• Today we will be taking some time to download SONY VEGAS for you on your laptops.  This process will take about an hour, so in the meantime........

THE FIRST CLASS




Introduction to DV Composing. Big ideas.

Meet the staff.

Dr. Suzanne Miller (our leader, the woman behind the curtain)
Monica Blondell
Steve Goss
Keith Hughes

We make a movie together.

The concept of DV in a DAY or a DV QUILT is used in order to get the critical buy in when teaching students.  There is a certain WOW factor that making a movie in an hour has.  While the crux of our CVCV mission is in larger genre student projects, DV in a DAY can be used at anytime to teach critical concepts in your class.  We will make  a movie called EDUTASTIC about general education ideas, you would us it to teach the Constitution or character dev. or scientific principles.

Here is our script.  I could of recorded it on the camcorder by filming my voice, my face.  This is a fast way to get a voiceover done when not near your computer.  Of course of you have a mic in your computer, this is also a fast method.

EDUTASTIC!

Educators are you still looking for that ever elusive magic bullet to good teaching?  Tired of Professional Development that deems to go on and on and on without really helping you in the classroom.  Well we, the good people of Edutox understand your frustration.  For the past 15 years, we at Edutox have  tested over 250,000 educational findingsThrough the miracle of science we have taken our own finding and created EDUTASTIC, the nation's most powerful eductaional learning system.  Don't believe me?  Well than take it from these fine educators who havetried EDUTASTIC.

testimonials......



So what are you waiting for, operators are standing by!

If you call in the next 95 seconds you can recieve a full year's supply of EDUTASTIC for only six easy payments of 99.99.  If your not completely happy with EDUTASTIC return it for a 10% free refund.  That's right folks, 10% for free.  Call now at 1-800-EDUTASTIC and join the growing legions of EDUTASTIC EDUCATORS.
That's 1-800 FANTASTIC.     Visa/Masterd NOT accepted.       This product is banned in Florida, Texas, Colorado and Papa New Guinea.
EDUTASTIC is not liable for anything that may result of its contents in your classroom.



BREAKING THE TEXT UP INTO "SHOTS" OR FRAMES.

(thinking ahead) Your first project will be to take text and do exactly this, break it up into segments to be filmed.

I have done that below.


1.  Educators are you still looking for that ever elusive magic bullet to good teaching?

2.  Tired of Professional Development that seems to go on and on and on without really helping you in the classroom?

3.  Well we, the good people of Edutox understand your frustration.

4.  For the past 15 years, we at Edutox have  tested over 250,000 educational findings.

5.  Through the miracle of science we have taken our own finding and created EDUTASTIC, the nation's motst powerful
eductional learning system.

6.  Don't believe me?  Well than take it from these fine educators who have tried EDUTASTIC.

testimonials......


7.  So what are you waiting for, operators are standing by!

8.  If you call in the next 95 seconds you can recieve a full year's supply of EDUTASTIC for only six easy payments of 99.99.
If your not completely happy with EDUTASTIC return it for a 10% free refund.  That's right folks, 10% for free!

9.  Call now at 1-800-EDUTASTIC and join the growing legions of EDUTASTIC EDUCATORS.

That's 1-800 FANTASTIC.

10.  Visa/Masterd NOT accepted.

This product is banned in Florida, Texas, Colorado and Papa New Guinea.

EDUTASTIC is not liable for anything that may result of its contents in your classroom.




STORYBOARDING

We created a class storyboard by brainstorming a shot for each section o our script.  So all in all we recorded ten shots.  You can see the final product on the main page. 

WE FILM AND MAKE THE FRAMEWORK
Model

• framing
• good lighting
• rule of thirds
• close ups
• angles
• sound proximity
• zoom is mostly a bad thing
• Shaken Camera Syndrome

They film a ten second testimonial.

Write voiceover.
Film concept driven shot while reading voiceover.  Be sure to model with Rob how to do this.

Groups film

Make the movie!!!!!!



What is it?

An “I-Speak” is a genre of DV in where the student “films” a selected piece of historical text or a self-written piece of literature.  The student(s) would record a narration of the text (or find and use the original if possible, add music and edit the final piece into a representation of the chosen words.




•    Framing. Still frame good shots, discuss what makes the shot powerful.  Convey the importance of the close up considering the environment you will be filming in.
•    Interviewing:  If students decide to include interview like footage, review the rule of thirds with them.  Once they can visualize their shot in thirds, have them place their filming subject between two of the “columns”.  Demonstrate a good interview frame as opposed to a weaker shot.
•    Lighting.  Model how light needs to be behind the lens.  If you are viewing a student film and you witness bad lighting, ask the question.  If your kids are aware it something that will effect the quality of their work, they will make adjustments.
•    Length.  Kids often have what I call “drunk-wedding” syndrome.  It is critical that kids begin DV with a 5 second rule.  If they cannot film their concept in less than 5 seconds that must justify it to me.   Short shots force meaning making more so than endless shots that go on forever.
•    Voiceovers.  Point out effective voiceovers; demonstrate how you can control the mood with your pitch and pacing.  Model the voice over method you have chosen.  Whether you are recording onto cameras or directly onto computers you will want to emphasize how to get a clear, crisp voiceover. 

