Friday, June 29, 2018

Creating Commercials: Miss Wallace's Class Video Project

I was invited to help out with a video production project in Miss Wallace's grade six class.  They had been learning about television and it seemed fitting that they should produce some "television" of their own.  Before I joined them, Miss. Wallace and her class were working to better understanding what makes television and commercials interesting to us.   They branding, personalities, images, audience and more.   As a concluding activity, Miss. Wallace tasked her class with creating commercials for a fictional product.   The class worked in small groups to plan, film and edit their commercials.

Phases of Creating Commercials

Preparing a Plan - Groups of students met to decide on a "product" and then plan their video, including target audience, roles to cast, crew member assignments and more

Writing a Script - Each group used a shared document to draft and revise their scripts using a two-column script template.

Filming - With the cast selected and the scripts ready, students shot their video using an iPad.

Editing - Students brought together their video clips, added sound effects and titles using iMovie.

Sharing - Miss. Wallace helped her class upload their videos to a class YouTube channel.  Their finished products are shared below:










Thank you to Miss. Wallace and her class for sharing their work!


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Skype Cooking Lessons with Chef Paola

I was part of a really special learning experience at Major Pratt School over the last few weeks.  MPS foods classes had the opportunity to work with a professional chef from Italy thanks to the technology available in our schools.  Chef Paola Martinenghi presented a 3 part series for students via Skype.   Her classes focused on Italian food and culture.   Chef Paola is incredibly passionate and she was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter.   We are very grateful to The Chef and The Dish for making this connection possible.  It was such an exciting opportunity to have Park West School Division students connect with an expert in this way!  Thank you to Mrs. Nemez and Mrs. Falkevitch for inviting me to be part of this learning experience in your classroom!


Class 1: The Importance of Food, Country and Culture
Chef Paola's first session focused on iconic Italian foods.  We were transported right into her kitchen in Italy with high-quality video and audio.  As we were getting to know each other, she reached back to grab a bag of Manitoba flour off her shelf!  It was pretty incredible to see one of our province's products in her hands.   For our first class, Chef Paola taught us about where certain foods are produced and talked about the history and culture related to some of our favourite Italian foods.   Chef Paola's enthusiasm engaged us as she told stories of how parmesan cheese is made, where pizza originated and how foods become traditional.  Each group of students had slightly different experiences depending on their questions and interests.  When talking about their first impressions, everyone agreed that Chef Paola was an intelligent and passionate presenter!


Class 2:  Cooking with an Expert
The second class with Chef Paola was a cooking demonstration, which students really enjoyed.  She prepared traditional Italian foods with each class.  Each group of students watched her prepare bruschetta, studying her ingredients, techniques and tools.   She also prepared pesto with some classes.   Seeing Chef Paola in action in her kitchen at home was an awesome experience!   She told us about the local ingredients she used and explained the importance of using ingredients from her region.   To conclude the class, Chef Paola issued a challenge.   Students were asked to prepare their own, creative versions of bruschetta using any locally-available ingredients.


The Cooking Challenge
In the days between classes with Chef Paola, students worked together to create their own versions of bruschetta.   They used the concept of bread with chopped toppings, but tried substituting a variety of ingredients for the traditional tomato, cheese and basil.   

Class 3:  Sharing the Results
In the third and final session, students presented their bruschetta creations to Chef Paola.   Using screen sharing, students were able to share photos of their bruschetta interpretations.  Students talked about the ingredients they used, reasons for choosing those ingredients and answered questions posed by Chef Paola.   Chef Paola offered feedback on each group's work and provided tips and suggestions.  After presenting their creations, students were able to ask questions and hear a few more stories from Chef Paola. 



Enhancing Education with ICT
I was really pleased to be part of such an exciting learning opportunity.   I really liked that students used technology to connect with an expert to enhance their learning.  I thought that the cooking challenge was a great way to connect the digital, online learning experience with the in-class learning.  The high-quality video calls were an awesome way to see a professional chef in action.  For me, this experience underscores the potential for technology to enhance learning. 

Want to try it?
The Chef and The Dish offers Skype cooking sessions with a selection of master chefs from around the world.   The business typically offers in-home sessions, but they were willing to adapt their sessions for a classroom.   Check out their website for more information!

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Creativity, Communication & Citizenship: Brilliant Book Trailers!

One of the awesome parts of my job as LwICT Teacher Leader is that I get to be involved with a wide variety of learning activities.   In May, I was invited to help Mrs. Bowley's grade 7 class with a really awesome book trailer project.  Students viewed a variety of book trailers before selecting a favourite text and planning their own book trailer.  The grade 7s used iMovie to create their trailers and then uploaded them to YouTube.  Next, they made posters with QR codes linked to their videos so they could share their book recommendations by displaying the posters at their school. 

What I Like...

I think the final videos are really well done and I've got a long list of books I want to read after watching them!   There was a lot to like about this project, but some aspects that stood out to me included:

Creativity and Communication 
Bringing together images, text and music to create a compelling book trailer video required creativity and this group of students certainly let their creativity shine!  The project also required effective communication.  Students demonstrated their understanding of a text and conveyed the essence of the book by selecting appropriate elements to include in their video. 

ICT Infusion
This project is a great example of how ICT can support and enhance learning.   Students were able to use technology tools to demonstrate their understanding and knowledge of a text.   I also really like how technology enabled sharing in this example; the QR code posters and video links are great ways for students to share their work with a wider audience.  I think other students and teachers will enjoy watching these!

Digital Citizenship
When I first visited the grade 7 class to help get their book trailers started, we discussed copyright and the need to respect others' work.   We talked about sources for public domain images and royalty-free music.   I know that these thoughtful conversations continued because I heard more about digital citizenship when I returned for my next visit.  I learned that the students did some research on acceptable use and discussed how copyright was applicable to this project.  Students also discussed  sharing their work and considered which platform to use, how much personal information to include and how the videos would be shared.  I was happy to see and hear students thinking about digital citizenship as they worked on this project.   

Watch These!

Okay, you've got my perspective on this cool project - now it is time to watch some samples!   Thanks to Mrs. Bowley's class for sharing the book trailers below!   They are definitely worth watching.  You might even want to compile a list of books to enjoy this summer.   

The Maze Runner 


Divergent


Girl, Stolen


If I Stay


Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children


Remember Me Always


Where She Went


The Hunger Games


Pitch Black


Everything, Everything