Flip+Tammy

 3-D Project Legacy May, 2012 3-D Project Legacy 1. IMPORTANT PIECE - Students are reporting on their experience - (2 - 3 students sharing - recorded on video) attach videos to the wiki. The video only needs to be short so that it can be loaded easily. Sample questions could be - What did they learn, what did they like, did they feel engaged in their learning? (Be sure that the student has a FOIP form signed) 2. Students have acquired new technology skills that they had not had previously - please see the 21st century list below Collaboration – The students were placed into groups of 4-5. They were expected to make decisions as a group and ensure that all members were involved. This class of students has made huge strides in their ability to collaborate rather than work together. Communication – The students were required to discuss with each other their ideas. They also were required to give input about editing and the design of their video. Critical Thinking – The students were responsible for the entire video, so any issues that they encountered they needed to solve. Sometimes they needed some guidance from me, but usually they solved the problems on their own. 3. Students have learned about digital citizenship - please see the digital citizenship list of skills below 4. How has our teaching changed? What practices will you continue? I continue to look for different opportunities for the children to show their learning. 5. What are some best practices? *Practise ahead of time so you can anticipate any possible difficulties! *Assign students one camera that they always use for a particular project – record it – keep the sheet handy for the students to use as reference *Assign students one computer to use for the duration as well – record it – keep the sheet handy for the students to use as reference *Keep projects small and manageable *Understand that it will likely take twice as long as you thought it would
 * How do we know we have been successful? **

6. How has student achievement improved because of the use of the equipment? *Students have been given the opportunity to show their knowledge in a different way. Paper and pencils aren’t necessarily the best method for all students to demonstrate knowledge. 7. Listing what I have learned and what were some of the challenges *the second time through an activity is easier than the first – I knew what to expect and what difficulties I may encounter – I was able to avoid problems by being prepared *there is more to learn in life than just what is indicated in the programs of studies (such as the 21st Century Skills) *student engagement is high when they are in groups of 4 or less – too many students and there isn’t enough for them to do or there isn’t enough room around a computer || *Time in class to do everything I wanted to! *The process isn’t necessarily the most efficient way of gathering data and showing learning. ||
 * What I Learned ||  Challenges  ||
 * *don’t have too many big projects going on at the same time, or you won’t be able to focus well on any of them!

8. What was your personal growth as a learner? Anytime I take on a new challenge, such as incorporating technology into my classroom, I grow a considerable amount. Having been through this process before, I felt more willing and eager to take risks this year by trying different means of technology, such as new websites (animoto and edmodo) and other devices (iPods on a field trip and iPads for PBL). Being exposed to this initiative opened the door to me for new ways of teaching, learning and assessment, and I like to try these out with the students. 9. What are some tips for next time users? *start with a small activity *ensure the students plan before heading out with a camera *understand that there will be obstacles (videos don’t save, videos are in the wrong place, can’t import to MovieMaker)

10. What is your legacy piece? How have you left a digital footprint to let other know about your important work with kids? (Video, digital storytelling, celebrations with parents, inviting senior administration, manual, collaborative place for yourself and your students) The students created vocabulary video commercials that were shared at a Happy Assembly. 11. Sample lessons - share 2 lessons that you taught using the equipment (short form – objective of the lesson, brief description of the activity, how did you assess it, and reflection on how the students responded) Our first project involved the students creating 30 second commercials to teach vocabulary words. They were to choose 5 words that they had learned in class throughout the year and present a way for other students to understand the definition. The students used puppets, simple costumes, and tons of creativity to teach these words. The videos were edited by the students (some incorporating special effects that they discovered, others adding voice-overs) and presented in the classroom as mini-breaks. We also showed some of them throughout a school Happy Assembly to the school population, and they were thoroughly enjoyed by the students.

Our second project worked in conjunction with the novel From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The students researched a personality from the Renaissance and created interview questions to pose to that person. Then, in groups of 3, one person posed as the interviewer, one as the person, and one did the filming. This was done for each of the people. The students then put the interviews together and presented them to the class.

