OVERVIEW The flexibility of video allows compression and expansion of time and space, making it a powerful instructional tool. An instructional video should address

OVERVIEW The flexibility of video allows compression and expansion of time and space, making it a powerful instructional tool. An instructional video should address 3 to 5 specific learning objects for a specific audience of learners. The video you plan and create must be instructional in nature and work to form associations between concepts, provide historical or social examples, or demonstrate how something works
For this assignment, you will capture a minimum of three separate video segments using an actual video camera (a screen capture of your computer screen will not suffice) and edit these to produce a quality instructional video with a length of between four and six minutes. Make it fun and informative to engage your learners. The mark of a good video is the ability to take a person who has very little experience or understanding of a concept and help them reach the learning objectives identified, which might include accomplishing a task. If you purchase the game Throw Throw Burrito TM, the instructions within the box invite the players to grab their phones and pull up the YouTube video to see how to play. You can view that Watch: Throw Throw Burrito – How to Play video in this module’s Learn section. During this short 4:41-minute presentation, the audience learns how to play and the rules surrounding the game. Sure, the players could have read the PDF instructions, but the video engages the audience and teaches the skills necessary to play the game. Also included in your course resources for this module are several other examples of instructional videos. Notice in Watch: Introduction to Significant Figures how Joelle Acre suspended the camera above her workspace for the instruction on significant figures. Notice, too, how she splices in video clips of herself that add engagement value. Katie Meert created her instructional video (Watch: Common and Proper Nouns) to teach her third graders about common and proper nouns. She uses music during some of the demonstration of examples but leaves the music off during the initial practice time picking it up again as student confidence builds through practice. Please note that, in each of the examples, points may have been lost based on missing components identified on the rubric for this assignment. Once your video is complete, you will upload it to Canvas via Kaltura and along with the Instructional Video Project Template, where you will describe various elements of your video. The following section provides tips and additional information for the project. EDUC 730 Page 2 of 5 Planning the video 1. Have an idea. This is important. A good idea is fairly easy to implement and follow. WRITE IT DOWN. 2. Refer to the rubric for this assignment often. Your video needs to be between 4 and 6 minutes long. 3. Have a plan. The better you plan, the less time the whole project will take. This is true in life in general but it is doubly so in video editing. Storyboard out your idea. Figure out what shots you’ll need and what environment the shots should be in. Iterate! a. Do you need any special props or extra hands or expertise to help out? b. Do you need to use a “green screen or green wall” to achieve the effect that you want? c. Do you have a preset idea of what you want to say, or are you just filming something that is happening spontaneously? d. What are you going to wear? e. How much time will it take to film? It will take longer than you think; allow for it. f. Will you need special sound effects? If so, what are they, and where will you get them? 4. Write a “script” that you can follow to ensure you don’t forget anything. This way, you can also take a couple of takes in case something goes wrong. 5. If you plan on using music, think about using it carefully. If it is important to the film, it is important to keep it in mind from the start. Music is very powerful: use it wisely. Don’t use music for the entire length of the video. If you desire, do use it to create interest at the beginning, middle, or end. Overuse can be distracting to the learner. 6. If you are going to use the microphone directly from the camera or video recorder, make sure that the camera is picking it up well enough. You might need a mic or some other plan of attack. Place the mic close to the subject and point it away from (undesired) noise. Sound is often more important than visuals or pictures. 7. **Always take more film at the beginning and end of every take than you need. It will make editing easier. Give yourself a little extra recorded content to play with. 8. Once you have written a great plan and implemented it, you will likely have unedited video segments with much more footage and content than you’ll actually need. EDUC 730 Page 3 of 5 Implementing the Plan 1. When videoing, use a tripod whenever possible. 2. Avoid frequent panning and zooming – it can cause visual distress. 3. Balanced lighting is important. Create a good contrast between the subject and the background. Be conscious of light sources and shadows on your subject. 4. Get as close as possible to your subject—this heightens impact and improves audio. You might also ask your actors to speak up! 5. Follow the rule of thirds, frame off-center 6. Record a few seconds before a scene starts and after it ends – this provides you with footage to make transitions. 7. Be sure that the date and time are set on the camera, that NightShot is turned off, and that all video is shot in the same aspect ratio (i.e., either 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 traditional broadcast). 8. Follow your curiosity on the day of your shoot. Overshoot! Get more than you think you need! More stuff gives you more options when editing, and longer takes allow you some wiggle room for transitions. Editing the video 1. Make sure you set aside a large block of time for video editing. **Video editing is not a fast process! 2. Title/Opening and Closing Credits are essential. 3. When capturing video to the computer, be sure that the capture format is set to “DV full quality.” Then click on Settings, and in the Capture Source tab, set scene detection to “automatic based on shooting time and date.” “Automatic based on scene content” is the second-best choice if the “time and date” option does not detect scenes. 4. Make a rough cut of the whole film then go into details. Iterate. Cut early: when in doubt, edit shorter cuts. Also, choose a style that works with quick cuts- don’t get swallowed up by the mechanics. EDUC 730 Page 4 of 5 5. When editing, use the Save As command frequently and save your project with a different name (e.g., add an incremental number to the end of the name). This can be a lifesaver if you need to go back to a previous edition of the project or if the software should experience an anomaly. 6. If any scenes are too light or too dark, you can use Auto Color Correct and then move the brightness slider as needed. Note that this will adjust the brightness of the entire clip. 7. Keep it simple; avoid superfluous animated transitions, and shorter is almost always better. Also, keep a critical eye. Create your instructional video using several of the following types of technologies: ● Live Action Video using an actual video camera (avoid using your cell phone unless this is the only recording tool you have available. If the cellphone is used, you must hold the phone horizontally and not vertically to capture the recording. This will better allow for a 16 by 9 ratio). ● You should piece together a minimum of three video segments using editing software such as Movavi, iMovie, WeVideo, or Adobe Premier. ● In order to submit your assignment, you will upload your video via Kaltura using a textbox submission entry. Please follow the steps within the How to Submit a Video Presentaiton document found within the assignment resources section for instructions on how to embed your video into a textbook submission entry. For the final product, make sure that: ● Video footage was taken with an actual handheld video camera ● Video is between 4–6 minutes ● Video is uploaded to the Canvas text box submission entry via Kaltura, and the template is also submitted. In order to submit the template, you must use the “Documents” tab within the text box submission and click “Upload Documents.” This will allow you to upload the template document below the embeded video. ● Video is edited and rendered in widescreen (16:9 ratio) ● Video contains the required screens ○ Title Slide/Screen EDUC 730 Page 5 of 5 ○ List of objectives, steps, or instructions ○ Credits slide-cite all sources and contributors ● Video has smooth transitions (rather than harsh cuts) and sounds are well- balanced ● Video includes at least two transitions, such as: o Cut Dissolve o Wipe o Fade ● The video includes 3 types of shots o Wide-Long o Medium o Close ● At least three separately recorded segments are combined into one video. ● Video editing software was used, adding value. Be sure to complete the information required in the provided Instructional Video Project Template and submit it to this assignment in Canvas. Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.