Implementing Video Tools in the Classroom

When thinking about how to properly implement unique video tools such as Skype or 360

videos into my social science classroom, I want to do it in a way that emphasizes learning over

personal usage. Often time I see instructors implement new technology for the sake of doing it

rather than using it to clearly benefit the students. In using these tools, I hope to further the

education of students or enhance and add meaning to that which is being taught.

With tools like Skype or Webcams, it is far easier to contact personal sources of expertise

to build better understanding to the content material. For instance, I can contact experts at a local

history museum to teach a lesson over Manifest Destiny and settlers entering the region and

turning it into their own. Another thing I can do is outreach to students who may have access to

smart devices. Over this whole coronavirus outbreak, we have learned the importance of staying

interconnected and in close contact with students outside of the classroom. In instances were

reaching out to students over webcam is beneficial, it is a small step we as teachers can do in

order to ensure students are well versed in the content knowledge and know what is expected of

them in the learning process.

While Skype or webcam usage allows for me to be better connected with individuals, the

rise of 360-degree videos has really helped in giving me a mental image of places of interest. The

use of 360-degree video, while still relatively new in its production and usage, is something that

allows for in depth lessons and usage today. For instance, when I scroll through social media

websites, I often see that these sorts of videos capture a feeling, moment, or just pure

exhilaration. For instance, whenever I go to websites such as Facebook, I always enjoy posts

from sports pages that capture a moment of pure adrenaline from a crowd of spectators. Just as
you can use these 360-degree videos to capture a moment of sports, so to can it be used to

capture a moment in history.

When I looked through different resources that used this unique media form, I came

across a playlist from the New York Times about brief historical events with 360-degree film to

help capture the setting of the story. The link provided here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=qbb0Pc_Wv6E) is a link to a video from the Civil Rights Movement. The video is about Ruby

Bridges, a 6-year-old African American female student. In 1959, Bridges attended a segregated

kindergarten class. However, in 1960 she passed a test in terms of possessing sufficient

educational knowledge, and from there her parents and the NAACP worked together to help her

attend William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school at that time

was exclusively for white children, but thanks to the efforts from Ruby and other groups like the

Little Rock 9, they were soon able to attend these schools. At the time where she was raised,

there was major pushback from employers and other white groups. Ruby’s father lost her job due

to the incident, and they were not allowed to go to certain stores because their faces were

recognizable on the news. However, luckily for Ruby the world changed for the better, and she

was able to go onward furthering her education and activist history from there.

In looking over the many different video tools and devices we have, I was pleased to see

the leap education has made since I attended elementary, middle, and high school. Skype and

other video conference calls such as the Blackboard Collaborate call we use at Concordia allows

for students to stay in contact with their professors. On top of that, I enjoy capturing the

environment of stories such as that of Ruby Bridges, and it is a message and setting I hope to

share to students once I enter the classroom setting as a teacher.