How MathVids Works
1. Teachers create videos and send them to us
Teachers (any person of sufficient knowledge to be able to speak knowledgeably about a subject) from around the country come to MathVids. These teachers create, teach, and record a lesson. Our suggested method of recording is using the SMART video recorder that comes with the SMART Board software. This software allows a teacher to record the screen of their monitor / SMART Board no matter the method they use to teach (SMART Board Software, PowerPoint, etc). The teacher then uploads the video to MathVids.
2. You sign up for a free MathVids.com account
Sign up for a free account to begin watching videos, rating them, and saving your favorite videos and teachers so you can find them again easily. Also, schools can purchase ad-free site licenses for their entire student body for a very small fee. For information on school group rates, please contact us
3. Students around the country watch videos and rate them
When you or any other students from around the country view a video, we ask that you rate it between 0 and 5 stars and write a review about what you thought was good and/or bad about the video. This tells us what you thought of the video, and it allows us to make the website, as well as the quality of videos produced, better. It also lets other students know what videos you thought were helpful or beneficial. Because many topics are taught by multiple teachers, this also gives you the opportunity to watch the video of a particular topic that received the best rating and reviews.
4. You pass your math class by finding a teacher you can understand.
Finally, the ultimate result of your affiliation with MathVids will hopefully result in you receiving a good grade in your math class. We know that every student does not learn in the same way. We also know that the short time allotted for each day's lesson is sometimes not sufficient, and tutoring can be expensive and hard to find. Therefore, we offer the MathVids service as a sort of alternative and/or supplement to one-on-one tutoring. You can think of MathVids as an extension of your school classroom, where you pick the teacher and you pick the speed at which the information is covered. Hear it and see it as many times as you want and at whatever pace you want. Our videos also sometimes have supplemental handouts or worksheets for extra practice.
Becoming a contributor
1. Sign up to use the MathVids site.
Signing up for the MathVids website is completely free and there are no obligations. By simply signing up, you will have access to all videos and you will be able to submit videos to our server. We ask you to provide your name so not only can you get credit for your work, students can identify you and link you to your videos (to be able to see all of the videos that you have taught).
2. Create a lesson using the SMART Board software.
If you feel comfortable teaching a math topic and would like to contribute to our site, we ask that you submit a video of yourself teaching a lesson. We suggest using a SMART Board and SMART Board software to create and teach your lesson, but this is not required. If you or your school have access to a SMART Board, creating and teaching lessons is virtually pain-free. The SMART Board toolbox includes a video recorder that captures the content of the screen. With the aid of a microphone, your voice and the screen can be captured while you teach the lesson, and you will never even be in the picture. For more information on how exactly to set up your SMART Board and start the SMART video recorder in your classroom, check out our Video Submission Help
If you do not have a SMART board, you may use PowerPoint or some other software to create a lesson and use QuickTime to record the screen if you have a Mac. You may make a lesson on whatever topics you are comfortable. Multiple lessons on the same topic are allowed and even encouraged. Students learn in different ways, and the more ways we can represent, the better chance a student will understand one of them. However, we ask that you try to teach a lesson on the Most Wanted List if possible, as these are topics that are not currently available on the website, and a student has requested a video on that topic.
3. Teach your lesson, record it, and upload it to MathVids.com
Once you have created, taught, and recorded your lesson, you are almost done. If you have taught and recorded the lesson on your computer using screen capturing software and a microphone, then you can simply upload your video to our server using the easy upload page, which will convert your video into a flash video and send it directly to our server to be reviewed, analyzed, and either approved or rejected. As long as a video is helpful and appropriate, it will be accepted. When approved, it will be listed under the appropriate area on the website and linked to you. Students can then watch it, rate it, and review it.
4. Students learn by watching your videos.
You are helping to give students an opportunity to learn that they may never have had otherwise. Students are able to watch your videos over and over again until they understand their lesson from school or their local library, where YouTube and TeacherTube are traditionally blocked.
Have more questions about contributing?