I am coming across more types of this cartoon type video clip which really does get it's message across. As I seriously lack artistic skills, I'm definitely not the one to create such material, but for the folks who can easily create cartoons, this is a very cool way of how to get your message through.
The first video is one I really recommend that everyone watches. It is about what really motivates us, and surprisingly it is not about about money as you shall see...
This second one is a very cool way to explain how a product works, in this case google chrome OS, without any technical jargon.
I find such material very helpful in visually explaining concepts discussed in class. Another website using similar visual explanations is:
http://www.commoncraft.com/
It has different educational material very useful for various areas of teaching. Their videos are well structured and informative for students. They can be used in class for discussion purposes and also viewed at learners’ convenience at a later stage.
I not only use them in class as part of my explanations but I try to include them as projects for assessment. Students enjoy discussing and researching additional information on such videos. Also through my own personal experience I have seen that they generally tend to produce better assignments as their motivation and interest tends to be higher.
This kind of learning methodology is very appropriate for visual learners. Visual learners are those who learn things best through seeing them; these are quite common amongst our students.
I found some characteristics through which a visual learner can be identified:
•Is good at spelling but forgets names. •Needs quiet study time. •Has to think awhile before understanding a speech or lecture. •Likes colors & fashion. •Dreams in color. •Understands/likes charts. •Is good with sign language.
These are other techniques which can be used to aid visual learners:
•Draw a map of events in history or draw scientific process. •Make outlines of everything! •Copy what’s on the board. •Ask the teacher to diagram. •Diagram sentences! •Take notes, make lists. •Watch videos. •Color code words, research notes. •Outline reading. •Use flashcards. •Use highlighters, circle words, underline.
Great post Chris. I saw the first video in an earlier blog post and I was amazed on how effective the video was. The second video is extremely good too. I will definitely try to include similar videos in my lessons as they keep interest high. Of course to produce such videos one needs not only drawing skills but a lot of preparation time and speaking skills (not how effectively the tonality is used in both videos). I think these techniques (cartoons, quizzes, games) all make part of an interesting field that Elaine originally blogged about called edutainment. Edutainment is the way forward to keep students from yawning throughout our lessons.
It so happened that when the motivation video was first sent to us I was giving lectures on the same subject, so I took the opportunity to show it to my eight classes. Everyone, enjoyed watching these video clips and were amazed with the rapid execution, artistic value and above all the educational (message) content.
With regards to the preparation of such videos, you need to be a professional artist besides a good educator to prepare and execute such a professional production.
I agree with my colleagues that the message in these 'edutainment' clips comes out far better than giving an hour lesson, where with regards to motivation you have to mention management gurus like, Maslow, Herzberg, Drucker etc. and explain their theories which makes it a bit boring compared to watching an entertaining cartoon.
I find these type of lectures very interesting, you get a visual representation of the actual speech and a better understanding. I personally stay more attentive for such speeches and look forward for the rest. The videos are very explanatory and suited for various persons.
As mentioned above you need to be very talented to create such videos, but once its done the video can be reused numerous times.
Visual aids help to grasp attention and surely support any theory, text or verbal discussions. They tend to stimulate our senses resulting in more interest to what is being explained. This is mostly true for those people who are creative and who utilise more their creative part of the brain.
Recalling my Systems of Knowledge course and History of Art, Leonardo da Vinci used to explain his creations through different drawings. In fact, he used to deliver his messages through drawings from different perspectives and angulations.
Even Edward de Bono draws simple figures in order to complement his speech and explain his lectures. Do you remember the video shown in one of our PGC in VET modules?
History seems to be repeating itself but this time we are using more sophisticated mediums through the use of e-learning devices.
