Episode 7: Managing digital video projects

I've experimented in my classroom with digital video since my rookie year as a teacher. In fact, it was a first year video project that began to turn me on to the field of educational technology. For me, digital video is a transformational technology that educators can employ to explore new learning outcomes that were not even possible before video and home video editing was so readily available to consumers/educators.

However, it is clear that many educators do not feel comfortable with the concept of digital video shooting and editing, and it is understandable to hear educators admit they are intimidated by the technology and by the process. Today's show isn't going to work miracles for anyone in the audience. The first step to bringing digital video projects into your classroom is accepting the challenge to try something new, knowing that the process to becoming proficient in this skill area is a bumpy one with pitfalls along the way. If that doesn't sound too much like a pep talk, that's because it isn't. The ability to shoot video and create video projects isn't an unattainable skill. It just requires that teachers accept the reality that they may not know everything right away, and that they may have to rely on people and communities surrounding them to help them out (including students, who can, at times, be the greatest resource of all).

So, today's show is for those teachers who are willing to accept the challenge to accept digital video into your classroom and who are ready to jump head first into the deep end of the pool (I promise you, once you start, you will realize it isn't nearly as scary as you thought). It is also for those who are tinkering or who have worked with digital video for a while, yet are looking for some new tips to try out to make digital video projects even more successful in your classroom.

By listening to the show, you will get a brief mention on a series of tips that I've come up with to make digital video projects smoother and more efficient in their use of class time. The links from the show below will provide a brief synopsis of those tips.

Links from the Show

Pre-planning:

• Do an inventory on what equipment you have available to you
  
  
  
  • If you do not have digital video cameras, digital cameras with video can work well.
  
  


• Find out what video editing program is available on the computer already
  
  
  
  • Two common programs: Windows Movie Maker (pc) or IMovie (Mac)
  
  


• Based on your personal skill level, locate online tutorials matched to your ability level


• Examine your curriculum and determine what learning objectives MUST be demonstrated
  
  
  
  • If you don't know what they are supposed to show you, how will they know?
  
  


• Engage your tech support network at this point and allow them to provide support to you

Before the shooting/editing begins:

• Clearly communicate your learning objectives immediately, in writing and verbally


• Provide a grading rubric before any planning begins


• Force students to actively engage in a rigorous pre-planning/storyboarding process
  
  
  
  • This will allow you to avoid major errors before the hard/tedious work begins.
  
  


• If you are doing group work, take an ability/skills inventory of your students
  
  
  
  • Create groups based on varied abilities and skills that will be needed
  
  
  • Make sure you've got a "tech" or "video" person, a write, and actors in each group
  
  


• Provide just enough camera and software training without going into overkill mode
  
  
  
  • Students are more capable with cameras than most adults...they use them daily
  
  
  • Students will need an introduction into the layout of the video editing software
  
  


• Keep your expectations and the students ideas in the realm of realistic
  
  
  
  • Feature films take thousands of man hours and lots of expensive equipment to create
  
  
  • Setting realistic goals will make the end product more fulfilling and less intimidating
  
  


• Spend time teaching or showing kids various types of shots that can be done on cameras
  
  
  
  • Interesting videos can be created by creatively thinking about the shots included
  
  
  • Spend more time on this than on camera basics or software tutorials
  
  


• Give yourself more time than you think you need. I always overshoot by one week

Lights, Camera, Action: During shooting and editing

• While shooting in class may be fun, encourage students to do acting/shooting at home
  
  
  
  • Acting/shooting can take a lot of valuable class time...keep that for the editing needs
  
  


• Save, save, save...and remind your students to do so as well
  
  
  
  • Editing can use lots of computer resources that cause computers to crash
  
  
  • Regular saving can help students to avoid "losing it all"
  
  


• Encourage students to keep files organized and in one common place
  
  
  
  • If in groups, make sure all group members know how to access those files
  
  


• Constantly reiterate the learning objectives for the project


• Have "background" work that can be done at the same time as video editing
  
  
  
  • While these are labor intensive projects, you will have completion at different times
  
  
  • This will also help to keep kids on task and working toward finishing their project
  
  


• Maintain open communication between group members
  
  
  
  • Dominant group members can kill the collaborative spirit...keep them at bay
  
  
  • Encourage all students to utilize their skill set (they've identified) to contribute
  
  

Finishing the project and screening it

• Each video program has a procedure for "finishing" the movie (combining files into one file)
  
  
  
  • Review that process with your students regularly
  
  


• Before the movie is finished and burned to CD/DVD, have the group review the movie
  
  
  
  • Give them a copy of the rubric and have them score their project
  
  
  • This will encourage them to make changes instead of saying, "Good enough!"
  
