Man, these kids are allright. All right, even. Nearly every class walked in to the room, grabbed their folders and packets, and got to work without my saying a single word. Astonishing. Simply mindblowing.
This behavior is absolutely beyond my teaching vocabulary — I didn’t expect it, and I certainly congratulated them for doing what they needed to do without being asked to do it. Praise to those kids, that’s for certain.
I thought maybe I was a little early in congratulating myself for the handout packet I gave them yesterday (I learned long ago that my own smugness over certain assignments rarely equals student interest; I think I’ve also read and heard from other teachers that this is often a deadly trap leading toward an upset adult), but the kids themselves are actually into the whole process.
Granted, there are a few problems — a few students have been moved from one group to another to facilitate a working environment; a few students have been warned that a failure to produce anything at all in two days’ time will get them a front-row seat to “boringville” assignments. Some groups are a little behind the others in this whole process of creating an advertisement, but that also allows me the time to step outside of class and videotape their commercials; it also allows me the time to download their work onto a computer to allow them to edit their own work, because, thanks to Brian Benzinger’s SolutionWatch, I have a list of online services that allow users to upload and edit videos (adding special effects, cuts, music, etc.) to create something closer to the vision they had in the first place.
Keep an eye out for Benzinger’s review of eyespot, as well as links to the site later in this post.
This type of assignment allows for a bit of mediocrity in that students usually write a script and then videotape themselves acting out that script; I want my students thinking about this commercial from beginning to end, including the final product.
Why? Because this type of assignment also allows for a bit of grandeur in the students’ minds. They envision perfect-looking videos; they want music on the commercial; they want the picture to cut dramatically from one angle to another, and when all you have is a videocamera and one shot at doing it all the result it usually messy (lots of snowy fuzz between shots; kids looking into the camera, nodding and whispering: “Go? Yeah? Ok…”; and often you’ll see 30 seconds of emptiness between shots), or requires the students to practice and practice and practice and practice the scene until they have it perfected and are so bored out of their minds that the final result is hurried and lifeless.
If I can give the students a bit of authority over their commercials, they’re happy. If I can give them a little authority over the final product, that’s even better. So, thanks to Solution Watch, I’m going to try to have my students edit their work using the online video editing application eyespot.
I’ll have the students create accounts on the site, and then I’ll load their videos into their accounts. The students can then use eyespot’s MIXER application to create final versions to reflect their original imaginings. At this point the kids can add those cuts, those special effects, and that music, they’ve had sitting in their heads since I introduced this assignment.
When it’s all finished, we’ll watch the students’ creations, and we’ll talkand write about the most effective persuasions. It should be fun. Hopefully the students will keep up the energy they’ve put into this project thus far.
For more on eyespot, read Brian Benzinger’s review of the product at Solution Watch.
Filed under: Previous Post, Reflection, Teaching, praise, students
It’s intuitive to me that if kids have authority (author-ity) it will increase their sense of audience, in the sense of tailoring and perfecting a message, which skills and readiness I believe we need to awaken.
Do you see that to be the case?
Agreed! I think that if the students have the opportunity to think about their final product (especially if that final product will be seen by fellow students), they’ll focus more on the ultimate product than they might for something meant only for the teacher.
This leads to the idea that maybe we ought to teach “audience” through a more recognizable recipient (i.e. other students) than through the teacher himself/herself.
That’s a good idea! We talk about “audience” all the time, but we don’t give the opportunity to write for an audience that makes sense.
my studnts write all the time, but if they’re not writing for themselves, they’re writing for me. Why not give them a group they understand? In this assignment to make a commercial, the kids are worried about making the commercial they envisioned in their heads, but their greater worry comes form my showing these commercials to other students.
“You’re going to show this to other classes?!?”
Oh, yeah!
“Dude! Now we have to rethink our whole commercial!”
What a wonderful idea! Can’t teach audience without making sure the audience is even worthwhile.
Thanks for that idea, Amerloc!
I really like your enthusiasm and energy.
Those kids are very lucky to have a teacher like you.
Aww jeez.