Capturing Teachable Parenting Moments Using Video

You work hard to help parents be the best parents they can be in supporting their children’s lifelong health, learning and well-being. Observational parenting assessment using video can be a powerful tool in helping parents see their strengths and find opportunities for growth.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much would you say a video is worth? 

With Special Thanks to Our Anonymous Video Guru

Which Camera Shall I Use?

Video can show the dynamic changes in faces and body language, the interplay of parents’ and children’s emotional expressions, and the nuances of voice tone, words and pauses.  Of course, this assumes that you are watching a quality video which allows you to see and hear clearly.  Professionally made videos are often used in parent education groups to ensure clarity when illustrating the dos and don’ts of parenting.  But think about how much more powerful the impact could be if the parent sees him/herself interacting with his/her own child.

Observational parenting assessment and coaching with video are powerful tools to help parents see and believe they can change for the better.  Video captures parenting strengths, opportunities for growth and, when used over time, shows improvement.  With video, the opportunity for self-reflection is immense, IF the video facilitates, rather than distracts from the process. 

To ensure quality videos, in a previous post we discussed the “Must Have” features when choosing video equipment.  In this post we’ll describe several types of cameras, while commenting on the benefits and disadvantages of each. 

Is Somebody Watching?

If you look around, video cameras are everywhere –on your phone or tablet device, inside your laptop — and they are small enough to be in your pocket.  Most still cameras also have a video mode to capture moving targets, like the irresistible antics of babies and toddlers.  Each of these devices is smaller and less intrusive than even 5 years ago, and will work to shoot basic video.  Here are some thoughts on several types to help you decide which camera is best for you.

Traditional Camcorders (starting at about $140)
Long gone is the day of a bulky camera held on your shoulder.  Most camcorders are about the size of your two fists.  Most will have a larger screen that can flip out and swivel to the correct angle, enabling you to view what you are shooting without moving the camera at all.  If you are sitting and observing for a parenting assessment, this type of camera could easily be kept in your lap or with your hand under the camera, allowing you to glance down at the screen which is tipped up to you so you can see your shot easily.  Of course, keeping your camera stable while shooting will result in a better recording overall.  You might consider the use of a small tripod.  Fortunately, most camcorders are tripod mountable, meaning they include a threaded hole on the bottom for the tripod mount.  As discussed in our previous post, the built-in microphones on these cameras are usually better than a microphone on a regular still camera or smartphone.

Pocket Cameras (starting at about $40)
This category includes compact still-picture cameras that will take video, as well as cameras that are designed primarily for video.  This revolution was impacted by the Flip Video brand camera.  Now there are many manufacturers making a compact video camera.  One of the benefits is that they are extremely small and can be used without distracting the child.  The best way to shoot with these cameras is to hold them out in front of you at eye level so you can see the screen.  But for long videos, this can get tiring.  If you are sitting, these cameras are often small and slender and may not sit easily in your lap.  Also seeing the screen from this angle may be difficult, since most will not have a screen that moves.  Camera movement often occurs and results in a shaky video.  To counteract this, most of these cameras are tripod mountable.

Tablets/Smartphones (using what you have/prices vary)
These devices vary widely both in video and audio quality.  Most new smartphones will record in Full HD and look high quality.  But as mentioned above, the audio quality may not be as good on cheaper smartphones.  Yet, some name brand tablets will do a good job with both video and audio.  As mentioned with pocket cameras above, the screen to see what you are shooting is not movable, so you need to hold the camera in front of you to film.  Tablets and smartphones also will not be tripod mountable.  There are products to stabilize and use to hold phones and tablets.  If you are using your phone, these may not be a worthy investment though since your phone may change frequently in a short time.

Security Caution!
Capturing long recordings may not be possible on tablets or smartphones, where internal storage is on the device.  Sometimes removable storage is more difficult to access with these devices as well. Selecting a device that you can readily swap out the internal memory is recommended. Please note: To address limited storage issues, many devices are now ‘cloud’ connected. 

This leads to an additional caution that needs to be realized with this category of devices, or any device that is “wirelessly connected”.  Since smartphones and tablets may be personally owned, make sure that using them for your work with families is acceptable and take great care in protecting confidentiality.  Also since smartphones and some tablets have cell data service which is connected to the cloud, a photo or video you take might be automatically uploading to cloud storage.  This may not be as secure as you think and may interfere with privacy policies of your agency.  Some common cloud-based applications are iCloud on Apple devices and GoogleDrive on Android devices.  For personal use, this is a wonderful technology so your captured memories are not lost; even if your phone is.  But for confidential recordings, this could be a critical privacy concern.  It all depends on how your device is set up. 

So be aware of what your device is doing with the photos and videos you are recording and double check with your administration to be sure this you’re your program policies.  Programs introducing the use of video for the first time should generate appropriate policies and procedures, family consent forms, and develop a process to assure adherence.

Robot Devices (starting at about $400)

If you really want to go hi tech, you could purchase a SWIVL.  This is a robot for mounting your video device that turns to follow the parent and child as they move around the play space.  Swivl’s robot is compatible with iOS (e.g., iPads, iPhones) and Android tablets and smartphones.  It is fairly small, so easily transportable and can be mounted on a tripod.  A wireless microphone enhances the audio and a remote control offers easy management.  You can purchase an optional video hosting service, which is advertised as secure for storage and sharing videos. The same privacy cautions about cloud storage apply, as discussed under tablets and smartphones above.

A Million Teachable Moments

These are your major camera options.  Clearly, the choice of camera needs to be a careful investment that suits your needs.  Improvements in technology have made capturing teachable parenting moments easy and inexpensive. If you’re serious about assessing parenting behavior or coaching families with the aid of quality video, it’s worth taking a little time to consider the options. With the right equipment, you can better help parents help their children.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps video will offer a million teachable moments you can use to help each parent better nurture his/her child.