  


• Announce a screening day that will allow the whole class to view the projects
  
  
  
  • Set a date for a pre-screening day "run through"
  
  
  • This is where you check to make sure the files/cds/dvds all work on your computer
  
  
  • This encourages students to finish on time and makes screening day flow better
  
  


• Stick to the standards set forth in your rubric -- beautiful movies that do not demonstrate learning should not be given a pass because they look nice

Final Tips

• Keep students focused and remind them they are not Hollywood producers
  
  
  
  • Students tend to focus on details that do not impact the big picture of the movie
  
  
  • Guide them through this by encouraging them to come back to it at the end
  
  


• Encourage students to do the editing at school
  
  
  
  • While sometimes unavoidable, if the editing is done at one person's home, then they will be doing most of the work
  
  
  • Digital video projects are powerful when the group is involved
  
  


• Be understanding...accidents happen and issues come up. Be flexible when you can.


• Start small -- big projects take lots of resources and lots of time
  
  
  
  • For the beginner to succeed, starting small is an absolute ke
  
  

Tech Trial - Storyboard Pro:

This digital/electronic storyboarding software is a free program that allows students to do their storyboarding work on the computer. It provides the flexibility to move shots and scenes around, but it also encourages the directors to be incredibly detailed before they begin shooting. A sharp little program

Tech Trial - Teach with Video:

Steven Katz has put together a nice resource for teachers to come to for resources and ideas to improve their digital video projects. Steven has an impressive podcast, great ideas, and some useful resources on the website. This isn't geared to solely beginners or to experienced movie editors. There are a wide range of ideas and resources that visitors can utilize. Check it out, and make sure you check out his podcast.

If you've got questions, comments, ideas, suggestions, or want to share your use of non-linear PowerPoints with me, send it to: gettingtechintoed@gmail.com

Thanks for listening.
Brian Yearling

Host and Instructional Technology Enthusiast

Episode 6: Google Docs in your classroom

Google Docs isn't new to the online community, but to many teachers, it is a concept that is entirely new and exists in unexplored territory in our schools and in our classrooms. It is an incredible, free, functional, and intuitive tool, yet it doesn't get the attention it deserves from the educational community.

Google Docs is an online office suite software package released by Google. Anyone who has signed up for a free Gmail account can access Google Docs. The reality is, though, that most teachers have not explored the concepts of online software because many districts do not utilize these resources at all. This is unfortunate, as a tool like Google Docs is robust enough to do most of the heavy lifting of other more traditional office productivity software (namely the products from Microsoft), yet Web 2.0 modeled to incorporate real-time collaboration and accountability tools.
Teachers will be well suited to examine Google Docs to understand what it can offer them in their classroom instruction. For the price, it is a tool that absolutely deserves a first look. Due to the functionality, it deserves consideration in districts across the country as an alternative to high priced productivity software.

Links from the Show

Google Docs in Plain English - a video from the Common Craft Show:

This is a video that will help newcomers to Google Docs understand the bigger concept and purpose behind this revolutionary productivity tool.

Google Docs Tutorial Guides - Google teams up with Weekly Reader:

This is a series of three basic PDF tutorials created by Google in partnership with Weekly Reader to teach the use of Google Docs, and specifically, to teach the skill of revision in writing.

Google Docs Usage Tutorial:

Another basic Google Docs tutorial with some commonly asked questions and detailed step-by-step instructions.

Google for Educators Online Discussion Group:

Although I just stumbled upon this group, it looks like a solid resource for some of the major questions asked about Google Docs, and perhaps some additional support from the makers of the product.

Using Google Forms for Electronic Quizzes:

If you are interested in immediate feedback offered through online quizzes and surveys, check out Google Forms, a part of the Google Docs suite. This video shows how to easily create a Google Form survey, and how to manipulate the Google Spreadsheet to gather commonly utilized statistics on student performance.

Google Docs Bar for Firefox:

If you are a Firefox user and you begin to use Google Docs regularly, check out this freeware program. It is an extension for Firefox, but it allows you to access your Google Docs account at the touch of a button in your web browser.

Classroom 2.0:

I mentioned it several times in the show, and I will link to it here, again. If you haven't logged on to Classroom 2.0, you really need to try it out. The best advice I can give, though, is to not be afraid to make connections with the community. Find like-minded educators/professionals on the site and send them a message or write a note on their page. Your willingness to reach out to meet them will pay enormous dividends and will be rewarding and enjoyable. If you sign up, you can find me on the site: brianyearling.

