I haven’t really had a good opportunity to use videos in any of my placements yet. However, in my last placement, I kind of got around the school filters by downloading a youtube video at home, saving it on my flash drive, and showing it in class.
The video that I had showed the class was one of Rick Mercer’s Rant. I think that his rants are wonderful and could be used as an example of how to write and deliver a rant. This particular one I used to address two different things in the classroom. The first time I used it was to open up a discussion on Gay Bullying. The kids really seemed to enjoy it (grade 9-12 students) and it was amazing how much the video touched them and inspired them to speak out in class when they don’t even really want to talk at all. The second time I had a student watch it was when she was working on writing her own rant for an assignment.
The video is here:
Another online video that I used in the classroom was on the CBC website. It’s a documentary called “Reel Injun” and it examines the history of how Native Americans were, and still are, portrayed in the media. Other than the commercials (I don’t know how many times Chuck Norris approved the use of Era laundry detergent) I found that the classes that I showed this documentary were very engaged and interested in watching it.
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/video.html?ID=1454400439
And last but not least, another gem from the CBC website, is the 8th Fire series. This is a must-watch for everyone in Canada. Not just the students, but EVERYONE.
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire//2011/11/tv-series-8th-fire.html
Oh, and for all you who took the Aboriginal Perspectives course, you should definitely watch the Reel Injun documentary.
Good ideas Sylvia! I like the rant idea. That would be a great example to show the class before you ask them to make a rant of their own! And good topic as well that relates to bullying. I didn't have time to check out your second video, but the content is very interesting! I think that could be useful in a unit about media influences or Native studies. I LOVE the 8th Fire series and I hope that I am able to use those in my classroom as well. Good Work!
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