Digital Video for Problem Solving/Decision Making

2. How can I use digital video in my classroom as a problem solving tool?

Four steps of problem solving In 1957, Hungarian-born mathematician George Polya published How to Solve It, in which he delineated four steps for problem solving: understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan and looking back. These four steps can be simplified to

• See
• Plan
• Do
• Check

and we would like to add "Communicate" to this list. Math teachers are very familiar with this sequence, language arts teachers will recognize the Writing Process as a variant and organization executives will see it as the foundation of most Quality Improvement plans.

As you think about using digital video in your classroom, think about how each of these four steps can be enhanced with video.

SEE: How can your students SEE the problem with video?

• record the motion of an amusement park ride
• watch a political debate
• follow the trajectory of a projectile
• illustrate a mathematical problem
• represent a scientific concept such a the visible spectrum
  

PLAN: How can video help your students devise a plan for solving the problem?

• record the motion of various modes of transportation to determine speed
• demonstrate the equipment needed for a science experiment

DO: How can video help your students carry out their plan and solve the problem?

• record the path of a projectile so that calculations can be made later
  
• demonstrate a scientific process that could not be done safely in the classroom
• speed up or slow down video footage to allow detailed examination of phenomena such as a lunar eclipse or the beating of a hummingbird's wing
• follow the student detectives as they solve a mystery
  

CHECK: How can video help your students check their results?

• compare their solutions to other student's solutions (look at the "in a heartbeat" lesson)
• record how they solved the problem, mistakes and all, then go back and fix the mistakes

COMMUNICATE: Present your results in video form

• create a public service announcement based on your findings
• make a documentary to present environmental research to the community
  

Here are some collections of lesson plans on various topics. (Not all the lessons in each collection incorporate digital video).

• Kidz Online Sample Lesson Plans
• Apple Learning Interchange - real lesson plans with real student videos. Also a good source for assessments of student work.
• George Lucas Foundation Edutopia
• PBS.org - they were the first to put television into classrooms
• Greg Marten's Hotlist of sites for DV in the classroom
  

Assessment

• COATT (Michigan) has some suggestions for assessing video projects.

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