What is a video slideshow?

A video slideshow is a succession of still images, be they photographs, drawings, charts, or presentation slides, accompanied by narration and/or music and recorded in video format.

Compared to creating moving picture videos, creating video slideshows is

a) cheaper because the equipment and software requirements are minimal

b) easier and quicker to learn because one does not need to know how to plan and control camera movement, to capture and synchronize live audio, and to use complex video editing software

c) easier and quicker to execute because combining still pictures is in itself a simpler process than combining moving images

Therefore, video slide shows are particularly appealing to language teachers who

a) have limited access to IT resources

AND/OR

b) want to draw on the pedagogic power of video without spending large amounts of time dealing with the technical aspects of film making

Video slideshows are a powerful means of communication and instruction and can be used in a variety of ways. They can be documentaries, lessons, personal narratives, fictional narratives, parodies, and more.

Video slideshows generally give a greater role to the spoken word because narration has to be conveyed mostly through words. In a movie, the camera is the main narrator, so camera movements are as important and often more important than words.

Of course, video slideshows are not the best choice for every task. Video projects involving naturalistically presented dramatic situations, for example, are probably better served by moving images.

On the other hand, this kind of situations would often be problematic for teachers who wished to let students share videos over the Internet because of privacy issues and/or students' reluctance to be captured on video, so these teachers may prefer video projects that do not require human "actors" to appear on screen, in which case the limitation resulting from the choice of the slide show as the means of expression is not important.

Note: It is possible for a video slide show to contain some moving image footage while still remaining a slide show, so if you really wish to insert a video clip in your slide show you can.