For this assignment I was able to reflect on the past three modules of content to create an educational video. This was my first time creating an educational video in this format, and while it was challenging, seeing the end product was rewarding. There are many things I learned from the planning, creating, and editing process of this video and I hope to continue to grow these skills. Below there will be a link to my video, the story board, simple script, transcription, and reflection questions.
This video teaches individuals how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In order to follow along with this video, individuals need access to 2 slices of bread, peanut butter, jelly, a butter knife, and a plate.
Please find the video here.
Below is my story board. This is a rough, written version of my video with photos describing what will be shown.
Next, is my simple script. This is what I tried to follow while I was filming my video- while it is not word for word the same, it is very similar.
Simple Script:
“Hello Everyone! My name is Alys. Welcome to this video. Today I will be teaching you how to make a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.”
Text: How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwhich
“Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are a quick, healthy, and filling food that are so easy to make.”
“First, here is a list of things you will need to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
Text: 2 slices of bread
Jar of peanut butter
Jar of jam (any type)
Butter Knife
Plate
Visual: Pointing or Lifting each ingredient up
“Our first step to making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is having clean hands! We should always start the cooking process with clean hands.”
Text: Wash hands!
“Washing your hands ensures your food stays germ free.”
“Our second step is gathering the ingredients.”
Visual: Close up of Peanut Butter, Bread, and Jelly
“You’ll need to grab 2 pieces of bread (any type will work whether it be white bread or whole wheat bread), peanut butter, and jelly and lay them on a clean cooking surface.”
“Now it is time to assemble.”
Text: Assembly time!
“We are going to start by grabbing our bread of choice and placing them side by side.”
“Next, grab your butter knife and dip it into the peanut butter. You’ll want to get a good scoop of the peanut butter and place it on one side of the bread. Spread it around!”
Text: Spread peanut butter evenly
“If you are planning on using the same knife for peanut butter and jelly, make sure you wipe the peanut butter off before our next step.”
“Next, we will repeat this process but with the jelly. Grab the other side of bread, dip the clean knife in, and spread an even amount of jelly over the bread.”
Text: Spread Jelly on other side of bread
“Now we need to place both sides together. Grab the slice of bread with peanut butter on it and place it over top of the jelly slice.”
Text: Combine both slices
“This next step is optional, but I recommended cutting your sandwich up into halves or quarters for easier eating. My favorite way is cutting it diagonally.”
Visual: Butter knife cutting through bread at a diagonal cut.
“Your sandwich is now ready to enjoy!”
“There you have it, your peanut butter and jelly sandwich is ready to be eaten. I hope you all enjoy your tasty treat.”
Visual: Me taking a bite of sandwich and enjoying it.
Reflection Questions
What was the learning purpose?
The learning purpose of my video was to demonstrate how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I feel that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a very basic and simple task that children of all ages could complete, however not every child knows how to. I thought this video could provide a simple explanation as to how to make this yummy snack.
What was challenging about capturing your own video?
I was filming this alone and I had to put a lot of thought into where I could position my camera so that both my face and the sandwich could be in the frame. I think it would have been much easier to film if I had a tripod to hold my phone, or a friend to film me. I also found it extremely challenging to watch myself on my Iphone screen! Seeing myself talking to my phone made me overthink a lot of the things I was saying. I also felt I was trying to stay on script too much at the beginning but after a couple re-takes it felt much more natural to me. Aside from capturing the video, I had an extremely hard time adding the text into my video. I chose to use IMovie- which does not allow you to add your own text box- you have to fill in premade templates. I felt none of the templates worked very well with my framing, so that was very frustrating. I would have liked to have put my text in a shaded text box so that it was easier to read in order to make it easier to read and to improve accessibility. Now I know for next time that IMovie is not the greatest for projects such as these.
What did you find the easiest?
Once I felt more comfortable talking to my camera I found the actual filming part to be quite easy. I probably took well over 10 clips of my introduction before I felt okay talking to my camera, after that it was pretty smooth sailing. Prior to filming I made a script that I wanted to follow so I knew the general idea of what I wanted to say next, I think this made the filming process much easier. I also found making the storyboard to be quite easy and enjoyable, it is nice to have a solid foundation before you start the filming processes.
How would you approach capturing video differently next time?
I would definitely get a tripod, or find a better way to position my phone. I would also try and find a microphone or an audio enhancer because I felt at times my voice didn’t come off as loud as I would want. In terms of editing, I would use a different editor than IMovie, not being able to place my own text boxes was very frustrating and I feel like it makes my video less accessible. I tried to keep in mind the contrast errors that were identified in my WAVE report- yet I felt like every color I chose had poor contrast without having a black background behind the text. It’s frustrating when you know the problem is there but can’t find a way to fix it! Hopefully a different application could alleviate this problem.
Which of the principles we’ve covered this term (e.g., Mayer/Universal Design for Learning/Cognitive Load Theory) did you incorporate into your design and why?
I tried to be very conscious of Mayers Principles and Cognitive Load Theory while creating this video. I wanted to make my video accessible and easy to understand and having these principles and theories in mind made this possible.
I tried to limit extraneous cognitive load by keeping my video design simple. I had in mind the redundancy principle by avoiding adding text to things that I was narrating, such as the details to the steps I outlined. Instead, I provided a very short explanation to what the step was and then allowed the viewer to listen and watch for the rest. I knew I didn’t want to include too much text, narration, and video so I limited the overall amount of text. Piggybacking this idea, I also kept in mind the signaling principle, I tried to add a cue (via text box) for the most important thing (ie. the step) and not write out all the details. The headings allow the viewer to know what the topic of that section of video was going to be.
I also tried to limit intrinsic cognitive load. I kept in mind the principle of modality by not just showing the peanut butter and writing ‘peanut butter’ on the screen but instead saying the word peanut butter and showing the physical peanut butter as well.
The topic of my video was very simple so I did not have a hard time keeping my explanations and vocabulary simple, however, I did try to keep in mind the personalization principle by trying to present the topic in a very conversationalist way. It can be easy to write a formal script and follow it word by word but I tried to remember that no one wants to watch a formal, monotone video of making a PB&J sandwich. I went off script when needed to make the video feel more friendly and conversational.
I wanted to keep my video simple, yet effective. I feel that keeping in mind Mayers Principles and Cognitive Load Theory allowed me to do so.
Extra Documents:
I uploaded this video on Vimeo and I was unsure how to add closed captions to the video. Because of this I wanted to create a short document, or transcription, that could serve as a replacement for the lack of closed captions. That document is below.
https://alysgrover337.opened.ca/2023/10/25/module-three-story-telling-and-creating-video/