skip to main content

Leading adult education through support for and the effective application of technology.

OTAN News

Using Video to Engage Students

Posted on 01/15/2020

Smartphone with video play button.Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Video can be an effective instructional tool in the classroom. More and more teachers are using video in all kinds of way to deliver content and engage students. Video projects can be simple creations or more elaborate activities that utilize a number of digital skills.

In his article 20 Video Project Ideas to Engage Students, Matt Miller lists some project ideas for using video in the classroom. Teachers can use many of these ideas by simply using student phones; other ideas might require the use of a device like a digital camera or an app or apps that need to be downloaded or purchased. Here are some ideas to get started with video:

  • Create a personal narrative

  • Record an interview, in person or virtually

  • Make a video tour of a location or landmark

  • Make a video using an app like Adobe Spark Video

  • More advanced project ideas include creating a whiteboard animation, presenting slides with a screencast recording, recording a stop-motion animation in Google Slides, making a video with a green screen, and creating GIFs.

  • Take inspiration from the world of TV and online video – make how-to videos, create a TV commercial or newscast, or record a game show or reality-type show.

Miller also includes ideas that could be used in specific content classes, like a speech for a social studies class, documenting a science lab project, or showing your work on math problems in a math class.

OTAN also has some additional resources for you to explore regarding the use of video in class. Explore using video in your class, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced!

Article: 20 Video Project Ideas to Engage Students from Matt Miller at Ditch That Textbook

OTAN news item: Making Your Own Instructional Videos

OTAN news item: Using Video Effectively in Your Instruction

OTAN video: Surviving the Current: Innovative Video Projects for Skill Integration

Scroll To Top

OTAN activities are funded by contract CN240137 from the Adult Education Office, in the Career & College Transition Division, California Department of Education, with funds provided through Federal P.L., 105-220, Section 223. However, OTAN content does not necessarily reflect the position of that department or the U.S. Department of Education.