Summary of MovieMaker Workshop Plan

The title of our workshop is “Digital Storytelling through Windows MovieMaker.” The goal of the workshop is to increase technology integration and to improve the engagement of students. We would also like for teachers to see the potential of using MovieMaker as an instructional tool. The presenters' objectives are to demonstrate the basic applications of the MovieMaker software and to share some examples that depict how easily the software can be integrated across the curriculum.Windows MovieMaker is easily implemented with few prerequisites. It is already available on most school computers, thus it is available at low or no cost. Teachers must have basic computer skills, a computer, and access to Windows MovieMaker software. Teachers would also benefit from having experience with saving/uploading images, downloading movie clips and music, and utilizing a flash drive.
The presenters will use a projector to present a PowerPoint that provides an overview of what MovieMaker is and to show samples of the different projects. The teachers will be provided with hard copies of the directions and computer access to create their own digital stories using MovieMaker.For project members, this workshop has developed valuable skills and has sparked ideas for the teachers to implement within their own classrooms.
To view project members’ examples of MovieMaker productions, click on the links below:
http://stu.westga.edu/~sbloche1/moviemaker
http://stu.westga.edu/~cmorga11/7464_moviemakerproject_clm.wmv
http://stu.westga.edu/~bbaker1/7464_moviemkr_bjb.wmv
http://stu.westga.edu/~bray1/7464_moviemaker_btr.wmv

Moviemaker

The American Revolution
7464 Moviemaker Project

The purpose of the project is to meet the requirement for 7464 moviemaker project. The intended audience is the fourth grade class. The theme of the project is the struggle of the colonies for independence from the British. Any social studies lesson could be presented in this manner for effective introduction to a unit or a summary of a unit.

Many challenges were met while completing this project. Transferring images was difficult in that the computer would freeze. The computer would need to be turned off and started again at times. Getting the music to just the right spot took some time.

Many lessons were learned through this experience. First of all, this was the first time I ever touched a moviemaker project. I learned how to access FreePlay Music and select music that I felt would enhance the slides. I have learned how to place the movie on the UTube which I had never used. I have benefited from the experience although it took much time to complete.

http://stu.westga.edu/~bray1/7464_moviemaker_btr.wmv

Emerging Technology That Supports Creativity and Production

Until I read the assigned readings for this class, I thought creativity was something students either possessed or did not. I never realized that creativity has to be taught. On pages 136 and 137, Egbert offers some guidelines for supporting student creativity with technology. She says teachers should:
1. Create an enriched environment. She says rewards, time pressures, overmonitoring, competition, restricted choice, and high-stakes evaluation can smother creativity.
2. Teach techniques. Brainstorming is one of the most effective techniques. Teachers must accept any ideas given. They shouldn’t stop to discuss ideas but should piggyback on ideas in an effort to generate even more ideas.
3. Let students show what they can do, rather than what they cannot. High-stakes testing shows what they can’t do. Teachers should provide projects which allow students to be creative and show their strengths, not their weaknesses.
4. Teach respect for ideas and people. By making students feel accepted and comfortable, teachers make it safe for students to show their creativity. They don’t feel threatened.

I plan to keep these guidelines in mind in order to foster creativity in the students I teach. I want to share them with my colleagues in case they, like me, never realized that creativity is something that must be taught.

Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

My Digital Storytelling Experience

Whew! I thought this project would be fairly simple and would not take much time. Was I surprised! I created a movie to help teach my kindergarten students about some of the symbols of America. My first mistake was that I didn't know I needed to use copyright free pictures and music. Therefore, I had to redo what I had assembled for this project. I had trouble finding quality pictures to support my topic that were copyright free. I also struggled to find a song that was copyright free. However, once I found those resources, the movie itself was not so difficult to create. I typed what I wanted to say about each of my pictures before recording for my narration. This helped ensure that I would say the right thing and would limit the times I needed to re-record my narration. I liked how simple it was to click and drag my narration and to extend or shorten pictures so that the narration and pictures lined up perfectly. I also thought it was neat how you could cut songs and/or videos to only use what you needed at that particular spot in the movie. The only difficult part after that was saving properly to the UWG server. Thank goodness I had Dr. B. and a friend to help with that! While I loved the end result, I feel my kindergarten students would not be able to create movies on their own. It would be a great tool to use for instruction (as I did with this one) or for the teacher to make a movie about something the students are doing in class.
Check out my movie and let me know what you think:
http://stu.westga.edu/~sbloche1/moviemaker

