ETC Week 4 - Final Video

Knowledge IS Power... 

Dear Reader:


Attached you will find a link to a 3-minute Viddler movie to a brief, persuasive message addressing "what needs to occur to our current educational system to make it more effective."


These are my thoughts; what are YOURS?




:-)!

PE6_WhyUseiMovie(TheSequel)

"Well..., BACK to the DRAWING BOARD!"

(* Image Courtesy of iMovie '09; Copyright  2007-2010, Apple, Inc.)  

Dear Reader:

Two posts ago in a diatribe entitled “PE5_WhyUseiMovie,” I asked myself, not to sound redundant (but somehow overstating the obvious) and paraphrased, here: “Why Use iMovie...  ...in a classroom?”

So, I got to thinking about lesson plans (and everything I learned from Apple Education’s official web page).

Here’s what I came up with…

Lesson Plan/Objective:

As I have taught fifth grade language arts, a possible project I could use in a classroom might involve using iMovie to produce a weekly book review devoted to young adolescent/pre-teen literature. 

Students would employ research skills to locate information on the Internet about a particular book they are reviewing.  Working in collaborative pairs, they would use this information to write a script that one student would read and  another student would record (using iMovie).  Both would ultimately learn to use digital video as they worked on the project.  Ultimately, reading, writing and research skills, as well as “hands on, real world” use of technology would be used by the students in order to complete their project.

Student Outcomes:

* Students would write scripts that summarize the plot/story problem of a library book.

* Students would use the Internet to find information about the author.

* Students would use iMovie to produce a movie highlighting a book which includes: imported pictures of the book and the author from the Internet, uploaded video of the students telling the summary of the book and the author’s life, video editing such as transitions between slides, music to enhance the movie and credits at the end of the movie.

Now, all of this may sound good in theory, but ultimately means nothing without the technical know-how to impart to students what, exactly, the assignment requires and what, exactly, they need to know/learn in order to complete it.  


THAT’S where I come in…

But, all digression aside, I need to become my own student, first.  (Sigh.)

I guess I should just look up my girlfriend “Lynda.”


:-(!

PE5.5_MLRiMovie

"...And the Academy Award for MOST Gratuitous Use of Male 'He-vage' in a Short Subject Goes To..."

Dear Reader:


In order to foster a greater understanding of what I want to LEARN about iMovie, I need to take stock of what I already KNOW about iMovie.  


That said, I have chosen to revisit my FIRST experience with iMovie in the short, thumbnail sketch I created for my Month 1 course - "Media Literacy and Research Methodologies (MLR)." 


All in all, I don't think it's "bad" for a novice - if I do say so, myself.  After all, it was created without ANY prior exposure to iMovie...  (...And on a shoestring budget!)  But, I know it could be BETTER!


When convenient, I'm interested in knowing what you - yes, YOU - think of it!


Thank You...


:-)!

PE5_WhyUseiMovie?

* Image Courtesy of http://www.1clipart.com 

Dear Reader:

In my previous post (i.e. PE4_iMovie), I asked myself : “What would I ultimately like to know about iMovie?  How can it be used for comprehensive and engaging film production in my (eventual) work environment ?”  (The fundamental question being: “Why Use iMovie?”)

Well, here’s what I’ve come up with, thus far…

As per my wont, I often take several left turns on the ‘World Wide Inter-Web.’  For starters – and in the interest of FULL disclosure, dear reader - THIS isn’t one of them; I'll spare you the grossly self-indulgent trivia of my discoveries.  (AHEM!)  Now, where was I...  Oh, YES!  For starters, I needed something MORE literal to inspire my creativity.  So, I went straight to the source and found this disclaimer:

  

“With iMovie, you can bring your lessons to life through video, sound, and pictures. iMovie is a powerful and highly engaging tool for students to share their knowledge and express themselves in the form of digital movies. Your students can create high-quality video reports to demonstrate abstract concepts, or documentaries to increase the relevance of social issues. And you can easily share best classroom practices with your peers. Students can create compelling projects that combine digital video, photos, and music, and even their own voice narration. There’s no limit to what they can create.”