12. Websites, tools, or apps that you used with your students *Windows Live Movie Maker 13. Other unexpected findings from your project 14. Final thoughts about your project. 15. Would you recommend to use this equipment? Incorporating new technologies into the classroom always seems to add some excitement to the class. It must, however, be done carefully and not too much. Using the Flip cameras uses more time to cover one or two outcomes, but student engagement is high. Also, projects are more successful if the students work in groups. Therefore, they are required to learn collaboration and communication skills; if they choose not to collaborate or they lack some communication skills, the likelihood of the project being incomplete or of poorer quality is much higher.


 * __ Digital Citizenship – ISTE Standard #5 __**

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behaviour. Students: a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship Prior to beginning the work with the Flip cameras, all the students completed the Division 2 Digital Citizenship lessons. The students understood how to care for the equipment and how to use it responsibly. They understand the necessity of citing works of other people (text and pictures) and always do this when using anything off the internet. Students were required to use digital literacy skills when editing their videos. They learned to use Windows Live MovieMaker, which was new to most of the students. While it is a relatively simple program to use, there were aspects that the students needed to be shown.
 * // Demonstrate what you did to accomplish the digital citizenship portion of the project. Were you able to integrate any of the above into your lesson? //**
 * __ 21st Century Skills __**
 * This is a list of 21st Century Skills. Did you witness any of these skills in your students and in the learning activities you provided in the project? Give some examples. **
 * //__ Digital-Age Literacy __//**
 * Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies
 * Visual and information literacies
 * Multicultural literacy and global awareness

This was probably the skill the students used the most. They were responsible for every aspect of their video, from inception to the final edit. While some time guidelines were given, the students were on their own day-to-day to complete the videos. Only one group did not finish a video, and that was more because their footage kept getting lost.
 * //__ Inventive Thinking __//**
 * Adaptability/managing complexity
 * Self-direction
 * Curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking
 * Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning

Students were required to communicate within their groups. This is a skill that they continue to work on, but the improvement in this area has been drastic. They are understanding that the ability to effectively communicate their ideas is vital when working with others, but also they must learn to listen and contribute when appropriate.
 * //__ Effective Communication __//**
 * Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
 * Personal, social, and civic responsibility
 * Interactive communication

Students were exposed to using a technology that is more and more readily available. Once they have developed the skills required to create and edit their own videos, they will be able to use them on their own or for other assignments they have in school.
 * //__ High Productivity & Quality, State-of-the-Art Results __//**
 * Ability to prioritize, plan, and manage for results
 * Effective use of real-world tools
 * The ability to create relevant, high-quality products

March, 2011 How do we know we have been successful?

1. Students are reporting on their experience - (2 - 3 students sharing - recorded on video) attach videos

2. Students have acquired new technology skills that they had not had previously - please see the 21st century list below
 * Collaboration – students planned and completed the projects in a group or with a partner
 * Cooperation – the students had to discuss with their partners/group members which clips to use, what parts to edit out, music to add, what concepts were important
 * Communication – the students communicated their ideas to each other – this is probably one of the skills that was most difficult for the students – they are generally capable of regurgitating information but not communicating ideas
 * Creativity – students were completely responsible for their final product, and they were able to use their creativity to make it what they wanted
 * Organization – students were required to plan out their product ahead of time. This may have been done on paper or through practising.
 * Problem Solving – most of the problem solving was done by me
 * Self-Direction and Social Responsibility - they were responsible for ensuring their product was appropriate. For the most part, all students were very involved in the project; unfortunately, when they were in groups of 4 students, the 4th student was often left out.
 * Technology Influence – The students are becoming more aware of how technology is usable in so many different parts of their lives. They are seeing it as a tool to help them learn and as a tool to demonstrate their learning.

3. Students have learned about digital citizenship - please see the digital citizenship list of skills below

4. How has our teaching changed? What practices will you continue? When I’m planning activities, I am now thinking of how I can incorporate using the Flip cameras into the concept. I intend to use them as often as possible for small projects, as long as I get the results from the students that I want, and that I continue to see that the children are learning. I am using more and more technology in my classroom each week.

5. What are some best practices? Let the students know that the time with the cameras is still work time –their projects count as a mark and will be viewed by others. Keep track of which groups use which camera and which computer. Plan for any disaster to occur when dealing with technology. Set high expectations for behaviour when the students are outside the classroom – we needed to find 8-10 quiet places throughout the school for the students to use for filming. Allow some time for the students to experiment with the cameras. We did a serious religion project followed by a more easy-going math project. The students knew the expectations for each, and were able to fulfill them.

