Video Project Tips

Andree Institute

Teachers

Designing a Video Project

[click on links for video examples / or right click and choose "save target as" to save a clip to your computer]

The Opening and Introduction:

Think of the opening as presenting material to your class for the first time. You're showing your audience something they're not familiar with. Get them excited about the material on the rest of the show. Inspire their curiosity.

In the following clip I use a chromakey effect with a green screen, but something like that isn't necessary. Let people see your classroom. Let them see where real learning takes place.

The Mythology Project: introduction (1 min 25 sec video clip)

Describing the Process:

This is the most important part. You have to put the project in some kind of context so your audience can understand the project's purpose, goals. It let's us see what students accomplished and learned on the way to the creation of their completed projects. It also reminds students of exactly why they've been working on something, just like you would sum up at the end of any classroom assignment or project.

The Mythology Project: process (2 min 50 sec video clip)

Presenting Student Work:

This is the easy one. Showcase your students' work. Letting them see that their work can have influence beyond the classroom is the greatest motivation I've found to inspire them to do their best.

The Mythology Project: student work (2 min video clip)

Anybody Can Create a Great Video Project

the ushers

With the advent of inexpensive editing software it has become possible to produce professional looking videos that are light years beyond setting a camera on a tripod and recording student presentations. This software allows you to shoot interesting camera angles and piece multiple takes together, add music, voiceovers, and titles like the pros.

The key to video projects is to create projects meant for video (groups dramatizing stories, public service announcements, an infomercial type show that demonstrates how-to do things), not to just film students reading in front of a camera, or other projects that don’t translate well to film. You want to create something interesting and dynamic that someone would want to watch even if their child wasn’t in it.

Think about what The Children’s Television Workshop did with shows like The Electric Company and Sesame Street with less technology and ability than we now have on a standard laptop. What they had were ideas, something that our students are brimming with.

Aside from producing great content for EDU-TV consider other broadcast options for the videos you've worked so hard to create. Convert your videos to files that can be posted on your school or class website (so students and their families can watch when it’s convenient, and can watch as many times as they’d like).You might even consider creating you own channel on YouTube. It allows you to create your own channel and post videos free of charge for the world to see just like all the big broadcast networks are doing now. Check out my site at www.youtube.com/andreeinstitute.

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