The world is fast-changing, and so are our methods of teaching. Earlier, teachers used to stand in front of a class, read out, and explain lessons to students through whiteboards or blackboards. The students took notes and memorized them.
Enter screen projectors. Teachers no longer used the blackboard for writing manually. Instead, they started making presentations. Even the students did not need to write. They just copied the file from teachers or got a photocopy.
The present is an era of technology where students receive online material and study virtually. This is an era of flipped classroom teaching methods where educational videos are playing an important role.
Since human beings are better visual learners, the students understand videos better than textual format. Here are a few important tips on creating educational videos:
How to Make a Great Educational Video
1. Start with the Right Plan
Every educational video needs to have a specific learning objective. In other words, you must know what you want to accomplish through your video. And once you know this, work on making a plan that will help you do this easily.
It is difficult for every video to have a polished and professional appearance. But planning and preparing things in advance is useful. It will help you remain effective and achieve the goals you are looking to achieve through your video.
If you are working on less formal videos, like offering reviews of student projects, create an outline of what you are looking to shoot. This way, you will know what you must cover in your video.
Remember, the best educational videos include top-quality visual elements and other assets to keep the viewers’ attention intact. Grab all other relevant resources you need, like images and sound as well.
Creating a list of the points you want to include in your video is also very important.
2. Choose the Type of Video You Think Will Work Best for Your Students
You can choose different types of video formats depending on what works best for your students. You can choose to record what is already displayed on our screen or talking head videos. Talking head videos feature close-up shots of the head of the instructor.
You even record live demonstrations or training sessions. Using animations or making an animated video will also bring out the best results. The choice is all yours.
3. Set Up the Right Environment
When making the best educational video, you must try and find a quiet location where no one will disturb you. If you are using your smartphone to record the video, turn off all notifications and messages that might pop up. Do the same, even if you are recording on a computer.
Since you are making an educational video, you cannot choose any setup for the shoot. The environment you choose should not just be silent but professional and decent. If you are shooting at home, make sure the background is clean and does not have any distractions.
This is important because if the students get distracted by something behind the main subject of the video, they will not pay attention. Thus, they will not make the most out of the video.
4. Edit Your Video to Perfection
Using the right video trimmer is very important to do away with excessive fat in your video. Of course, you need to trim the unwanted sections of your video to make it more enticing. Edit the audio track of your video and even add color presets, transitions and titles.
In addition to this, you can find motion graphics templates, stock footage, and animated titles with the video editors of your choice. Use them in your educational videos to make them more attention-grabbing.
5. Make Your Videos Engaging
Just because you are making an educational video does not mean that students will come lurking to it thinking that it will make their studies easier. No, that’s not for granted these days. Remember, this is an era of videos. There are different types of videos everywhere.
If your video is not offering the kind of engagement that the students might be looking for, they will instantly jump to some other more engaging educational content. So, make your video as engaging as possible for the students to watch it right till the end.
One good way to keep the engagement element intact in your video is to make short videos. Segment your educational video into short and simple chunks of less than 6 minutes. Students find it easier to grab the idea or the message conveyed in shorter videos.
Shorter videos also give students the scope and ease of returning to something they missed out on or something they did not understand. This is not possible with the longer videos as students do not have the time and enthusiasm to return to such instances.
6. Make Your Video Personal
Be yourself. Educational videos featuring a more personal feel are more engaging than those that come as highly-produced professional shots. You can speak fast but keep the tone conversational.
You must look and sound enthusiastic instead of donning a formal style. Give your introduction in a decent way and a glimpse of everything that the segment covers at the beginning of the video.
While speaking on camera, keep an eye to eye contact as if the students are directly watching you. Also, try and include a lot of animations and drawings in your video. The visual flow of graphics and animated text draws the students’ attention and even keeps it intact for a very long time.
7. Speak Naturally and Directly to the Camera
Writing a script is important for any video you are making, but following the script religiously is not recommended. A script is just an outline of the elements you want to include in your video, so you do not miss out on something important.
Do not script your videos in other ways than this. Speak naturally in your video as you would in a live classroom. Avoid reading texts in the videos. Speaking directly to the camera in a conversational tone will make your video feel more engaging and natural.
Final Thoughts
Educational videos are for students. You might be clear on this concept, right? So, keep these videos as simple as possible. Short and simple educational videos benefit the students by helping them save time in understanding the main subject matter.
