How to Use C-Span's Video Library in Your Classroom

C-Span Classroom has created some new resources and updated some old resources for teachers for the 2010/2011 school year. C-Span's video library includes a section called Constitution Clips. Constitution Clips is comprised of videos of members of Congress and Presidents giving speeches that relate to sections of the US Constitution. For each section of the Constitution there is a selection of videos ready for you to use in your classroom. The videos can be embedded into your class blog or website.

To provide you with ideas for using C-Span resources in your classroom, C-Span has a new series of five tutorial videos. The tutorials feature C-Span's 2010 Teacher Fellows explaining and demonstrating how they use C-Span resources in their classrooms. In the video below you can watch 2010 C-Span Teacher Fellow Ben Bohmfalk demonstrate how he uses C-Span video as a debate starter in his Civics course.


Finally, once again this year C-Span is giving away a six foot by three foot American presidents timeline poster. I got one last year, hung it in my classroom, and found that some of my students were really intrigued by it which led to some nice conversations about US History. The timeline includes the terms of office for each president, what he did prior to becoming president, and important events occurring while he was in office. To get your poster you just have to register with C-Span (it's free) and submit your school's mailing address. (Sorry, it's only available to people with US addresses).

Applications for Education
What I like about Constitution Clips is that they provide a modern (at least fairly modern, Reagan was out of office long before my students were born) reference for students to see that our leaders still refer to elements of the Constitution in their decision makings.

And as I mentioned above, the giant American Presidents timeline poster led to some nice conversations about US History in my classroom last year.

Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
WWI Video Map
The Bayeux Tapestry Animated
Smarthistory - A Multimedia Art History Book