No, not for your taxes - there are still over two weeks for that. Last chance to contribute a video to the Net Gen Education Challenge. “A crisis is emerging in our schools and universities. The Internet is a new medium for human communications, knowledge sharing and learning and a new generation of youth who have “grown up digital” learning best through collaboration and discovery. But our schools and universities teach students using approaches dating back centuries. Foremost is the lecture- the teacher focused, one way, one size fits all model where the student is isolated in the learning process. How can we change the learning experience, to create a student focused, multi-way, customized approach where the learners collaborate, are excited about learning, and learn how to think, solve problems and learn lifelong? How can we reinvent education for relevance and effectiveness for the 21st century?”
Got thoughts? Submit a video by 11:59pm on March 31st. I think some alumni from SFETT had an answer for this a few years ago with their “Digital Students @ Analog Schools.”
Thanks to a tweet from Wes Fryer, I found this blog post with video on 1st graders thoughts about writing. Since I believe you can’t make a good digital story or new media narrative without good writing skills and strategies, I thought it only appropriate to share the blog here. I’ll let the kids tell the rest of the story.
A couple of years ago a young high school student in a nearby suburb wrote his village to say that a town like theirs should have a student film festival. The Village of Schaumburg agreed and Screen Test Student Fest was born. It has been a real pleasure to watch both the festival and the student work mature. This was their third celebration of student creativity and they are planning a fourth. In addition to some clever videos on keeping your classroom green; a Charlie Chaplin syle, silent film; a personal statement against smoking; and a very elaborate WWII battle - here are the four top rated works with a link to the video when I could find one:
Best of Show ($250 cash prize) and Best Animated Film ($100 cash prize): Super Kitten and the Power Pets, directed by Peter Gundling. Is an unbelievably labor intense (9 months!), stop action work that is so well done, it’s hard to believe it was made by a sixth grader.
2nd Place ($150 cash prize) and Best Comedy Film ($100 cash prize): The Walker, Directed by Ben Gustafson was my personal favorite. Using a variety of clever shots, this video told the story of a senior citizen’s walker that takes off on an improbable, yet hysterical trip through town after being left in front of a store. After being dragged, bumped and skate-boarded around the business district, it ends up right where it started as the elderly gentleman comes out of the store. Best quote from the filmmakers was that they actually had a stunt walker for the more physical scenes.
3rd Place ($100 cash prize) and Best Dramatic Film ($100 cash prize): Fall Forward, directed by Dane Shubert is a wonderful, visual tour de force as a high school senior deals with his girl friend’s absence. I loved the parallel that he employs between the changing season and the sandals he just can’t give up in spite of the falling temperatures.
Best Experimental Film ($100 cash prize): Baudio (body audio) Directed by Alyse Stolz is a fun use of split screen putting 3 versions of this director/actress on screen as she creates a soundtrack of knuckles cracking, fingers drumming and general fidgeting.
We are indeed lucky to be in a time when the tools are so affordable and commonplace to give our students such a powerful, creative means of storytelling!
This is the “handout” for my 3/20 session here in Detroit. An abridged version of the slides can be found in the post before last (March 9th).
My hero Marco Torres (Marc O’Torres?) and his students from San Fernando H.S.
Frank Guttler’s
Google Teacher Academy video application and his Lights, Camera, Learn blog
Learn and share at the American Film Institute’s ScreenNation. And their YouTube channel.
Jason Ohler, Art is the 4th “R” and New Media Narratives
The Great Minds Foundation, students making videos to encourage other students to make a difference.
The Chicagoland Television Educators Council
Discovery Education streaming (search on “afi”)
This is the “handout” for my Makin’ Movies: Special Effects session at MACUL in Detroit 3/19/09.
My home made F/X are at homepage.mac.com/jbtv. Look for the clips that begin with “FX.”
The”Ken Burns” effect which can be used in iMovie and PhotoStory on a PC, lets you move around a still picture. Bring the same picture in a few times to get multiple moves. My daughter met her husband in pre-school.
You can make a movie rating screen in any program that you can put a transparent table over a green background.
