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Summer break is around the corner. 👀
But while students’ minds might be far from the classroom and academics, educators fully understand the academic impact that the summer months can have on their growth.
Teachers also understand the importance of preparing for the coming school year before summer even begins!
Asynchronous video is a powerful tool for teachers’ end-of-year reflection, for equipping students to keep minds sharp over break, and also when they’re planning ahead for their next group of students.
In a recent webinar with educators and EdTech experts, we demonstrated how teachers can use asynchronous video for celebrating the past year, going from a “summer slide” to a “summer bridge” and consolidating their library of content to repurpose!
Read below for more👇 or watch the entire session for much more here! And check out this episode of EdTech Heroes for more teacher tips!
Bring memories, certificates to life 🥇
QR wherever they are 📱
Renee Dawson, an educational technology specialist in Atlanta who also taught special education for 15 years, is a big believer in the power of the QR code for students to create highly shareable projects.
“One of my favorite ways to use QR codes is to display student work in the hallway, because it gives you an immersive experience,” she said. “You can have students create videos or screencasts, showcasing the work that they've done in your classroom or explaining work that's hanging out in the hallway. … An art assignment, they can explain where their inspiration came from, what type of art it is.
“Who doesn't love it when the district comes to look at your walls, having this idea out for the superintendent or an associate superintendent to scan and be wowed by what your students have produced!”
To get even more ways to use QR codes in your classroom right now, check out our recent article here!
Cheers to your peers 👏
Packet-up for the summer 😎
Renee also points out how QR codes and preventing summer slide can cross over by making packets for students to continuously learn!
It's powerful when you make a packet for your students because you know those key words that they'll recognize and the different strategies that you have used with them,” she said. “I love making little one to two minute tutorials for my students, and then using a QR code to put them on their summer packets.
"Because even if they don't have a computer at home for the summer, somebody in the house probably has a smartphone or a tablet that they can use to scan their QR code. And then a little video of you pops up explaining the concept. So there's no more misconception. There's no more I couldn't do my packet because I didn't remember how to do that.”
Summer packets can also be great for test review.
For example, when you're reviewing for your statewide standardized test assessments, end of the year finals or even midterms, they are a great way to refresh students’ memory and remind them of what they learned earlier in the year.
Super smash summer 🌤
Consolidation of powerful videos 🎬
Heading into summer is the perfect chance for teachers to not only review their videos for re-use, but even reflect on how they can improve going forward.
As Renee points out, teachers can incorporate students’ thoughts when evaluating videos for future usage.
“I was able to look at all the feedback that my students gave me over the summer and tweak some of the videos because they would say things like, ‘I didn't understand what you did, and in this part of the video, but I got it by the end,’
"So I could go back over the summer and say ‘OK, so I missed that’ or ‘I went too fast on these four steps of the long division process so let me redo this, and make sure that I explain it better.’
“So that's a great way for me to reflect on my teaching strategies and reflect on my video skills.”
Frequently played videos 💻
Begin your journey with video!
Watch our entire session on how video helps teachers and students become better creators here. And install Screencastify free to begin your video journey today!
