I am excited about this class because I am teaching an Intro to Broadcast class (which should be called Intro to Media), and I need help teaching my kids. I was selected to teach the class after the prior person left, but the only training I have is that I love technology. I hope we can get to some editing instruction because I have my students working with Final Cut Pro and Express, iMovie, other Apple suites like Garage Band, Adobe CS5 Pro Premiere and After Effects, and Windows Movie Maker. As a class, we have gone through the process of brainstorming ideas, scripting those ideas, storyboarding, preparing a shot list, and filming. With the editing suites, the kids are struggling to find what works best for them, and I am still learning, so I can't offer much help. I am also hoping this class shows me more ways in which I can re-structure my class at school for second semester students so that I do not end up having them and myself be too overwhelmed by jumping in with applications that are too advanced. I would like the class to be more about digital storytelling than it currently is.
As I was reading our chapters in DigiTales, there was a paragraph about Nikos Theodosakis and his book, The Director in the Classroom. I have read this book, talked with Nikos on the phone, and organized a video teleconference with him for my classes with National Louis University. Though he is not a licensed educator, he is doing much to help teachers make content relevant and exciting through allowing students to do film projects. He has a presentation called "Mattering" that he did for my class, and it was amazing. You can view this at http://vimeo.com/4888866. Additionally, you can visit the website, http://www.oliveus.ca/OliveUs/Welcome.html to see how he teaches teachers and students how to use digital storytelling as a project based/service based learning experience. His website for his book is http://www.thedirectorintheclassroom.com/. The book walks you through filmmaking in the classroom but also discusses why filmmaking and digital storytelling are important (21st century learning skills, ISTE standards, etc).
HOW COOL!!! Intro to media sounds like it would a blast to teach. I love movies and film making! I have a Macbook and I really want to buy this software for it. Apple sells it and you can create your own movie with your personal pictures, or movies. I thought it would be cool to do something with all those home movies I have laying around. I think I'm really going to enjoy this class too. I'm starting to think I wont even purchase the software after this course.
ReplyDeleteIntro Media sounds like a great class to teach. I know that a coworker of mine has done some presentations at animoto.com. It is a FREE site that everyone can use to create great presentations. However I have never used it but some of the products that I saw created were amazing and these were from her students.
ReplyDeleteTam,
ReplyDeleteI can see how you and your students feel overwhelmed with all of that software. The class sounds like a lot of fun, so I hope it works out for you. I taught a class called "Technology Safari" during one summer school with elementary students and I played different tutorials for them (and me) to learn how to use some of the functions for each program. You even learn a lot if you explore and test things out (if you have extra time that is). Your students might even come across some things that you haven't tried before and then can teach you. Good luck with your class and hopefully you'll learn some helpful tips from our class.
Your passion shows in your post. We will be looking more at the message than at the medium in this class. Multiple programs exist to create presentations, and they will always be more coming - but the method is meaningless if the story being told has no center or idea to be told.
ReplyDeleteLook for the center and meaning in what you or your students want to tell.
Excellent job embedding in the video and thoughts. Keep up the fine posts.