GAME Plan Evaluation

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

I feel that my actions were very helpful. I did not simply limit myself to one type of video editing software that I am used to (Movie Maker) and tried several programs. It was nice to get a “feel” for various programs. Experimenting with the sample programs that are commercially available has helped me to see a wider verity of possibilities than I thought previously available. I just wish many of these programs were not so expensive. I also still feel that Movie Maker is a great way to start off video editing instruction at the school level.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I have learned that a wider variety can lead to distraction. While I was experimenting with the commercially available editing software I found that I spent hours playing with scenes and applying the various transitions, video effects, etc. I was not used to such a plethora of options as I was with Movie Maker. It was not until I noted how much time I spent that I realized if a class of teenagers were to have the amount of options I had they might apply far to many effects and start to take away from their video. It would be “fluff” over substance. This is another reason why I feel Movie Maker is a great way to start. There are not as many effects so the students will not spend an inordinate amount of time editing their videos.


What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

I would like to take the editing one step further and start producing DVDs of the students' assignments. I have been experimenting with Windows DVD Maker that came with Windows 7 on my own computer for various personal projects. I would like to look into software for this as well. This way the students have a tangible project they can use as a demonstration of what they have learned. Otherwise, I have no new questions at this time about video editing software.

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

As stated in my prior post, I would like the students to produce a documentary using the editing process. In a prior class I came up with a lesson in which the students would study and write a report about various aspects of the 1930s culture in preparation for their in-class novel And Then There Were None. The students could produce a documentary focusing on the various aspects of the 1930s such as pop-culture, fashion, politics, world events, etc. This way the students are not simply writing a report, they are working with the various photos and sources to produce a visual component that will represent what they have learned.

Shawn

GAME Plan Questions and Reflections

1. Are you finding the information and resources you need?
So far I have found some interesting resources. I have also had some links provided by Lindsey that I will look into later this week. Panning of photos is something I would like to look into and Lindsey has provided some links to help me do so.

Update 3/24/11: I have just looked at the posts Lindsey provided. SHe provided some great resources for panning and scanning photos so as to provide a movement feel. The best and most accessible is MemoriesOnTV blog posting. It seems to be the most user friendly and direct software to use. I will download the software and experiment with it.

2. Do you need to modify your action plan?
The only modification I believe my plan will need is to strengthen the purpose. While my goal is to become better acquainted with video editing software for the students to use I would like to take that even further and make the ultimate goal to be to produce a documentary on a given subject. I do not want to students to simply stand in front of a camera and read from a research report while incorporating effects. I want a near professional documentary based on research conducted. The students will introduce and conclude the documentary and provide closing credits to use as a reference page.

3. What have you learned so far?
So far I have learned that most editing software is very user friendly. Some of the newer ones offer a variety of effects, panning, and transition features. In fact, I have learned that it might be best to stay with Movie Maker or Live Movie Maker. Granted, the effects and transitions and extra features are limited; however, I can just picture the students spending more time than is necessary adding all sorts of needless effects to try to impress one another. Limiting the effects will help them stay focused.

4. What new questions have arisen?
The only new questions that have arisen is where to find some decent converters. I want to be able to convert the videos over to other video file types (FLV, AVI, etc) if needed. AVI files take up less space than and WMV file. Some of the students may even prefer to convert to a different format. I have downloaded and tested one converter and it is working well, but it only converts WMV files to AVI files. Otherwise, I have no new questions that have not been answered already by responses or through research.

Shawn

Resources for GAME Plan

In my prior posting, the following was my goal statement: I would like to become more proficient with video editing software. I would like to know if there are ways of adding pictures, sounds, and other materials to a video clip. I feel this will help promote student learning and creativity (2.a) because they will be able to express themselves in a manner they feel comfortable with. I will also enforce the need for students to add ending credits to any and all video projects as a way of citing resources or materials used (4.a).

The resources I will need are a verity of video editing software to examine, tutorials on how to utilize software I am familiar with (mainly Movie Maker), and I will need to ask my Media Center specialist if she knows any programs or "tricks" for software our school has.

The additional information I will need is a list of the popular editing software and why it is highly regarded. I have already initiated a search; however some of the programs I have encountered as freeware are either old (as in does not support HD) or are notorious for containing Trojan viruses.

So far, I have sent a private message to a movie reviewer on YouTube who was a film student and asked him what kind of software he uses for his videos. He was gracious enough to reply to my e-mail and informed me he uses Power Director. I downloaded the program for a thirty day trial and I was impressed by many of the features. One feature allows you to crop the video, that is zoom in on a portion and crop off the top and bottom for a wide screen effect. The one major problem I have with the software is when I exported a video in AVI format it took up almost five gigabytes. I know it is exporting it in HD, but that is still too high. The clip itself was only twenty-five minutes.

I will still continue my investigation into editing software.

Shawn

My GAME Plan

The GAME plan is a process by which the teacher learns about technology or a specific portion of technology to learn how to integrate it into their curriculum and determine if it is a necessary or enriching technology (Cennamo & Erthmer, 2009). In order to facilitate a greater understanding of technology, the National Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) were created. He goal is to help integrate technology into the curriculum by providing teachers with standards to master. I will select two standards and provide my GAME plan that will assist with boosting my confidence with these two aspects of technology.

The two standards I want to focus on are:

2.a - design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
4.a - advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

GAME Plan – First section

G (Set Goals) – I would like to become more proficient with video editing software. I would like to know if there are ways of adding pictures, sounds, and other materials to a video clip. I feel this will help promote student learning and creativity (2.a) because they will be able to express themselves in a manner they feel comfortable with. I will also enforce the need for students to add ending credits to any and all video projects as a way of citing resources or materials used (4.a).

A (Take Action) – I have briefly skimmed through some online articles; however, I found that simply experimenting with the software to be most beneficial. While there is better editing software, I will primarily stick to Windows Movie Maker. This is the software my students will most likely use and I would like to be proficient in its use.

M (Monitor Your Learning) – I feel I am picking up on the the material easily. I have used Windows Movie Maker in the past to cut scene from films to show in class, but I have never experimented with any of the features beyond transitioning from one clip to another. Transitions are simple as is typing in text to overlay the image. Positioning the text is also extremely helpful as I can create subtitles for a video clip if I have an ESOL student in the class.

E (Evaluate) – I feel I am meeting my goal. I know I still have a long way to go and I would like to master the art of editing itself (such as tightening clips), but I feel extremely comfortable with the technology. There are still several aspects I would like to explore such as freezing an image and zooming in on a particular portion of panning an image. I still have not found out how to accomplish this with Windows Movie Maker. I will need to check online, but I do not believe it is possible. I have been experimenting with an older version so Windows Live Movie Maker might have that option.

Experimenting with Windows Movie Maker has been an activity for some time now so I simply used my past experiance as a basis for my GAME plan. I know I still have much to learn about editing software and I would like to branch out from Windows Movie Maker in the future.

Suggestions are welcome.

Shawn

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.