about me, I am Naomi Meredith, and I am a current K through five STEM teacher and coach. And when I'm not teaching and through different various parts of my day, I am a business owner. And that little guy with the big ears is my dog Frederick who is spoiled as can be. And then along with my business and to incorporate all my teaching and experience. I'm also a podcaster with my newer podcast, the elementary STEM coach podcast. So definitely go and check that out if you need a new podcast to listen to. And I am also a fiance, I have my wedding in June 2023. So a lot of different hats that I have. Today, I'm going to be sharing with you five video and audio formats that you can incorporate in your classroom, whether it is STEM or other content areas. I also have a bonus option for you that I will be sharing as well. Also, linked in this presentation will be a free guide where you can view examples of the things that I mention throughout my presentation. I'm going to have pictures like action shots of the some of these examples. But in that free guide, I'll actually link specific student examples so you can actually get a deeper picture and see where you might want to take this in your own classroom. 

Naomi Meredith  03:21

So the first type of video format that you can implement in your classroom. And I would say that this is the easiest way to get started. If you're not doing any video at all, none at all start with this is action videos. And what I mean by this is really videos that are in the moment. So this is really capturing the things that are already happening in your classroom, but bringing them to life through the use of video. These can actually be scripted or not scripted. So I have some examples of that. And this is again, a great way to capture the learning from the day. The parents aren't typically in your classroom, and they don't get to see the great work that you're doing. And typically you might be using tools that the students can't take home. They go home and tell their families about it. But it might be just there's so much going on in their explanation that a video can really capture what they're trying to say. And again, this is a great way to bring those projects to life. And kids really can have that ownership over their work and relive those learning moments. The top tools that I recommend and that I love using in my classroom is number one, I absolutely love Seesaw. This is a tool that I used as a classroom teacher all the time with my third grade students. And then I still use it today with my K through five STEM students. K through five, yes, all of them because it does so many different things, especially having that video component is so powerful are filled with the students work. Now I know I'm talking about action videos, but Seesaw also has the option where you can take photos of anything, and you can add in a voice recording. So that is also a another great option to capture the learning of what is happening. Another very comparable tool. And this also depends on the licenses that your school has or the direction they want you to go is Flipgrid. Very similar, but this is mainly video based anyway. And students can definitely take video of their work and even respond to each other in the platform, you can definitely use Flipgrid with any grade. I have found that there's more buy in with my older students. But again, you can use it K through five or even beyond then. Another option if you don't want to create accounts or you don't have the option to create accounts is if you have at least a Google account as a teacher, you can use Jamboard. And this is a newer tool made by Google. And think of it like an upgraded tablet/digital interactive whiteboard. So you can have unlimited boards. And there's different ways for students to respond, they don't have to log into an account. So you could create a share code or a QR code for students to access your board. And then on this side, there's an insert image icon. And within that there's webcam as an option. So students could actually take a video or photo of their work and share it to the shared board. And that could be a way to capture the learning for the day. And then maybe you email that board out to parents in a classroom newsletter. So lots of great options that are great entry points for really thinking about ways to capture the learning those action shots and those videos. So here are some more specific examples of how I've used those tools. On the far left is a screenshot of a student's recording and first grade, we did 3D printing. So we were talking about animal babies and their adults, and how are they similar? And how are they different. After the students got their 3d prints, they colored their design using Sharpies, and to add all of those traits. After they color those images. We went over as a whole class a script that I wanted the first grade students to rehearse. So we rehearsed that as a group, we went over it many times. And then they had that same script as well, where they recorded, they took a picture of their 3D print, they drew the habitat that those animals live in, and then they recorded their script on top. Some students even chose to take a video, so they wanted to make it more live. But this was just a great way to capture that in the moment learning. And instead of just bringing a random 3d print at home that will sit on their shelf that the families and the kids understand the reason why behind it and get to hear their boys. I also love using these tools when students are using robotics and or LEGO education kits, especially using Dash from wonder workshop, one of my most favorite robots to use in the classroom. But we know students can't take these home. So giving them the opportunity to film their work and show it in action is a great way to share the coding at home. And really, and students can explain what is going on and show how their coding worked. On the far right is something that I recently did with my second graders, and they created with our Makerspace materials, an invention to help with water erosion. On the last day students took their inventions outside and a big cup of water with them. And once they got their invention set up out in the dirt, they were able to pour the water and see how it was able to slow down the water on the erosion and implement students getting water or dirt over the iPad. So I actually ended up taking a after photo and a video of it in action. So and I ended up adding it to their Seesaw for them. And they took the before picture in class before we went outside. So that's also an option too. If you have limited devices, you could use a tablet. If you have one tablet in your classroom, that's all you need. Or if you feel comfortable using your phone, that's a great way to upload things. And the kids are so proud of their inventions. And since it did get dirty and wet, we didn't actually end up keeping them they went in the trash outside. So again, another great way to capture the learning where it doesn't always have to physically come home. 

