And what wouldn’t this time of year be without a little re-gifting? Thanks to a tip from Elaine Plybon over on the Texas blog, I see that the good people at Atomic Learning are offering up free access to their Video Storytelling Guide through January 15th. Better unwrap this one quick. I didn’t see that date on Atomic’s site, but I’ll take Elaine’s word for it. There is a 60 page PDF and about six dozen video clips ranging from 4 seconds to just over a minute. That’s right, 4 seconds! I’ve had an account with Atomic Learning since they began and one of the things I will be forever grateful for is their terrific respect for teachers’ time. Clips load very quickly (even on my dial-up in the old days) and they are very focused. They have always been the poster child for just in time learning as opposed to “just in case learning” (you know, where you learn almost everything a program can do regardless of your needs or grade level or the length of the professional development session). Need to see a “flat shot?” 4 seconds is all it takes.
Of course, you will see and hear a lot of what is already available to you through AFI’s Screen Ed program “Lights, Camera, Education!” via your ’streaming account. But it’s always good to get another perspective. Atomic’s bite size clips and pithy advice are right on the money.
…and it could be you! I see on the Texas blog that Elaine Plybon’s district is looking for engaged tech folk to help judge their media fair. There are six categories K-12: audio, website, art, photography, product design, and, of course, video. Just pick whichever group and grade level interests you. This is a great way for you to expand your horizons a little and maybe even inspire your students. Why not spend a little time during your holiday room party to rank some Texas projects? I just love it when kids say, “We could do that!”
It amazes me how some people can turn a phrase that just captures paragraphs worth of thought and feeling. I just finished watching and listening to the archive of Daniel Pink’s webinar (though I need one more time through to catch up on the chat). “Life integration.” What a concept! Maybe it’s a Jeopardy answer and the question might be “What’s NCLB lacking?”
Another question surfaced about student-centered education, “What are you (the student) interested in?” Quite an interesting concept. Maybe even letting every student have a hand in making their own IEP. That’s probably too much of a paradigm shift for me or this blog. But you just know I’m going to turn it towards making videos. How about “What can I interest you in for this project?” or “What can you interest us in about this concept, formula, scene in literature, period/occurrence in history….?”
So what’s with the Magikist sign up at the top? Chicago area folks (and probably even our resident Hoosier, Hall) will recognize that ancient icon from the two Chicago expressways leading north and south out of the city (yes, Cubs fans, we had our own along the Dan Ryan too). It’s one of the first illustrations I noticed when I started reading through A Whole New Mind a couple of years ago. An image of lips that don’t resemble anything under the nose of any human I’ve ever known, but a sign of expertly and tenderly cleaned carpets to generations of Chicagoans. Almost like the tune that goes with the phone number…
A picture, a sound, an illustrated or concise thought can be worth a thousand words.
P.S. And I’m sure Brad Fountain will be eternally grateful to Daniel Pink for laying the foundation for his “Teaching the 21st Century Student” webinar today.
The secret’s out, though it really hasn’t been much of a secret lately. The American Film Institute will be debuting its ScreenNation™ website sometime in the first quarter of ’08. AFI Associate Screen Ed director Frank Guttler tells me that AFI will soon be providing a free forum for young filmmakers (7th-12th grades). There will also be curricular based shooting challenges and a place for youth festivals and media programs to get national exposure for their films. See Frank’s full post at the ScreenEd blog and drop him a line (fguttler@afi.com) if you think your students’ work might be a good example for the first wave of videos or if you host a festival you’d like to shed a national light on.
Here are a few words on and a couple of quick links to some of the things I covered in yesterday’s webinar. They are mostly from past blog posts.
RATING SCREENS are a good way to set up a movie or trailer. Use any program that gives you a green background. Then find a “blocky” sans serif font and use a transparent table for the box. Add a little film noise or aged film filter for that scratchy old cinema effect.
SOUND - good sound is more than just a special effect. Consider external microphones for both your computers and camcorders (make sure your camcorder has a sound in jack). Use Audacity or the built-in iMovie tools to change the pitch of voices - from the Chipmunks to Darth Vader.
EDITING - use slow motion, speed up a clip with someone walking slowly in a crowd that’s moving at normal speed. Have students walk or run backwards, falling or jumping along the way. Then reverse the clip so they seem to walking forward and defying gravity with those falls and jumps. Try cutting to the action or on the action: someone reaches to open the door and cut to the other side just as the door opens.
CHROMA KEY or green screen effect can be tricky but is well worth the effort. It’s built in to Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle, Ulead(?), and Final Cut programs. You can buy plug-ins for iMovie (not the ’07 version!) or use the free blue screen from Stupendous. Anybody know of a plug-in for MovieMaker? You can also use a projected image or big screen TV to sneak a background in.
Some ideas are also in HARDWARE.
Any FLIP camera users out there with advice on how to import video for either the Mac or PC?
My STAR Discovery Educator copy of WebBlender just arrived so this may be a good test for creating a new web page.
21st Century Connections is once again inviting K-12 teachers and schools to make a 2-3 minute video on why digital learning tools are important in educating today’s students. There will be 1 grand prize and 3 runner up prizes in each of the three (elementary, middle and high school) grade categories. The 1st place teams will receive a Lenovo laptop and 25 licenses for the Adobe Digital School Collection. Runners up will also receive copies of ADSC. In addition, winning schools’ principals will win a trip to a 21st Century Connection event.
They have also put together a nice list of things you can do to create a more polished video. Regular readers know the drill: planning, lighting, preparation, sound, a variety of shots, and plan some more. Deadline for submissions is midnight January 31, 2008.
P.S. And in addition to or instead of entering the contest, wouldn’t your school board like to see a few well crafted video minutes from the students on why digital tools are important in their learning?
So a few years ago I got to kid Hall about having Lily Tomlin as the warm-up act for his NECC keynote and just this fall when the PETE&C schedule was announced, I kidded Steve about being the warm-up for Daniel Pink. Now it looks like the shoe is on my foot since my Tuesday webinar precedes Mr. Pink’s on Wednesday. Undaunted and even inspired that I may be able to show some actual video clips this time, I’m going to attempt some “next step” tips.
Going by questions I’ve been asked in presentations and some emails I’ve received, it looks like the agenda will include external sound input, the “Ken Burns” effect of moving around a still picture, editing and easy special effects, and a look at the ever popular green screen/chroma key effect. But wait, there’s more! I’d like your input. What would you like to know or try? What “out of the ordinary” things have you and your students done in your movie making? Drop me a line at jbtv@mac.com and I’ll use you as an example or find and example or explanation of what you’re looking for.
Take a break from the holiday madness and register for my or Daniel Pink’s or any of the other upcoming webinars at the DEN webinar site.
Just got a press release for a local community film festival for grades 5 to 12. More on that a few lines down. The BIG news in the release though is that Moby has made some of his music available for non-profit film makers. Just register for a free account.
And if you are anywhere around the northwest suburbs of Chicago, you might look into Schaumburg’s “Screen Test” Film Festival. Unlike most of the contests I run across, this one is unique because it’s run by a community’s performing center for the arts. If you are not close enough to participate, take a look at their site and application process for ideas to host your own celebration of student work, large or small.
You can read the post on the first annual festival here. Last year’s winner went on to be shown at the Chicago Children’s Film Festival and the international Kids for Kids film festival in Naples, Italy.
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