For Module 5 in my EDTC 6102 course, I wanted to explore tool WeVideo as a mode to promote students communicating clearly and expressing themselves in creative forms (ISTE student standard 6). My experience with WeVideo is limited. I’ve seen Elementary students use WeVideo to create and edit digital videos and wanted to explore more of the tools purposes and possibilities. What also enticed me about WeVideo was that it was cloud-based and could be used on Chromebooks, meaning I could implement it into my own classroom. Thus, the research question I came up with and will be answering below is: How can students use WeVideo to showcase their understanding or learning in a creative format?
What is WeVideo
WeVideo is an online video editor that can be used by individuals, schools and even businesses. See the promotional video below for an overview of WeVideo.
On their website, WeVideo claims it supports students of any levels learning of 21st-century skills and more. On the front page of their website under the education tab this quote appears:
“WeVideo empowers every learner to discover their voice and make an impact in their world. Our platform promotes deeper learning while making it fun and easy for students to express their ideas with creativity and authenticity.” (https://www.wevideo.com/education)
WeVideo has a helpful blog on their website where student work examples, lesson plans, and ideas on how to incorporate WeVideo in schools are shared. There blog can be found at: https://www.wevideo.com/education-resources. Some potential benefits to student learning that was gleaned from the blog are below.
Potential benefits to student learning:
- Promotes student voice and self-esteem
- Promotes creativity
- Supports 21st-century skills
- Increasing student engagement and motivation
- Deepens students understanding
- Supports project-based learning
- Puts students in the driver’s seat
- Strengthens communication and collaboration skills
- Supports authentic and/ or meaningful projects
Research Behind Digital Videos
According to research, benefits to student learning from digital video creation are but not limited to: enhancing motivation, multimodal literacy, problem-solving skills, and content knowledge (Morgan, 2013). Other research concludes that DST (digital storytelling) facilitates students learning towards 21st-century skills especially collaboration and helps foster persistence and enjoyment in learning (Nieme, Niu, Vivitsou, et. al., 2018), (Nieme, Multisilta, 2016).
In one article I found that the author acknowledges limited research on the topic of digital videos and student learning. However, then adding that educators would be remiss by not implementing video production because “young people are not only surrounded by visual images but also naturally attracted to viewing and producing videos.” (Morgan, 2013, p.51). Over 400 hours of new videos are uploaded to YouTube in a one-minute period (Wojcicki, 2015). I think many educators can agree that video production and consumption are an integral part of our student’s lives.
Trying WeVideo Out In Your Classroom
There are endless ways to use WeVideo in the classroom. I found that going to the WeVideo blog or youtube was the most helpful in learning how or simply to get inspired. Some ideas for how it could be used are below.
How WeVideo can be used in the classroom:
- Digital storytelling
- Student projects
- Flipped classrooms
- School news casts
- Podcasts
- Mathematical thinking with screencasting
- Science projects
- Book talks, trailers, or reports
- Inquiry projects
- Flipbooks
Challenges and Potential Solutions to WeVideo
One downfall of WeVideo is that it’s not all free. Their basic version is free to you and students. However, if you wish to use their full amount of resources such as their greenscreen, screencasting, or their music and video library you must purchase “seats”. When I went onto the website I found that prices ranged between $7- $3 per seat. The prices got cheaper the more seats that you required. For example, when I plugged in that I wanted 30 seats the prices was $199 for the year ($6.63 per seat). If I wanted 300 seats the price was $1,531 a year ($5.10 per seat). An idea to combat costs would be talking to your administrator or district about how you want to use the seats and if there is money that could be put towards these seats, PTA grants, or fundraising.
Another challenge you may be facing is the lack of devices for students. The good news is the WeVideo is compatible with: Chromebooks, Apple devices, Windows, Mobile: Android and iOS. It is cloud-based so no need to download any application or software. If you are short on devices you could have students work in small groups (2-4) on one computer. Many of the blogs and research articles I’ve read encouraged students working in groups when using digital software, as it promotes collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills among students (Nieme, Multisilta, 2016).
Final Thoughts
Personally, I feel that WeVideo or any video curation program would be an asset to any classroom. Consuming and producing videos is a significant part of our student’s lives, I think that by disregarding video production as a way for students to showcase their understanding would deprive students of an important multimodal literacy and potential for student voice, creativity, engagement, and deeper understanding of content. I’ve found WeVideo to be an accessible site for me to explore and potentially begin my journey of video curation in the classroom. Let me know if you have used a video curation program such as WeVideo with your students!
