Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as ‘drones’, are aircraft that can be piloted remotely by an operator.  Drones have many practical uses in a diverse array of industries, including agriculture, construction and security.  Increasingly, drones are also being used in response to environmental and humanitarian challenges.  Giving operators a birds-eye view of events – as they unfold – today’s drones can record vast amounts of high-quality aerial photographs and videos.   

A less obvious use for drones is in the area of education, to help facilitate teaching and learning.  Certainly, drones have been useful in many schools for the purpose of educating students in the fields of science, technology, art, engineering and mathematics (STEAM).   

For example, I had gained some experience with drones several years ago in El Salvador, using the DJI Phantom 2 as a hook to get students interested in programming and robotics.  

Since then, having bought the DJI mini 2 last year, I have become somewhat of a drone enthusiast!  As I regularly take my drone with me on trips, for example, around Brazil, or in the UK, I have been able to capture some fantastic images to share with friends and family.  I love to make educational videos (as I have written about previously, when I made a documentary about the Brazilian Amazon). These experiences have enabled me to reflect on additional  ways of using aerial photos and videos in education – to teach important concepts while captivating students’ attention. 

Example 1 – Using Drones to Teach Maths:

For maths, we were recently able to plan for the drone to be used to teach our Class 3 students the topic of angles.  Getting students to move together in unison, simulating different angles in the playground, the drone was able to capture this brilliant footage:

Watching the video recorded of the childrens’ movements themselves, helped convey for the students, in an engaging and novel way, the concept of angles and how they are measured.  

Example 2 – Using Drones to Teach Geography:

In geography, our Class 4 students have learnt how to draw and read maps.  In order to help students with their learning of this topic, class teachers led a walk around the school block in which students had to make notes and rough sketches that would later form part of their mapwork.  Meanwhile, I was able to capture some high resolution aerial photos of the school and its grounds – which would come in useful later on to help students visualise the walk they had done around the school block:

Example 3 – Using Drones to Teach Environmental Science:

Climate change is a key topic that we revisit with students several times during the year.  Having visited the Pantanal last year, I was able to capture firsthand some compelling video footage of the forest fires that had been ravaging through the area:

It is estimated that fires burnt through some 1.7 million acres of the Pantanal last year.  Shown from above though, these drone images of scorched earth served as a powerful way for me to communicate, during one of our assemblies, this idea of climate change and the effects it is having on wildlife.

Example 4 – Using Drones for School Trips:

One of the school residential trips I organise is to Paraty, which is a municipality located on a lush green coastline in the state of Rio de Janeiro.  As well as its historical significance, the region is famous for the environmentally protected area of Saco do Mamanguá.  

Saco do Mamanguá is a peculiar geographical feature, which resembles a fjord. It has an 8 km inlet of ocean water and mountains on either side.  At its innermost point of this inlet, there is a preserved mangrove which meets multiple rivers running down from the mountains.  These mangroves provide a buffer between the mountain sediments and the sea, serving as a ‘marine nursery’ for a variety of small creatures such as crabs, shrimps and fish.

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In order to help students better visualise (and understand) the environmental science and geography of this protected area, I took my drone to the region during a recent previsit.  In this same video, I was able to record other places that the students would visit on this trip such as the Gold Trail and Quilombo community.  Such videos are also great to show parents during information sessions about upcoming school trips.

Concluding thoughts…

It has been my experience that drones can increase students’ engagement in their learning while providing them with a richer insight and understanding into key concepts.  In the future, as drones become easier to fly and cheaper to buy, there will be increasingly more scope for them to be used in education to enhance teaching and learning. Aside from the obvious application for drones to be used in programming and robotics, the images and videos that they can obtain from otherwise impossible to reach places, can add value to any curriculum subject.  

Educational videos come in different shapes: step-by-step guides, lecture recordings, course navigations, project feedback, topic previews, and others. Their main advantages include flexibility, constant improvement of content, low cost, and a chance to engage students from all corners of the world. Creating such videos is a great way to share your knowledge, gain new skills, make friends, and earn money. Especially now when the shift towards remote learning continues. However, it is not easy to create professional videos with millions of views. In this article, we will cover the most common mistakes to avoid and tips to follow.

Recording a video

1. Create a storyboard

Web education has been on the rise and millions of users worldwide create different types of videos every day. But do you know what differs successful educators? They have a storyboard for every video. It is a plan of the future content that includes information about the subject, location setting, situation of the camera, shot type, movements, number of participants, and other issues. The more detailed you are, the fewer problems and surprises you are going to face in the process.

2. Write the script

It doesn’t matter whether you want to make a film or a short video clip: you need to create a script. Here are a few things to remember:

• Make your introduction engaging by inserting a quote, joke, or statistics
• Act natural and be yourself
• Concentrate on the key points
• Use examples
• Thank viewers for watching the video

When the script is written, read it aloud to make sure that it sounds smooth and interesting.

3. Engage the audience

While many users turn to video streaming due to the highest engagement rate, educational videos can also be rewarding if approached correctly.  There are many ways how you can make your videos interesting. First of all, you should transmit your passion to the subject. Cold and impersonal videos won’t gain loyal viewers. You can also insert quizzes, questions, and prizes for leaving comments under the video. Give viewers a sense of community and they will gladly return to you over and over again.

4. Choose the right video length

The common rule of educational content says – the shorter, the better. This means that your videos should be straight to the point and brief. Read the requirements of the chosen educational platform and if else is not stated, stick to 10 – 20 minutes length. The videos should be easy to digest and not overloaded with information. If the viewers decide to download from YouTube or another website, the last thing they want is to spend hours waiting for the file.

