I’m tentatively planning to record a lot of very short videos, because some of the research I’ve been reading indicates that a lot of students are much more likely to watch a brief video than read a ‘wall of text’. (I find this convincing, in part because so often Kavi glances at my screen and is loudly shocked by how many paragraphs I’m writing on Facebook….SO MANY WORDS….)
I just recorded this one, and part of me definitely wants to redo it twenty times and get it just right. As is, it’s unscripted, no make-up, hair’s a bit messy, clothes are just what I happened to be wearing at the moment — not exactly how I normally present myself on the first day of classes.
But these aren’t normal times. And if I’m going to make a lot of videos, I think I need to set the bar pretty low if I want them to not feel onerous to make. So I’m trying to take a cue from the kids today, and make them very casual, very relaxed. Low-stress for me to make, and as a bonus, I think this style will likely promote engagement, and make them more willing to be casual and engaged with me and the rest of the class in return.
It definitely helps that I’ve been teaching for more than a decade at this point, have plenty of grey hairs, and don’t have the same desire to ‘establish my authority’ that I did when I was a grad student walking into my first classroom. At this stage of my career, I’m mostly trying to tear down the barriers between me and my students, rather than build them up.
Thoughts? (video is one-minute, if you want to watch it).
(EDITING TO NOTE: Massive consensus that this is too shaky, and I must use a tripod. Noted!)