First trial of video feedback

25-7-2008
I finally had a chance to trial the use of video as part of a student’s teaching practice feedback process. The things that worked well were:
· Video recording the student did not appear to impact on how either the student or the children engaged with the teaching and learning process. This was one of the possibilities I had foreseen, so it was good to see that this did not happen, as I wanted to provide the student with an authentic reflection of practice.
· The centre was happy for me to video record the student, and in fact saw it is an opportunity to gather feedback for themselves on what happened in the centre and how the children engaged in the programme. After the visit I provided the centre with a copy of the video recording after gaining permission from the student, who was delighted that she could offer something in return to the centre who had given her support. However, for the future I think it is important that I develop and provide an Ethical Permission form for both the centre and the student to ensure ethical guidelines are followed at all times.
Things that need improvement:
· Triadic discussion – I wonder whether this context is ideal for sharing the video feedback format, as it was difficult to find the right moment to share the recording. I think this was partly because I had not pre-viewed the recording, and although I knew the scenarios I had recorded, specific incidents were vaguer than when I have written these. Next time therefore I intend to take a quick look before the discussion with the student and the associate teacher. Thus I will also be able to name the different recordings and thus find a particular scenario more readily during the discussion.
· Using the digital photo frame - when I trialled this in the comfort of my own office and at home the photo frame looked like a good option ( a clear picture; reasonably priced so it would be affordable if others in the team would opt to use this feedback format; recording were easily downloaded onto the system; and it had sound). However, when used in the triadic discussion I learnt the following:
1. The digital photo frame needs a power point, which limits in a way where the feedback can take place. At this centre, there was no staff room, so we ended up in the infant/toddler area (the infants and toddlers were on an outing) sitting on the floor. From this angle, the recording was hard to see, and this limited its value in identifying the more subtle aspects e.g. non-verbal interactions with children.
2. The sound quality was quite bad – this may have been the camera or the digital photo frame or both? Now sound quality may be an issue at all times in a busy and noisy early childhood centre. What I would like to trial next is to take continuous photos to see if this is effective in giving an overview of the student’s practice, thus illuminating the need for sound. Of course, if language is the purpose of the recording sound becomes important.
3. Never tilt a camera when recording!! It is very hard to view practice from an angle. I wanted to catch a wider viewpoint and thought I would be able to change the angle after recording.
In the end I copied the recordings on a CD-rom so the student could review her practice at her own pace in her own time as part of the reflective process. I am curious to see her perspective on the experience.

Overall, I felt disappointed after this visit. I came to realise that in a way I entered into this visit in a rather ad-hoc maaner i.e. expecting that I could just walk in, record the student’s practice, download it onto the digital photo frame and share this with the student. Maybe a bit naïve, but I have come to the conclusion that I need to do this in a more structured fashion i.e.:
Ø At the beginning of the visit make sure that I have an ethical permission form ready for both student and centre; to cover the ethics.
Ø Next time I will trial continuous photography rather than video recording. This method should still give the student a clear overview of her/his practice and overcome the difficulty of sound.
Ø Before the triadic or dyadic discussion, pre-view the recordings, and name them for easier access. This should support the feedback process.
Ø As I have no control over where the discussion takes place, this is a factor I will just have to live with. However, I can but hope!!
One thing, that I certainly feel I need to do more off is read, read, and read about the use of DIL(Digital Information Literacy) in reflective practice. Does anyone know of any good sources/ text? I would be grateful for any feedback.