• MUSIC.  EITHER BRING IN MUSIC (FILE/CD), try to use instrumental music as to not kill your voiceover.  You can find an instrumental selection online at FREE PLAY MUSIC.
  

I-Speak overview and ideas

The I-Speak Project
(Late September-Mid-October)
 

What is it?

An “I-Speak” is a genre of DV in where the student “films” a selected piece of historical text or a self-written piece of literature.  The student(s) would record a narration of the text (or find and use the original if possible, add music and edit the final piece into a representation of the chosen words.

Why is it the first recommended student project?

The “I-Speak” is powerful in its simplicity.  Since the text itself forms the foundation of the project, attention can be paid to some of the more visual and technological aspects of I-Movie.  Optimally, we see the I-Speak being a project, which should be implemented some time in between late September, and mid- October.  Other genres will allow a much wider range of choices for students to make in relationship to the curriculum content.  It is wise to spend quality time on the nuts and bolts of I-Movie, hence the “I-Speak” allows you to do this.

To group or not to group?  That is the question.

Much of this decision will be determined by your access to technology.  Before you start your project, coordinate with any other CVCV teachers you may have in your building. If you have a computer lab, sign up for it.  Whatever your situation is, work it to the best possible advantage.  Whether you allow students to pick their own groups or you assign them would of course rest upon your own professional judgment.

What “text” should I have my students use?

Your first decision as an Executive Producer will be how much creative control you allow you’re directors-in-training to have.  My recommendation would be to keep them on a shorter leash for the first few times you implement DV in your classroom.  For argument sake, lets work under the assumption that you would like to have the students choose their text from a list of pre-selected works (you having chosen them).   Within this scenario you may want to offer groups the ability to “find” or “create” their own text and then have it approved.

It is critically important that you facilitate the choosing of the text; there must be a curriculum litmus test.  Your students will be dissecting, investigating, conceptualizing and “playing” with their text for at a minimum a week of time.  This must be time well spent.  My litmus test for text choices is if it could be a topic on the regents’ essay then it’s almost always a good choice.  Avoid content-based topics that lack a connection to a critical theme.  By choosing something along the lines of a Chief Joseph talking about Indian removal or FDR talking about the response to the Great Depression allows the student to create layers of meaning through their manipulation of the various modes they are working with.  Choosing glossary definitions or dry fact based speeches will fail to create this opportunity for meaning making.  This rule hold true throughout the DV projects.  You, my friend, are the gatekeeper.

Social Studies Ideas and Links for I-Speak Readings

7th Grade: Early American History

 

Investigating and exploring the words of Native Americans could be a great place to start the year.  Here are some links to some great Native American speeches and writings.

1.    Native American Oral Tales and Songs
     http://members.cox.net/academia/naindex.html

2.    Native American Songs and Chants
      http://164.116.21.67/sal-poetry/poetry.php

3.    Electronic Text Center: Native Americans
      http://etext.virginia.edu/subjects/Native-American.html

4. From Revolution to Reconstruction
             http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/D/index.htm

5. American Rhetoric Online Speech Bank
            http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm
   
8th Grade: American History (Civil War to Present)
 

With the course beginning right in the midst of the Civil War I have provided a flexible lot of links below.  Depending on where you would like to focus, I thought text related to Sectionalism, the Civil War itself and Reconstruction would provide you with a wide variety of powerful resources to choose from.

1.  From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphles
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/

2.  Political Speeches and Commentary: 1849-1860
    http://members.aol.com/jfepperson/polit.html

3. Voices from the Civil War: Newspapers and Editorials
http://www.hstg.org/index.cgi/742

4.  From Revolution to Reconstruction
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/D/index.html

9th Grade: Global History (The Dawn of Time-Absolutism)

 

9th Grade presents a unique set of challenges when implementing an I-Speak early on in the year.  Quotes about geography or dry definitional type essays about vocabulary just don’t cut it.  I believe you have a couple of options, which differ a tad from the traditional I-Speak.

1)    Thematic I-Speaks.  Use your DV projects wisely and center them around guaranteed thematic essays.  For example, a good first project would be belief systems.  Religion is constantly used in the essays and having these seeds planted early will only make your job that much easier as your teach the rest of the course.  Consider using pieces of sacred texts, religious quotes and other belief system narratives.  Having I-Speaks of the major ideas of Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and the host of other world religions online and watched by students over and over and over has to be a good thing. 

I have provided some helpful links to resources that will aid you in your search for appropriate text.

•    Internet Sacred Text Archive Home       http://www.sacred-texts.com/

•    Religious Text Index            http://zarahemla.awardspace.com/

2)    Student Raps. You may decide to play it a bit more to script and decide the DV experience is worth lets say, something more basic skill orientated like Geography.  In this case, be creative and develop an assignment that has the student (group) to write poetically about a term. 