Naomi Meredith  09:31

Another way that I love to use video in the classroom is actually a very old filming technique, but it's still very relevant today. And that is stop motion animation. I could do a whole presentation about stop motion animation and I have in the past because I love using this type of resource in the classroom. Basically if you don't know what it is, it's tons and tons of pictures with very, very tiny movements. So think of Gumby a year without a Santa Claus those Stop motion animation videos. Fun fact, The LEGO Movie is not a stop motion animation, it is made to look like one. So they made it kind of glitchy on purpose. So fun fact of the day, it really actually has very minimal supplies and tech, you can just do this with a tablet or a webcam. And with my students, I often just use paper as the prop. So I have a couple examples of that, because I know that can be hard. But having a bunch of clay having a bunch of small figurines, I actually use paper, and it works just as Well. The cool thing about this tool is that more happens in front of the camera instead of behind it. So what I mean by that is students are really collaborating and problem solving and thinking about how they can get their objects to move in a way that is fluid. And is that choppy. And all they're doing behind the cameras clicking the shutter button and taking pictures. So it's really about the movements. The stop motion part is very, very simple. It's more about the planning and how to get their props to move. Some of my favorite tools when it comes to stop motion is on the far left is a app called Stop Motion Studio app, there is a free one, if you don't have a budget go with a free one. It's great, it does everything you need to do. If you have a little bit of wiggle room, feel free to upgrade has a little bit more editing options and some templates. But it isn't necessary, the free one does well. I happen to have the paid one that was just something already on our tablets, we use it but you don't need it. If you have laptops or Chromebooks and you don't have a back facing camera, and it just depends on your devices. The HUE Document Camera is a very affordable option. That again, you can use the.as, a document camera, but it basically is a webcam. So it has that bendy arm, which really makes it great for stop motion animation. And they do have additional software. If you want to add that on as Well. Maybe you have a computer lab and you could download the software on there, that could definitely be an option for you. This one on the far right I haven't played around with personally, but I'm definitely going to try it this fall. And this is a web based stop motion animation software. So it looks like kids sign up with their Google account or email. So you could think about that, it doesn't look like it's a Chrome extension. But if you don't have tablets, this could be another good option as Well. Maybe you have the HUE Document Camera, and then you want to use this software, it looks like it has really good reviews and a lot of potentials. So three different options, just ways to think about how you can do this, besides just using the camera roll and scrolling through it really fast. Here's some ways in my classroom that I have done stop motion animation. With my favorite, fifth graders, we were talking about parts of the human body and they had this pick a specific part and explain what it does. I am not kidding you, the kids drew this heart and I don't expect them to be perfect artists. But this is incredible. I will link this in that free guide because the way that they did this was amazing. Now it's cool with stop motion because you can add in other elements such as audio, you can add in more sound effects, depending on the time that you have. So there's even more potential when it comes to the video editing skills. For this one, we just didn't have time, but they added in words, and it definitely explains what the human heart does. And the middle a great way I love to get started is students pick a favorite fairy tale or fable. And they create a stop motion about that using paper props, whatever. And then we play the videos. And then we have to guess what the story is. So we tried to pick things that most kids now and this is a great introduction, because then they learn how to do stop motion in the moment. But they're also applying it to literacy and story retell. With my third graders, I have them take on the role as a paleontologist and they research about different fossils and the stories that they tell. And they have to use their inferencing skills to actually write a story about the fossil that they learned about and then put it in the form of stop motion. Again, I add in I use paper as my prop. You can even have kids pick out some pictures, put it on a page and have them you print it especially if it's things like fossils or the human heart. Apparently that group didn't need me printing it. But that's also a good way to if you want to save some time you can have some prompts pre printed or students can do an image search and create that for you. 

