Learning New Technology
This week in class was my first time using an Ipad which was intimidating and exciting at the same time. I think in many cases, if I were to do a class lesson or unit using Imovie, my students may likely know more than me about the app. So in order to have an engaging class where the students are learning, I would need to start by finding out what they already know so we can build on their current knowledge.
One way this could be done would be to start out by having the students take some sort of survey to determine where they are now and where they want to go with digital media, specifically video editing. Though it may be a bit messy, I think it would be fascinating to use an inquiry based model to structure this lesson. I’ve seen this done in a classroom and it keeps the students engaged as they are the ones controlling their own learning. So after collecting and analyzing the data, I would be equipped with the knowledge of their goals and be able to determine which students could be paired up in order to help each other learn. I could also prepare myself by learning about the specifics of what they want beforehand so I could feel well prepared to answer their questions or guide them to find the answers to their questions.
For the inquiry model, I would give the students a few guidelines like length of the video to be created and a broad umbrella topic like popular culture. I would have them brainstorm ideas about what kind of skills an inquiry model and the specific lesson would help them achieve. This would likely require a lot of scaffolding to guide them to an understanding that working together helps build skills that they can use for the rest of their lives in and out of school. Skills like critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, leading by influence, adaptability, taking initiative, effective communication, accessing and analyzing information, curiosity and imagination, all of which are skills that are needed in the current and future workforce (Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/7_Survival_Skills.htm). They may also offer up suggestions that are geared towards more specific careers like videographer, games developer, marketing operations manager or A/V technician. Of course with an inquiry based model, the students decide where they want to take their project and how far they will run with it (within limits set by the teacher). So starting with backwards design isn’t really possible but some of the PLOs that I could guide the students towards might include; 1) Solve a design problem using one or more media arts technologies. 2) Create images using sound and movement. 3) Demonstrate an understanding of various career options in the media arts. 4) Demonstrate an understanding of the skills and training needed to pursue media arts careers.
One way I could help my students achieve the ability to demonstrate PLOs 3 and 4 may be to have a guest speaker come to talk to them, perhaps a marketing manager or even someone who works at a career center.
At the end of the unit, when the students and I have worked to solve their problems and achieve their goals, I would have a class viewing and students analyze and critique the work of their peers giving positive feedback. After, I would hand back the original survey that was conducted and ask the students to do a self evaluation based on where they were, where they are now and where they might go with their new knowledge and skills received from doing this collaborative inquiry based unit.
Unfortunately, the video my group made is too big to upload on this site. rats!
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