Classroom Management: Demo Videos

It may seem odd that I have categorized Demo Videos as Classroom Management but for me it has SAVED me in terms of behavior and classroom management (not to say all my problems have disappeared!). Let me explain, when I started in elementary school I had previously been an art teacher in a middle school. I then took a two year teaching break to pursue an MFA in Visual Arts. When I taught middle school I often created demo videos for my students. We were a one to one school so each student had a device that they took from class to class. We communicated through Google Classroom and using demo videos meant that students could access information about the project at any time throughout the project. They could re-watch a step if needed, skip ahead if they were ready for the next step, catch up after being absent, etc. It was great, a lot of work for me but great. It was also accessible for me year to year so I could easily use the same materials/videos. When I started in an elementary school after grad school I wasn't planning on creating demo videos, in fact it wasn't even on my radar. BUT I was dealing with some major disruptive behaviors, many of which were keeping me from even getting started with the lesson. I felt so badly for the students who were coming into my classroom ready to learn and following procedures and expectations that I needed to find a solution to work with the disruptive behaviors so the others could learn. Calling for the students to be removed isn't an option (unless the behaviors are a safety issue).... SO, the demo videos came back. I started with the grade level who was in need of a change the most (for me that year it was second grade). I was able to remove disruptive behaviors from the classroom or area and play the video so I could then personally address the disruptive behavior while everyone else was receiving instruction. I would typically ask the student to step into the hallway, I would get the video going and then immediately address the student privately in the hallway. They would renter class and we would all be on our way to learning. Once I saw improvements, I decided to carry this along to other grade levels across the board. Kindergarten is the grade level I use videos with the least because steps are easier to explain with them and they seem to be VERY engaged in the things I say in comparison to every other grade level. However, I'm slowly working on videos for them as well. 

Below I will explain how I go about creating, editing, storing and showing these videos along with tips and tricks I've found along the way. There are also TONS of resources online for how to use certain programs, apps, etc. to create and edit videos if you do not have the same resources available to you as I do or you need further support. Towards the end I will also discuss the other benefits I see to using demo videos with my students. 

So lets start with the equipment I have and use (again you don't need the same equipment I have in order to do this!). I am very lucky to have an iPad stand that is adjustable in a few different ways. I have an iPad issued by my school through a technology grant. I have the iMovie app on the iPad that I use to edit. And I store the videos on my Google Drive so I can access them through various devices. If you've ever recorded video on an iPad you'll know that the picture plane zooms in when you change the mode from photo to video. The stand I have doesn't hold the iPad far enough up to fit a 9"X12" piece of paper, much less a larger piece of paper so I also need a box or something to put the stand on top of to raise the iPad high enough. Check out my set-up below!

The stand definitely has to be placed strategically to avoid a distracting shadow but I have found decent spots in the room for minimizing shadows. The more light when you record the better, you want the students to be able to see what you're doing with clarity (learned this the hard way). Also pencil doesn't show up too well so if you're drawing and you really want them to be able to see it you'll either need to draw darker with the pencil or use a marker. 

I record using the camera on the iPad, nothing fancy. The really great thing about the iPad's camera is that it has different settings, regular video, time-lapse and slo-mo. I haven't needed slo-mo before but I use time lapse all the time! Generally I record in regular video mode for the most important parts of the demo, what materials they are using, how to use them, techniques, etc. Then when I'm just repeating the same technique or filling in areas with color, etc. I will stop recording and switch to time-lapse and continue recording in time-lapse mode. If you do not already know, time-lapse condenses a much longer video into a smaller bit, essentially fast forwarding the video. I try to stop recording between steps, anticipating where I may want to insert something else or to just have a clear break between steps. That way information is already broken up into bits before I go to edit. In terms of audio, I remove the audio from these recordings in iMovie so I can speak over the video clips with more clarity. I find it hard to concentrate on creating the demo recording if I'm also thinking about what I need to say. 

I edit using iMovie. It is a pretty intuitive app but there are LOTS of resources online to help with basic tutorials if you need some assistance. I believe there are more tools with iMovie on a Mac but I don't have a Mac so I do all my editing on the iPad. In iMovie you can add multiple clips you've recorded with your camera (both regular and time-lapse), you can split videos (separate a video into pieces), you can detach audio (so you can remove the ambient noise from your video recordings), you can add audio (so you can speak coherently over your demo), you can duplicate clips, you can speed up or slow down clips (not as fast as time-lapse but its still very useful), you can add music, still images and titles, etc. 

Here are some screen shots of the help mode on iMovie to see where some of these features can be found. 

