Video Creation

What I Learned

I think that, in making this video, my experience was similar to that of a student. I first had to decide what kind of story I wanted to tell and how I was going to tell it. What visual information was necessary for the video to work? What could I exclude? What props did I need to create? What would be the sequence of events? How does the app work?

I was reminded through this process that creating a video, even a short one, is a lot more work than it seems. The rule of thumb in lesson planning is three hours of planning for one hour of instruction and that seems to apply here as well, but with a greater ratio. A 29 second video took about 2 hours of work to create from start to finish (1:248).

Throughout the creation process I was also reminded time and again that I, the creator, must pay attention to how my message will be received, especially where the visuals are concerned. I chose to include written text in order to solidify the interpretation of the story line. This also follows the advice of Glenda Rakes (1999): "The use of visuals with text can provide that dual code that can, in turn, increase comprehension" (p.15). Rakes' statement is intended to aide teachers in getting information across via more traditional methods but I see no reason why it wouldn't apply here.

Use in the Classroom

I would apply this activity to the first project of the year for my Integrated Chemistry and Physics (ICP) class. In this project, students are asked to come up with a story that explores the themes from our chapter on gas laws and phase change. Most students choose to make a children's book, but I found making the stop motion video to meet similar needs.

Students need to understand concepts of visual literacy like lighting and color as well as the concept of framing (discussed by Hobbes & Moore, 2013, chap. 2). Students would need to break the task up into sections: concept, script, storyboard, filming, and editing. The process here would be the highlight, especially as students are required to check in with concept, storyboard, and final product. At the end of the project, students might pair and share with another student or team to discuss warm and cool feedback (Hobbes & Moore, p. 62) of their films. This feedback would address both the visual literacy side of things as well as the scientific content side. Finally, students would have a round-table class discussion about the project. What did they find difficult? What was easy to show visually? What symbols did different groups choose to represent the same content?

This is easily used as an authentic assessment since in order to create a film that makes sense, students have to understand the scientific content well enough to explain it to someone else. That is, they need to be able to explain it to a child in a way that makes sense. If students can produce a film that makes sense both visually and scientifically, then they show mastery of the scientific content but also control and understanding of the visual content.

1. Access
   • Students must find and be able to use a stop motion video app or program
2. Analyze & Evaluate
   • Students view the sample the teacher has created and analyze its contents
   • What is easy to see? What is not? What could be changed to make the message more clear?
   • What concepts are shown? What could have been included but was not?
   • How does/doesn't the video make use of visual components such as color, framing, expression, and lighting?
3. Create
   • Students compose and create their own videos. Students should go through the standard film-making process: concept, script & storyboard, materials creation, filming, editing
   • Students share their finished creations with the teacher
4. Reflect
   • What went well? What could have been better?
     • Consider your own use of color, framing, expression, lighting, etc.
   • Pair and share with classmates. Analyze and evaluate their video as was done with the sample at the beginning of the project. Use warm and cool feedback to give constructive feedback
   • How does making a video help to learn the content?
   • How does viewing a video help to learn the content?
5. Act
   • Round-table discussion: Look for similarities and differences of experience through the process
   • Take visual group notes on the board or overhead to show which experiences were most common
   • Discuss what students would change about their experiences
   • How might making this video change your perspective of videos you view in the future?

References

Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2008). Teaching Visual Literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Hobbs, R., The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action, Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute, November 2010.

Hobbs, R., & Moore, D.C. (2013). Discovering Media Literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Rakes, G. C. (1999). Teaching visual literacy in a multimedia age. Tech Trends, 42(4), 15.