6. Listing what I have learned and what were some of the challenges

*Having 12 groups trying to edit at one time is a lot of groups. *Have a second computer project going on at the same time, so half the students can be working on the video editing while the others do the other project, and then switch. *I spent hours playing around making videos, adding voice-overs, finding how to add music, where to store information, etc. *Technology can be incorporated into any lesson and/or concept. *Our job is to find meaningful ways to allow the students to use it to enhance and demonstrate their learning. *Do the write-up (this document) as you go along. Then you remember all the challenges and what you’ve learned. || *Taking the video from the camera to making it into a movie on Movie Maker required quite a few steps. It would be easier if we could just use the Flip program. *We had to do everything on the laptops, and since nothing could be on the network, we needed to find ways to keep everything on particular laptops. *Computers would occasionally freeze – students could not do anything – I could only help one group at a time. *Students are not adept at saving to different places – each one needs to be shown individually. On the second project, they found these concepts to be simpler, yet still required assistance. *I did not have Movie Maker on my desktop, therefore I could not demo how to do all the steps on the SmartBoard. *The voice doesn’t always match up with the mouth during spoken parts in the video. Corby sent me a solution, but I couldn't get it to work. ||
 * WHAT I LEARNED || CHALLENGES ||
 * *One of the things that should be on the list of 21st Century skills is patience!

7. Personal growth as a learner on an online collaborative environment. For this, I did not work with anyone else. However, the amount that I learned about the use and potential of technology in education is huge. I have begun using edmodo, wikis and Flip technology regularly in my classes. We have a class set of laptops at the school, and I use them at least 4 times each week – challenging myself to find relevant ways for the children to use them for learning.

8. What are some tips for next time users? Practise every step ahead of time so you know what to do. Also, plan for any possible outcome when it comes to using the computers and cameras. Understand you will need the help of your tech support person and/or tech coach. Ours was called upon with my silly questions, and he always returned emails and promptly solved problems – or at least tried!

9. What is your legacy piece? How have you left a digital footprint to let other know about your important work with kids? (Video, digital storytelling, celebrations with parents, inviting senior administration, manual, collaborative place for yourself and your students) We have left copies of the students’ completed fractions, patterns and religion videos for other classes to view. Their videos were shown at student-led conferences. I also showed one “Something Beautiful for God” video as part of Monday morning prayer for our staff. I think my biggest legacy will be the learning I’ve done in regards to technology in the past few months. Most lessons/concepts/projects I plan now contain some means of incorporating the use of Flip Cameras, a wiki, edmodo or something else. With every concept I am planning, I seem to come up with a way to use some technology.

10. Sample lessons - share 2 lessons that you taught using the equipment I didn’t do lessons, per se, using the equipment; I found ways for the children to show their learning and to teach their knowledge to others via the videos. Here are a few of our projects: Our first project was to create a video based on Something Beautiful for God. The students were put into groups of two or three, and, after having discussed the theme several times throughout the year, they were to brainstorm examples of the theme. They then had to think of specific examples of their ideas, and how they would find them in the school. Once they had these written down, the students were sent on a mission throughout the school to find examples. The shooting part of this project took about two 20-minute periods. The students then worked together to build and edit their movie. I showed them how to import clips, move the clips around, trim clips, and add music. With grade 2s, as part of their Health class, they were learning about what each of them is good at and physical descriptions of each other. After discussing these concepts, I put the children into groups of 4 and they were to describe one of the other group members. They wrote down their descriptions, and when they were ready, each group was given a camera. They took turns describing that person (without using his or her name) while one of the other students videoed them. In the end, we had a “guessing game” where the whole class watched each clip and had to guess who the mystery person was. As these were grade 2 students, I allowed them to video, and then I put all the clips together, editing as needed, for the final show. The grade 5s made Fraction videos to demonstrate their knowledge of the concept. They brought in toys/trinkets from home (or that I had) and had the choice of either creating a game show or a teaching video (like Bill Nye). They were put into groups of 3 or 4, so there were enough people for someone to use the camera and others as students/contestants. Once we had completed the planning of the video, the students recorded – this took them about an hour, and then probably 2 hours of editing. We did this in long stretches because once the students got into the project, they just wanted to do it. In conjunction with the novel From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler the students researched a famous person from the Renaissance era - Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare. After finding out about their lives, the students created interview questions and answers about that person and created a video talk-show with the famous person as the guest. As part of our current event study of the federal election, the students were put into political parties (Conservative, Liberal, NDP and Green). They researched their party to find the leader, local candidate, party platform, etc. They made signs, and then created a television campaign ad which they used the Flip cameras to create. In grade 4 French, the students created game shows to demonstrate their knowledge of basic vocabulary – colours, numbers, family members, classroom objects.

