Teach students mobile-video skills with step-by-step lessons

Teachers looking for capstone or end-of-the-year projects can send their students to MobileVideoDIY.com. The website features eight 50-minute lessons that guide students in using their smartphones and other mobile devices to create videos. To review and download the lessons, click here!

The lessons are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and contain video tutorials that students can watch on their mobile devices outside of class. Each lesson includes a teacher guide, a student guide and a rubric that can be used to coach students in creating video story packages. Funding was provided by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

“Smartphones and tablets come in so many varieties that it can be difficult for teachers to troubleshoot all the scenarios their students might face,” said Kevin Allen, who developed the lessons and teaches journalism at Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. “The great thing about MobileVideoDIY.com is that students can find tutorials and apps that apply specifically to their devices. This allows teachers to focus on the process and techniques rather than the technology.”

The MobileVideoDIY lessons developed by Allen strike a balance between teaching the technology and teaching the elements of good video composition. As a result, the lessons cover the technical processes of shooting, editing, and sharing mobile video, as well as strategies for improving the quality of the content. The lessons are arranged in order of increasing difficulty and culminate in the production of a complete video story package.

If students don’t have access to a smartphone or wireless Internet, Allen recommends pairing students and giving them additional time or allowing them to check out iPads from the school library. Allen suggests that teachers start small and give your students plenty of time to experiment and troubleshoot.

“Don’t expect them to produce seamless videos right off the bat,” said Allen. “It’s also important to incorporate critique sessions in class so students can get meaningful feedback about the quality of their videos. Inquiry is an important component of any good lesson. Students are naturally interested in exploring the capabilities of their smartphones, so letting them experiment and create their own videos is a perfect approach.”

“Engaging content is the key to attracting audiences online and on social media. Mobile video is a great way to do that,” said Allen. “Every journalist with a smartphone has all the tools needed to produce top-notch video packages. If they’re not taking advantage of that, then their audiences will look elsewhere to find it.”