While cleaning up some old files I ran across some reflections that boys wrote last year after a vocabulary project. The task: Create an iMovie to demonstrate understanding of list of words. I have a few movies that I will upload and join to this blog but I want to share what the 6th graders said from doing this project. It really hits home the idea of making the learning relevant, having a purpose versus the old school write a sentence using these vocabulary words. The creativity and level of work that these boys put in this project was outstanding. I still use the word bemused at lease once a week and I didn't have to do the project! :-)
Using technology made it more fun. To me, the more fun it is, the better I learn. If you wrote something on a sheet of paper, it would be boring. Computers make it fun. You will remember it longer.
This project made vocabulary more important to me because we actually used them in real life situations that we might face, if we are a commercial maker when we are older.
While you were watching your own presentation on the smartboard, you caught some of your errors and you caught things that you could have done better.
Makes learning awesome
In this project, I believe I connected a great deal to vocabulary. I was able to take a modern day genre of music and use vocabulary to complete it. This allowed the project to be more of an adventure than work.
Hands on exciting learning.
I liked that you could make movies. I also like that you could make it hilarious.
Also, doing an exhilarating project like this made learning the words exciting and easy
This project was very tricky. It taught me more about technology. I had a really good time doing it! It’s not as easy as it seems to just make a 5-minute movie!
I think the positive things of doing our type of movie are that we have control of everything. We made the background, music, characters, plot, etc. But the bad part about doing the project the way we did is the fact that we have to put more time and effort in it than regular iMovies.
In this project I built a spiritual connection with these words because at first I studied the words and typed them. Next I had to put all the words in a logical script, using emotion, sound effects, and context clues to help others. After all these steps the words were a part of my everyday vocabulary. If I had to do a boring project with these words, I would dread these words because I had no fun with it. The reason I got a better understanding of the words was because I had fun with it.
I had no regrets with this project. It was probably the most fun I have had with schoolwork in a LONG time. I loved how we got to use our imagination to express our creativity. This project helped me to enjoy learning. My creative juices were flowing with this project and I wanted to make it the best I could because it was exciting editing it!
We had fun making the video and I learn better when I have fun using them in sentences made me have a better understanding of the words. Our group connected with the words and connected with each other in using them on video. The video made us laugh when we watched the video and hearing the words made us understand and use them better. I use many of the words now, not ones like veldt, but I use bemused and others.
This was a very enjoyable project because we all were able to use our creative skills to create it. There were virtually no boundaries, and, as an added bonus, we were able to use technology!
CREATIVE AND ORIGINAL!
This use of technology helps us with our vocabulary because we have to use the words. The more we used the words the better we understood. When you mess up in your movie you have to use the words again and again. You also remember the words because you are having fun. When you have fun your brain is more willing to store up these words.
The project was fun because we were allowed a great time limit. During that time limit, we got to have fun acting. Acting is fun to me because you can be funny, serious, or whatever. Going back and adding pictures was also fun. Learning by having fun definitely helps me with vocabulary.