5. Use a green screen

Some video creators are afraid of using green screens because they think it is difficult and time-consuming. Well, it may be at first but has a wide range of advantages. With a green screen, you can record videos on literally any background, hide imperfections of your home, and contribute to branding. It also reduces time spent on preparing the surroundings and is extremely flexible and portable. An irreplaceable element for creators of educational videos!

6. Invest in good equipment

A professional video is a must if you want to occupy firm positions in the virtual educational arena. That is why you need to spend some money on a quality vlogger camera, microphone, headsets, and other equipment. And don’t forget about good lighting which is one of the most important elements of great videos. The good news is that if you are a student or a teacher, Apple Education Store may give significant discounts.  And, if you do have the budget, you can allow one of the top Portland video production companies to worry about equipment while you focus on content creation.”

7. Use professional editing tools

Video editing is a crucial element of the process. It makes your educational content interesting, good-looking, and free from imperfections. With the help of an animation maker you can make videos more engaging and by using screencasting tools – insert what is happening on your computer. Beginners should consider a free video editor, while experienced users can invest in a paid one. The most popular editing tools are FlexClip, Wirewax, FlashBack, Animoto, Filmora, Wideo, and Clipchamp.

8. Compress videos

Without video compression, loading time can reach days. Exhausting, right? That is why you should use video compression software to reduce the loading time and minimize buffering for the viewers. It allows compressing videos by half without harming the quality and choosing almost any format. This means that your video can be played on any website and software.

9. Pick the right platform

Depending on your niche and target audience, the choice of the platform to publish videos may vary. Some of them are free, while others – paid. There are also websites that have both free and premium packages. The most popular platforms for educational videos are YouTube, Facebook, Metacafe, Break, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Flickr, and Veoh. We recommend choosing several websites and social media networks to attract as many users as possible.

      10. Check user engagement

Your work doesn’t stop when the video is uploaded. The next step should include analytics, i.e. collecting data on how the audience watches your videos, what they like and don’t like. The most visual indicators are total plays, play rate, and average engagement. You can use free analytical programs by Google or invest in paid ones. All of them work well and give lots of valuable insights on the things that should be improved in the future.

Learning in progress

Concluding thoughts…

Now you know that creating educational videos requires a thoughtful and step-by-step approach. First, invest in a vlogger camera or another equipment of your choice, then download iMovie and other tools for creating great videos. Don’t forget about writing an engaging script and inserting images, animation, and other elements into the content. If you lack inspiration, research other online educators and you will surely find fresh ideas to get started.

Educational videos are among the most common types of videos available online.  As they enhance learning opportunities, educational videos have long been used as a valuable tool to explore a wide range of subjects. It is worth noting that they can help learners to maintain and analyse data more effectively. The use of online video content in educational contexts has helped to break down the geographical barriers between the speaker and the recipient; something that people used to struggle with before the invention of digital video sharing sites.

For various reasons, individuals, virtual schools, and organisations produce instructional videos for online curricula, presentations, short lectures, marketing campaigns, reports, to name a few. But it takes more than just communicating ideas in a digital video-based format to create effective content, which helps facilitate learning.

Here we will discuss a few mistakes that you can avoid when making video-based learning material:

• Your instructional videos are bland and uninteresting.

In reality, if you are trying to maximise user engagement, one of your primary objectives must be to make the videos as compelling as possible. Use attention-grabbing pictures, a clear voice and include interesting facts and examples.

• It’s too theoretical.

It is more difficult to analyse an abstract notion than to explain an example that we can be related to our daily lives. When complexity gives rise to longer explanations, students can quickly get lost.

Covering unnecessary information in-depth is simply dull. Say only what needs to be said to ensure student learning, and make sure this is communicated clearly and concisely.

• Your course is too lengthy.

When you build the content of your course, try to split it into parts (that are no longer than 20-minutes long). You can include short breaks between sections, helping students to feel refreshed before each new topic.

Make sure as well, to plan your video carefully such that it does not become unnecessarily long.

• The course material is not designed to be mobile-friendly.

People sometimes forget that mobiles are now the primary tool for content search and consumption. Why wouldn’t that be the same for our online courses as well? The learners want the material to be accessible from anywhere at any moment, to be easy to search for when they need it. Put simply, users should not have to rely on a desktop to view the content.

• Not providing references or related facts.

Our mind is an extraordinary tool that can remember and refine extraordinary facts. In our daily lives though, we are confronted with many distractions, which can often hamper our capacity to assimilate new learning.

We should therefore ensure that the information delivered through the medium of video, is memorable. Ensure that you draw on past references and repeat the most relevant facts.

• Your curriculum is not sufficiently engaging.

Interactivity facilitates learning.  It allows the proactive involvement of the learners, turning them into active learning participants instead of passive receivers. If a course is not sufficiently engaging then it means it is not well designed. The best online programmes incorporate interactive elements.

• Using poor audio or video quality.

Audio and video quality are essential elements, as they provide audiences with the first impression for the quality of the content being covered. If the video is distorted, blurry or difficult to focus on – or the sound quality if awry, for example, viewers may not be able to understand anything at all.

Final Words:

By designing videos and eLearning courses with these points in mind, you will likely be much more successful at producing valuable content, which facilities effective learning experiences.

This was a guest post by Jamie Roy