11. Websites, tools, or apps that you used with your students – essentially all we used was Windows Movie Maker Live. This allowed the students to easily edit their movies and add music and effects.

12. Other unexpected findings from your project This is a way to really create excitement with a class. They will rise to the challenge of creating a professional video if they are given the opportunity. Students in grade 2 were eager to use the cameras again – after only one project with them. Grade 5 students knew which projects required them to be serious and which allowed for more fun. Many students, however, don’t realize the amount of work that goes into making a movie (ie. How many times they are edited, changed, re-filmed) before a final result is published. Like in writing, they think that once they’re done their first draft, they are finished; they weren’t always keen to cut tiny parts to make the movie even better.

13. Final thoughts about your project. This was a great opportunity for my students to use a new technology. They were allowed to use their creativity to make something out of nothing. It also gave them another means of demonstrating what they know, without necessarily having to do a quiz, worksheet, test, etc.

14. Would you recommend to use this equipment? The final results, by using this equipment, are really quite amazing. The students are able to show how they view the world – what is important to them – be it in Religion, Math, Health, Language Arts, French or Social Studies. Learning to build and edit the final movie takes quite a lot of time – I’m sure I spent 4-6 hours just playing around with the programs, finding out where to store music, how to record a voice over, trimming clips, etc. The time I spent, however, gave me the necessary skill and knowledge to solve most of the problems that the students faced – be it losing their work, not able to save, how to add music and effects. The projects take planning and time. Each project became a little easier, as the children became more familiar with the editing programs. __Digital Citizenship – ISTE Standard #5__

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behaviour. Students: a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship **// Demonstrate what you did to accomplish the digital citizenship portion of the project. Were you able to integrate any of the above into your lesson? //** **__ 21st Century Skills __** ** This is a list of 21st Century Skills. Did you witness any of these skills in your students and in the learning activities you provided in the project? Give some examples. ** **//__ Digital-Age Literacy __//**  Ø Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies The students became more and more adept at using the programs. They were able to help each other out to solve problems. Ø Visual and information literacies  Ø Multicultural literacy and global awareness

**//__ Inventive Thinking __//**  Ø Adaptability/managing complexity  Ø Self-direction  Ø Curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking  Ø Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning The students showed their ability to think creatively and create what they visualized. Many students went out of their way to do some parts at home (creating props, bringing costumes, etc.) and this demonstrates their eagerness and excitement for the project.

**//__ Effective Communication __//** <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 18pt 0pt 45.4pt; tabstops: 21.6pt list 36.0pt 45.4pt left 72.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> Ø Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 18pt 0pt 45.4pt; tabstops: 21.6pt list 36.0pt 45.4pt left 72.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> Ø Personal, social, and civic responsibility <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 18pt 0pt 45.4pt; tabstops: 21.6pt list 36.0pt 45.4pt left 72.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> Ø Interactive communication Students often struggle working with each other. The more we did this (they could not do these projects individually) the easier it was for them. In the last case (interviews), each child was responsible for his/her own information, and then they had to work together to put on the show.

**//__ High Productivity & Quality, State-of-the-Art Results __//** <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 12.6pt 0pt 45.4pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt 45.4pt 72.0pt left 171.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> Ø Ability to prioritize, plan, and manage for results <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 12.6pt 0pt 45.4pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt 45.4pt 72.0pt left 171.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> Ø Effective use of real-world tools <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 12.6pt 0pt 45.4pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt 45.4pt 72.0pt left 171.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> Ø The ability to create relevant, high-quality products These projects take a fair amount of time. The students were given timelines as to what they should get done each day and I updated them. The students wanted to do excellent work and have something to be proud of.