Guest Blogger: Marlin ParrackAlongside auditory and tactile/kinesthetic, visual learning styles are well represented among a majority of learners. Most students respond well to and are engaged by moving visual images. One way to reach this audience is through the use of web-based videos from a variety of sources, including the popular site YouTube. In this posting, I will share with you how to embed videos on your TeacherWeb page.
You may embed a video in most any page that you have already created, as long as it will accept html code (hyper text markup language--the "formulas" for creating content on a web page). If you would like to dedicate a page to videos and accompanying text, simply create a new page through the "Update Index" feature of TeacherWeb, choosing the button "Add/Delete/Rename Pages" and then clicking on "Add Pages" on the left-hand sidebar. A good choice for page type is the All Purpose page. Click on the expand ("plus sign") button and name the page “Videos” or as you wish. Submit the page change, and you should see the new page when you return to your site index.
Click on the icon for your video page, then click on the top divider bar to edit the page. Now it's simply a matter of inputting the embedding information for your chosen videos. Video sites such as YouTube will usually have an embedding code, which is a long series of html codes and numbers which you needn't worry about understanding. Simply copy the entire code and paste it on your video page, and you've embedded the video onto your page!
If you wish to add text, just type where you want it to appear in relation to the video (above or below the code).
Advance use:
You can change the font and/or the color of the text by adding <font size=X color=Y> before the text, where X=2, 3, 4, 5, etc. and Y=blue, red, purple, etc. (or you can find codes for all shades imaginable, just Google "RGB codes"). Be sure and close the code using </font> after the text with the desired characteristics.
You may also want to alternately center or left-justify your videos and/or text by adding the code <div align=center> or <div align=left> before the text and video code. [It is a good idea to "close" the current code before switching to another setting, by using a forward slash, e.g. </div align>.]
If you would like to see an example of a TeacherWeb page with videos, please visit my site at
http://teacherweb.com/TX/RidgeviewMS/MParrack/h6.stm[includes advanced html features not discussed in this posting].
Notes:
• Whenever you submit TeacherWeb pages that contain html code (identified by the <> bracket types) it will warn you of use of the greater than sign. You can ignore this warning and view your page.
• You are not simply linking to the video on the host site, you are putting the actual video on your page. However, students may be able to click on suggested videos on the embedded screen after the primary video has played. Always remind them they should not watch materials not approved by you. And, of course, monitor use so that inappropriate images are not accessed.
• Videos on YouTube and other similar sites are often taken down, modified, or may require additional plug-ins not available on every computer. Be sure and check your embedded videos often to verify they are still working and have not become "dead."
Photos and text can be imported in.