Using a Video Mirror to Focus on Knowledge, Practice and Policy

Presented at 2003 NCSM Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX
Charlene Chausis, Technology Trainier, Adlai E. Stevenson HS, Lincolnshire, IL

Why Video?admit one graphic

A video mirror can tell important stories as part of "reflective practice" and ongoing professional growth and development, or to find "evidence" of learning that doesn't always appear on standardized tests or other assessments.

Reflective practice

  • Reflection and metacognition are essential aspects of constructing knowledge and meaning.
    (Lambert, L. et al., (1995). The constructivist leader. New York; Teachers College Press, p.18)
  • For learners to construct meaning, they need to understand and analyze their own learning processes.

Evidence of learning

  • Video enables detailed examination of complex activities from different points of view.
  • Video preserves classroom activity so it can be slowed down and viewed multiple times, by many people with different kinds of expertise, making possible detailed descriptions of many classroom lessons.
    http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/timssvideo/1B.asp?nav=1
    TIMMS Video Study 1999

Resources from Apple

Other movie examples:

"How to" info:

Getting Started:

Atomic Learning provides a complete step-by-step video tutorial for iMovie 2
http://www.atomiclearning.com/freeimovie.shtml

An Intro to Making Videos in the Classroom: http://www.youthlearn.org/learning/activities/multimedia/video.asp
Mapping, storyboarding, basic drawing techniques, and photography will all be covered before students begin videotaping. All skills are covered with instructions and examples to guide the educator as well as the students through the various processes .

Assembling your masterpiece:

Plan! Plan! Plan!

Make it look good:

About Editing:

  • Editing information: http://www.apple.com/imovie/edit.html

    WHAT IS YOUR STORY?
    "Editing, however, does more than just cut out the 'bad parts' from your material. It also shapes the material so that it flows smoothly, and tells a story to the audience in a clear, entertaining fashion. ...

    "Ideally, a good editing job should simply 'tell the story,' and not call attention to itself. This view is not intended to denigrate the rapid-fire stylistics of modern video editing--used appropriately, these quick cuts and graphics are extremely effective and dramatic. However, what works for a high-energy music video or action sequence may not work near as well for a video of a wedding or your vacation.

    "Like your English teacher told you, a story should always have a beginning, a middle, a climax, and a 'denouement' or wrapup--and that holds as true for videos as it does for books. Weddings and other special events are fairly easy stories to tell, since they follow a set 'script' of events that are supposed to happen. But what do you do when you're editing, say, vacation footage? This requires a conscious decision on your part about what story your video is trying to tell."
    Reference: Editing Basics by Timothy Liebe
    http://204.213.254.3/guest/?MIval=hzget2&id=1102

Consider important copyright issues:

Educators are permitted to make multimedia productions in order to teach students how to develop multimedia productions, to deliver curriculum-based instructions, to present at conferences, and to include in a professional portfolio. In general students may make a multimedia presentation to meet the specific requirements of a course; to perform or display the work in the course for which is was created; and to use it as proof of academic work. Students may use the production only during the time period of the class for which is was produced, but may retain the production longer for portfolio use. Educators may use the program in teaching courses for up to two years after the first instructional use with the class, but may retain the production longer for portfolio use.

How much material can be used?

  • Motion media: up to three minutes or 10 percent of the original production, whichever is less.
  • Music, lyrics, and music videos: up to 10 percent of the original work, but no more than 30 seconds. Alterations are not permitted to change the basic melody or character of the musical work.
  • Illustrations and photographs: not more than 10 percent, or 15 images, whichever is less. No more than five images may be used from a single artist or photographer. Copyrighted, syndicated cartoon characters are not permitted to be copied, even for educational purposes.

What might be done legally in the classroom, may not be legal once posted to the Internet, because many of the privileges granted to educators are specific to classroom use and not to transmissions.