Blog Video Tutorial: Adding Video to a Writing Post

Challenge / Context

My 7th grade ELA students had just finished a writing project and were publishing it to their class blogs, a platform they were already comfortable using. As an enrichment option, students could extend their post by adding a short video — a brand-new feature for them. I needed a way to teach this new skill without pulling the whole class together, since students would be finishing their writing at different times.

Approach

I created this Screencastify walkthrough so students could independently learn how to record and embed a video into their blog post whenever they finished their writing, without waiting on direct instruction from me.

Design Rationale

This tutorial applies Universal Design for Learning by offering multiple means of expression: students could extend their writing through a multimedia format instead of only text. Recording it as a self-paced screencast also let me differentiate instruction for early finishers, giving them an independent enrichment path rather than requiring a synchronous, whole-class lesson on a skill not everyone was ready for at the same time.

Outcome / Reflection

Faster-working students were able to independently create a multimedia extension of their writing, adding a new layer of engagement to the project. If I revisited this tutorial, I’d build in a short checklist or success criteria for the video component, and consider offering the same scaffolded, self-paced approach to more of the class earlier in the project, rather than treating it purely as enrichment for those who finished first.