Oh how I wish I knew then what I know now! All this information would have been heaven sent way back in October 2009 when I first started teaching. The subjects I teach are mostly theoretical which the students tend to find boring and highly de-motivating. Using these visual aids to supplement the theory would surely have made my lessons much more interesting and appealing. It would certainly have helped the students to recall the theoretical parts much quicker. Cartoons are powerful teaching tools and can: • Tell a complex story in a few images • Provide comment and provoke thought on events and issues in the news • Give an example of vocabulary related to current trends and fads • Provide easily identifiable characters to form the basis for sketches • Show culture in action with the ways that men or women are behaving and are expected to behave • Comment on and illustrate a whole range of issues like racism, teenage relationships, sexism, ageism, family relationships.
The simplicity of these two videos really struck me. The fact that the commentary was supported by extensive drawings really simplified the concepts being discussed and made it much easier to follow the discussion. I agree that such methods are really helpful when one is dealing with visual learners. It does not necessarily need to be a video production, even some sketches on class notes might help capture the students' interest. Subjects which are rather 'content heavy' might be made more interesting if such sketches are included for example in PowerPoint presentations. It surely goes a long way to reduce the monotony of long hours of trying to understand difficult concepts.
The only difficulty I see here is that one has to be really talented to be able to produce such work.
Wow this clip is great, it really did catch my attention, and for sure that specific lesson would have been really successful in getting the message across! Presentations illustrated with appropriate images are more interesting and engaging and thereby are likely to produce long term retention of information. The board is one of the most important tools we have in class. It is there for drawing students’ attention to the new language, checking understanding and summarizing the lesson. What we write on the board will certainly be imprinted on students’ minds. It therefore needs to be uncluttered, well orgainised and useful of course for study purposes. Random jottings which end up covering the whole board are therefore not effective. We need to make the best use of the board because so many individuals are visual learners and students would certainly enjoy the lesson more as it will not be monotonous, the concepts would be more simplified and also students would have better recall of information if it is presented with diagrams/ pictures or other visual aids. Of course I have to agree with Doreen here; that for one to be able to produce such work, s/he must be really talented; but we can always try!
I do agree that both clips are very effective as teaching aids, especially for the online environment, providing easily accessible and identifiable knowledge. I also agree that for the first video, one would need to have a considerable amount of talent. However the second clip is also quite effective, and yet it is not too complicated, and it is nothing that anyone with a bit of creativity and determination, cannot achieve. Again, it all depends what people are willing to do to reach a specific goal.
The clips themselves are not only very clear, but also highly informative and colourful. It is true that there is need for considerable artistic talent in order to produce some illustrations, however this can be done by enlisting the help of artists or professional cartoonists.
It would be great as I feel that here in Malta we still don't give such people their niche of expression outside of being just a hobby. In some cases, it could even be commissioned to media & graphics art students as valid coursework, benefiting both their experience and also becoming a valuable teaching aid.
I fully agree with what Chris Bonnici has said. I have been teaching at MCAST for 4 years, and I found that when I deliver a lesson by drawing and jotting down points on the board is much better than a lesson delivered purely from a power point presentation. Everyone has been to lectures where the teacher just reads from the slides, and it gets damn boring. However in lesson oriented style like we have at MCAST I think we really should use the board more, and less of lessons delivered only through slides.
I'm glad you liked the videos :-) We should also show the first one to our students, it gives a nice point for self reflection.
Il-kartuns, il-komiks, u l-karikaturi, huma mezz pedagoġiku sempliċi iżda effikaċi. Naqbel ma’ Mark li dal-mezz jgħin lil min jitgħallem bil-viżiv, iżda xi filmat simili fil-klassi jaf joħloq interess, attenzjoni u motivazzjoni. Jekk l-għalliem jagħraf isib materjal dħal dawn b’ħafna kontenut edukattiv u relatat mas-suġġett, ikun qed ibiddel mil-lekċers tas-soltu u fl-istess ħin jipprova metodi ġodda.
Imma dan metodu ġdid? Naħseb li mhux – anzi hu wieħed mill-mezzi primittivi ta' komunikazzjoni, iżda did-darba adattat b’mezzi avvanzati. Allura mhux it-teknoloġija persè qed tiżviluppa l-proċess tat-tagħlim, iżda l-opportunitajiet ġodda li din qed toffri lill-għalliem-ħalliem u lill-istudent-dejjiem.