Once in iMovie, I first add in all the clips i'm going to use and put them in order. One by one I detach audio (to remove the ambient noise from the recordings, also time-lapse doesn't record audio). I watch the clips and see if there is any unimportant information recorded (like when I forget to pause the video to go grab something off camera, etc.). Then I start recording audio trying to match up what I'm saying with what is on the video. This is also a time I see if I should speed up any of the clips using the speed/slow tool. If I think I'll be speeding it up then I'll finish whatever I need to say, save the audio and then speed up a clip to fit the audio. If you don't want to speed up the entire clip then you can split the video in any place and speed up only a portion of the clip. I separate different steps by adding in an image that says Step 2, Step 3 etc. To create those dividers I just typed in a google doc and took a screen shot. This separates steps clearly in the video and helps me know when to pause a video for that class period. Generally speaking a step will be the only bit needed for that class period. In any area of a video where I don't need to be speaking but there is a long enough time where there is no audio, I add music. When you add music it adds it to the entire video. So if you have a portion you don't want the music to play because you're speaking (it does automatically dim the music but still plays) then you'll need to split the music (same as splitting the video) and turn the volume down for that clip. I have found the music is much louder than me talking (you'll need to see for yourself with your voice) so I typically turn the music down to 30 instead of 100 to even out with my voice volume level. 

Here is a brief demonstration of how I use the iPad camera to record and then edit a little in iMovie. This is by no means a lengthy tutorial. For information beyond this post search for tutorials online. 

Once I have completed the video I export it to Google Drive. I like this method/storing solution the best because I can access the video from any device. I pull up the videos in their own tab on my laptop so they are ready for the various classes (more on setting up my computer for the day in a future post). I have an entire folder in my Google Drive where I store videos and slideshows (more info on using Google Slides in a future post) that I use for communicating with students throughout a project. 

*I do want to warn you on something VERY IMPORTANT if you're using iMovie to edit... if you are working on a video (lets say you have recorded step one but you aren't ready to record other steps yet) DO NOT delete clips from your camera roll until the entire video has been completed and exported. If you delete a clip you are using in an iMovie video, you will no longer have access to editing that video. It removes that clip from your iMovie video. I learned this the HARD WAY!

*You can deal with this in a variety of ways, you can try to complete an entire video all at once, export and then delete all the clips from your iPad OR you will need to save the clips on your iPad until you do finish your editing OR you can record steps separately and export them as separate steps of a project. Example: Paper weaving Step 1 is one video, Paper Weaving Step 2 is another video. I ALWAYS export individual clips of a video from my Camera Roll to my Google Drive when I finish a video before I've deleted them from my iPad so I don't loose them forever just in case I want to remake a video or need separate clips etc. I can always download them from my Google Drive back to my iPad if necessary. So let me repeat, DO NOT delete a clip you're using in an iMovie video until you're finished with the editing and you've exported your video to where ever you want to store it. iPads don't have a lot of storage space so it is important you make organizing and clearing out your iPad a regular practice if you are using it to record and edit videos. 

Here is my Google Drive Set-up. I have a folder called Instructional Videos and Slideshows. Inside that folder are all the complete videos ready to show students. Right now they are all just alphabetically organized. Eventually I may need to organize another way. Inside this folder is another folder called Video Clips and Images. That is where I save all of the individual video clips I recorded on my iPad as well as images used in the videos. I store them in their own video folders. If in the following year I tweak a lesson, I can go back to the clips and see what I can reuse and what I need to rerecord. I use these clips again I can download them onto my iPad and insert them into iMovie to create a new movie. 

Before I leave you will all of this information, I wanted discuss the other benefits I see to creating these videos. This process is A LOT of work and I wouldn't do it if I didn't see the value in it! So as I stated in the beginning of the post I find this method of giving instructions invaluable to classroom management. I am able to address specific disruptive behaviors while the rest of the class still receives instruction. I can also replay steps during other class periods if someone is absent, if they need to see the step again because it was complex and some didn't finish the previous day, etc. I can save my voice from repeating myself multiple times a day, every day of the week (with giving instructions that is). My instruction is consistent, Friday's classes get the same instructions as Monday's classes even though I'm sooooooo tired! I have resources ready from year to year. The work load is a lot up front but lessons year to year as I reuse the same videos/lessons. Even if I add new lessons, it is definitely less work than the first year I implemented this type of instruction! Also there is the undeniable fact that students in this generation respond well to screens. Its not great, as a society I think we all spend too much time in front of a screen but the kids respond to videos. I can tell you that when they listen to Mrs. Farrington live and in the flesh they aren't nearly as interested as when they see Ms. Farrington working on the screen and hear her voice on the video. Sad but true. They also find the videos so interesting, they can't believe I make videos and they ask a lot of questions about how I make them and how I work so fast (time-lapse) 😆. 

This photo is BEFORE I revamped by classroom (images in other posts) but the video engagement is accurate. 

Here is an example of a video I made for a First Grade project. 

Finally, if you are interested in changing up your instruction style and you think you'd benefit from demo videos but haven't ever done them before I would definitely suggest you start small. Start with ONE lesson/project for ONE grade level (maybe even just one step of the project). See how it goes, how much time it took (and how much faster you'll think you'll get with practice), see how your students respond, did it help improve your teaching, etc. If you think the benefits outweigh the work you'll put in then go for it! If you think it isn't working, that is OK too. This may not be for everyone!  

Do you use demo videos in your classroom? If so, what's your set-up like? 

If you would like more information on this topic please make a specific request in the comments and I will see about doing a sequel post. 

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