5 Ways To Use Online Video In The Classroom (And At Home!)

Have you been looking for ways to spice up your language lessons? With all of the technology available to teachers today, it’s easy to incorporate online video in the classroom to enrich your class sessions and engage your students. Video is a great way for students to practice listening comprehension with the added bonus of visual cues. In addition to exposing students to a variety of accents and speaking styles, online video allows easy access to different countries and cultural traditions with the click of a play button.

Here are five ways that you can use online video in your class (and at home!):

Educational channels: There are plenty of language-learning channels available to your students that illustrate grammatical concepts or sets of vocabulary. You can introduce these in class and encourage students to watch them as homework assignments or to supplement your in-class activities. One channel that I love to incorporate is from Señor Jordan, an American Spanish teacher who offers a range of grammar-related videos in a fun and engaging format. He writes songs to help students remember grammar rules and offers clear, simple explanations for beginners. Check out his channel here.

Cultural references: Online video is a great way to supplement your discussion of cultural traditions. For example, if you’re talking about holidays, you can show this video on the history and meaning of la rosca de reyes, a traditional sweet bread that’s prepared for El Día de los Reyes Magos.

Interviews: If you’re reading a short story or watching a film in class, why not incorporate a brief interview with the author or artist? You can find an interview with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro or even with authors who are no longer living, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez. You can also pull up a news report to review the latest political happenings abroad. Check out Univisión’s Noticias channel to start.

Music: Songs are a great way to illustrate grammatical concepts. Rather than just playing a song, find the music video and add a visual component to the experience! I’ve had great luck with Juanes’ A Dios le pido to teach the subjunctive.

Kids Shows: Children’s shows are perfect for beginners! Even your adult students will enjoy a short clip from an international cartoon or Sesame Street in their target language. The simplified vocabulary is perfect for beginners. Check out this video from the Spanish version of Sesame Street for an introduction to the different kinds of salutations in Spanish.

How do you use online video in the classroom? Have you tried any of the above? Let us know in the comments below!

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