BLC16

"How can a structured multimedia project achieve the highest level of student engagement, collaborative learning, hands-on experience, and profound personal expression?

How does the process of creating an autobiographical film allow all students to succeed and be heard, regardless of their academic strengths and challenges?

How do we give voice to students’ experience and understanding of the world?

This writing/film project allows students to reflect on significant events or people in their lives by composing a carefully crafted personal essay that serves as the script for a 2-5 minute dynamic multimedia creation. Students are highly motivated when they can immerse themselves in interactive, project-based learning using the latest technologies. Equally important is their desire to tell their personal stories and to share these stories with others. This project is intensive, allowing students to be fully immersed in the writing and movie-production process, and ending with a demonstration of their refined technology skills and a powerful expression of their authentic selves. Examples of subjects for film include adoption, living with ADHD and other learning differences, memories of childhood, the challenge of competitive sports, perceiving and creating art, dealing with a parent’s illness or death. For many students, this is the most significant shared learning experience of the year. This project levels the classroom playing field; everyone has a story to tell, and all stories matter.

Workshop participants can expect to:
• Understand the importance of cultivating a student’s voice in writing and film and how this classroom practice embraces differentiated learning
• See how a personal essay can be transformed into a movie, which includes video footage, digital photography, a recorded audio script, and music
• Receive step-by-step instructions on how to teach this digital storytelling project with relevant web links and a rubric assessment of skills (these skills are transferable to any subject)
• Review excellent royalty-free media sites used to add music and other digital media to educational projects
• Appreciate the importance of creating a digital library of original media
• View the “Best in Show” student works
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