Thomas County Upper Elementary teachers have been asked to begin using the video recording abilities of Smart Boards to develop instructional videos. The instructional videos are designed to remediate and accelerate standards based instruction. Parents and students now have the ability to review and practice a lesson presented by the teacher as videos are uploaded to teachers’ individual webpages. Students are using the videos at home as a guide for homework or review for an upcoming up test. “Having a video as a guide is extremely helpful to me as a parent. I have to confess some of the items covered in class are different from my experience in school. I need a refresher and the videos help me to remember the skill or concept that my child is learning in class,” commented Kristi Wilhelm, whose eighth grade son’s teacher Lindsay Thompson often posts videos to her webpage.
TCUE/TCMS Instructional Technologist Matt Casper has provided support for teachers as they begin posting instructional videos to their teacher webpages. Casper said, “This is actually our second year of posting instructional videos to teacher webpages. We have a number of tech-savvy teachers who feel instructional videos enhance the learning experience for students.” Teachers have responded well to the expectation of including instructional videos on their webpages. The videos only record the teacher’s voice and the content presented on the Smart Board. According to TCUE math teacher Debbie Lasseter, “It is hard hearing your ‘digital voice’. I had to practice several times before I posted the video. However, I feel it will contribute to students’ comprehension of remediated and accelerated content.” Teachers will be posting videos throughout the school year. The intent is to provide digital resources for students and parents to use as needed. TCUE Assistant Principal Melvin Hugans is excited to see the “flipped” model of instruction become an option for students. ”It is important to take advantage of the digital options provided for TCUE/TCMS teachers,” Hugans stated. “Technology is an extraordinary tool which opens a number of viable options for accelerated and remediated student instruction.”
Above: Sixth-grade teacher Leslie Elkins uses her SMART Board to record a lesson for her webpage