EDLD+5363+Multimedia+Video+Technology

"For this digital generation, electronic media is increasingly seductive, infuential, and pervasive, yet most schools treat the written word as the only means of communication worthy of study. Therefore, most American students remain poorly equipped to think critically about, and express themselves through, the media that defines them.  Ellis, K. (2005). Visual acuity: From consumers to critics and creators. //Edutopia// . Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/print/1321
 * Week 1 Discussion Post (6/7/09)**

Along with many others, I believe it is time for school curriculum to address visual literacy and critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in the digital world they will be living in. It is true that the way skills such as reading, writing, and communication are addressed in schools is very fragmented and divided. In order to properly teach students effectively, we must address this idea of fragmentation and try to create programs and classes that more closely align the implementation of such skills. 

Sulema, your observation about the quote on having great writers, editors, camera operators, and technicians in our classrooms is very important. As teachers, we should make note of this and practice differentiated instructional techniques that allow individuals to thrive in their personal areas of interest. In doing this, along with integrating technology and multimedia projects into our curriculum, students will show a greater interest and more enthusiasm for learning because it leads to more individualized learning experiences.
 * Reply to others:**

Yes, Sulema. It does seem that most schools and teachers are at least trying to move in that direction. Issues such as teacher training, funding, scheduling, class sizes, and many other issues are often barriers, but at least we are moving in the right direction. A main concern, however, is the fact that technology is developing and changing so quickly, that we cannot afford to do our restructuring at a snail's pace, or we will never catch up.

Shantay, you are so right about delivering lessons in multimedia format through the use of a projector. I was fortunate enough to move into a classroom that had a projector mounted in the ceiling, making it very easy to display and share very simple and basic digital lessons that I have created or found on United Streaming, Power Media Plus, or websites such as Teachertube.com. It is amazing how much more attentive and engaged students become when the lecture or lesson is delivered as a movie or in some other digital format, such as a podcast or Power Point.
 * 2nd Reply to others:**

In his article, "Video Basics and Production Projects for the Classroom," Andrew Garrison states, "Integrating media production in your curriculum can help you find new access to students and help them find new access to the material." I have to say that I have experienced this concept first hand. I have taught in the field of English/Language Arts for almost 16 years now. Thus, I can safely say that I have taught the elements of short story and plot a number of different times, using various teaching strategies and methods over the years. This year, however, for the the first time, I actually took my students to the computer lab and gave them a short lesson on iMovie. With the help of the technology facilitator at our school, we created an extensive bank of acceptable images that we allowed students to use in creating their own digital story. While creating their story, they were required to address all the elements of short stories (characters, setting, theme, pov, and plot). Additionally, students were asked to identify specific parts of the plot, such as rising action, climax, and resolution. In all my teaching experience, I have never seen students grasp and understand these elements so thoroughly and quickly as they did this year. I am certain that this can be attributed to the fact that the students were far more engaged and attentive. Thanks to the use of technology, the lesson was more meaningful and exciting.
 * Week 2 Discussion Post (6/14/09)**

**Final Word:** The project on story elements was very successful and I plan to let them bring their own digital pictures on disc or flash drive this year. I think the students will do an even better job of creating stories and understanding the elements if they are not limited by having to choose from a bank of photos that were chosen by the tech facilitator and myself. I am sure the stories will be more personal if they are using their own images. I have not tried to have students create a podcast, but I am sure this would be a great assignment and not any more difficult on my part for preparation.

Rachel is exactly right about using multimedia assignments to excite students. Such projects do provide great exercise in writing and critical thinking skills, while at the same time engaging most students. Teaching students to use programs like Movie Maker and iMovie will definitely allow students to create projects for cross curricular purposes, as pointed out by Rachel. This could prove very beneficial and helpful to teachers as we watch our students become creators and teachers themselves. The use of video editing software in the classroom is very exciting for teachers and students.
 * Reply to others:**

**2nd Reply to others:** Kimberly is right about the challenge in training teachers to use and implement video editing software for classroom assignments. Not surprisingly, many teachers are intimidated by this new technology. I think it is a great idea to teach the secondary level students and then have them train elementary teachers. Excellent idea. In the meantime, you might take some sort of informal survey to see what teachers (in your school or district) would be willing to jump in early. After determining who is interested, you could refer those individuals who are motivated to self-teach to YouTube videos and other helpful tutorials online. This way, some teachers will have a head start. I have found some very helpful resources for teaching myself new editing techniques and methods by looking at support videos created by software companies and tutorials posted on YouTube. Good luck.