How Students Are Using iMovie:

•To create documentaries, historical reenactments, and news reports on current events.

•To record science experiments, create environmental documentaries, and present their science projects.

•To create digital stories and poetry, bring journal writing to life, and produce movie adaptations of literature.

•To present difficult and abstract math concepts, enabling teachers to more effectively assess their knowledge.

- from Apple Education - iMovie in the Classroom Web page: http://www.apple.com/education/imovie/

That said, it got me thinking…  Not so much about myself and how to compensate for my lack of competency when using iMovie, but how to use it, generally speaking, in a future classroom.


Hmmm...


(To be continued.)




:-)!

PE4_iMovie

 * Image Courtesy of http://www.1clipart.com

Dear Reader:

Ever feel as if you have a story to share, but don’t have the technical savvy for that “cinematic, critically-acclaimed, feel-good, blockbuster” in your mind?

I do…

…And it FRUSTRATES me.

Nowhere, has this been MORE evident than in the “one-minute movies” – those commercials “advertising” a favorite Web2.0 tool - I’ve had to (haphazardly) make for this class.

Sure, what I’ve thrown together at the 11^th hour seemingly fulfills (in MY not-so-humble opinion) the base requirements for the assignment, but I want something more from my filmmaking endeavors.

Now, I don’t need the neuroses of Woody Allen, the Transcendental Meditation of David Lynch, or the perversions of Roman Polanski to tell a good story.  This much I know.  (And, I may not know much, dear reader, but I do know I can’t afford some self-destructive vice.)

I don’t need to procure (from family, friends, or grand theft) a GINORMOUS sum of money to finance my production.

I don’t even need a screenplay…   (…a pad of Post-Its will suffice!)

I don’t need actors…  (…or their insufferable “I only drink Evian and eat green M&Ms in my trailer” egos.)

Costumes…  (…I gave up my pension for cross-dressing YEARS ago.)  Just kidding.

Props…  (…an occasional “shout out” from my peeps will suffice.)

Rehearsals…   (Although this is negotiable.)

…Or film locations.  (But I would LOVE to se Cannes.!)

I just need a better understanding of iMovie and all its myriad popcorn “bells and whistles.”

So, I’m starting NOW.  Like, yesterday.

Over the course of the next three micro-blog posts (including this one) - entitled PE_4, PE_5 and PE_6, respectively - I will expound upon how I intend to cultivate my own, unique voice using iMovie – something I’m told will be extensively used come Month 8 in FPE (whatever THAT is.)

For starters, I’m asking myself the following question:

“What would I ultimately like to know about iMovie?  How can it be used for comprehensive and engaging film production in my (eventual) work environment ?”

Simply put:  I’ve only a limited understanding of its full capability, and would like to know more.

But I don’t need fame or the film festival circuit to do it.

Or a cocaine habit.

:-)!

   

BP12_OMM_WordSift

* speechless *

Dear Reader:


Attached you will find a link  to a 1-minute Viddler movie (or "commercial") advertising WordSift - my Week 3, Web 2.0 tool of exploration.

Get "Sifting..."

...And Enjoy!

PE3_GarageBandMeetslynda.com

lynda.com - My NEW Girlfriend

(Visit: http://www.lynda.com)

Dear Reader:

In order to compensate for my admitted ignorance of GarageBand - and its ability to create both effective podcasts and videocasts - please know I have enlisted the tutelage of lynda.com.

At press time of this blog post (and in the interest of full disclosure, dear reader) I have JUST activated my Full Sail student access e-pass for lynda's e-library of tutorials - something I've had, apparently, since JULY 30th!  (That is, according to the myriad e-mails I've received in my Full Sail inbox.)  But I digress.  Anyway, THIS is the FIRST STEP...

Wish me luck!

Podcast + Videocast Essential Training (Courtesy of Lynda.com)
(Visit: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=214)