Engaging Video Text

 

What is a Video Text

Video text adds an extra element to digital writing when creating a video text. In fact, in the book Argument in the Real-World: Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts, Turner and Hicks (2017) state that "crafting an argument and supporting it with features of digital video" (P. 84) shows how we can take a different approach when creating videos. There are many social media platforms where videos and pictures are a part of how we communicate. Hicks states, "Video texts of live events with real people of scripted, well-produced television shows, films, of hand-drawn, computer, or stop motion animation and many other forms may be the form of digital writing many of us need to learn to convey information in the twenty-first century (Hicks, 2013, P. 104). 
Let's be honest. Technology has evolved so much that we can do so much, not only from our computers but even from our phones, which I call minicomputers. Hicks states, "From professionally produced movies and television shows to footage you and I capture with our mobile phones, literally thousands of hours of video texts are created, uploaded, and viewed every minute of the day (Hicks, 2013, P. 104). 
 

For my graduate school class, we were asked to create a video to introduce ourselves to other classmates. We are now asked to revise and resubmit our video. This Technology link is my revised video, including video text features I did not use the first time.

What Makes a Video Text Engaging 

Engaging in video text is like watching people's posts on social media platforms, especially on platforms like Instagram. Engaging video texts spark creativity and the opportunity to be unique. In my revised video, I made it more appealing to watch by adding headings, transitions, and music. My video was also more attractive because I chose to use colorful frames. After all, the more visuals we have, the better. Check out this video on how to use Canva to add pop-ups and images to your video! 

(Alwood, 2020)

References 

Alwood, C. (2020, October 21). Create pop-up text using CANVA as a green screen/video tip for new YouTubers. YouTube. https://youtu.be/o7wyitaXCzE?si=GLUIgLgHoaDbqdwA

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres. Heinemann.

Turner, K.H., Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts: Argument in the Real World. Heinemann. 

Digital Arguments

 Digital Arguments in Social Media 

   

Image, Harris, T. R. (2019)

 We often see different posts on social media full of people's opinions that we might agree or disagree with. Turner and Hicks state, "Individuals often respond emotionally to what they read in social networks posting or reposting without critically analyzing the argument being made (2017, p.104). Reading other people's opinions that we may disagree with can be challenging because our first reaction is to respond to defend our own stance on the topic. However, as a professional educator, I have to be mindful of what I post and how it would come across because, in a sense, I am representing myself and everyone affiliated with me professionally and personally.

Discussions can escalate quickly, and communicating civilly can get lost online. I love to join educational and community groups to get great ideas and advice and keep up with what is happening in the community. Below, you will see a Facebook post about a parent asking a question about taking their children out of a community high school and, in return, starting conversations about agreements and disagreements about community schools. 

   

Using the Turner and Hicks "Being a Mindful Reader and Writer of Social Media Arguments Table 6.1" (2017 P. 104).

Monitor- The intended audience is parents with children attending the high school mentioned. The author poses a question to attract parents with the same opinion about the high school. 

Identify (the claim)- The claim in this post is not evident, which leaves readers to form their opinions by reading responses from other readers commenting about the post. 

Note (the evidence)-The claim is not evident in this post, but we can assume that the author removed their child from the high school because they were not pleased. They did not use quotes from experts, noted individuals, or images. 

Determine (mindset)-The creator does not seem upset but may be curious about how others feel about the high school. The creator's experience should be mentioned in the post and is a conversation starter to get everybody else's opinions. The creator did not make me feel different about the high school but left me curious about why the question was asked. 

Facts- The creator does not present facts and opinions. The responses from other people were simply their opinions based on personal experiences, such as because they attended the school or because they may have children who have. 

Understand (counter argument)- The post was a question with responses where people agreed and disagreed by sharing their experiences and opinions. No images were used, but the big font and the colorful background represent a confrontational tone. 

Leverage (my response)-If I were to respond to this post, I would come from a stance of concern and experience as a teacher rather than a parent. I would give facts and offer support in the areas where I could help or advise. 

Using a controversial tone, the creator simply posted an open-ended question in all capital letters. The post was created because of a bad personal experience and needed better thought out. Lawrence states, "An author must think about the task and plan their approach to constructing a message. Then, they must write the text featured in the media. The author should build the argument by cementing and elaborating on the purpose and how they can most effectively communicate that message" (Lawrence, 2022, P. 36). 

In conclusion, Goudas, Louizos, Petasis, and Karkaletsis state, "Argumentation is a branch of philosophy that studies the act or process of forming reasons and concluding in the context of a discussion, dialogue, or conversation" (Goudas, Louizos, Petasis, and Karkaletsis, 2014, P. 2). This post was confrontational and created a space for a conversation of agreements and disagreements. However, it was not well thought out because it seemed to come from an emotional place. 

References

Goudas, T., Louizos, C., Petasis, G., Karkaletsis, V. (2014). Argument Extraction from News, Blogs, and Social Media.  In: Likas, A., Blekas, K., Kalles, D. (eds) Artificial Intelligence Artificial: Methods and Applications. SETN 2014. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (), vol 8445. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07064-3_23

Harris, T. R. (2019). 3 Reasons Why Arguing on The Internet is so Ineffective (and What to Do Instead).
 

Kristen Hawley Turner, & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.

Lawrence, D (2022). Digital Writing: a guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press

The Exceptional Skills. Retrieved 2024, from https://www.theexceptionalskills.com/arguing-on-the-internet/.