I find such material very helpful in visually explaining concepts discussed in class. Another website using similar visual explanations is:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.commoncraft.com/
It has different educational material very useful for various areas of teaching. Their videos are well structured and informative for students. They can be used in class for discussion purposes and also viewed at learners’ convenience at a later stage.
I not only use them in class as part of my explanations but I try to include them as projects for assessment. Students enjoy discussing and researching additional information on such videos. Also through my own personal experience I have seen that they generally tend to produce better assignments as their motivation and interest tends to be higher.
This kind of learning methodology is very appropriate for visual learners. Visual learners are those who learn things best through seeing them; these are quite common amongst our students.
ReplyDeleteI found some characteristics through which a visual learner can be identified:
•Is good at spelling but forgets names.
•Needs quiet study time.
•Has to think awhile before understanding a speech or lecture.
•Likes colors & fashion.
•Dreams in color.
•Understands/likes charts.
•Is good with sign language.
These are other techniques which can be used to aid visual learners:
•Draw a map of events in history or draw scientific process.
•Make outlines of everything!
•Copy what’s on the board.
•Ask the teacher to diagram.
•Diagram sentences!
•Take notes, make lists.
•Watch videos.
•Color code words, research notes.
•Outline reading.
•Use flashcards.
•Use highlighters, circle words, underline.
Reference: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/visual.htm
Great post Chris. I saw the first video in an earlier blog post and I was amazed on how effective the video was. The second video is extremely good too. I will definitely try to include similar videos in my lessons as they keep interest high. Of course to produce such videos one needs not only drawing skills but a lot of preparation time and speaking skills (not how effectively the tonality is used in both videos).
ReplyDeleteI think these techniques (cartoons, quizzes, games) all make part of an interesting field that Elaine originally blogged about called edutainment. Edutainment is the way forward to keep students from yawning throughout our lessons.
Cool! I enjoyed watching both video clips.
ReplyDeleteIt so happened that when the motivation video was first sent to us I was giving lectures on the same subject, so I took the opportunity to show it to my eight classes. Everyone, enjoyed watching these video clips and were amazed with the rapid execution, artistic value and above all the educational (message) content.
With regards to the preparation of such videos, you need to be a professional artist besides a good educator to prepare and execute such a professional production.
I agree with my colleagues that the message in these 'edutainment' clips comes out far better than giving an hour lesson, where with regards to motivation you have to mention management gurus like, Maslow, Herzberg, Drucker etc. and explain their theories which makes it a bit boring compared to watching an entertaining cartoon.
I find these type of lectures very interesting, you get a visual representation of the actual speech and a better understanding. I personally stay more attentive for such speeches and look forward for the rest. The videos are very explanatory and suited for various persons.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned above you need to be very talented to create such videos, but once its done the video can be reused numerous times.
Visual aids help to grasp attention and surely support any theory, text or verbal discussions. They tend to stimulate our senses resulting in more interest to what is being explained. This is mostly true for those people who are creative and who utilise more their creative part of the brain.
ReplyDeleteRecalling my Systems of Knowledge course and History of Art, Leonardo da Vinci used to explain his creations through different drawings. In fact, he used to deliver his messages through drawings from different perspectives and angulations.
Even Edward de Bono draws simple figures in order to complement his speech and explain his lectures. Do you remember the video shown in one of our PGC in VET modules?
History seems to be repeating itself but this time we are using more sophisticated mediums through the use of e-learning devices.
Oh how I wish I knew then what I know now! All this information would have been heaven sent way back in October 2009 when I first started teaching. The subjects I teach are mostly theoretical which the students tend to find boring and highly de-motivating. Using these visual aids to supplement the theory would surely have made my lessons much more interesting and appealing. It would certainly have helped the students to recall the theoretical parts much quicker.
