The Tools in Classroom: Technology Success Stories series is written by the Academic Technology Department of the library at City University of Seattle. Our goal is to share how our faculty are using technology in the classroom so that others can gain insight into ways they can help their own practice.

1. Tools in the Classroom: Technology Success Stories
Practice Vignette #2
Summary
Judith uses YouTube
videos to:
Create a social
presence with her
online students
Provide important,
timely class
information
Model professional
attire and demeanor
What’s needed:
YouTube account
(free)
Digital camera with
video recorder
Tripod
Computer
Judith writes a script
for each two-minute
weekly video, which
she practices 3-4 times
in a quiet place
She does not do any
post-production editing
Judith Gray
Judith Gray & Weekly Check-In Videos
In the Classroom
Judith Gray creates weekly two minute YouTube videos to check in with
her online LDRD 617 doctoral students. These videos help students become
familiar with the class, connect with their instructor, and understand the
expectations for the week. Judith thanks her students for the previous week’s
work, details the week ahead, and shares guidance for coming assignments.
The videos are filmed in Judith’s home. We find her each week some
place new: beside her dining room table, in her office, and even, on her porch.
This social presence gives her students a better sense of who she is, and it also
allows her to model professional behavior. “They are getting a tour of my house
and my wardrobe,” she explains. “It’s professional, but in a casual environment,
so it is accessible.” One student commented that she enjoyed seeing her
professor’s smile. In the future, Judith intends to have students make their own
introductory videos to connect with their classmates.
In the Making
Judith begins by writing a script. Because she follows a standard format
(announcements, reminders, expectations) and two minute time limit for every
video, the writing goes quickly. The consistency also keeps her students focused
during the course’s intensive 10 weeks. She is careful to leave out any quarter-
specific references, like calendar dates, so that the videos are reusable.
Judith practices her script three to four times in her favorite quiet space:
her all electric car. The more she practices, the better the end result. When she
is ready to film, Judith sets up her point-and-shoot Canon camera on a tripod.
Her neighbor assists by starting and stopping the recording, which means Judith
does not have to edit herself walking to and from the camera. She normally
shoots one to two takes (and never more than three). She then connects her
camera to her Mac using a USB cable and downloads the video to her computer.
Finally, she logs in to her YouTube account and uploads the video. Judith sets
the privacy on most of her videos to public but she is considering using the
unlisted setting in the future when she wants to protect curricular information.
When the privacy is set as unlisted, only those with the link can view the video.
Judith posts both the link to the video and the text of her script in a Blackboard
announcement. The script is helpful for students who cannot access the video
as well as for those who want to quickly pick out pieces of information without
having to watch the whole video.
Getting Started
Before she began making or recording videos, Judith thought a lot about
what she wanted to convey and how the videos would accomplish her goals. By
filming in her home, she gives her students a sense of who she is. By setting the
frame to capture most of her body instead of just her face, she models profes-
sional attire. Though Judith plans her recordings carefully, she also embraces
the inevitable imperfections. For example, in one video, after waiting for the
perfect car-free moment to film on her porch, a plane flies by during recording.
In another, Judith trips a little walking to her seat. As long as the important
information is still accessible, Judith demonstrates confidence and leaves in
these “mistakes.” Judith wants her students to truly meet her, and in this way,
they do.
Judith already had a digital camera (a Canon Powershot A2200) and a
tripod, so she didn’t need to buy any additional equipment. She also used her
existing Mac computer and YouTube account. Every step of the way, she
strived for a process and a product that met all of her needs but was also “simple
and quick for me, and simple and quick for my students.”