Nearly 2 years ago, we attempted to boil down the ocean by taking a “waffle house” approach to the research on multimedia learning by Mayer, Sweller, and others. As the tides swelled on MOOCs and blended learning practices (such as the rotational model design of “flipped classroom” learning experiences), it proved ever so clear that we needed to start investing time in doing it correctly. Our students shared that they’d rather watch the teacher they know star in a video instructing or extending classroom content, as apposed to a stranger. So naturally, to help, we created a video. Most was shared offline in several professional learning sessions. Watching it now, it seems so 2013 (and actually doesn’t really follow the principles). We also continue to hold these sessions at area conferences connecting this research to everyday practice.
Fast forward… video continues to get easier and easier to create, edit, publish, and distribute. More custom video content floods screens. Amateurs are the new professionals. I’ll continue to push hard on the idea that if we are going to create massive amounts of video, we need to do it right. We need to have another head-on collision with the research and creators (practitioners). As teachers, we can be the models. As learners, we can be the models.
The main point: The main point of this post is to highlight this new video by @veritasium (Derek Muller). He and his team have professionally and elegantly captured what I believe to be a fundamental conversation in the EdTech leadership space. Thanks Derek! Please watch this 7 minute video in its entirety. Beyond the nuggets of strategies to employ when creating better videos, there are lot’s of additional big picture statements and belief challenges.
