You should be on YouTube! Making teaching videos makes me a better teacher, and it can make you better too!

As the 2020/2021 school year approaches, teachers have a lot of questions about what it will look like. When we ask this question, it seems like all we hear is “We don’t know yet.” Since governors, district leaders and administrators don’t know what schools will look like next year, teachers are struggling to figure out how to prepare. In this blog series, we are looking at 10 ways that we can prepare this summer without wasting our time. Each way will prove beneficial to you, whether your district ends up using distance learning, traditional classrooms, or a hybrid education approach. Included in each blog post in this series will be tech tool suggestions, free resources, and a giveaway entry form.

We have already talked about setting up your digital classroom, exploring technology tools, exploring both digital and paper formats for teaching resources, building up a communication system for parents and digging deep into your standards. Today we will discuss something else all teachers should do to prepare for next school year:

You can create teaching videos.

I know some of you read this and said "Okay, Heidi, you said these blog posts were going to be for distance learning, hybrid learning OR in class learning. Now you're assuming we will be distance learning next year. That's the only reason we'd need to make teaching videos." While teaching videos are definitely helpful for distance learning, they can absolutely be used in a bricks and mortar school.

While teaching in a standard bricks and mortar school, I have created videos that my students used in a computer center, as homework help, and as support when they are stuck on a topic or a project. How many times have you felt like you need to clone yourself in your classroom? Having pre-recorded mini lessons is a way to kind of have 2 of you in your classroom! Instead of being stuck and missing out on learning time, learning videos give students a way to get unstuck and utilize their time better.

Of course if we are distance learning, teaching videos give students a way to cover the topics asynchronously if they are missing your Google Meets or if they are stuck on an assignment outside of your office hours. Students can go back and re-watch videos to help them. And if we are distance learning, students can watch videos WITH their parents. How many times have you had parents tell you "I don't understand how you explain this strategy." If you have videos available, parents will know how you are explaining it and be able to use similar strategies with their kiddos.

Creating Prerecorded Mini Lessons Helps Me Be a Better Teacher
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Personally, I have found that creating video mini lessons helps me think harder about how I want to present information to my students. Because I know that videos must be short and sweet to hold my students' attention, I spend a lot of time prepping before I start recording. I make sure to choose the best possible examples and have all of my materials ready.  This means that I am preparing my presentation and explanation skills ahead of time and I will be more prepared for live teaching the next time I have to present that same information.
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So, what programs do I use to create videos for my classroom? I've used a wide variety of programs, but often I just create a presentation like I would in class and Screencastify myself teaching it. Here is an example video I did for Problem Solving Basics. However, next year I plan to use Flipgrid, which I already use to have the kiddos record videos, to record most of my videos. The reason I want to go this route is so that I can create a video and students can respond with their own videos, keeping it all in one place and making it easier for me and the kids. Some other options for creating videos are: Moovly, Animoto, Powtoon, HippoVideo, and iMovie (only for Macs). ​

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FREE Resources for Your Classroom

As you take some time to make videos for your class this summer, here are some free resources which may help you out:

Interactive Notebook Set Up Guide - Creating interactive notebooks with kiddos next year could be a great way for kiddos to build their own reference book. Especially if students are in a hybrid learning situation, building a notebook on your in class days and using it to help guide them on their at home days. This free resource guides you through setting them up and provides you with pages for the table of contents and your first lesson.

Holiday Recipe Project - Cooking with your parents is a great way to get talking about Math. This project has sheets to guide students through the process, so that their parents know what math they might discuss.

June Digital Learning Resource Bundle Giveaway

Now time for our giveaway!!! With today's giveaway entry form, you will be entering to win my Math Projects bundle. This bundle is one of my top selling resources and includes 7 different real life math projects. Enter to win this Math Projects Bundle, by completing the the June Giveaway Entry Form #6.  

All winners will be chosen on July 1st.  Winners will receive the bundle directly to the provided email. All those who enter will also receive my monthly Raki's Rad Resources News Releases.

Interested in more tips on how to prepare for the unpreparable 2020/2021 school year? Come back tomorrow for tip #7!

Missed a day? This blog post contains the entire list of 10 Things You Can Do to Prepare for Next School Year.