Naomi Meredith  14:46

As another great way to add in that audio option and video as an option too is podcasting. It's so interesting because some kids know about podcasting and some don't and you probably hear it in your classroom. When I grew up, I want to be a YouTuber. Totally fine. I wanted to be on camera too as a kid, but my YouTube was I wanted to be on the Barney show. Selena Gomez did but I did it. So anyway, so I'm kind of know about podcasting. And podcasting is getting as big as YouTube. So it is typically audio only. But there is such a big growth with video podcasting. So that can be an option, but it doesn't have to be. And it is really good for the kids who are camera shy. It's been super interesting doing podcasting with my students, because the kids who have a hard time just being on camera are excellent at podcasting, and they feel very successful and they start creating their own at home. So it's a really great thing to start using in your classroom. Some of my favorite tools for this, you're gonna see these tools a couple of times, because they can do a lot of things we've video is an excellent option. You can record audio, add their music transitions that are already there. And there's the multiple layers that are tracks that students can edit. So it can make it a little more advanced. But they've also had some recent updates where it's more visual. If you haven't done any video or audio editing at all with students and you have the option to use Wii video, I definitely would go that route over iMovie because it is more made for kids. But iMovie is a great option too. I do like it as well. The difference between when we video and iMovie is that we videos actually web based, you can get the app for it, but it will connect to the internet. So you can actually see all of your stuff you do on the tablet and on the computer. So that's really great too, because it makes them more collaborative. And kids can work on things at home if they would like and they're not tied to one voice. But with iMovie, you are tied to that one device. So that can be very limiting, limiting. And iMovie doesn't always have the stock music or photos as well that Wii video offers. Screencastify also has the option of class accounts now and you can create assignments a lot like Google Classroom and any video you can create, you can actually export the audio, they have very simple editing tools, so not as robust as we video in iMovie. But that's another option if you're looking for different tools. A way that I've done podcasting is specifically it's hard to actually capture taking pictures of podcasting. But I had my fifth graders, we were learning about light pollution. And they didn't know anything about it, which was perfect because they had to do some research about it. They did some research in a group about light pollution using the resources that I provided. And then they created a script using a template. And from there, they created their podcast. Now you can see in this picture that there is a big fabric IKEA box laying on its side. And there's two devices, they haven't quite setup everything, but you're going to be able to get a picture of that. inside of the box is the script. So students will put the script and the microphone inside of the box because it'll help drown out the noise. I try to spit out students as far away as possible, put them in the hallway, if it's a quiet time of day in the library, I really try to spread them out and having a microphone is great if you can get it. Some students have microphones built into their headphones in their classrooms, some might even have gaming headphones that they can ask to bring in. You might even have some microphones in your classroom. So definitely check out those ways it's not necessary. But it does make a huge difference. Especially the whole point is audio. And then on the outside is there's a student so it's great when they're collaborating it. The other device has the actual recording software. So the the microphones hooked up to the device outside of the cube, but they actually placed the microphone inside of the cube. So someone is on the outside. And they can always pause and switch spots with someone on the outside, making sure that the technology is working and everything is good to go. Though I will say about podcasting, even based on experience is the prep before and after a podcast actually takes longer than the actual recording. And students are very surprised by that even when they do other videos. There's more work before and after than the actual being the star of the show. So this is a great lesson as well. Along with that just basic video editing skills is just an excellent skill for kids to have in their back pocket. I have definitely even found that as a teacher, self teaching myself how to video edit has been quite an asset for all sorts of things. It's great for students to add in multimedia. So whether it is those audio things, they can layer in pictures, they can layer in videos. It's just a great overall skill to have. It can be very, very simple based on the tool that you use or the project and it can be very, very complex. So there's a lot of room for that. differentiation. Again, you'll see two of my favorite tools. Again, I love Wii video and iMovie. So those are the top two that we think of when it comes to adding music, audio, all those transitions. Another one that is a simple one that I have played around with that has actually been really fun. And they have, it's free for teachers, and you could set up a classroom is Canva. You can embed some videos, they have some slides, and they have some fun things to play around with. So very, very simple, I wouldn't say has tons of layers, but you can do some basic video editing and there so it could be like a little commercial or things like that. And then Adobe Spark, I'm not 100% Sure, I think you have to pay for it. But I'm not exactly sure. But Adobe Spark, Spark has an app and also web based versions, where you can do very, very simple editing as well. I actually use Adobe Spark with my fourth graders. So when my fifth graders were doing podcasting, the next group did their fourth grade did their videos in Adobe Spark. I do like having all of my video and audio projects going on at the same time. So then I can get all of the materials ready, and it just repeats. But the projects are completely different. Again, the same setup. So students were researching about space junk. Again, another topic they didn't know about, what is it what is why is it a problem. And then they also were thinking of their own possible solutions. They didn't actually build these solutions. But they thought of some that could be a possibility, since it is a newer problem and a way that we are polluting around the Earth. So they created a simple video in Adobe Spark, and they added some moving elements, and then they recorded their voice on top. Another way that I've used Adobe Spark, and really you could do this with anything is that when I was co-teaching with teachers, first and fifth grade created commercials for something called their sale day. So first grade had a sale day they had a product that they were going to sell. And their older buddies helped them create a commercial. So they filmed their little bodies saying things about their product. And they were adorable. One kid I helped with was had a massage station, it was ocean themed. And he had a sea turtle and some shells he brought in, it was so cute. He's in. He's in fifth grade now, actually, so I have to remind them of that. But they helped them create some commercials. And then they added some other features with Adobe Spark. And it was great with the templates that they had. And it was a really fun collaborative experience. Of course, you can see all of these you can layer in together, so they don't even have to be isolated projects. But green screen is way more simple than you think. And it has very stunning results and students are get very excited, you can also add in blue screen. And it just adds another perspective to your videos. Now you see we video in iMovie on there, they do have the capabilities to edit green screen, you can just film using the camera app on whatever device, save that video and put it in one of those platforms. But over all of that I highly, highly recommend investing it's not very expensive. It's worth like if you don't have any money for anything, and you are you have a little bit by this. Okay, that's all you need. This is Green Screen by DoInk. And it just explains what green screen is very visually to students. And it has those layers. It's super easy to edit, it is super straightforward. You can choose the green, you can really have any background beer green screen, we typically use blue and green because humans aren't naturally those colors, they shouldn't be blue or green. So that's why you see those colors. So if some ways I've done this, I'm not going to show my students videos, I don't want to show their face. But you can see here I am in the middle in front of a green screen I had a pop up green screen tripod that I bought a few off of amazon for my classroom. One side has green one side is blue. So they're the perfect shades. On the far left. It was with second grade they were researching about a location and oh sorry, third grade, and the climate and the weather at all times of the year. And then they created a video about it. Mine was about Costa Rica. And then on the far right was second grade and they were researching about different natural disasters and they had to report about it and let you know what are the causes and where do they happen. 