Tech Trial - Fences:

For those of use who cannot seem to even keep our computer desktop organized, this is a handy little tool. Organize your desktop in seconds. A freeware program.

Tech Trial - Weebly:

A handy website generator, Weebly allows users to create sharp looking web pages in no time. Easy to use, no coding necessary, and ideal for the teacher/administrator/student who wants to create a nice looking page but doesn't want to invest the time to do all of the coding properly. Very easy to use..

If you've got questions, comments, ideas, suggestions, or want to share your use of non-linear PowerPoints with me, send it to: gettingtechintoed@gmail.com

Thanks for listening.
Brian Yearling

Host and Instructional Technology Enthusiast

Episode 5: A whole new PowerPoint!

Today's show is about a topic that I haven't thought much about over the past year, but it was an idea I was introduced to by Glen Lehmann in my master's program, and it's an idea I've used in my classroom before. I really liked the final product, although there was some tweaking that I will be doing before I reintroduce it to my students this year.

I'm talking about a whole "new" way of using PowerPoint. Now, the idea is clearly not new, and it isn't something I came up with, either. However, the "new" portion of it is in how we think about PowerPoint and how we utilize it. Typically, PowerPoint and other presentation software is used to deliver a linear presentation. That means we start at one end and work our way straight through to the other end of the presentation. It's the way most people use PowerPoint, and it certainly has many benefits.

However, today's show is talking about non-linear presentations. In this style of presentation, a central presenter/speaker is not necessary. The audience/viewer gets to interact with the PowerPoint, directing their own experience by manipulating the PowerPoint with directions created by the creator of the presentation. It is really a different way of using PowerPoint, and it allows the creator of the presentation to really focus on content and manipulation of content, as opposed to concerning themselves with their presentation. It also engages the audience more and allows the viewer to do what many of our kids know best: interact with the content. It is a perfect way to make the existing curriculum in your classroom something that students can manipulate and interact with.

Links from the Show

Guides and Tutorials: Non-linear PowerPoint tutorial:

This is a handy little walk-through of what non-linear PowerPoints are, how to plan for them (planning for these types of presentations is far different and more intricate than planning for a linear presentation), and how to tweak the "user interface" of the presentation. There are also some great flash videos on the site that will actually demonstrate how to create the presentation in a step-by-step, easy to follow manner.

Internet4Classrooms Online PowerPoint Assistant:

The Internet4Classrooms website has a wide variety of tutorials aimed at teachers who need to brush up on their skills in various programs. I particularly like this site because the creators of the site assign levels to each tutorial. For the very beginner, there is a "Basic" category; for the advanced user, advanced tutorials are available.

Baltimore County Public Schools PowerPoint Guide:

I didn't mention this resource in the show, but I've used the tutorials on this site before, and I really like them. The tutorials are from the BCPS Office of Instructional Technology, and the folks who put these together seem to really know their stuff and break down the steps of some more complex PowerPoint tasks with ease. If you need more help with your understanding of PowerPoint, check this site out.

Examples of Non-Linear PowerPoints:

If you have an interest in seeing what this kind of PowerPoint looks like before you set out to create your own, or if you struggle to wrap your mind around non-linear PowerPoints, check out this site. There are several good examples that will introduce you to some of the possiblities that exist within this use of PowerPoint.

Classroom 2.0:

I mentioned it several times in the show, and I will link to it here, again. If you haven't logged on to Classroom 2.0, you really need to try it out. The best advice I can give, though, is to not be afraid to make connections with the community. Find like-minded educators/professionals on the site and send them a message or write a note on their page. Your willingness to reach out to meet them will pay enormous dividends and will be rewarding and enjoyable. If you sign up, you can find me on the site: brianyearling.

Tech Trial - Pandora:

You will love this online radio station for use in your classroom. Sign up for free, identify artists you really like, and kick back and wait for your musical library to be greatly expanded. They consider the artists you like, and they select artists you may also like that you have never heard before. Best of all, if you like it, you can add the artist to your station. If you don't like it, you can block them from the station never to be played again. Fun resource that will liven up your classroom and will make your hours of work time pass with ease.

If you've got questions, comments, ideas, suggestions, or want to share your use of non-linear PowerPoints with me, send it to: gettingtechintoed@gmail.com

Thanks for listening.
Brian Yearling

Host and Instructional Technology Enthusiast

Return of Getting Tech Into Ed

Return of Getting Tech Into Ed: Welcome back to the show!

Well, we were knocked down, but certainly not knocked out. Podango's recent shutdown put a lot of podcasters in a bind, but that is part of the price of depending on a free service. It's a lesson all teachers need to take into consideration, but that will be the topic of the next show.

