Volume 7, No. 1, Spring 2003

Reflecting on Monday's Lesson

Using VideoPaper Builder 2

By Cara DiMattia and Daniel Cogan-Drew

Reflecting on one's practice is an important part of teaching. The classroom, however, is a constantly moving place - it is very difficult to isolate particularly puzzling moments or review questions raised by students without stopping the flow of a lesson. Video is an excellent way to capture these fleeting but important moments. This Monday's Lesson focuses on what you can do professionally as a teacher-practitioner to reflect on your teaching.

VideoPapers facilitate the use of video for reflection on classroom experiences, and the exchange of ideas through an accessible and engaging medium. VideoPaper Builder 2 (VPB2) is software designed to enable computer users of average ability to create multimedia documents, which closely link text and video, thereby grounding commentary directly in classroom data.

These primary sources of data - video from the classroom and a teacher's written reflections - become the basis for discussion among professional colleagues. The video footage is supplemented by the use of still images captured from the video itself (notes from the board, a student's facial expression), scanned content (student work, teacher handout), or other digital images of interest (explanatory diagrams, graphics).

VideoPapers may be published via the Internet or on CD-ROM. Educators are thus able to observe each other's classrooms and to discuss their responses, both to the videos and to the author's reflections in a meaningful way.

This classroom episode is part of an Advanced Algebra course at the Jeremiah Burke High School in Boston, Mass. Because the class is bilingual, speaking Cape Verdean Creole and English, the students' gestures are important in understanding their discussion and explanations. This VideoPaper focuses on their use of gestures.

Local Teacher Professional Development

Unlike numerous professionally produced teacher development videos, the VideoPaper is produced and distributed locally within schools or across neighboring districts. The content is shot and edited by the teachers themselves, for use and exchange with each other; the video clips contain images of educators and students in the community. The context for the filming is immediate, and the strategies the film illustrates are applicable to the intended audience. The voice and message of the author is trusted; it speaks from a common experience. The authenticity of this voice earns it recognition and regard not often accorded the professional development "expert" who is typically invited to address an unknown audience of teachers.

A vehicle for presenting useful strategies to her colleagues, the VideoPaper also provides its author with an equally significant opportunity to reflect on her own teaching. The need to explain fully the theory and practice of their teaching techniques requires that teachers have a profound knowledge of their own content. The act of creating a VideoPaper becomes a process of professional self-development.

VideoPaper Builder 2

System Requirements

Windows

Windows 98, NT, 2000, or XP
QuickTime 6.0 Full Install (including QuickTime for Java)
Java Runtime Environment 1.3 or greater
Web Browser (Netscape 4.x or Internet Explorer 5.x)

Mac

Macintosh OS X 10.1 or greater
QuickTime 6.0 Full Install (including QuickTime for Java)
Java Runtime Environment 1.3 or greater
Web Browser (Netscape 4.x or Internet Explorer 5.x)

Download VideoPaper Builder 2

VideoPaper Builder 2, a new version of software originally developed at TERC, is a tool for users with moderate technology experience. VPB2 is free, open source software; it is both Windows and OSX compatible.

1. Point your Web browser to: http://vpb.concord.org

2. Click on "download," then choose the appropriate file for your system:

VPB2 for Windows (14.6 MB)

VPB2 for the Mac (4.1 MB)

3. The software will download to your desktop and expand automatically. Click on the Installer and follow the step-by-step directions to install the software.

To create a VideoPaper, you will need three types of files: digital video files (.mov, .mpg), text pages converted to .html format, and images (.gif, .jpg).

The technology skills required to use VideoPaper Builder2 are easy to learn and useful in many other contexts. For instance, the process of shooting and editing video requires the author to become familiar with digital video cameras and to learn how to use a basic video editing software, like iMovie.

The text pages can be produced in a word processor and converted to HTML format. Word processors such as Microsoft Word have an automatic "save as HTML" function; learning to author HTML (web page) documents may be another valuable skill.

Images used in the VideoPaper (as "slides" that are synchronized to the video) can be captured as stills from the video itself, scanned images of handouts, student work, photographs, or other graphics. The author may learn new skills with a scanner, a digital camera, or a digital image editing software (such as Adobe Photoshop).

VPB2 generates menus, links, framesets, and image slide shows in order to interconnect the author's video and text. These elements are then organized into a single multi-media presentation. The final product is viewable on a Mac or a PC, using an Internet browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

Tutorial

For a quick "10 Easy Steps" tutorial, point to the following address in your Web browser:

http://vpb.concord.org/help/tutorial.html

The VideoPaper Builder Web site also includes a complete User Guide, sample VideoPapers, and a Community area for exchanging information and ideas regarding the use of VPB2.

When you create your VideoPaper, share it with us. Post a URL to your VideoPaper in the Community area and we can all reflect on Monday, Tuesday or Friday's lesson.

Article Links & Notes

TERC - http://www.terc.edu

VideoPaper Builder 2 - http://vpb.concord.org

VPB2 Tutorial - http://vpb.concord.org/help/tutorial.html

iMovie - http://www.apple.com/imovie

Adobe Photoshop - http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html

The VideoPaper Builder 1.0 software was originally developed as part of the Bridging Research & Practice project at TERC and funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant #9805289). VideoPaper Builder 2.0 was developed in partnership with TERC by the Seeing Math Telecommunications Project at the Concord Consortium through funding from the U.S. Department of Education (Grant #R286A000006).

Cara DiMattia (cara_dimattia@terc.edu) is a multimedia developer for the Bridging Research & Practice project at TERC.

Daniel Cogan-Drew (daniel.cogan@tufts.edu) is Administrator of the Curriculum Resource Center at Tufts University.

Through a Teacher's Lens

By Chris Mainhart and Maggie Woodcome

"Looking at the video with someone else was the most important part of the professional development experience." Maggie has expressed this sentiment over and over again as we talk to other educators about the VideoPaper case we developed together.

After collecting video in her 7th grade mathematics classroom, Maggie and I revisited the footage several times in an effort to tell a mathematical story. We had different purposes for collecting and viewing the video. Maggie saw a genuine value in the reflective process that comes from viewing the same video several times. As the math staff developer, I also relished the opportunity to share my comments and questions. I could emphasize different aspects of her teaching that contribute to student success. Trust was an essential element that allowed us to work in this manner. We devoted many hours to building the VideoPaper in an effort to analyze the teaching and instructional strategies implemented in her classroom.

The classroom story will vary depending upon the focus of the teachers involved. The issue that spoke to us was student voices - Maggie created opportunities for students to be seen as math experts. Building the VideoPaper allowed us to highlight the importance of giving students time to share their mathematical thinking. Other teachers might see different storylines.

Teachers can use this process to reflect on their own practice and to discuss the pedagogy and content with other teachers. We gained immeasurably from having focused our attention on teaching and encourage other educators to use VideoPapers to do the same.

Chris Mainhart and Maggie Woodcome are at the Hudson Public Schools in Massachusetts.

The projects described in this newsletter are supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the Noyce Foundation and others. All opinions, findings, and recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies. Mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations does not imply endorsement.

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