Perhaps a Geography Rap.  I will do glacier, with great hesitation.

Slow moving river of ice,
No game of dice, but a GLACIER, a GLACIER.
Got more fresh water than anywhere else.
Go put that on your saltwater selves.
On one hand you got alpine,
Forms on mountains not to outshine,
Continentals like ice caps,
Now that’s whack.
But global warming gots
My precious GLACIERS deforming, deforming.

Or perhaps Hammarabi’s Code with even greater hesitation.

Ancient Babylon, ain’t no joke.
Laying down the law on every bloke.
Along comes Hammy, don’t tell me.
An eye for an eye, will set us free.
Steal my goat and watch out Sam.
Government gonna kill ya, bam bam bam.
Now civilization begins right now.
By laying down the law, that is how.
Please do not let my shortened version of a lame rap about Glaciers or Hammarabi’s Code deter you or your students.  And please do not let Geography be your limit, be creative and explore your curriculum.  The only rule is to make it count!  Turning student written raps about your curriculum into a virtual “Music Video” would a powerful mnemonic aid, sure to increase student assessment skills.

3)    What is Culture? Considering culture is such an important part of the Global curriculum, you may want to consider something more personal, perhaps beginning with a written assignment.  There may be group semantics to work out but imagine a written essay about the cultural diversity of a family or the narrative of a student struggling with two cultures.  There are an unlimited amount of these types of assignments in where you could use the narrative of a student’s voice and layer it with Digital Video.  You may not get the maximum amount of curriculum content you may get in other projects but you will motivate your students and give them a voice, early on in your course.

10th Grade: Global II (Scientific Revolution-Current Events)
 

For a late September I-Speak project I would recommend using text from the Enlightenment and/or Scientific Revolution.  Not only will this project cover important individual contributions to the ideas related to Democracy but it will lock in a thematic essay concerning change.  Below are links to text related to those Eras.

•    The European Enlightenment
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ENLIGHT/ENLIGHT.HTM

•    Famous Quotes Throughout World History
http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/quotes7.html

11th Grade: United States History and Government
 

The I-Speak can be powerful and meaningful when applies to primary documents.  While the your first thought might be to dive into Colonial History, skipping a bit ahead to pieces of Common Sense, The Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights may prove to be more applicable.  Two projects come to mind when approaching the I-Speak and Primary Resources.

1)    The Direct Route.  You may decide direct readings and interpretation is the most straightforward approach.  You can guarantee yourself that students will be immersed in interpreting their text.  Your difficult job is choosing which pieces of these documents you want to assign. If you decide to implement this idea you have the choice to either find the pieces of text yourself or have the groups themselves choose their text after being assigned a broad topic.  After teaching the course for many years, I would recommend the following topics as possible assignments.
•    Common Sense or some primary resource illustrating the colonial strife held towards England.  Other choices would lie in such primary documents as the Stamp Act, The Intolerable Acts or the descriptions of the Boston Tea Party. 
•    Selected pieces of the Declaration would be a smart choice, specific grievances and the over riding ideas of consent of the governed and natural rights are sure bets for the Regents.
•    There are many pieces of the Articles of Confederation that would be smart selections.  Any text that illustrated the weakness of the Federal Government or the strength of the states would work.
•    The U.S. Constitution would offer the bulk of your selected text.  You may decide that the project should only be crafted using the U.S. Constitution, either way be sure to find selections that cover the following
a)    Flexibility such as the Elastic Clause and the Amendment Procedure.
b)    Checks and Balance examples from all three branches.  It would be a good idea to annotate these and provide them as one assignment.
c)    Separation of Powers.
d)    Inter-State Controls – Federalism Mechanisms (Interstate Commerce, Full Faith and Credit)
e)    Constitutional Requirements
f)    Constitutional Freedoms.  The Bill of Rights themselves offers a palette of excellent curriculum gems.

I have provided a couple of links to the primary documents you would need to find your text.

•    The Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/constRedir.html
Primary documents for US History, brought to you by your friends at American Memory.
•    Our Documents
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/
A handy dandy search engine, which will bring up hundreds of primary documents relate to American history.

2)    The Indirect Route.  Straightforward textual interpretation can lack a bit of the shine and creativity, so you may decide to have the students create their own pieces of original text.   One idea would be to have the students take an original piece of primary resource (The First Amendment) and turn it into a “rap” or “slam”.


Adding on to our Nation’s book,
Number one; let’s take a look.
Balancing the strong arm of the law
With the free man’s humble paw.
Speak out loud, fear none thee,
Freedom of Speech sure ain’t free.
Call out loud to gather round,
Assembly is one, we wear no frown.

I think you get the idea; I will stop in the name of justice and all that is hip with music these days.  Be sure to include some time to review the work created by the students, you will want to exercise your power as Executive Producer.

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