Project Based Learning with Video and Technology

This month I have been working with a Social Studies teacher that is focusing on Project-Based-Learnig PBL with students.

PBL is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Students build competencies valuable for today’s world. For more on Essential Elements of PBL link here and see the video below explaining Project Based Learning.


The lessons involved students creating a Campaign Add using http://www.livingroomcandidate.org.
When meeting with teacher we decide to have the students create a Padlet Wall, identifying their president and selecting two topics to support the campaign add.  I created a google form and collected the addresses of the class padlets.  I thought it would be a good idea to allow the students to use footage from existing campains (up to 30 seconds) and then add their own content to create their own campaign add.  We were working with a small class and focused on three presidents.  Students selected their president and add their theme to the portfolio wall. Next I downloaded some of the campaign commercials to a google drive folder and shared with the class.  As I started to work on the project using chromebooks I found it very cumbersome to produce the video. That's when it occurred to me to revisit one of my blog posts from last year on using the YouTube Editor and Creative Commons for a YouTube Video Mashup.

Active Student YouTube Accounts and Channel

Upload Button (select Unlisted for video) and then the Video Editor

(TIP: you can use the webcam to capture audio for voice recordings, cover the webcam if you do not want video and drop onto the audio timeline). Suggestion, coordinate your voice over and allow for pause on the title slide, as audio is difficult to move.

When using the Editor - Name the Project, Add a Title Slide and Browse CC (Creative Common) for JFK Videos to support your project.

You trim or splice the video in the timeline and you can add Webcam voice over on the audio line.
When finished press Create Video.  This will take a few minutes to process.  You can add the link to your Padlet Wall and/or submit to Google Classroom to be used with a grading rubric.

More Resources and tips on using the YouTube Editor
- Editing Creative Common YouTube Videos option link 

I started a collection board on Pinterest
Follow mmarotta's board Teaching with YouTube on Pinterest.

I plan on using for a few more Social Studies Projects next month and then add project that incorporate using Google Presentations with Audio recordings and WeVideo.
It's been rewarding to watch the students apply the class content to Project Based Learning model!

The 4 C's of Technology Integration from The Journal.

New Class Offerings and Student Portfolio Reflections

Course Overview 2015

http://youtu.be/CEi87RBu0B0

Student Portfolio Reflection and Internship Reflection


Portfolio link  using Google Sites

Refection of Projects and class observations

Update

1. Spanish and Padlet
2. Blogs for East of Eden

NEASC Visit Day 1

Great day showcasing all the great things we are doing at the high school. I tweeted out most of the day so you can follow all the events. Here is a link to the opening video http://goo.gl/7C2ZCg  

Lots of sharing of best practices and areas of improvement that support teaching and learning,

Other Topics highlighted in my interview.

1. Technology Integration and School Culture
2. My Blog http://techdi.blogspot.com
3. Twitter Handler @mmarotta
4. Google Site https://sites.google.com/a/mynrsd.com/nrh-marotta
5.  Blog Post on Digital Citizenship
    https://sites.google.com/a/mynrsd.com/multimedia-2013/spring-2015
6.  Managing your DigitalFootprint (The Good, Bad and Ugly) Prezi 
7. Student Portfolios with QR Codes
   
8. Google Classroom
   
   
9. Student Portfolios and connection to Internships!

I found the day to be very collaborative and how important it is to reflect upon your teaching and best practices using a blog. I was able to easily to connect and show not only evidence but my reflection along with my post.  I am so happy I blog!

Upcoming Foreign Language Projects

Last month I worked with a few Spanish teachers to introduce them to Google Classroom.

We are planning a lesson for next week using the following:

1. Using Chromebooks to join the Google Classroom (by Class Code)
2. Introduce the YouTube Upload  feature by activating the account/channel and show students how to allow the Chromebook - WebCam to record and publishing to school YouTube.
3. Introduce Padlet  by creating a classroom wall to students to post information and or their video.  Create individual walls with recordings and collect the address using a Google Form (and/or posting to the Classroom stream/assignment.
4. IGoogle Forms to collect assignment locations for padlet and recordings
5. Google Presentations and Chrome App (ScreenCastify) to record presentation.

Future projects and incorporate using Chromebooks and WeVideo.

Updates to Google Classroom and WeVideo this week

A few program updates this week that changed while I was in the middle of using both programs with students.

1. Google Classroom has been updated and you can now modify your theme.
   Checkout the blog for more details.
   I loved this new feature!  I was working with a class to invite them into Google Classroom, Monday morning and the teacher asked me if she could modify the theme for her cooking class. I told her unfortunately that was not possible.  Later that date I saw a tweet stating Google had updated Classroom features to change themes.  The students had made mozzarella and we changed the theme to reflect the class.   In addition, many students installed the Classroom mobile app and took pictures of their work and added to the classroom.
   
   Last week I planned a project and materials for a Poetry Project using WeVideo, halfway through the project this week WeVideo made changes to their online editor. See below for more details.
   
2. WeVideo makes updates to their online video Editor
   The latest updates to WeVideo's online video editor consolidated the features of the "basic" and "advanced" editors into one product. In combining the two editors into one WeVideo made it easier to edit the tracks in your video productions. You can now simply click on a track to edit it. The other big update to WeVideo is the new option to preview your visuals while recording a voice-over at the same time. (blog post)

While working on the Poetry projects I converted the rubrics into a Google Spreadsheet and hope to introduce Classroon with Doctopus and Goobric to streamline the grading process.  We collected all the published Poetry Projects links using a Google Form for multiple classes. This is going to allow teachers to streamline their evidence and collaborate on assessments.

It's great working with teachers to integrate into the classroom but it can be a little tricky when updates happen midway through the project.  We were able to adjust and I am so please to have streamlined this project with teachers.

Planning a Project

This week I am gearing up to work on one of my favorite projects with several sophomore classes. The Favorite Poem Project.  I have done this over the years using PC's/MovieMaker and the students have created amazing projects.  This year we are shifting the assignment allowing the students to use their "BYOD" device along with a choice of programs (WeVideo, MovieMaker, iMovie or any other tool that is available on their device).

Students will select up to five poems that has specific meaning or a connection to them and state the reason they have selected the poem.  Once approved (see assignment and process posted by the teacher). students will be required to use a Storyboard to plan their project.  I have provided students with google doc/storyboard templates along with paper/pdf files for planning.  Today, I noticed a StoryBoard Challenge on twitter link  focusing on why storyboards important and a few examples. This will serve as a great discussion topic with my teachers.  Student are required to follow Copyright when working on the project.  I have used the "Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for School Projects" adapted by Kathy Schrock.

Some of the students plan on using WeVideo connected to their Google Accounts. The project was altered to include video of the student discussing their connection to the poem.  Students may use their phone to record video and also explore the web-cams on the chromebooks.

I will be creating a Google Form to collect the student names, poems and project links.