ReplyDeleteCartoons are powerful teaching tools and can:
• Tell a complex story in a few images
• Provide comment and provoke thought on events and issues in the news
• Give an example of vocabulary related to current trends and fads
• Provide easily identifiable characters to form the basis for sketches
• Show culture in action with the ways that men or women are behaving and are expected to behave
• Comment on and illustrate a whole range of issues like racism, teenage relationships, sexism, ageism, family relationships.
The simplicity of these two videos really struck me. The fact that the commentary was supported by extensive drawings really simplified the concepts being discussed and made it much easier to follow the discussion. I agree that such methods are really helpful when one is dealing with visual learners. It does not necessarily need to be a video production, even some sketches on class notes might help capture the students' interest. Subjects which are rather 'content heavy' might be made more interesting if such sketches are included for example in PowerPoint presentations. It surely goes a long way to reduce the monotony of long hours of trying to understand difficult concepts.
ReplyDeleteThe only difficulty I see here is that one has to be really talented to be able to produce such work.
Wow this clip is great, it really did catch my attention, and for sure that specific lesson would have been really successful in getting the message across! Presentations illustrated with appropriate images are more interesting and engaging and thereby are likely to produce long term retention of information. The board is one of the most important tools we have in class. It is there for drawing students’ attention to the new language, checking understanding and summarizing the lesson. What we write on the board will certainly be imprinted on students’ minds. It therefore needs to be uncluttered, well orgainised and useful of course for study purposes. Random jottings which end up covering the whole board are therefore not effective. We need to make the best use of the board because so many individuals are visual learners and students would certainly enjoy the lesson more as it will not be monotonous, the concepts would be more simplified and also students would have better recall of information if it is presented with diagrams/ pictures or other visual aids. Of course I have to agree with Doreen here; that for one to be able to produce such work, s/he must be really talented; but we can always try!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that both clips are very effective as teaching aids, especially for the online environment, providing easily accessible and identifiable knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that for the first video, one would need to have a considerable amount of talent. However the second clip is also quite effective, and yet it is not too complicated, and it is nothing that anyone with a bit of creativity and determination, cannot achieve. Again, it all depends what people are willing to do to reach a specific goal.
The clips themselves are not only very clear, but also highly informative and colourful. It is true that there is need for considerable artistic talent in order to produce some illustrations, however this can be done by enlisting the help of artists or professional cartoonists.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great as I feel that here in Malta we still don't give such people their niche of expression outside of being just a hobby. In some cases, it could even be commissioned to media & graphics art students as valid coursework, benefiting both their experience and also becoming a valuable teaching aid.
I fully agree with what Chris Bonnici has said. I have been teaching at MCAST for 4 years, and I found that when I deliver a lesson by drawing and jotting down points on the board is much better than a lesson delivered purely from a power point presentation. Everyone has been to lectures where the teacher just reads from the slides, and it gets damn boring. However in lesson oriented style like we have at MCAST I think we really should use the board more, and less of lessons delivered only through slides.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the videos :-) We should also show the first one to our students, it gives a nice point for self reflection.
Il-kartuns, il-komiks, u l-karikaturi, huma mezz pedagoġiku sempliċi iżda effikaċi. Naqbel ma’ Mark li dal-mezz jgħin lil min jitgħallem bil-viżiv, iżda xi filmat simili fil-klassi jaf joħloq interess, attenzjoni u motivazzjoni. Jekk l-għalliem jagħraf isib materjal dħal dawn b’ħafna kontenut edukattiv u relatat mas-suġġett, ikun qed ibiddel mil-lekċers tas-soltu u fl-istess ħin jipprova metodi ġodda.
ReplyDeleteImma dan metodu ġdid? Naħseb li mhux – anzi hu wieħed mill-mezzi primittivi ta' komunikazzjoni, iżda did-darba adattat b’mezzi avvanzati. Allura mhux it-teknoloġija persè qed tiżviluppa l-proċess tat-tagħlim, iżda l-opportunitajiet ġodda li din qed toffri lill-għalliem-ħalliem u lill-istudent-dejjiem.