What is SpotEd?
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SpotEd is a school-based program founded at the Jefferson Elementary School in the West Jefferson Hills School District that implements video as a means for instruction, creative expression, discovery, and developing digital literacy. Through this project, an old computer lab has been renovated to become a video production studio that will be used for the morning news program, interviews of special visitors, creative short films, and instructional videos. As SpotEd develops, video cameras will be made available for teachers to take back to their classrooms and record their teaching to enable blended or flipped instruction. The initiation of the SpotEd program establishes a new venue for innovative, 21st century learning and equips teachers with the tools to maximize their effectiveness through video instruction that can be accessed from home or at school.
We have titled the program SpotEd as a play on words that references two meanings of the word “spotted.” The first makes a connection to the school mascot, the jaguar, and the spots on its fur. This is also the inspiration for the two logo designs that we have created for the project. The name SpotEd also tells about the intent of the initiative by highlighting the word “spot,” meaning to see (as in a video), and “ed,” which is an abbreviation of “education.” Thus, SpotEd is a visual education project that employs video for learning. 
The newly renovated SpotEd Media Studio at Jefferson Elementary.
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Digital Media:
media that is produced, shared, and stored in a digital computer format Digital Literacy: the ability to use technology to consume and produce digital media Blended Instruction: education system in which students receive instruction in the classroom as well as through online, digital media How I Use Video in My Classroom
Mrs. Kathryn Haney |
Why was SpotEd started?
SpotEd centers on the use of video production and consumption in elementary school education. In this current era, video has become a powerful and prevalent influence on children as well as adults. Our visual culture increasingly looks to video for entertainment, information exchange, and informal and formal education on television, YouTube, or other Internet sources. As such, video may be recognized as a potent means of 21st century communication. Since video holds such a significant role in our culture and is also such an effective communication medium, it is only logical that we educate our youth to utilize video for communication, creativity, and education. In doing so, we may offer our students video literacy that equips them to produce as well as consume video.
In recent years, educators have seen the need to push forward into the 21st century with adapted and updated teaching and learning strategies and resources. The flipped classroom concept encourages teachers to create video instruction that is watched at home thereby allowing in-class time to be spent on concept application. Similarly, blended learning combines traditional, in-class instruction and digital media instruction that is accessed at home for augmentation and reinforcement. Unfortunately, most schools are unable to take advantage of these new teaching strategies due to insufficient funding and technical support. The SpotEd Studio, mobile video cameras, and related training will supply the necessary components to implement video-based instruction across the curriculum.
However, for true video literacy to occur, students must become adept producers and not simply passive consumers. Video production projects will teach our students how to plan, film, produce, and share their own communicative, entertaining, and instructional videos. When our students are able to absorb and critique video, learn from digital media, create engaging videos, and communicate through the lens of a camera, they will be able to fully appreciate and harness the potential benefits of modern video media.
In recent years, educators have seen the need to push forward into the 21st century with adapted and updated teaching and learning strategies and resources. The flipped classroom concept encourages teachers to create video instruction that is watched at home thereby allowing in-class time to be spent on concept application. Similarly, blended learning combines traditional, in-class instruction and digital media instruction that is accessed at home for augmentation and reinforcement. Unfortunately, most schools are unable to take advantage of these new teaching strategies due to insufficient funding and technical support. The SpotEd Studio, mobile video cameras, and related training will supply the necessary components to implement video-based instruction across the curriculum.
However, for true video literacy to occur, students must become adept producers and not simply passive consumers. Video production projects will teach our students how to plan, film, produce, and share their own communicative, entertaining, and instructional videos. When our students are able to absorb and critique video, learn from digital media, create engaging videos, and communicate through the lens of a camera, they will be able to fully appreciate and harness the potential benefits of modern video media.
Who is involved in SpotEd?
First and foremost, the primary participants in the SpotEd program are the students at Jefferson Elementary - they are the critical producers and consumers of digital video media. The teachers and administration at Jefferson Elementary are integral team members in this initiative as well.
Support for SpotEd Media
We would like to thank the West Jefferson Hills School District for supporting and facilitating SpotEd Media. This project is supported in part by the Spark Fund for Early Learning at the Sprout Fund. Spark is a program of the Sprout Fund that supports projects in the greater Pittsburgh region that help children develop hands-on skills and digital literacies by expanding their capacity "to do" as well as "to know." Special thanks to Sarah Arbogast at KDKA for lending her support as well.
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