The power of video teaching

First, let's think a bit about the medium we are using. Video is a powerful way to teach. It enables all sorts of new ways to show exactly what you want your students to learn.

Years ago, it was adequate to simply videotape the teacher's lecture and give students access to the video and other resources such as a textbook or reference material. In business, videos were produced by the media department for the same purpose, educating personnel. Just by consuming the media, the students would theoretically learn the material and your teaching goals would be reached. While this approach was effective in some circumstances, especially in the "soft business skills" and academic categories, it does not do so well when teaching tasks or processes.

Also, those early attempts lacked interactive elements such as asking questions, presenting different scenarios, giving instructions, and even demonstrating an understanding of the material through knowledge assessments.

Today, video occupies a proven spot in the hierarchy of learning modalities when encompassed in a well-planned and executed e-learning program. This exemplifies the power of teaching complex subjects by showing you how to perform a task and then allowing the learner to demonstrate mastery. For example, you can point out the exact location of a switch on an appliance and describe how to use it very effectively with moving pictures and words. A video show-and-tell is perfect for describing how to use a computer program. Even classroom whiteboard teaching can benefit from the special effects available in today's e-learning environment.

The challenge is to think about how to best use these inherent advantages when planning your project. Begin by asking yourself the following questions:

• What type of learning am I creating?
• How can I best show learners what they need to know?
• How will the use of a video enhance the learning experience?

What does this chapter contain?

Now you are ready to start developing courses, right?

Well, if you want to produce high-quality courses, based on sound e-learning development methodologies, you will want to review a few more topics before starting. Perhaps you still have some additional unanswered questions.

The following are some of the questions you might have about things you will want to review:

• What are my goals for this project? What knowledge, information, or skill does the learner need to exhibit when done?
• What are the best techniques to use (slideshow, lecture, or desktop video)?
• Do I need an outline? In relation to my project, what is the outline and what does it look like?
• What about a storyboard or a script? Do I need these?
• How can I plan what to record and what steps to include in the instructions?
• How can I assemble the information and recorded material needed to create the project?
• How about some examples or a sample project? Would these help me get started?

You are in the right place. These topics and more are covered in this chapter.

By the end of this chapter, you will be aware of the steps required to plan an effective, high-quality new e-learning project when using Camtasia Studio. Then you will be prepared to learn more about these topics in the chapters that follow.