Managing E-Learning Assessment Task 1-3: Reflection on making movies

Managing E-Learning  Assessment Task 1-3: Reflection on making movies

This weeks task has me exploring the making of movies and how we can use them in the classroom. I have previously completed making movies but have never uploaded them to blogs, wikis etc. so this part of the task was new to me. I have uploaded to this blog a movie that I made as a reflective assessment on my journey through 'The Arts'. This was done early in my University experiences in the subject, 'The Arts'. I found that I thoroughly enjoyed this tool and because of the ease of use, I went on and transferred my old VHS format videos of my family holidays/activities and old footy games onto the computer and then made these into 'polished productions'.....well....a little more professionally finished anyway. 
All photographs added to the following movie were my own so no copyright problems, and the music was courtesy of  Garth Brooks....myself and Garth both referenced in credits on the movie. 
While initially taking a little bit of time to figure out how each worked, the editing tools were easily navigated and enabled the adittion of titles/credits, music and captions fairly quickly and easily . Both the visual and audio components that were captured by cameras and VHS capture software could be  transferred in as a whole entity, which saved a lot of time and extra work. 

This video still has a very powerful effect on me when I watch it, combining the story of the music (which tells of how the audience creates the musician or artist) and the images (of my little ones). A moving combination for me......and something that can be just as moving if used by students in a suitable manner and situation. 

The old saying, "A picture tells a thousand words", certainly can ring true when students use moving images software and programs. Students can creatively produce presentations for assessment, homework, show and tell and many other tasks by engaging with moving visual presentations that can be saved and shared through memory stick presentation or via upload to wikis, blogs (as I have shown here) and also Youtube (all subject to accessibility surrounding school regulations). This is fostering the Bloom's Taxonomy stage of creating and gives students an opportunity to do so in a versatile and complex manner (Higher Order Thinking).

I have witnessed the use of video production in the classroom first hand during my EPL placement, as a group of students firstly planned, scripted and then acted out a 10 minute movie clip, finishing with editing of their production. It was a great way to see the student progress and ability across a range of KLAs from literacy to drama, and gave a very authentic format for assessment purposes. I will certainly be encouraging the use of this format in my classroom in the future, although I would imagine there would be a certain amount of teaching about the tool itself to the students before putting its use in to place by the students.