Poll of the Day > Should schools/teachers assign video essays?

(+) Yeah! (+)

No, because not every student is going to have a camera to film them or the ability to edit them.

No, because not every student is going to have a camera to film them or the ability to edit them.

And if they want to go beyond free editing options on phones, computer labs are a thing.

And maybe it could even be a group project to cut down on material to grade and give those students who aren't the most comfortable with presentation and being on camera the option to contribute in other ways.

Ill never grade group work. Its not a fair system.

Essentially everyone has a smart phone or at least access to one

The fact of life is that everyone will be working with a group when they join the workforce. Better they learn soon that they'll need to carry the slack.

I agree, it's not a fair system. But neither is life.

And even if the school is willing to provide 100% of the necessary hardware, software, and training to use it properly, it still isn't necessarily something they should require, because the ability to produce video essays isn't necessarily a valuable life skill (unless you want to become an online content creator, in which case it absolutely isn't a valuable life skill). The time and resources you're wasting on it could easily be used for far better purposes.

I don't.

The problem is, unless the school is willing to provide 100% of the necessary hardware, software, and training to use it properly, it should in no way require it for any assignment.

because the ability to produce video essays isn't necessarily a valuable life skill

The time and resources you're wasting on it could easily be used for far better purposes.

Whoa whoa whoa.
Nearly everything you learn in school is not a valuable life skill.
If you want to learn life skills, learn to cook and do your taxes.

Now that Everyone has a phone, everyone has a camera, so job done there.

Schools are doing whatever they can to keep phones out of classrooms.

Schools are totally misunderstanding the assignment regarding phones. Instead of banning them they should teach proper use of them. They can be so useful for looking up facts. I know this because I have taught classes before and have used my phone to look things up while I was explaining stuff. Banning them is a lost cause anyway.

I agree, we live in a world now where it is a whole lot easier to learn so much more on your own than through a school. I believe schools should have the duty of teaching students "how" to learn and inspire that drive of self education. Creating lessons that train students how to think critically. Teaching students how to use a computer and the internet should be priority number one because it will be their primary resource after they leave school.

Of course, this philosophy will cut into the income of "Higher Education" significantly so I can see why they'd want to keep a tight grip on the control they already have on our futures.

Might need to throw in some critical thinking and skills to avoid being conned or tricked. And maybe some learning to defend against social networking.

Do you guys (Im assuming youre American) really not do that already?

I can't comment on today's standards, social media wasn't even a thing when I was in public school. But it would probably depend on the teacher and school district. Drawing comparison from my days, we would have advice pounded into us about being careful who you talk to online from all directions, it was just common knowledge. So not necessarily a mandatory part of the schools curriculum, but common enough where you'd hear it regardless.

What, do you have "internet safety courses" hard baked into your curriculum in Vietnam?

Do you guys (Im assuming youre American) really not do that already?

Only optionally. You really cannot expect a student to have technology they cannot freely and easily access. As i grew up, handwritten essays eventually became optional and then typed became expected. At the same time, access to computers through labs and libraries became more and more easy.

All schools have laptops and iPads for the students, in my experience. This has been the case for a long time. Once again, Im not sure about the US.

I think it's getting common in the US. I know my sister's kids have their own Chromebooks assigned to them for school use. Although, results might vary in lower funded areas.

Should implies all essays be video

Honestly, I kind of do feel like basic media production should be taught in public schools with how ubiquitous it has become and will continue to grow in the future. Everything from video to audio to graphic design to just the process of conceptualizing and producing something. It's a wide range of skills that hold a lot of value. Something that falls under the greater umbrella of computer science and literacy.