contributed by Candice Liu
Teaching is difficult.
To reduce the load, what every teachers need depends on the exact context of their position, but all teachers need engaging and easy to use tools. And, increasingly, video is what engages students. This makes video editing tools a natural fit for the classroom.
Why Should Teachers Use Video In The Classroom?
Teachers should use video in the classroom because it offers a number of benefits for both the teacher and the students. Here are few examples.
1. Video is engaging for students
Video is a highly visual and engaging medium that can capture students’ attention and can help them, at times, retain information better than traditional teaching methods. At minimum video can be used to supplement the teaching and learning methods at use in the classroom.
2. Video can support personalized learning
Video allows teachers to personalize the learning experience for each student by providing content that is tailored to their individual needs and learning styles. This can be done by the teacher or student where video can be used as an assessment tool or by students for projects.
See also The Difference Between Personalized And Individualized Learning
3. Accessibility
Video is accessible to students with different learning abilities, including those who are visual or auditory learners, and those with disabilities.
4. Flexibility
Video can be used in a variety of ways, including as an introduction to a lesson, as an explanation of a concept, or as a review of key points.
5. Collaboration
Video projects can encourage collaboration among students and help them develop important communication and teamwork skills.
6. Modern media
While non-fiction, fiction, plays, poems, essays, and more play key roles in teaching and learning, short, engaging video is the language of the modern students. If you want to reach students in the beginning, middle, or end of the lesson, or even for assessment, video is a wonderful tool.
A well-designed video tool can help turn plain or complex concepts into fun and engaging videos–whether created by the teacher or students themselves in project-based learning.
See also 15 Ways To Use Video In The Classroom
6 Of The Best Free Video Editing Tools
1. WinX Video Converter
WinX Video Converter is regarded as one of the best video tools for teachers who want to convert video formats. As one of the best video tools for teaching and learning, WinX can convert videos from or to MP4 format. Further, any video from iPhone, GoPro, DJI, or Android can be transcoded to your required format.
It supports converting MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, HEVC, H.264, etc., files up to 4K/8K to compatible formats for your media player. It can also be used for compressing videos, e.g. 4K to 1080p or GBs to MBs, cutting/trimming and merging clips, adding subtitles to videos, creating photo slideshows, changing the video aspect ratio, adjusting frame rate, and more.
2. Clipchamp
Clipchamp is a video creation tool for teachers to make educational videos–for a flipped classroom, for example–quickly, and for free. Microsoft acquired it in 2021 as a pre-installed app on Windows 11 to provide users user-friendly and fast video editing experience. With Clipchamp, teachers can make an educational video by trimming, cropping, splitting, or rotating video. You can also add filters or background music. And if you need inspiration, there are hundreds of ready-to-use templates and stock footage to bounce ideas.
3. OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a free, open-source, and cross-platform video tool for video recording and live streaming. For teachers, this video tool lets you capture whatever is on the computer’s screen in class. For instance, you can record a video tutorial with it to show students how to solve mathematical problems, correct grammar errors, or polish an image with Photoshop. Teachers can also use OBS with Zoom for online classrooms.
FYI, when using OBS as a video recorder, you will by default record a video in MKV format. If that’s not the video format you need, OBS lets you remix MKV to MP4 with OBS after recording.
4. 5KPlayer
5KPlayer is a free video tool for educators to play videos, music, and DVDs in class. Any movie, recorded or edited video, or DVD can be played without the need to worry about the format incompatibility issue.
It can play multimedia formats including 4K, 1080p, 720p, MP4, MKV, AVI, and WMV, with quality audio. This video player also comes with built-in AirPlay and DLNA that enable you to AirPlay iPhone/iPad screen to PC as well as DLNA streaming video music from phone to PC wirelessly. This means that you can stream anything from a phone or tablet to a PC or projector. BTW, it’s possible to live stream online radio stations and M3U/M3U8 links.
In case you want to transfer videos stored on iPhone or iPad to a computer, WinX MediaTrans is designed for that end. It is an iOS data transfer tool used to transfer videos, photos, music, files, and so on between iPhone or iPad and a computer. You can also use your iPhone as a USB drive to store daily video tutorials, and, when necessary, transfer videos from iPhone to PC in the classroom with WinX MediaTrans.
With the help of these video tools for teachers and educators, you can make your classroom more attractive and thus achieve your teaching goal easily. No experience is required, the on-screen instruction in these tools will guide you through the whole lesson-planning process.
6. iMovie
iMovie is a free video editing tool that is available on Macs and iOS devices. Like others, it’s also easy to use and offers a range of features that allow teachers to create engaging videos. But being baked into iOS makes it a smart choice for teachers who want to use their Mac or iPhone to make videos for teaching and learning.
Ultimately, the best video editing tool for teachers will depend on their specific needs and preferences. It is important to choose a tool that is easy to use and offers the features you need to create high-quality videos.
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featured image attribution flickr user bradflickinger; 6 of the best free video editing tools