Page 42 - i1052-5173-30-6

P. 42

Geoscience Videos and Animations:

How to Make Them with Your Students,

and How to Use Them in the Classroom

Robert J. Stern*, Geoscience Dept., University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA, rjstern@utdallas.edu; Jeffrey G. Ryan,
School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA, ryan@mail.usf.edu; Ning Wang, Geoscience Dept.,
University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA, ning.wang@utdallas.edu; Victor Ricchezza, School of Geosciences, University
of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA, ricchezza@mail.usf.edu; and Siloa Willis, Geoscience Dept., University of Texas at Dallas,
Richardson, Texas 75080, USA, siiloa.willis@utdallas.edu

We are in the midst of a “tectonic shift” in equipment (including tablets and smart- preferences of today’s “digital native” stu-
the way that undergraduate students want to phones) and software (i.e., Adobe Creative dents to co-create content as a means of learn-
learn. They will attend lectures and read Suite applications, Camtasia, IMovie, etc.), ing (i.e., Project Tomorrow, 2008; Rainie and
assignments if they must, but they are espe- the tools for making good-quality video and Anderson, 2008).
cially interested in information that they can animations have become widely accessible, Even if one agrees with the concept that
receive as videos on their cell phones and and platforms such as YouTube make it easy geoscientists should be making educational
other mobile devices (Prensky, 2001; Thomas, to disseminate videos. Most geoscientists are videos and animations, why we would do so
2011). The geosciences are uniquely well- not trained in storyboarding, making anima- is less clear, as the drivers for faculty (ten-
suited to presentation via well-crafted, scien- tions, recording sound, or editing video. ure, promotion, a job, a graduate degree,
tifically robust videos and animations. Companies like Pixar and TV channels like etc.) are not obviously served via video-
Geologic processes often take place over National Geographic and Discovery have making in the way that writing grants
thousands to hundreds of millions of years staff with much stronger technical skills in and peer-reviewed papers are. Fortunately,
and occur deep under water or within the these areas than any geoscientist will likely making video animations of Earth pro-
Earth, where direct observation is not possi- have, and have the budgets to do longer, cesses is relatively cheap, and one can
ble. Geology is synonymous with travel: high-production-value geoscientific videos. incorporate the modest costs of making
Spectacular outcrops and Earth phenomena However, what we geoscientists have that educational videos into NSF-funded proj-
occur around the world, requiring photos and videography professionals lack is more ects as “broader impacts” activities. It is
video to be accessible to most of us. Doc- important than big budgets: We know how easy to post videos and animations to
umenting natural disasters and the realities the Earth works. We “tell the stories” of YouTube and to disseminate them widely
and impacts of climate change are highly Earth processes and visualize them already, through Facebook and other social media,
amenable to presentation via videos and ani- so with a basic understanding of video as well as via email communities (e.g., GSA
mations. Finally, videos and animations about production —or, by leveraging our talented Open Forum, AGU Member Community,
the Earth allow these experiences to be shared undergraduates, many of whom have been AAAS Member Community), and it is also
with more diverse audiences. Sharing high- doing rudimentary video production and easy to post videos to a dedicated website
quality videos and animations about Earth editing for years—we can produce our own (UTD Geoscience Studios, https:// utdgss2016
systems may stimulate student interest in the scientifically accurate and visually engaging .wixsite .com/ utdgss, hosts all of our geosci-
earth sciences and help address longstanding animations of important Earth phenomena. ence videos and animations, and we also
concerns about enrollments in geoscience It is easier and far cheaper for a motivated maintain a YouTube channel). There are no
degree programs. However, in spite of these team of geoscientists to learn to make an edu- obvious outlets for papers discussing the
considerations, the number of high-quality cationally useful geoscience video than it is to production or educational potential of geo-
geoscientific videos to use for these purposes get a videographer or animator knowledge- science animations or videos; however,
continues to be inadequate. We hope through able enough in the geosciences to produce Stern et al. (2017) recently published a paper
this article to spark discussion about how to something of comparable educational value. on an ≈9 min geoscience animated video,
encourage more geoscientists to create scien- Students involved in making geoscience “Plate Tectonic Basics 1” (https://www
tifically accurate and engaging videos and video animations engage deeply and cre- .youtube .com/watch?v=6wJBOk9xjto&t=10s),
animations of Earth processes. atively with the content, learning our science that explains how oceanic lithosphere is
Historically, generating video content and better by making videos about it. Students created at spreading ridges and destroyed in
animations for education has been the pur- interested in creating video on subjects they subduction zones. About 18,000 people
view of publishers, television producers, and are learning aligns with the findings of the have watched it on YouTube as of March
videography professionals. However, with Speak Up Surveys and other longitudinal 2020. No geoscience-specific recognition
the advent of inexpensive video production studies of change in STEM education on the for outstanding videos has yet been estab-

*Corresponding author.

42 GSA Today | June 2020

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47