Podcasting Entry 2

The assignment: to create weekly podcast of what is going on in the classroom for grade 4 - 4 separate classrooms involved.

The plan:
1. We choose 2 kids per classroom to become the experts. They will be in every session training the other students.

2. I will be teaching them how to create a movie in iMovie 8. Originally we had made the movies in iMovie 6 because that is the program I know and am comfortable using. But then I started to realize that if I am going to go through a several week process in teaching these guys iMovie then I'd better teach them the newer program. Plus, the teachers who are involved don't know iMovie 6 like the back of their hands, so I can start from scratch with them too. And since I have only poorly, by chance made 2 movies in iMovie 8 then we are all pretty much at the same learning level. (I actually told the boys that we are all like working like PreKindergarteners because we are new to all of this. They laughed.)

The implementation:
Today I will have helped 2 classes just video themselves using the iMovie 08 and built-in iSight camera. The teachers wrote the script, but I am leading them into having the students write the script as a whole group. (Teach the writing process!) My administrator is calling this a great authentic assessment.

By tomorrow afternoon I will have worked, at one time, with 8 students and 4 teachers, teaching the most basic of the iMovie 08 skills. We will edit out the footage that we don't want. Add a title card. Maybe a fade in and out transition. But no music, no special effects. Then next week we should be first graders with our knowledge of the program. I will blog and share the link to the end product hopefully Friday or Monday...most likely Monday.