Down the road it would be cool to do a project that involved two classes at two different universities, both working on one video project.

As Oscar Glodman once said: We have the technology.

PS:
It is a small wonder that YouTube did not mute the the sound because of the Office opening theme…

1. It creates the most important prerequisite for any deep reflection: highly motivated engagement. Deep thought is hard, and without engaging students in something that they see as meaningful for something beyond just getting by and getting the grade, deep thought will never happen. This is closely related to the 2nd way in which this helps with deeper reflection:

2. The conversation has gone beyond the classroom. The blogs and comments made about the video are not just part of the conversation. More importantly, they are constant reminders to the students that this conversation really matters to people outside the classroom.

Creating a video in itself can also facilitate deeper reflection. First off, it forces students to think in different terms than they might while writing a paper. Video is like a different language, and even works in slightly different logics. I often find myself getting insights when working with video that I did not get while writing (and vice versa). (Edmund Carpenter wrote a bit about this in “The New Languages” in 1955.)

There are also all the unseen discussions around the design and production of this video. I would be surprised if the students did not have moments of deep reflection as part of the process - much better than a simple classroom discussion in which students engage in it for the allotted time of the class and then go back to their everyday lives. Through this process, that discussion became a part of their lives. Maybe this is why one of Lynn’s students, speaking in front of 150 faculty at DU noted that “This is the best learning experience I have ever had at DU.” (and she was only in week 2 of the class!)

The project idea is super. Using video is super.

I think there is great value in this end product as well… I think our biggest challenge to student access is educating the public. I think most don’t realize the possibilities as well as the current limitations.

Curious — and said with respect — about one thing:

Do we (as educators/students) make progress via the creation/linking-to such teacher-as-tech-luddite videos or do we merely succumb to the easiest-of-targets in terms of reinforcing such stereotypes in the field of education?

On a playful level, the video is ‘cute’ — and worth a few seconds of viral linking. On a deeper level, I am wrestling with what such a video allows us to do save to further emphasis on the easy-to-toss-around “digital natives” vs. “digital immigrants” bumpersticker debates that rarely echo reality.

[Oh, and don't get me wrong. I think the 'act' of creating video trailers, exploring 'parody' (et al) as an art/media form, etc makes for great classroom process, but I'm curious about the deeper reflection opportunities once such a project is put out in public]

Looking forward to any ideas/thoughts/reactions, regardless of what side of the fence they come down on.

P.S. Looking forward to hearing you at TEDxNYED next month, Michael.

My hope is one day profs and students will all be on the same page.

Beth Harte
Adjunct Prof./Immaculata University
@bethharte