3rd February 2012
 Costello Technology College, a mixed secondary school educating 11 to 16 year olds, has created an ‘online curriculum’ that allows students to access learning resources outside of lessons, both in and outside school. The online curriculum aims to support homework assignments, exam revision and provide consistency of learning.
Teachers at Costello are using a virtual learning environment (VLE) to give students access to online learning content ‘on-demand’. This content includes educational videos that can be viewed either on the school’s computers or by students at home, matching and complimenting lessons delivered in the classroom.
These videos are created using screen recording software called Camtasia Studio. Teachers create video lessons by recording all the activity on their computer screens, from lessons delivered on PowerPoint to demonstrations of video editing and web applications, while simultaneously recording their voice. This allows them to show and explain the topic as they would in the classroom.
Initially tutorial videos were recorded to demonstrate how to use software as part of Costello’s ICT lessons. If a classroom activity involves students recording and producing their own podcasts, for example, a screencast video walks them through the process step-by-step, with a teacher’s voice narrating.
The online curriculum is now being expanded to include classroom lessons being recorded, creating a video version of the lesson exactly as it was delivered. By regularly capturing lessons and placing them online, a bank of resources has been created, which students can access as and when they are needed.
Dominic Tester, assistant head teacher at Costello Technology College, comments:
“We’ve had a great deal of positive feedback from students, parents and teachers on the online curriculum. Creating the video lessons and making them available online gives students access to the same content they receive in class but at any time, either from home or at school.
“We’re expanding our digital offering to include mobile technology, as we see the future of accessing learning content heading towards mobile devices. Our students have grown up with computers in their homes and mobile phones in their pockets. Using technology is natural to them, and we’re always looking at new ways to provide them with accessible learning that is both natural and engaging.”
www.costello.hants.sch.uk
|
