Common Craft Project

Common Craft is a website that I've written about before and used more times that I can remember to help students understand a difficult academic topic.  Yesterday, I received an e-mail from them with information about a new video they posted on their site as well as a bunch of new resources they have posted to the Common Craft site.  These new resources are aimed at assisting in the creation of your own explanation videos.

This got me thinking about our computer teachers in Seymour and teachers in general.  Wouldn't it be cool to create our own explanation videos like the ones created by Lee and his wife?  To get started, this short video explaining the tools and tips should point you in the right direction.  Also on the site are some "know how" resources (some paid/some free) which offer ideas on how you can create really great videos of your own.

Now What?

Explanation videos like the ones found on Common Craft are effective and to the point.  Students and teachers can create and use these videos to explain anything from math theories to ecosystems.  If you are interested in the videos but don't have the time to create them...check out their library of videos and find one to fit you classroom.

Electoral College in Plain English

With Election Day right around the corner...many classrooms are finding places here and there to include information about the election.  These discussions usually include how the electoral college works and its importance in electing a president.  Recently, Common Craft made a video available titled "The Electoral College In Plain English".  If you don't know about Common Craft, they are a husband and wife tandem specializing in making videos that explain stuff.  Check out the video below or access it on their website.

Common Craft

Common Craft is a great website that I have used countless times in class to explain a topic for the first time or review something that students have already learned.  The videos on Common Craft are created using stop motion animation which is simple to follow and fun to watch.  The premise of Common Craft is to create videos "in plain English" so that they are easy to understand.  Check out the list of videos below (click to see larger image) as well as an example video on CFL light bulbs.

Now What?

Head over to Common Craft and check out some of the videos that fit with your classroom curriculum.  There are also some great videos that you can use to help yourself to better understand some of the new emerging technologies and websites.