What have we learned about school video video use in lockdown?

One of the best things about my job is that I speak to a lot of teachers and school leaders, listen to their day-to-day problems and challenges and through my experiences as a teacher and technologist try to support them with ideas and solutions to help them. 

During the COVID pandemic the level of innovation in schools has been extensive and I’ve seen all the schools I work with turning to technology to deliver innovative remote solutions, working with parents, teachers and their wider communities. Here are four of the ‘stand-out’ ideas using video that will almost certainly outlast the pandemic (as well as the end of ‘snow days’! - which makes me particularly smile given that one of the tasks when I was still teaching was to get physically to school in order to send out text messages to parents saying that the school is closed).

Consistency in transitions 

‘You can make or break a lesson in the first few minutes’, says author Matt Bromley in this article in Sec-Ed. The pandemic has made this even more evident, especially in secondary schools where teachers are usually moving to meet classes now rather than vice versa. In response, teachers are sharing 360-degree video footage from our cameras – collaborating with colleagues on pedagogy.

True lesson observation

With more pupils sitting in desks facing the front and waiting for teacher instructions, the presence of other adults in the room is even more apparent – meaning that observed lessons become less ‘true to life’ than pre-pandemic. This ‘Hawthorne Effect’, the impact of observers on any interaction can be reduced by using remote footage. Creating a culture of trust where teachers will share their lessons in order to learn from others is an even more powerful way of driving improvement in the classroom. With ONVU Learning’s Lessonvu, 360-degree footage can be captured – allowing teachers to see how students are reacting in lessons and reflecting on what they could do differently.  

Evidence-informed teacher professional development 

‘Traditional’ professional development in many schools consisted of teachers sitting in the school hall with a visiting expert delivering ‘one-size-fits-all’ ideas. With this not available in the pandemic, schools have moved to smaller groups, sharing real life examples of practice from lessons and looking to make improvements over time. This fits well with research into what makes good CPD.  

Remote video parent communication. 

Finally, it seems clear that many schools are seeing the benefit of flexible video appointments for parent communication as well. Surveys by TeacherTapp and ParentPing found that only 29% of teachers and 24% of parents wanted to go back to fully face-to-face parent evenings!.