Week 4 Response

This week I was able to explore the online narration/storytelling/movie editing tool VideoScribe. VideoScribe is a whiteboard style animated video that allows you to add text and audio files aimed at engaging your audience. According to their website, scribes are 15% more effective at getting your message remembered and transcends all age groups of learners. When using a scribe, your message is 3x more likely to be shared and leads to more recommendations. If you use it when selling a product, it is 2x more likely to be sold. I created a VideoScribe to answer the questions of what it is, what are the strengths and weaknesses of using it and if I thought it had potential for teachers to use it as a content creation tool. I have never used this tool before and it was fairly easy to use. I did have some computer lagging issues when I was updating the content and it did take me a few hours to complete under 4 minutes of video. I do not think I will use it in the future as it is not supported by my organization and it is costly.

The Bates article we were assigned to read reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of using text, video, audio, computing and social media. According to Bates, the choice or combination of media is determined by: overall teaching philosophy behind teaching, the presentation and structural requirements of the subject matter or content, the skills that need to be developed in learners, and the imagination of the teacher/instructor in identifying the possible roles for different media. One of the important strengths Bates identifies is the ability of the student to create their own “online personal learning environment” where teachers give the learners more freedom to develop their skills in this digital age. The three core elements Bates highlights is content, content structure and skills. Each method of delivery has its strengths and weaknesses, however, the teacher must decide which combination is best to use based on the needs of the learner. I believe using multiple methods provides the best opportunity to satisfy every learner and allows for versatility so that learners remain engaged. It is easy for learners to become bored with traditional and monotonous methods of delivery, and educators must take advantage of the new trends and technologies that present themselves to not only remain current but relevant.