Today I created my first lesson with TEDEd - a tool that enables video-based lesson creation. I started with a short TED talk around a subject that I thought was generally thought-provoking and engaging; exercise and creativity.
The beauty of the TEDEd lesson is that it is totally online; there is no need to create and photocopy paper handouts after playing the video to the class - everything is done within that webpage. Even marking of the questions is immediate; the teacher specifies the correct answer to each multiple choice question on creation, meaning that the students are given immediate feedback, saving on both teacher and student time.
You might find that TEDEd lessons can also suit a "flipped classroom" format, where you ask students to watch the video and complete the activity before class, then use classroom time to expand on the subject. As a teacher you can monitor student participation and engagement outside of the classroom as it tracks completion of the tasks; another useful function. The app is also downloadable and therefore smartphone-friendly, which goes some way to addressing the framework of true "mobile pedagogy" (Kukulska-Hulme, Norris and Donohue, 2015), enabling language learning to take place as students move between home and the classroom.
Follow this link to try out my lesson and let me know what you think - both of my lesson and of TEDEd as a teaching resource.
References:
Goldstein, B. & Driver, P., (2015). Language Learning with Digital Video, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kukulska-hulme, A., Norris, L. & Donohue, J., (2015). Mobile Pedagogy for English Language Teaching : a Guide for Teachers, London: British Council