Many of today’s students are familiar with rapidly-evolving technology, sometimes even more so than their teachers. So why not leverage technology to turn the tables and allow students to take the role of teachers?

These days, many schools are phasing out professional development sessions that educate teachers on the latest technologies; bringing in external trainers has proven too costly for most schools’ tight budgets. The students in my technology class, however, are filling this void by becoming the experts who can offer basic technology training to their teachers without breaking our budget.

My student’s create “screencast” videos that are simple, yet effective. They use a screen capture tool called Snagit that allows them to create a video recording of their computer screen and combine it with audio narration.

These videos instruct teachers on how to use various technologies or platforms, such as Google Drive or Edmodo, highlighting why they are important and how they can be useful for their classes. The screencasts allow for remote learning — anytime, anyplace, anywhere —  which is particularly ideal for educators and students who are constantly on the go. Students simply post the videos they create on our blog at MrZclassBlog.org where they can be accessed by any teacher at anytime, on any device. 

Although this is not the norm, student-captured video lessons permit teachers to learn directly from their students, rather than having teachers learn alongside a room full of coworkers. Instructional videos allow teachers to have a non-intimidating, one-on-one learning experience that can be paused, re-played or fast-forwarded at their convenience (in case there’s an interruption or they want to see something a second time).

Additionally, teachers know which students they can approach with questions about a particular technology without feeling embarrassed or intimidated in a public setting. Asking students to train teachers on technology they already understand and use has become an efficient means of educating the entire school and giving students more of a voice in their own learning.

My students have responded extremely positively to the idea of lending their voices and skills to helping their teachers. They are excited to know that their teachers, and potentially hundreds of others on the web, are going to watch and learn from their video lessons. Asking students to help train teachers has been an exceptional way to keep them empowered and engaged.

It is my hope that Amherst Middle School students—and hopefully others around the country—will recognize that screencasting technology can be an effective way to collaborate and enhance student-to-teacher learning experiences and positively affect the culture in our schools.

Rob Zdrojewski is a technology teacher and director at Amherst Central Schools in New York. He can be contacted via his blog at RobZtraining.com or @MrZtechTV on Twitter. View his students' screencasting projects at MrZclassBlog.org.