Crafting Digital Texts

Teaching our students to craft video texts is an important twenty-first century skill. According to Hicks (2013), “literally thousands of hours of video texts are created, uploaded, and viewed every minute of the day” (p. 104). Video texts consist of a message that is conveyed through means of a video; whether that be a commercial, a reel, or a full length movie. The prominence of video texts in this generation makes it crucial for students to know how to both analyze and create digital video texts. Hicks (2013) states that, “video texts…may be the form of digital writing that many of us need to learn to convey information in the twenty-first century” (p. 104). Video texts can help teach many different standards, including writing, speaking, listening, and technology standards. That's a lot of bang for your buck! As Howell et al (2017) explain, “A central concept distinguishing conventional writing from constructing multimodal texts is engagement in a conscious design perspective using the affordances of digital tools” (para. 15).

After reviewing my introduction video, I began planning how to edit the video in order to create a better video text as well as meet the requirements for my assignment. As Sydnor and Davis (2020) explain, “Skillful facilitation of video reflection can support engagement in deeper analysis” (para. 16). Analyzing what I did the first time helped me to better prepare for rerecording my second video. The first time I recorded, I did not prepare a script. I knew that I was introducing myself and then just started recording the video. When editing my video this time, I knew there were certain requirements that needed to be met. In order to ensure that I included all of the required information, I wrote, proofread, and edited a script to prepare for my recording. For my first video, I also just recorded using the video option on my MacBook Pro. The second video, I used Flip Video. Using this program, allowed me to use the tele-prompt option so that my script would scroll across the screen as I recorded. This feature assured that I would stick to the script and cover all of the required information. Flip is also a great option to use with students because it is accessible to students no matter where they are or what computer they are using. Hicks (2013) mentions, “the benefits of using web-based tools rather than a program on a specific computer are many: students can access their work at home, school, or anywhere with an internet connection; media files are stored remotely and cannot be lost; many publish their work, often with a choice between a private link or a public document (p. 113). In my second video, I chose to edit my video in Canva. This allowed me to add in texts, images, and sound clips to make my video more appealing as well as engaging. The final step in the composing process is publishing or sharing the video. Below is my edited video.

Video texts are a great tool for both teachers and students to use for many reasons. There are many ways that videos can be used in the classroom. Here is a great infographic with examples.

References

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital texts: Composing texts across media and genres. Heinemann.

Howell, E., Butler, T., & Reinking, D. (2017). Integrating Multimodal Arguments Into High School Writing Instruction. Journal of Literacy Research, 49(2), 181–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X17700456

Sydnor, J., Daley, S., & Davis, T. (2020). Video reflection cycles: Providing the tools needed to support teacher candidates toward understanding, appreciating, and enacting critical reflection. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 20(2). https://citejournal.org/volume-20/issue-2-20/current-practice/video-reflection-cycles-providing-the-tools-needed-to-support-teacher-candidates-toward-understanding-appreciating-and-enacting-critical-reflection