My school district approved a text which, had I been around to help out, I would not have chosen. It is confusing and frankly way over the heads of my students (considering most of my students were placed in the class because they are required to have an elective and are just now beginning to realize they can have fun and learn…but that’s another story, as is the fact most are below basic in reading and math skills). Anyhow, I had that textbook in the classroom and only used it once. I’ve been working off a list of what I believe students need to know to produce good stories, using the assignments on this blog to gradually build their knowledge. However, the lack of a text of some type for them to refer to is frustrating for both me and the students.
Solution – I guess I’m gonna have to make my own “text.” I operated at my last school with a list of resources and a CD with all assignments and examples of the type of projects I expected students to produce. It worked. This time I have all summer to put together a binder, complete with the following:
Table of contents
Class expectations
Class rules/procedures
List of required materials
Lab fee explanation
Equipment waiver
Movie waiver
Objectives (what students are expected to learn – they will check these off as they achieve each goal)
Assignments (team powerpoint, basic, animation, autobiography, dvd)
Terms/definitions
iLife (iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, iDVD, Garage Band) overview and instructions
Equipment diagrams (camera and tripod)
Worksheets
Resources
Insert with CD (student examples)
That’s it for the beginning students. The nice thing is, I can adapt and change as we get new gear or students move up to the intermediate/advanced classes – they can just add sections to their binder. This also gets me going on planning for a summer video boot camp I’m teaching at a local college as well as long term plans for the training section of think-news.
I’d appreciate hearing from you what lessons you feel are important for the rank beginner – the person who has a consumer camera and thinks they know it all (hey,they’re kids and they don’t know how little they do know). Or not. Let me know what you wanted to know (or want to know) when you first picked up a video camera and started shooting.
By the way – taxes are done (ouch), planning for the most part for school is done…just sliding into the last six weeks right now…and I’m down to one daughter in the house (and two out in the world).

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