Cast from the Past

Link to Article: Cast from the Past: Using Screencasting in the Social Studies Classroom

          A lot of teachers today often think they need to trade in student-centered teaching and learning and revert back to direct instruction. This is because many of the tests both students and teachers are measured by nowadays are based on knowledge and comprehension, not important citizenship skills such as cooperation, collaboration, and critical thinking. That is until, David Besozzi, a high school social studies teacher in New York, decided to create a series of screencasts and infuse more technology into his classroom to increase student engagement, meet the learning needs of a wider range of students, and “flip” his classroom to increase inquiry and student-centered learning opportunities. A “flipped classroom” is one in which students listen to teacher lectures at home at their own pace, typically through instructional videos that are posted online or podcasts that they can download easily.

          Besozzi’s solution to invert the learning model was using screencasts. After receiving a grant for the funding, Besozzi created screencasts for all units in his ninth grade curriculum, with each unit consisting of about 7-10 screencasts. The goal was for students to listen to the 8-12 minute long casts for homework about twice a week and take notes guided by graphic organizers. When they returned to class the next day, Besozzi would start by reviewing the students’ notes followed by activities that allowed students to apply what they learned in the screencast to a social studies topic. All in all, Besozzi discovered that the screencasts met his initial goal of increased differentiation of teaching methods, increased student engagement through the use of a novel learning tool, and students recognized that the Internet could be used as a tool for learning, not just entertainment.  

          The more I read and learn about using podcasts and screencasts to complement my teaching style, the more intrigued I become. I love the idea of students being able to listen or watch something at home that I created to help them understand concepts better or just for extra practice. Students need to be able to work at a pace that works for them, so if they struggle with a specific skill in class, they should be able to go home and review/practice on their own for better understanding. As much work as I know this will take, I plan on hopefully integrating these technological tools into my 7^th grade math classroom in the coming years. I hope to somehow be able to go over practice problems for students on their daily homework through screencasts where they can pause, go back, or fast forward as needed.

Resources:

Snyder, C., Paska, L., & Besozzi, D. (2014). Cast from the Past: Using Screencasting in the Social Studies Classroom. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=69e97e25-be99-4ec8-b82a-fcd8cadb2818%40sessionmgr103