Everyone in education knows that teaching during a pandemic can be challenging. As a technology teacher, I quickly turned into a virtual learning specialist, where my role was completely flipped. This year, I did not teach students, but rather provide EdTech support to teachers, students, staff and parents to navigate the techie world of devices, Internet connections, software applications, professional development and much more.
One of my goals is to ensure that teachers have the proper tools and training to deliver their content successfully to their students. Throughout the year, I want to make sure teachers are successful so that their students can be successful too. In order for that to happen, it is important “to be in the know” and stay up to date with the latest features and tech. More importantly, to model for teachers so they can see practical ways to use the technology in the classroom with their students.
When providing support via face-to-face or virtually, sometimes it is just easier to explain your point using video. Creating video tutorials allows your audience to learn at their own pace. By pausing or rewinding the video, students can take notes or perform an action to comprehend the concept.
WeVideo offers me a quick way to create video tutorials for staff and share my tutorials via YouTube. Having the ability to create “on the fly” videos and package them with music, animations or special effects allows me to model and deliver my message effectively, confidently and professionally. It also gives me the option to quickly create GIFs, which allows me to use and loop images to portray my message to an audience.
One of the features that WeVideo offers is the ability to add multiple tracks to a project. When adding tracks, you can choose between a video or audio track. They allow you to add different types of media on top of your video. Think of it as layers. Using multiple tracks gives you the opportunity to enhance your video. For example, in my tutorials, I always add a new video track and add images to overlay on my video. This allows me to easily adjust the appearance of the image without affecting the video. You can crop, rotate, flip, or fade the image. You can even use a green screen effect by using the color keying option to mask the color green on your image. The possibilities are endless!
Another tip I sometimes implement is adding a track for backgrounds. I like including backgrounds in my video in case there are gaps between the media in my project. This hides gaps and acts as a nice transition or filler. Plus, it provides my audience with a professional appeal that I really like.
Furthermore, I use WeVideo to record my virtual training sessions. This allows me to provide staff with a recording in case they missed the live training. First, I create a new project, then I record my screen and WeVideo runs in the background. At this point, I can proceed with my training knowing that everything I do on my screen is being recorded.
During one of my recordings, I noticed that it captured my entire screen! It was not limited to the content within my browser tab. This was such a lifesaver! It included all of my browser tabs, my Chrome profile picture, the puzzle piece icon for Chrome extensions, (in the Chrome browser), and all of my pinned Chrome extensions on the right side of the browser. For me, this was important because I needed to demonstrate how to create Chrome profiles, pin Chrome extensions and how to use the 3 dot menu which is in the top corner of the browser.
In conclusion, WeVideo has played a tremendous part in my role as a virtual learning specialist and technology teacher in supporting teachers, staff, and the school community this year. I have used WeVideo for many school projects to support our community such as our Back to School Night Virtual Presentation, Veteran’s Day Presentation and our Book Vending Machine ceremony. Additionally, I have used WeVideo to present at virtual conferences and used it to showcase technology and STEM for my classroom. WeVideo has made such a tremendous impact on my daily EdTech life that I could not live without it.
