Environmental Health iMovie Project (Video)

Unlike previous classroom observations, today's online video focused on a project that was slightly different from the rest. At Central Community School (in Elkader, Iowa), two teachers, Ms. Susan Gnagy (English) and Ms. Barb Duwe-Peterson (Health), teamed up together and developed an interdisciplinary unit for their sophomore students that they hoped would, “encourage the students to combine their knowledge of environmental issues with their ability to persuade the audience.” To accomplish this task both the Health and English classes required the students to work on the same final project, which challenged the class to create a short (five minutes or less) video discussing a specific environmental health topic of their choice (such as pollution).

Before the students were allowed to start filming, Ms. Gnagy first lectured the class on the details of the project (choosing a topic, researching information, using resources, etc.), presented a sample video (created in a previous class), and encouraged feedback. Then, Ms. Duwe-Peterson helped each group complete a planning sheet and storyboard (with the assistance of Ms. Gnagy [Star Wars]) before assigning them to the next step. Once the groups had completed each of these components, Ms. Gnagy introduced the class to two types of video editing software, iMovie and Avid Cinema, and required each group to complete a tutorial before starting on their final projects (filming and editing process). For the final step of the project the students met with the school’s media specialist, Mrs. Garms, and discussed the importance of using credible dates and sources.

In order to accomplish these tasks, the students were required to use a number of tools that included the Internet, iMovie, Avid Cinema, the school’s media center, video cameras and more. When watching this video I recognized several strengths in this lesson, such as the integration of technology, that helped to make it a success. The teachers did an excellent job in dividing the students into groups (of two or three), setting a steady pace, encouraging motivation and peer teaching, and providing numerous examples (sample video, Star Wars). To me, one of the biggest strengths was the teachers’ ability to include prior knowledge and learning experiences into the lesson. By including topics that were previously learned in class (discussions on parliamentary procedure, partner pro/con essays, and the reading of non-fiction essays on persuasion) the teachers were able to add another dimension to the assignment, without the need of added instruction.

Even after re-watching the video online, the only part of Ms. Gnagy’s lesson that bothered me was the sample video that was shown to her students. Instead of presenting her class with a newer video, in which current technology had been used, Ms. Gnagy relied on a two year old sample that was created using outdated technology. Yes, it might give the students a starting point for their own videos, but how does it prepare the class for using the new technology?