One of the affordances of new learning (also known as ubiquitous learning) that we discuss in this module is video learning. Naturally, we can tell what that is by just analysing the name of this affordance.

As the name goes, video learning is a field of education that enables capturing students’ attention through video resources. According to Cisco (2017), video content accounted for 69% for all consumer internet traffic in 2017. That signifies the new era in ways of transferring information. People watch 2 billion online-videos every day, so as you are reading this article, many people in the world are watching videos on YouTube or elsewhere with almost 100% probability (learn more about this in speech by Jonathan Halls).

Jonathan Halls - Videos Are the New Ways to Educate

Jonathan Halls in his speech called videos the new way to educate. Many businesses are now transforming their content into video format, while others raise concerns around its implementation. You can literally learn everything via videos – starting from how to cook an Italian pasta, through how to speak Italian, finishing with how to build a bungalow. “How-to” videos on YouTube are capturing, entertaining, and easy to follow. So, why to read boring manuals when you are just one click away from a whole new world of ideas created and fulfilled by someone else?

Inspired? Eager to create your own video course and transfer your skills onto internet audience? Wait a minute. Read the following essentials of video-based learning and keep them in mind when creating your own:

1. State the goals and objectives of a lesson clearly in the video

An explicitly stated goal always makes the process of receiving information easier for your learners. They know where they are taken to and why they are taken there.

2. Keep it short and simple (KISS)

No one likes boring lectures, even if they are about something vital. Remember: less is more!

3. Use voiceover

Guide your learners with your own voice through challenging steps. More importantly, help your learners with hearing peculiarities to get as much from the course as possible.

4. Use captions

Subtitles are the best, I am telling you. They do not only support learners with hearing peculiarities, they help all the learners to robust their confidence. For example, I still need very often to watch TV-shows with subtitles even though I have been studying the language for a while till now – otherwise I would have missed some important lexis in some sort of shows.

To sum up, videos are a great way to get the learners more engaged in the learning process, whatever they are learning. The fact that there are people who do not approve video learning goes without saying (check reference №4 to combat most common myths about video-based learning), however, tastes differ. After all, choose what suits your learners more and what you are comfortable with.

Useful video-based learning resources:

1. Tutorials on everything: https://fr-tv.com/on/learning+video
2. Learning English online: https://www.learning-english-online.org/learning-videos

References:

1. 5 Essentials of video-based learning: https://elearningindustry.com/5-essentials-video-based-learning
2. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2016–2021: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/complete-white-paper-c11-481360.pdf?utm_campaign=elearningindustry.com&utm_source=/&utm_medium=link
3. How to get returns from video learning: http://www.elearninglearning.com/video/?open-article-id=4417669&article-title=how-to-get-returns-from-video-learning--note-the-trends&blog-domain=originlearning.com&blog-title=origin-learning
4. The 4 biggest myths of video learning: https://elearningindustry.com/4-biggest-myths-video-learning