Digital Storytelling Article

This article recommended the use of digital storytelling as a way to strengthen critical thinking, writing, and media literacy skills for students. The author explains that a digital story “is a digital video clip, told in the author’s own voice, illustrated mostly with still images, with an optional music track added for emotional effect, and/or a voiceover.” Digital stories may be instructional, persuasive, historical, or reflective. The construction of a narrative requires the student to think carefully about the topic and to come up with a way to tell about it that will appeal to the audience. The author says that students should focus on their stories first and the digital medium later. Story mapping and oral storytelling are tools that teachers can teach students about which will help with the digital storytelling process. Story boarding can also help students organize their thoughts when designing a digital story. Digital stories can be created using simple applications such as MovieMaker and require little or no technical background. They do, however, take up a lot of computer memory and file space.
I feel this article is a good resource for me and my team to remind us of why we should bother creating digital stories with our students. Digital stories allow individual students to show their creativity while demonstrating knowledge. They also foster critical thinking. What more could teachers look for in a teaching/assessment tool?


Zukowski, A.. (2008, February). This Digital Storytelling. Momentum, 39(1), 90-91. Retrieved October 18, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1446190491).

Fostering Higher Order Thinking Through Effective Questioning

Recently, I was doing some reading for this course regarding project-based learning and ways teachers can make discussions more productive. I was astonished at the authors claim that, “about 60% of the questions asked by teachers are lower-order questions, calling for recall or recitation of facts. Another 20% are higher-order questions, asking for evaluation or analysis, and 20% are simply procedural.” Unfortunately, I feel this is probably true. Teachers must make every effort to limit lower-order and procedural questions in order to maximize time for questions which require students to use higher-order thinking skills to respond. One idea the authors recommended for teachers in order to get a better idea of the kinds of questions they typically ask is to videotape themselves teaching a lesson. I believe this would be very eye-opening for many teachers, myself included.
Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Emerging Technology That Supports Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

While reading for this course, I found an interesting topic- media literacy. According to Egbert, media literacy "means that students are able not only to comprehend what they read, hear, and see but also to evaluate and make good decisions about what media presents." Students are constantly bombarded with information via sounds, images, and text from media resources, and they need to be able to determine the validity of the information with which they are presented. Too often, students believe information they read or hear is true when this may not be the case. Teachers must teach their students how to analyze information and the source of that information to make informed decisions about whether or not it can be trusted. This involves the use of critical thinking skills. Teachers can obtain free kits for helping with this important concept by visiting http://www.medialit.org/. There are lessons and handouts for students which focus on five key questions:
1. Who created this message?
2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand the message differently from me?
4. What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
5. Why is this message being sent?

The kit also includes "Essential Questions for Teachers" to help them better analyze information .

Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

New Technology Uses

Thus far in this class we have use Voicethread, ComicLife and now we are using Moviemaker. I am sure that I will se these in my class now because before I had no idea what any of them were used for. I had an idea of what Moviemaker was used for but I didnt know how to use it or if it was feasible to use it in a classroom setting. All of them are able to be used in the classroom because they are all web based and easily accessible. The Comiclife project seems to be the most versitile though. It can be used as a way to make handouts and it can also be used as a way to get the learner to develop a thought deeper. Regardess, I am very excited to use all of them in the classroom.

DS Progress

Just a little update on our group's progress working with Digital Storytelling and Windows Movie Maker. We are in the stage now where we are experimenting with Windows Movie Maker and trying to solve the little obstacles we encounter along the way. Most of the group members have thought about their topics and zeroed in on a specific area of focus. Betty is thinking of completing a movie about the American Revolution. Sheila is thinking about a movie on flags as symbols of America and Charlotte is thinking of guiding her students in a video project journal using Windows Movie Maker. Everybody has gotten off to a great start on their individual projects while Lindsey, the project leader, is focusing on the directions handout for how to use Windows Movie Maker and the Digital Storytelling Power Point that will be used for staff development.

Google Docs

Prior to enrolling in Dr. Baylen's class at UWGA, I had never heard of Google Docs. I have learned from Dr. Baylen that Google Docs is a great tool to use for group collaboration. However, as I was reading in the Boss and Krauss textbook for Dr. B's class, I learned of another great use for Google Docs. It can be used as a shared online workspace for students' writing. By having students type their assignments in Google Docs, teachers can provide immediate feedback. They can make comments right in the students' text. By doing so while students are editing and reviewing their writings, teachers provide students with opportunities to improve their writing prior to submission for a final evaluation. Google Docs is easy to use and can be accessed from any connected computer. Why wouldn't all teachers use it?

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

ComicLife

I enjoyed your ComicLife and I know your students did too. What a good activity for your students.