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Just about a year ago Google’s YouTube announced its first day
with four billion video views. This phenomenal number not only indicates
the success Google has had with the acquisition of the video portal but
also shows that online videos have become very popular and have
overtaken traditional television stations globally. It also shows that
video has become a main stream of modern communication. Continually we
are moving away from the written word and developing the visual language
(with still and moving image). And even more, we are all acquiring and
developing a new global visual language without the knowledge of
specific words.
We ourselves have been fascinated by the productive use of
video in education for more than 20 years now. Not only with the
creative side of producing short clips and programmes but especially
with the learning potential of video production to support media
literacy. We see ourselves as video educators and not video producers.
By this we mean that the end goal of video production is not a
professional film but that the learners have become more critical in
their use and reflection of media images. The use of video production is
normally a motivating exercise for them and an ideal moment to explore
the design and meaning of media texts. There is so much need for this to
become part of formal (and informal) education.
Our video work has always been connected across the curriculum,
and over the years we have done a lot of work in the language
classroom. Ideas there were based on using video production either to
raise the awareness of languages in Europe or to support the learning of
a foreign language. Technology and sharing options get continually
cheaper and more accessible. Every modern smartphone has a video camera
built in and almost every still camera has a video option. There are
also many more (mainly free) options to edit video footage—from the
classic Movie Maker and iMovie to simple options to edit video material
online such as WeVideo or YouTube’s online video editor.
However, video production is not about technology, but rather
needs an educational concept. It is most important that the teacher has
an idea why he or she wants to use video. Otherwise it can quickly
become a technical exercise. Here is what I think are the six most
important guidelines for language teachers who want to get started with
video production:
- Keep it simple (start with the most basic ideas, especially
if you have little experience with video production, such as simply
recording video clips and watching and discussing them).
- Hand over the production to the students (the teacher doesn’t
need to be the video expert but should concentrate on the pedagogical
goals).
- Rely on teamwork (which also better supports the development of media literacy skills).
- Include homework (so the learners have more time to work on
their productions, particularly when lesson time is
restricted).
- Get permission from the parents beforehand (in written form to avoid problems afterwards).
- Observe copyright (and don’t use any commercial images,
videos, or music to avoid possible problems and legal issues at the
end).
Video offers wonderful extensions to the language classroom,
and I have included further links of what we have developed over the
years in European projects below. These include concepts for how primary
school children can use video to present their own languages (Speech
Bubbles); guidelines for foreign language teachers to use photo stories,
video words, and news (DIVIS); how video can connect with drama and
other creative approaches (Crealle); and projects in which video
supports young people in the creation of popular music videos
(PopuLLar). There is also a range of ongoing training possibilities in
European Comenius/Grundtvig courses as well as free online courses which
we offer once or twice a year.
Video is also a wonderful medium for connecting with learners
in other cultures and countries. And it is fascinating to observe where
the visual language can communicate so much without fully knowing the
language of the partners.
The Viducate network would be
happy to get in touch with you, hear from your experiences with video
and language learning, or meet you at one of our training
sessions.
Useful Resources Related to Video Production and Language Learning
Useful Resources Related to Video Education
Connect with us
Armin Hottmann is a media educator, teacher trainer,
video producer, and European project coordinator. He is currently
setting up the first film and media studies programme in
Ethiopia. | 
