Digital Video...hmmm...well, I have to say that MovieMaker makes this video thing a lot more fun! Once you learn the ins/outs of editing on it, playing around with the transitions and other effects, it can lead to endless hours of mindless procrastination. After doing our videos with the flip cams in the Spring last year I asked for a Sony Flip Camera for Christmas. I have been having fun taking short video clips for my own personal use. My dog is the big superstar, really.
My school has three of these available for classroom use and I am about to venture into a scary unknown with my students in my second unit. I say "scary" because on the outside it seems pretty easy, but I am wondering how difficult it will be to teach my students all of the little things--taking the footage, downloading it, editing it, etc. Of course with a few students, no problem. With a classroom of 22+?! I'm thinking I will start by teaching them all how to use the camera and read a short poem--like the way I first learned. Then, I will work with small groups at a time to take their footage (of a science activity) while the others work on something independently. I want to control this environment as much as possible until I feel confident that they will understand how to do this, treat the equipment properly, and not be off task. I foresee some "look at me, I'm on camera" silliness. I'm sure that's only to be expected.
I'd love to hear any tips/suggestions from all you pros that have done this sort of thing with elementary students before.
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I am running into the same predicament as well. I just wrote up a video lesson plan for class but feel like a lot of time would need to be put in to really get the students to harness the editing features of Movie Maker. I think a good chunk of time needs to be set aside to help with the filming and editing process. Then once experienced, the students will be able to use that knowledge for future projects. I'm curious to hear what others say as well. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have the right approach and scaffolding in place. I just wrote up a lesson plan for the video aspect and ran into the same problem - how much time do you need to dedicate to learning the ins & outs of film editing? I feel like a few solid time-frames a couple days in a row would be helpful but time consuming. Of course, once they get practice with the tools, future use will be easier and more efficient.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to hear what others have to say as well. Good luck!
I'm going to start them off with photos on their computers and get the hang of the editing. Then try a video.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you ideas for independent activites with your students? This has been my biggest issue. I though I had large classes this year but it seems next year I will have 2 classes of 30+ and am looking for ways to keep the rest of my class occupied. I know high school kids are a little different then elementary school kids, but I've learned my students tend to like to revert to their younger years.
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