Just want to welcome everyone back to Getting Tech Into Ed. If you are an old listener, thanks for making the effort to find us here. If you are a new listener, we are glad you could join us. There will be shows with more content coming in the very near future. Getting back up and running online was a big enough challenge to fill my time over the last month. Now, it is time to get back to what I love to do: help you find ways to integrate technology into your classroom instruction.

Look for the next show to appear some time within the next two weeks.

Thanks again for listening.
Brian Yearling

Host and Instructional Technology Enthusiast

Episode 4: Building a personal/professional learning network

Over the past few years I have been on a journey of my own in my experimentation with technology in my classroom, and I remember so well the scary and frustrating moments where I questioned my own motivations for incorporating technology.  There were many stopping points for me along the way where I spent a lot of time searching for answers to questions and for solutions to problems.  And it is in reflection of this that I’m offering the topic of today’s show: building a educational technology professional learning community that can surround and support you in your own journey.

The reality is that motivated teachers need to find ways to work more collaboratively and efficiently to train themselves on the use of technology that will enhance the education of our students.   So let’s look at a couple of tools to get you started to help you build your professional technology network.

Popular podcasts

The most important piece of my professional learning community has been the podcasters that I have adopted into my life.   I want to share a few great starting tips that will get you on the road to implementing this essential element into your web of professional growth.

1. Find someone you like listening to.  Someone where you like the sound of their voice, and the quality of their advice.


2. Find someone who updates regularly.   Podcasters start and stop their podcasts every day, and as a result, their isn’t that guarantee of longevity.  Finding someone who has invested the time and the effort to produce regularly over a long period of time is the best bet you will find in the podcasting world.


3. Find an aggregator that you feel comfortable with.  The two aggregators that I use are: 1) Itunes and 2) Juice.

And here are a few of the shows I strongly recommend for teachers who are truly interested in finding more ways to get technology into your classroom instruction.

1. Ed Tech Talk Weekly Round-up:  This is a show for those of you who want a lot of links to new instructional technology tools, resources, and articles.


2. The Tech Teachers by Ray and Holley:  I like this show because the hosts are passionate about the use of technology in their classroom and in their daily lives.


3. Tech Chick Tips:  These ladies are fantastic, practical and tech savvy, but they always focus on how the technology can solidly integrate into the classroom seamlessly.

Best blogs

Another way of connecting on the Internet is through the more standard use of text.  Here are a few links for those of you looking for recommendations.  However, searching for blogs is something that anyone can do, and you really need to find a blog that speaks to you and that you will actually keep up with.

http://www.jameslogancourier.org/ 2007 Winner for the Weblog Award for Best Education Blog

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010200468_pf.html This is a list from Jay Matthews, a Washington Post Education Columnist, in which he compiles links to his favorite education blogs.

Finally, I’m inserting a link to the 2008 Edublogs Awards page.  There you can search through the nominations and categories to find blogs/resources that you really like and could learn something new from: http://edublogawards.com/2008/

Join an online community

In the Web 2.0 world, there are communities of educators and educational thinkers and decisions makers that are uniting in one piece of online real estate. By becoming an active member you gain the “networked” status that so many professionals attend time-sapping conferences for.

Classroom 2.0 :  This is an online community of nearly 15,000 members focused on the uses of technology, specifically web 2.0 tools, in the classroom.

Twitter

Essentially, Twitter is a type of social networking tool. I “grew”my network and found that the people I followed were doing interesting things and were adding interesting content to Twitter. As a result, I was getting interesting links each day.

I’ve dropped a link to a list of some of the top people to add to your Twitter network into the show notes.  This is one place to go right away after signing up for a Twitter account. Trust me, Twitter is useless without a network, so that is really one of the first things you want to do. http://blogs.msdn.com/alfredth/archive/2008/11/29/top-10-education-people-to-follow-on-twitter.aspx

If you are interested in following me on Twitter, you can add me: brianyearling

Tech Trials: Wetheteachers.com

This week in tech trials, I want to share a resource that I’ve just found and that I am experimenting with as we speak.

We the teachers was founded by a couple, Nate and Amy, who saw a need for a free online community where resources (lesson plans and files) could be shared between teachers.  From the description on the page, it sounds as if the couple is committed to keeping the resource free and open for teachers to collaborate online.  It is free to join, and there are many benefits to being a member of the community.

Members of the community can upload their best lesson plans, can join groups online, and can upload their best files for all to share. They can also download those same files from people across the country and across the world, so it is a site that is definitely worth a look for any teachers interested in gaining an instant community of teachers to connect with.

