The challenge
It’s not always clear how to connect video creation to computational thinking, computer science concepts, or deeper learning.
For Laurie Guyon, Lead Coordinator of Instructional Tech Programs at WSWHE BOCES, computational thinking is really about creative problem solving with technology at its core. Naturally, video creation is the perfect tool for that, because it gives students the resources to lean into their strengths. They could be great at animation, voiceover, etc. and you’d never know that in a traditional classroom assignment, but when they are able to use technology to respond to a prompt and create their own video, they shine.
The solution
Laurie herself developed what she calls the “SMILE” framework, which acts as a natural pathway into computational thinking. She leverages creative video projects to implement this practice in the following ways:
- Shine: Highlight student strengths and voices through multimedia expression.
- Teaches active knowledge, problem solving, communication, and digital literacy
- Motivate: Spark engagement by letting students create and take ownership of their learning through video creation.
- Teaches digital literacy, sense of ownership, and creation over consumption
- Inspire: Encourage collaboration, peer-to-peer learning, and role models across grade levels.
- Teaches shared learning, peer tutoring, deeper thinking, and STEM skills
- Learn: Deepen understanding through multisensory, hands-on, and iterative practice.
- Teaches reflection, multisensory, learning by teaching, and meaning making
- Elephants: Acknowledge challenges (limited tech, AI use, time, resources) and find creative workarounds.
- Teaches abstraction, algorithms in storytelling, time commitments, and balancing generative AI
The results
Guyon’s strategy unlocks a wide range of benefits, beyond just getting them to think computationally. She has observed…- Younger and older students collaborate, with older students mentoring younger peers in the course of problem solving for their projects.
- Student motivation increases, and learners ask to keep making videos because they find using multimedia skills fun.
Key takeaways
One of the best things about using interactive video to implement the SMILE strategy is that it works well for organizations with limited resources. With one tool, students can unleash their creativity in a myriad of ways.Additionally, students develop specific computational thinking skills, like
- Abstraction by deciding what info to include or omit
- Decomposition by having to break down the project into smaller parts
- Pattern recognition through repetition and segmentation
- Debugging through problem solving
Hear the full story
Because computational thinking is, at the most basic level, learning to break down problems into solvable pieces, the sky is the limit for developing assignments. Get inspired from Guyon’s presentation at WeVideo's ENGAGE 2025 annual conference:
Practical strategies for educators
- Start with short videos. Encourage brevity (think TikTok-length) to keep students’ attention and make the content digestible. This also helps simplify complex concepts, and makes your review workload more manageable.
- Prioritize the process. Through the video creation experience itself, you can teach problem-solving, collaboration, and computational thinking…it’s more about the journey and not just about the polished final output.
- Leverage accessibility toolkits. Add captions, alt text, and implement inclusive design practices to meet a wide variety of student needs.
- Encourage collaboration. Use multi-age partnerships or peer teaching to build community and deepen learning.