Project Planning Sheet

Photo Montage

Goals:

The objectives of this lesson include becoming familiarized with a Photo publishing or movie making program to create a finished product that informs a group of peers or parents about what is happening in my classroom, or a little biography of my teaching experiences. A video making program such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker would be a fun tool for communicating both with parents and school administrators to provide a concise look at what is happening in my classroom. I have discussed communication is vital to the success of education and this assignment would encourage open lines of communication as parents of the students in my classroom would become more aware of the activities we are doing as well as staying up to date on the material we are covering. As a biology teacher this video is a neat construct of the fun incorporated into my classroom.

Content Standards:

This assignment follows and meets the National Educational Technology Standards as well as the Performance Indicators for teachers in particular:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a.	promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.	engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
c.	promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d.	model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.	design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b.	develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
c.	customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
d.	provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.	demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
b.	collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
c.	communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.
d.	model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:

a.	advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.
b.	address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
c.	promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
d.	develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:

a.	participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
b.	exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
c.	evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.
d.	contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.

Description of Assignment:

By using a movie making program, I will make a product that displays particular aspects of my classroom for parents and members of the community to view.  It will be creative and fun way to show the content we are covering in my classroom or whatever I deem necessary to display through video montage. The video itself, shows my comfort as an instructor with using these types of programs and that I encourage interactive learning in my classroom.

Reflection

I had never really considered the possibility of using a movie making of photo montage program in my classroom before this project. In fact I was at first skeptical that a photo montage or video program could be used in a science class effectively by the students. I guess my misconceptions stemmed from the fact that this was never a method employed by my own teachers. However after working on this assignment, I can see how this would be especially effective for students to use to create their own videos or for personal use of communicating with parents in addition to displaying my own tech savvy.

By using these programs and encouraging students to be comfortable with them in the classroom, it demonstrates a unique way of thinking about material. As a future Biology teacher it would be relatively simple to assign my students video or photo projects to demonstrate their knowledge of a particular scientific process.

At first I was nervous that by producing a video, students would focus more on the “flash” of making a production, than actually on the material they were supposed to be conveying through the video. But during our discussions of mixed media when I brought up this problem, Adam H. mentioned in his post this was a technique one of his science teachers used to convey the concept of cell organelle functions. Adam related through his post that this video was a critical reason for why he still remembered all the functions of the organelles in a cell. I then realized using a video project would actually encourage learning by doing (something that is integral to studying science).

As many of us know from personal experience, students learn best by doing. Therefore using a video program while teaching students about making a video, also imparts the knowledge they have to incorporate into the piece. This actually relates to a article we read that claimed that the best computer programs are “dumb” or better explained as the programs in which you must enter your own knowledge: for example a video program. The program itself provides no information, only formatting tools to create a complete finished product. The creator of the piece must provide all the information to input into the software, precisely where learning by doing takes place.

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