Episode 3: Have you had your wiki today?

In this episode of Getting Tech Into Ed, Brian talks about one of his favorite Web 2.0 innovations: The WIKI.  Trained to use these tools properly, educators have some of the most transformational, innovative tools they can imagine in their hands (and most often for completely free).  The wiki can totally liberate educators and can provide opportunities for students to share their thoughts/ideas/learning with an authentic audience.  In this show, Brian gives several ideas to listeners.

Sidenotes: Getting tech into ed by owning the changes

The 21st Century is here.  In fact, it has been here for a while.  Yet, as is typical with anything in education, change toward embracing 21st century teaching/learning environments in public schools is comparable to the progress of a moving glacier.

And there are reasons for this overwhelmingly slow response to change in a rapidly changing world.  Lots of reasons. Lack of budgetary support.  Lack of time.  Lack of knowledge.  Lack of support.  Lack of professional development.  Lack of interest.  On the surface, these all seem like legitimate points.  How can we bring in new technology and utilize it properly if schools don’t have the money to afford the equipment?  How can we be expected to fit this expectation into an already jam packed year filled with mandatory curriculum?  How can we be expected to utilize technology properly in an educational environment if we don’t have the professional development training to instruct us on how do so?  As you can imagine (and probably can add to), the list of valid questions continues on.

But what if educators choose to look at this movement differently than we’ve looked at so many others?   (More on this in a minute.)

Over the course of my teaching career (which I’ll admit has not been that long), I have been impressed with the continuous incoming flow of “eduspeak” that has been thrown my way.  Professional learning communities.  Six traits of writing.  Six plus one traits of writing.  Differentiation.  All kinds of talk about assessment.  Classroom management strategies and professional development strategies and planning strategies and… well, you get the picture.  And what I’ve consistently noticed is that not one of these has been something I have had to seek out.  They have found me.

In fact, it seems that the channels and gateways by which these educational movements and catch phrases move about our community of educators always seem to be wide open, yet I don’t know of any teachers who have the ability to influence which of those catch phrases and movements we will grasp onto and hold true to.  Somehow, whether through administrative leadership or the suggestions of members of Boards of Education, these initiatives become district initiatives.  As initiatives, they are repeated as elements within district mottos, are painted on walls and plastered on handouts at staff meetings, and they become a part of the “language” used by Curriculum Directors in the district.

Have you ever wondered when you, as the educator who actually stands in front of that classroom of students each day, would have an opportunity to choose an initiative that you believed in?  Perhaps the time (or the opportunity) has come.

We know that technology is the future for our students.  We know that a solid foundation in 21st century skills is the essential literacy of generations of students today and well into the future. And, as educators, providing students with those essential skills is an initiative that most of us can support.

So, what if educators chose to look at movement of integrating technology with solid educational practices differently?  What if educators made the choice to embrace 21st century skills as a step in the right direction for education?  What if educators began to take the lead on finding ways to overcome budget and time constraints, to seek out and provide our own forms of professional development, and to take an initiative we whole-heartedly believed in to our administrators and boards as the direction we would like to see our schools go in?

The blending of quality instruction with seamless utilization of technology is a movement that educators can and should support.  By recognizing this sooner rather than later, we have the unique opportunity to encourage our districts to move in a direction that we believe in and that we know will make a positive difference in the lives of our students (not only while they are in our classrooms, but while they work and live in a world unlike one we have ever witnessed before).  When teachers begin to “own” the movement that embraces the integration of technology, we also begin to fully commit ourselves to the initiatives of our districts and to the overall direction of education.

And that’s not all we stand to gain (although that seems like an awful lot). Fully embracing  this type of initiative earns us the respect of our students and their parents, our administrators, and possibly even our communities (a respect that, as is proven with each referendum that is shot down and each contract negotiation that falls short of its initial goals, is not what it perhaps once was).   Additionally, educators gain the power that accompanies visionary leadership (the power we give up each time we allow some other party to choose an initiative that we feel uncommitted to and often choose not to support).  These are elements that should not be the focus in choosing to acknowledge the power of Instructional Technology in education, but they are certainly excellent perks!

So, what stands in our way?  Why don’t educators embrace this opportunity to finally push forward and “own” an initiative within their schools?  Well, status quo is one likelihood.  Lack of knowledge is another. Piles of excuses aren’t far behind, I’m sure.

But when we get down to what really matters — doing what is right for students– it seems like grasping this initiative is a worthwhile and meaningful venture.  And when we can focus on that…and begin to organize…educators can begin to “own” this truly progressive change in education.

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