MACUL Presentation - March 8, 2012
The Lincoln High School LADLE project - infusing technology into challenge-based learning
As part of the LADLE project, I asked myself: how can I effectively infuse this new Apple technology into the student’s learning to make it more enriching, worthwhile, and real-world.
The answer: use challenge-based learning.
Tools: Mac Books (with great programs like iMovie, iDVD, iTunes, etc. built right in).
The big idea/essential question:
How could the students involved in WLHS use their skills to be more of a service to their local community?
Students used Pages to to start brainstorming ideas. In the end, we used Google Docs to collaboratively “share” one common document amongst the entire group.
Overview/what they came up with:
In these times, people rely on broadcast media (TV, radio, internet, social networking, etc.) to get their information. Since WLHS had the equipment, skills, and jurisdiction to provide this informational media and broadcast, they would use this power to deliver important news and information to their community. They knew that a lot of good things were going on, but many people in the community just wasn’t aware of them. By spreading the good word, those that could benefit the most from it would reap the benefits, and those running the programs would get more of the clientele they needed.
The answer: use challenge-based learning.
Tools: Mac Books (with great programs like iMovie, iDVD, iTunes, etc. built right in).
The big idea/essential question:
How could the students involved in WLHS use their skills to be more of a service to their local community?
Students used Pages to to start brainstorming ideas. In the end, we used Google Docs to collaboratively “share” one common document amongst the entire group.
Overview/what they came up with:
In these times, people rely on broadcast media (TV, radio, internet, social networking, etc.) to get their information. Since WLHS had the equipment, skills, and jurisdiction to provide this informational media and broadcast, they would use this power to deliver important news and information to their community. They knew that a lot of good things were going on, but many people in the community just wasn’t aware of them. By spreading the good word, those that could benefit the most from it would reap the benefits, and those running the programs would get more of the clientele they needed.
WLHS students interviewing an adult volunteer at the Clothes Closet.
Solution/Action:
They first needed to find out what kinds of good things were happening around the school.
They acted as investigative reporters, exploring and interviewing the people involved in: academic programs, sports programs and events, teachers, students, administration, community and adult education, extracurricular activities, community forums, etc.
Once they found out what was out there, they wrote/created mini-documentaries that they would go and produce into short videos. Call them PSA’s, documentaries, infomercials, news broadcasts, interviews, etc. These would be brief, high-quality videos that they could broadcast online (via e-newsletters, websites, YouTube.com, local cable networks, etc.) that would quickly get the positive stories to the people.
The people of the community could be educated as to the good things offered and happening right at the school so they could take advantage of these opportunities, better themselves, and in-turn contribute back to the community.
Guiding Activities:
The school social worker had recently created what she called The Clothes Closet: a type of “store” (staffed by community volunteers) where people could donate good-condition clothing and other household goods (including non-perishable food) so that needy people in the area (including students) could “shop” without paying anything. It gave people in the community a place to donate their used goods, and the people that needed them a place to get the goods.
This was a great resource, and we felt that people needed to know about it. So, we decided to do an informational PSA on it.
The students needed to develop contact the subjects to be interviewed to set up appointments, develop interview questions, write scripts, storyboard the video plan, line up the equipment to be used, conduct the interviews and shoot the footage, edit their footage and produce it into a high-quality product fit for public use. For most of these tasks, the students needed to be taught/trained on how to do them.
They first needed to find out what kinds of good things were happening around the school.
They acted as investigative reporters, exploring and interviewing the people involved in: academic programs, sports programs and events, teachers, students, administration, community and adult education, extracurricular activities, community forums, etc.
Once they found out what was out there, they wrote/created mini-documentaries that they would go and produce into short videos. Call them PSA’s, documentaries, infomercials, news broadcasts, interviews, etc. These would be brief, high-quality videos that they could broadcast online (via e-newsletters, websites, YouTube.com, local cable networks, etc.) that would quickly get the positive stories to the people.
The people of the community could be educated as to the good things offered and happening right at the school so they could take advantage of these opportunities, better themselves, and in-turn contribute back to the community.
Guiding Activities:
The school social worker had recently created what she called The Clothes Closet: a type of “store” (staffed by community volunteers) where people could donate good-condition clothing and other household goods (including non-perishable food) so that needy people in the area (including students) could “shop” without paying anything. It gave people in the community a place to donate their used goods, and the people that needed them a place to get the goods.
This was a great resource, and we felt that people needed to know about it. So, we decided to do an informational PSA on it.
The students needed to develop contact the subjects to be interviewed to set up appointments, develop interview questions, write scripts, storyboard the video plan, line up the equipment to be used, conduct the interviews and shoot the footage, edit their footage and produce it into a high-quality product fit for public use. For most of these tasks, the students needed to be taught/trained on how to do them.
The Clothes Closet even offers non-perishable food.
Equipment used: Canon pro-sumer cameras, iPods (with photo and video capability), Mac Books (iMovie, iDVD, Pages, iTunes, Garageband, etc.), specialized software (Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, Communicator).
Finally, the videos were made into singular files (MP4 files) so they could be emailed, posted/shared to the web, put on the school’s web-page, uploaded to the WLHS YouTube channel.
What were some of the different types of skills they exercised during this activity?
How did the students that made the videos benefit from the experience?
How do you think it made them feel to be part of this project?
Quantifiable Assessment:
The students then gathered data to see if they noticed a difference. They looked in terms of before and after; they found out how many people were visiting the Clothes Closet before the video was released, and how many people were visiting it after. They also tried to find out if the people visiting the Clothes Closet saw the video.
If the number of clientele increased after the video, and most of the people visiting the Clothes Closet said they saw the video, then we can assume that the increased traffic was due to the video.
Finally, they packaged their findings/results in a Keynote slide-show, which they went back and attached to the end of the video to show people the “aftermath”.
Finally, the videos were made into singular files (MP4 files) so they could be emailed, posted/shared to the web, put on the school’s web-page, uploaded to the WLHS YouTube channel.
What were some of the different types of skills they exercised during this activity?
How did the students that made the videos benefit from the experience?
How do you think it made them feel to be part of this project?
Quantifiable Assessment:
The students then gathered data to see if they noticed a difference. They looked in terms of before and after; they found out how many people were visiting the Clothes Closet before the video was released, and how many people were visiting it after. They also tried to find out if the people visiting the Clothes Closet saw the video.
If the number of clientele increased after the video, and most of the people visiting the Clothes Closet said they saw the video, then we can assume that the increased traffic was due to the video.
Finally, they packaged their findings/results in a Keynote slide-show, which they went back and attached to the end of the video to show people the “aftermath”.