Using Video for Instruction

I'm way behind in blog posts!  I've been trying to keep a steady stream of thought provoking items trickle by your screen each week.  This time, let's talk video.

Most everyone uses video as part of their instructional plans on a regular basis.  Few need to be convinced of the power and promise for video as an effective tool.

Here's an excerpt of an interview that Sal Kahn of Kahn Academy fame he gave to Scientific American.  Interesting, sometimes controversial, always thought provoking.

But while Sal Kahn, and many others, are singing the praises of video tools for instruction, there is some reason for caution, careful planning, and follow through.  Based on research conducted as part of a PhD thesis about creating videos to teach science, this person found some empirical reasons to be skeptical about real learning.  It seems to underscore the need to carefully screen the videos and plan for follow-up with students.  As he states in his YouTube video of his findings (was this an intentional pun?)
"...Research has shown that these types of videos may be positively received by students. They feel like they are learning and become more confident in their answers, but tests reveal they haven't learned anything..."