Key Points
The Power of Student Recordings in Online Education
Late on a recent Friday night, I received a text from one of my community college students, Stephen, who had completed both U.S. History I and II online with me last academic year as a high school junior, 1,000 miles away in Texas.
The Lest We Forget Project
The texts were about a tutorial video for my next class, which Stephen had created along with his friends. This was not the first time Stephen and his friends had recorded videos for my classes. Last year, I encouraged my group of dual credit high school learners to get together and take videos of a New Deal-era CCC or WPA project or site and post them to our online discussion board.
The Evolution of Student Recordings
I have been asking online learners to record and share their Lest We Forget presentations for twelve years. It has always felt risky to do this, but the quality of the student recordings has improved significantly over the years. The medium has expanded to allow for unexpected creativity, and the number of classmates involved in the recording and editing process has grown.
The Benefits of Student Recordings
Student recordings have become a conduit through which many online students openly share their genuine hopes, fears, frustrations, and successes with me throughout the semester. They have also become a flexible and creative means by which understanding can be demonstrated.
Conclusion
As online education continues to evolve, I believe that the future will concern itself much more with students’ expressions of genuine intelligence than it does with students’ use of artificial intelligence. Student recordings have the power to reveal a brighter future for online education, and I am excited to see where this trend will take us.
FAQs
Q: What is the Lest We Forget project?
A: The Lest We Forget project is a biographical video research presentation that asks students to research and create a video about an American historical figure.
Q: How do you encourage students to create videos?
A: I encourage students to get creative and have fun with the project. I also provide them with guidelines and resources to help them get started.
Q: What are the benefits of student recordings?
A: Student recordings allow students to express their understanding of the material in a creative and flexible way. They also provide a unique opportunity for students to share their thoughts and feelings with the instructor and their peers.
Q: How do you assess student recordings?
A: I assess student recordings based on their creativity, clarity, and overall understanding of the material. I also provide feedback to students on their recordings to help them improve.
Q: What is the future of online education?
A: I believe that the future of online education will concern itself much more with students’ expressions of genuine intelligence than it does with students’ use of artificial intelligence. Student recordings have the power to reveal a brighter future for online education, and I am excited to see where this trend will take us.
