Ieherí:ne Kaylyn Kennedy December 2, 2019

EDEC 262: Media, Technology and Education

Online Assignment #1

“ASL Lesson 1” Link: https://youtu.be/owXsDIKq4lk

1.
The video I choose to do my assignment on was to learn basic sign language. The video
is called, “ASL Lesson 1,” and produced by Impact Spokesperson. The video is 7:10 in length.
The aim of the video is to give a brief introduction to sign language that could be used in basic
conversation. It is a beginner lesson that would allow the viewer to be able to understand some
basic signs, as well as to be able to communicate with hearing impaired.
I choose this skill to learn as it is something that I was always interested in learning. Most
importantly I want to learn this skill due to the fact that my niece was born with Down Syndrome
has had a hard time communicating verbally. When she attended pre-school, her teacher began
teaching some basic sign language to her as a way for her to communicate her wants and needs
with others. I want to be able to communicate with her as well.
I choose this video because it seemed straight to the point and not as complicated as other
videos I viewed. It was not busy at all and so it was easier to focus.

2.

In order to teach different words in sign language, the video had a woman in the center of
the screen demonstrating the sign and describing the proper way of signing using the hands.
Words popped up on the side of the woman to go along with the sign she was demonstrating.
She verbally said 2-3 different words that associate to each sign that she demonstrated.
The woman repeated herself more than once for each sign which was a helpful tool. She clearly
sounds out words clearly and precisely when saying words so that she is very easily understood.
At the end of the video, the woman uses the basic signs taught at the very beginning to
demonstrate how they can be used together to ask questions or used in a phrase. This was
particularly useful because learning individual signs is a job in itself, but knowing how to use
them to communicate a message is the ultimate goal.

The backdrop was black/grey in color and nothing else was present on the screen except
for the speaker and the texts that would pop up on the side of her while signing. The words were
big, and placed in a good place but I thought could have been displayed for a second or two
longer. The setting was very simple and not too stimulating which allowed for me to stay focus
the entire video instead of being distracted by too much color or visuals.

I don’t think that I would produce a similar video due to the fact that I am not confident
in my signing abilities. I would teach my students through videos and give them the opportunity
to create a video that could be used for other students in the school or to teach their parents. I
would use each student to demonstrate a different sign and give an explanation. I would try to
have the students associate some basic signs with the Mohawk language and use that as a tool to
introduce sign language to the Kanien’keha speaker. If I were to produce a similar video, I would
try to make it more visually appealing for a younger aged audience.

3.
The challenges that I faced trying to learn sign language from the video was that I often
had to go back and re-watch each sign with the demonstration in order for it to somewhat instill
in my mind. Some of the demonstrations were done too quickly which was hard for me to
follow. Some explanations were given as to the proper placement of hands/fingers while others I
felt left me, the viewer, wondering if I was doing the sign correctly. I would suggest that more
time be given for each demonstration of a sign and that it be demonstrated more than twice in
order for the viewer to not have to keep going back to the beginning.
At the end of the video, I think that it would be helpful if they would have went through
all the signs one more time as a review. By the time the video finished, I felt that I had to watch
it a few times before certain sign stuck with me in my head.

4.
The tutorial on learning basic sign language was useful as I have always wanted to learn
sign language. I am not confident that I will be doing signs correctly if I were to engage in a
conversation with a hearing impaired individual, but I would definitely be able to understand
some of their signs.
It is something that I would consider using with my own students as I believe it is a skill
that we all ought to learn and that it will become useful to them at some point in their lives. It
would be teaching them another form of communication that they could use at some point in
their lives. I like the idea of using videos for them to be able to watch . It is sometimes more
interesting for a student to watch a video to learn a skill as oppose to watching their teacher.
I am not sure if I would use this video in particular with my students as I found It to be
more geared towards an adult audience. It was neither visually appealing or kid friendly. I
would choose something that would engage their interest. It was very simple, which was a good
thing for the adult viewer, but I feel that a child would lose interest right away. They need
something more stimulating such as more pictures, color, characters or even a child’s voice. I
believe that in order for them to get the most out of the video, they would have to be able to
relate it to their own lives.