Safari Montage-Video on Demand is a visual instructional technology that the district wants teachers to integrate into our curriculum plans. The site has seemingly endless educational videos for all subjects and grade levels. There are many different publishers to browse through, like National Geographic, PBS, A&E, Disney and more. The lessons come with downloadable worksheets and guides. The site gives you the ability to create your own playlists to be able to revisit or save for the next year. Close captioning is also available along with the compatibility for use with electronic whiteboards.
I have used a few of the math lessons with my students. Their responses were mixed. Some students loved it and others thought the lessons were too "cute" or too slow. I think it is a great idea, and in some subjects, the wealth of information, and videos of real life, scientific, and historical happenings are unbelievable and can improve learning exponentially. In math though, I am not sure just watching a video and pausing to discuss problems is the answer. A few of my co-workers and I are slightly skeptical. Some of the department use Safari Montage resources daily and others intermittently. School wide, this product is used daily in many classes. I will keep searching through the many videos for what will work well with my students, and use this to technology to teach and supplement the grade level curriculum.
I actually love the idea of this resource! Although, I could see educators spending an enormous amount of time just searching for a video to fit the lesson.
ReplyDeleteI wish they had something like this for higher education. I've seen similar sites, but nothing this extensive.
Thanks for sharing :o)