Tools That Will Help You Save Time
Video production teachers juggle far more than cameras, editing, and lesson plans. From grading projects and managing equipment to producing broadcasts, attending meetings, and supporting students, the daily workload can quickly become overwhelming. In “Tools That Will Help You Save Time,” veteran video production teacher Lisa Watson shares practical strategies for working smarter—not harder.
By Lisa Watson
Now that the school year is underway, classes are leveled, and you’ve gotten to know your students, you can settle into the routine: grading videos, producing the morning show, teaching broadcast and filmmaking skills, and creating video masterpieces with your students.
But even after the back-to-school rush settles down, you may find yourself busier than ever. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or brand new to the classroom, video production teachers have a long list of daily, weekly, and semester-long responsibilities. And unfortunately, you can’t add more hours to the day.
Teaching is only part of the job. There are meetings, learning objectives, student check-ins, equipment repairs, inventory, professional learning, wish lists, new procedures, and district initiatives. Somewhere in the middle of all that, you may also find yourself playing cheerleader, counselor, and parent.
If you’re an experienced teacher, this can feel overwhelming. If you’re new to the classroom, you may already be wondering if you chose the wrong career. Hang in there. It gets easier.
You can’t make more time, but you can make better use of the time you have. Here are some tips to help you streamline your workload and, most importantly, work smarter, not harder.
1. You Don’t Have to Do It All Yourself
Harness your students’ talents and let them help you get things done. Let them create a bulletin board, organize press passes, check out equipment, or decorate the room.
Create a system of student leadership where students have class jobs and take responsibility for duties such as calling cleanup, maintaining an assignment calendar, checking out equipment, or keeping track of reporter “beats.” You can offer extra credit for these jobs, but consistency is important. Assign the same students to the same responsibilities for the semester so everyone knows the routine.
You can also let students who already know how to do something—such as setting up an editing station—teach the other groups. There’s something powerful about students teaching students. They often speak a language their classmates understand more easily than they might hear from you. And the student doing the teaching benefits, too. Teaching reinforces learning.
When students have a voice in classroom procedures, they develop a sense of ownership. Ownership creates buy-in. When students know you listen to them and trust their judgment, they are more likely to take responsibility and become invested in the success of the class.
Just remember to check their work. Delegation is wonderful. Delegation followed by a small disaster is less wonderful.
2. Automate Workflows and Make Sure Students Know the Process
In my AVTF class, I had procedures for almost everything: how to check out equipment, submit announcements for the morning show, turn in video assignments, and even ask to go to the bathroom—don’t interrupt; wait for a transition in the lesson!
There are so many moving parts in an AVTF classroom and lab that clear procedures can save you from a constant stream of interruptions. When students know the process, they know what to expect and what to do without asking you every time.
And believe me, that matters. It’s much easier to sign a bathroom pass when you’re not in the middle of demonstrating how to do a pull focus with a camera!
The goal is to make your classroom routines so familiar that they become almost automatic. The less time you spend explaining the process, the more time you have to teach.
3. Record Your Lessons and Procedures
I see toddlers with their faces glued to screens all the time. Young people today watch an incredible amount of video, so why not meet them where they are?
If you record your lessons, absent students can watch them on their own instead of asking what they missed. (Heads up: They’re probably going to ask you anyway.) Just point them to the platform where you posted the lesson and remind them that they are responsible for the information.
Video is also an excellent way to teach classroom procedures. If there’s a process you want students to follow in a specific way, record yourself doing it. Now you have a reference students can return to whenever they need a refresher.
Eventually, students may even start asking, “Did you post a video for that?” That’s a good thing! You’re putting responsibility for learning into their hands—and saving yourself from repeating the same instructions ten thousand times.
Tools such as Loom, Screencastify, ScreenPal, Canva for Education, and OBS Studio can record your screen, audio, video, or a combination of the three. Some also include editing features.
And let’s face it: You’re a video teacher! You already know how to shoot and edit. Use those skills to your advantage.
Just remember to post it!
4. Use Grading Apps and Extensions
This is, hands down, one of the biggest time-savers. Grading papers is my least favorite part of teaching, so discovering a tool that could streamline the process was a serendipitous find. Cue the cloud-parting chord!
I used a Google Forms extension to grade tests I created in Google Forms. Once you put in the work upfront to create the test, the grading becomes quick and easy. You take the test yourself, designate your answers as the key, and let the program do the rest.
I used Flubaroo, but there are plenty of other options, including Wayground, Extended Forms, Super Quiz, and ZipGrade. Some programs can even scan paper tests and detect plagiarism.
And here’s another time-saver: let a student enter the grades into the gradebook for you. Just double-check their work. You don’t want to discover that someone accidentally—or mysteriously—gave all their best friends a 100!
5. Use the Basic Tools
You don’t need an app for everything. Sometimes the best organizational tools are a three-ring binder, a notepad, a bulletin board, and a trash can.
Use the binder to organize reference documents such as financial procedures, attendance instructions, and the teacher master schedule. File it, close that bad boy, and put it on your desk. You’ll know where to find it when you need it without having to stare at it every day.
Use a notepad as your ongoing thought bank. Keep your to-dos and notes-to-self in one place instead of scattering fifty sticky notes across your desk.
A notepad can also be handy during staff meetings or professional learning. I’m not suggesting you ignore the valuable information being presented. But when someone is being recognized for having the most students complete the optional school lunch survey, it might be a good time to multi-task.
The bulletin board is your “hot file”—for those things that need your attention soon. Once the task is finished, take it down. Don’t let old reminders become wallpaper.
And finally, my favorite tool: the oval file, otherwise known as the trash can.
Do not get buried in paper clutter. It’s easy to spend ten minutes searching for one important flyer beneath a pile of mail addressed to the previous teacher or an index card with a phone number you no longer recognize.
When in doubt, throw it out.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
The goal isn’t to become a teacher who can somehow do everything. That teacher doesn’t exist. The goal is to create systems that keep small tasks from constantly demanding your attention.
Teach your students the process. Let them take ownership. Record the instructions you find yourself repeating. Let technology handle the tasks it can handle. Keep your workspace organized—and give yourself permission to throw some things away.
Every minute you save on a routine task is another minute you can spend doing what you became a video production teacher to do: teach, create, mentor, and make something amazing with your students.
You already have enough to do.
You don’t need to work harder.
You just need to stop doing everything the hard way.
