Technology (video) rescues teacher improvement

There is a very interesting story in the NY Times about a major initiative in the US, funded by the Gates Foundation, to use video extensively in observing and improving classroom teaching. Teacher Ratings Get New Look, Pushed by a Rich Watcher There is a considerable likelihood that the initiative will be ruined by too much focus on policing and not enough on professionalism, but here's hoping. Digital video might be coming to the rescue of a very sad history of teacher observation and self improvement. It can allow observation to be relatively unobtrusive, and provide an objective record of what happens in a class. Video is relatively cheap now, and small cameras can record vast amounts of vision and sound, all with precise time tracking. A problem is that single camera covering a whole room does not provide the ability to focus in on detail as a human viewer can do. This means that an effective system is relatively expensive. But then so is ineffective teaching.

Fun and games with grassroots video

I have been experimenting with so called grassroots video, as in YouTube, heralded as the current big thing. Here is one of my efforts on my YouTube collection on the potential of smart phones in education - via the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Quick, precise and to the point

The experience of making a number of these little instrucitional videos has taught me that in using this medium, simplicity and brevity is vital. It is all done on a digital still camera, with a 15 cm tripod. A very affordable technology and the quality of the output is adequate. It is the story that matters. And the voice in particular.

I found that getting my little speeches ready without hesitation or loss of fluency was really difficult, and tried some writing and filming as I went.