Naomi Meredith  24:32

Finally as the bonus, this is almost like incorporating all of it. You can do your school wide news using these tools. I actually don't do mine live because I don't want to deal with any huge technical difficulties and especially here I'm in Colorado. We have weird weather I don't want to deal with that. I don't know when else I would do it live I do a lot of clubs after school and my plane times in the morning so one of my clubs will two of them. My club on Monday. is the pre recorded news. So I have groups of students who record the news five days out. So we have scripts that they read account or and all of that. Then my editing team, the next day different set of kids, we get those videos, they edit them to where they're cleaning them up, and they use the video. And eventually they start adding in those transitions. Like, here's what the weather forecast is. And they'll add in little things. Soon, the second semester, my recording team will eventually use green screen. But right now we're really working on reading those scripts and being on camera. This is something that's the teachers in my building watch every single day, and their classrooms are about five minutes. Super engaging. This is the second year that I've done it, and the little kids can't wait, like when can I be on the news. So they're literally obsessed about it. So you can see I have some kids who are recording at the time we were doing green screen then. Then it goes to my editing team. on one screen, we have the script up. So I share the scripts with all of my news team. And then on the other computer is we video. And then they have a headphone splitter in their partnership, and they're able to hear what's happening on the video. But then they use the script so they know what is supposed to be said. And if it's being set in the right order. Then I'll also add in some fun special features. One that I'm doing right now is called crosswalk questions with Miss Meridith. So while I'm on Crosswalk duty and there's no cars around, I have a question of the day and I will film kids with their answers. And then I'll randomly put these video ends, videos and and it's just a great way to incorporate some fun things. We also have a joke box in our library. So students will submit their jokes and they think they're very funny, but they're totally bad jokes. And we always have a joke of the day that's always part of the script that they'll read a joke from there. 

Naomi Meredith  26:48

As a recap, here are the five plus the bonus video and audio formats that we talked about in this presentation. We have the action videos, stop motion animation, podcasting, video editing, green screen, and the ultimate one, the bonus school wide news. I will again have that free guide for you in this presentation. So you can see some video examples of these in action to get a more clear picture of how this works. some links to some resources so that you can try at least one of these in your classroom, whether it's STEM are something else.

Naomi Meredith  27:27

Thank you so much again for coming to my session. You made it this far. And if you would like to connect with me further, here's all my information you can definitely find me by way of email at my website naomimeredith.com. Again, check out my podcast, the elementary STEM coach Podcast. I'm currently have episodes twice a week, and some fun special guests have been popping up in my agenda. Some of you might know from wonder workshop, and then YouTube, definitely check the out and then Instagram I love being on Instagram @NaomiMeredith_ and then my TPT shop Naomi Meredith. So lots of ways to connect and find me. And I hope you found some good takeaways from this session. And I appreciate you being here. And definitely have a great rest of yours semester. I'll talk to you later. This presentation has tons of visuals, and I bet you're dying to see all of the examples and handouts from this presentation. You can grab the video recording of this episode and the video slides I referenced throughout student examples and bonuses for only $5. That's less than a fancy coffee drink. This will be linked in the show notes and you can check it all out here at naomimeredith.com/PDreplay. That's P D replay.