Tuesday, February 2, 2010

No more answering the "Why am I learning this?" question

Ever had 5 minutes extra to spare at the end of your lesson?  It's happened before: it's too late to start a new topic and the students don't want to open their books if they'll need to pack them back up just as they get a feel for the homework assignment.  What's more, it's Friday and they're starting to get antsy.  What can a teacher do that could be anything but a reprimand to get them to settle down?  Simple, just open up a quick 5 minute video from The Futures Channel.

It's brain candy for the curious; it's a "How It's Made" for the career explorer; it's an academic YouTube for the classroom.  Learn how they used probability to locate one of the biggest underwater treasure finds to date; learn why it's profitable to pursue a green career, or even why math is so important for the art of baking.  These short clips will seize not only the students' attention, but yours as well.  With a 250% increase in internet traffic in 2007 alone, this site is becoming a popular choice among teachers for visual supplementation since it surpassed 10 million views.

Although a good handful of videos are available for public viewing, the expansive collection is available upon subscription to Defined STEM, the partner company that creates these videos with The Futures Channel (STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).  Pricing is definitely in favor to a teacher subscribing by the year, and the list of convincing feedback is exceptional.  Trouble getting students excited about math?  The site helps portray a dimension of the working world that students are typically unable to see, as noted by a teacher on the feedback page: "I show the videos to my Geometry and Calculus classes and we discuss the need for mathematics in the occupations highlighted in the videos."  Now when students continue to ask why they have to learn how to solve equations or why biology is an essential component to their daily education, a teacher no longer needs to reply with the traditional "so you can be a well-rounded student," and instead can just show a video on the application of whichever topic is up for discussion.  As a matter of fact, why not preclude your Skype guest speaker with one of these fantastic videos?

Extra educational tidbits give the site more flavor, as math teachers and fans of Stand and Deliver actually have the opportunity to see videos from and about Mr. Jaime Escalante's experience in education.  Collections of the best movies are available for purchase as well for those not seeking a subscription.  For the teachers that have difficulty adding supplemental educational elements into their tight curriculum, The Futures Channel is the perfect fit to maintain a great sense of edutainment.

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