Black and white is a great way to show a dream sequence or a memory. You may also have access to other color filters to get more video effects.
Morphing can be as simple as adding a cross dissolve between two similar pictures. It’s also a way to bring movement to still pictures or just have some fun. This video was made with still pictures taken via the built-in camera on a Mac and Photo Booth. The key is the camera DID NOT MOVE. You can do a lot when the camera remains fixed and you just cut pieces of time out.
A fixed camera is the foundation to many F/X shots. Put it on a tripod and make sure it doesn’t budge. People only see what the camera sees AND what slices of time you choose to let them experience.
…as in this passage of time (P.O.T) shot
…or in this “Field of Dreams” shot
…or in this “beam me up, Scotty” kind of shot where the Dr. just appears between the parents
…or ghosting where a long cross dissolve can make a specter appear
Reversing a clip takes a bit of planning and is a very attention getting way to make a point.
…as in this chase sequence from the California Student Media Festival
…or this recycler’s best friend
Green screen or chroma key probably goes beyond simple except in iMovie ‘09. Make the green screen a character or prop by putting the key color in the foreground. The computer doesn’t care where the pixels that it is replacing are. There are plug-ins for iMovie HD6 (old, old post but I think all the links still work) and for MovieMaker. Mac users with Leopard should look into the effects in Photo Booth.
…as in this clip from Eastwood H.S. in El Paso
…or this one from my kitchen
Here’s a slightly updated version of the PowerPoint linked below inspired by my day with a great group of teachers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and some upcoming webinars.
Here are the PowerPoint and the links from today’s webinar AND I just realized there are a number of entries already posted on the NetGen site.
The American Film Institute’s ScreenNation. Student viewing and sharing site.
Marco Torres’ students at SFETT. Great work from an L.A. high school.
Frank Guttler’s Google Teacher Academy application video shot with the built-in web camera in his MacBook’s lid. And his blog, “Lights, Camera, Learn!”
From greatmindsfoundation.org:
“Talent Show” a young martial artist can’t break the board. Low angle show initially portrays him as powerful. High angle then makes him look weak.
“A Message of Well Being” young man looks like a clown to an attractive young lady because he smokes, drinks, and eats junk food. Great shot composition and next to no dialogue.
And the PowerPoint file:
makemovies4web.ppt
Ooops! Completely forgot to mention my webinar today at 1p.m. EST on digital storytelling basics. Though this is scheduled to help teachers ALONG WITH their students who are planning on being part of the Net Generation Education Project by entering a video in Don Tapscott’s challenge to improve education in the 21st century, anyone can join in. Hall Davidson and I will be offering three more on every Wednesday in March. Register here.
So, our Illinois state conference is over and I slept late today and yesterday in a feeble attempt to recover. What a great learning opportunity and cooperative venture! I had lively crowds in Makin’ Movies both days (as well as in the full day workshops) and up in the Apple room for PhotoBooth Phun, but think I scared about half my attendees off in my Apple Pro Apps session when I explained the power AND the learning curve of all the programs in the suite. Maybe I should just stick to Final Cut in the future.
So good to see folks and get to visit on top of all the great sharing. In particular, two of my friends pointed me to their students’ most recent work.
Video and media teacher Jeff Doles from Barrington H.S., who oversees the Great Minds Foundation contests, has a student who did a 20 minute documentary on GiGi’s Playhouse, which describes itself as a Down syndrome awareness center and has four locations around the Chicago area and one in Iowa.
Arlington Heights art teacher Trish Fuglestad’s class did “Let’s be Green” to encourage students to be more eco friendly. Jon Orech even showed it in his digital storytelling presentation. And as for the picture in picture special effect that brings the things around the room to life, Trish explains she used iMovie’s color controls to put a single color wash on each face (i.e. the recycle bin student is bluish, the sink girl is kind of silver, etc.) and then used a free plug-in from one of the Stupendous Software bundles to place them into another clip.
In just a couple of weeks we’ll start in on planning next year’s conference:
2010 - a Learning Odyssey
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