Everybody knows that ICT simply means any technology that has to do with information and communication. ICT has invaded and transformed many aspects of our lives to the extent that we live in an environment that is dominated by technology which itself is consumer-driven (Semenov, 2005). No matter how we perceive its presence, there is no denying that it is an important part of our lives and that it is here to stay. The presence of ICT in education allows for new ways of learning for students and teachers. E-learning or online learning is becoming increasingly popular in our country and with various unprecedented events taking place in our lives, this does not only open opportunities for schools to ensure that students have access to curriculum materials whilst in the classroom but also allows them to ensure students can learn outside the classroom such as at home.
In this blog, I will be
highlighting on teaching the class four students about rain and rain gauge
under the subject, Social Studies. I have used the video tutorial on rain and
rain gauge as the ICT tool for teaching my students. I was taught on using the
software such as Camtasia Studio in the class in order to record the screen and
power point presentation and also to edit various videos. I utilized the 8th
version of Camtasia Studio to produce a video tutorial based on my topic. It
was very interesting and a new experience for me to explore the features
available in the software. In the following write up I will be narrating on how
I created the video tutorial and how to use the material in the class.
Creation
of the teaching material
If I talk about how I created the video tutorial on rain and rain gauge is firstly I planned on designing a power point presentation. I referred the teacher’s manual guide to align the content of the topic accordingly in the presentation. I looked onto the internet to further explore the topic. Though the topic was familiar to me, I was little anxious and confused to prepare a video tutorial of it. After done with all these brain storming and mind mapping on the topic, I started preparing the powerpoint presentation. As usual, the presentation was prepared on a blank slide where I wrote greetings for my video tutorial as ‘Welcome to the video tutorial’ and followed by the title of the lesson as ‘Rain and Rain Gauge’ on another blank slide. I also made sure to include the class level and subject. I used the picture of a rain (kind of animated ones) as a background for all the slides. I wanted to make a connection of my content with the background styles of the slides. I used the text font as Century Gothic throughout the slides.
I mentioned the overview of the lesson using
the SmartArt graphic (i.e. diverging radial). To insert that diverging radial
graphic, I went to the Insert first
then selected the SmartArt tools from
which I utilized the diverging radial graphic. Instead of writing the over view
of the topic in prose, I wanted to display it in different manner. So I made
use of the smart art graphics. For the rest of the slides, I wrote the key
points with regard to the topic. When comes to the formation of rain it was
little challenging for me to portray the information in one slide. I used
diagram to teach about the water cycle of the rain. While designing the diagram
on water cycle, the animation tool became the mandatory and the must used tool.
For creating the diagram on water cycle I fully utilized the features available
in the Animations pane. The main objective of the lesson was
to teach the students on how to prepare a rain gauge using local materials. I
wanted to impart all the instructions on preparing rain gauge. I thought that
just simply reflecting the instructions on the slides will not be enough so I
worked on coming up with self-made video on creation of rain gauge. I gathered
all the required materials to make rain gauge. It was not comfortable to make
the video all by self so I had to seek help from one of my classmates to be a
camera man. I made the video on preparing a home-made rain gauge with simple
use of language.
After having prepared the video I hyperlinked the video with the power point presentation. I organized the video in such a way that right after displaying the instructions on preparation of rain gauge, the video will be presented. I used the real picture of the rain gauge (which was made by myself) in the presentation in order convey the concrete concept of rain gauge. I used the arrow available in shapes to label the diagrams in my presentation. First I clicked the Insert pane, then selected the shapes and among the many shapes, I chose the arrow to label the diagrams in my presentation. I used the text box to write the names of the labels. To use the text box, I selected the Text Box option available in the insert pane. I clearly mentioned the materials required for making rain gauge. To make the concept clearer, I put the images of the materials found in our locality. The images were not at all borrowed or downloaded but it was solely captured by me. These were all about how I prepared the power presentation. My power point presentation has total of fifteen slides.
When done with creating
the power point presentation, I had to record the narration of the presentation
by showing my face. Unlike the other narration I did not use the record
narration option from the Slide Show. I
used the video editing software called Camtasia
Studio. The camtasia studio software that I used was the eighth version of
it, which was quite advanced and latest too. The software was interlinked with
power point presentation so I did not have to go separately and open the
software. Instead I went to the Add-Ins pane
in the power presentation only where I had the option to record the narration
of slides. Before I recorded the narration, I selected the icon of record audio
and record camera. I had my script all set for the narration and I had the
final narration of the presentation after several trials. Then I edited the
recording in the software. I found the software very helpful for video editors.
I made use of all the
features provided by the camtasia software. I edited my video by trimming the
unwanted parts of the video. I split the video when I wanted to add some
transitions. I made use of call outs too when I wanted to emphasize key points
in the video tutorial. After doing the necessary editions of the video, I
selected the option produce and share to
produce the finalized video. When I clicked the produce and share option, a
dialog box appeared where I renamed the video file of my choice and selected
the location of the file too. So these are all about how I could come up with a
simple and effective video tutorial on rain and rain gauge.
Activity: There are two activities for the students. Instructions for the activities are clearly directed in the video tutorial.
This video tutorial
will help my students to provide a face-to-face learning atmosphere even in my
absence. Unlike in real classroom, my students can pause the video tutorial and
come back to them later. They will definitely enjoy learning from the video
tutorial as the video is short and to the point.
Instructions
for the use of content-based material
I will be using the
content-based material i.e. the video tutorial on rain and rain gauge
throughout the three phases of the lesson that are lesson introduction, lesson development and lesson conclusion. Instead of me lecturing everything in the
classroom, the video tutorial will suffice all the aspects of the lesson. The
video tutorial includes the introduction of the lesson by connecting the prior
knowledge of the students with the topic, the clear description on the contents
of the lesson, some activities for the students and the conclusion of the
lesson.
The video tutorial will
be showed to the entire students in a classroom; where students will be able to
comprehend the concept of rain and rain gauge. The short video on creation of
the rain gauge using locally available materials which is the part of the video
tutorial will guide the students to create their own simplified rain gauge at
home and also complete the activities. Moreover the combination of the texts, pictures
and video in my video tutorial will surely excite my students to learn. The
video tutorial can also be used by the students to watch it at home whenever
they want to. Students can use the feature of forward, backward, rewind, pause
and resume when watching the video tutorial.
Through the video
tutorial, I expect my students of class four to:
·
define the term rain and rain gauge
precisely in their own words
·
construct their own simplified rain
gauge by using the locally available materials
·
explain
the formation of rain accurately with the help of water cycle
In order to make
appropriate use of this content based-material, both the teacher and students
must be ready with a projector and a laptop in a classroom. Probably the IT
labs/rooms can be used to show the video to the students due to easy
availability of the projectors and computers in the room. Without the presence
of a projector, it will be difficult to show the video tutorial to all the
students. Projector will help to present the video very clearly and visibly. Moreover
the video tutorial can be send via social platforms like WeChat, Whatsapp and Facebook
for the students to access it easily. It can also be shared in the google
classroom by the teacher. Thus, the video tutorial is meant to use by the
students both in the classroom and
outside the classroom.
