Introduction
The original inspiration for this project came from the "Choose your Own Adventure" books which I read as a boy. These are books in which the reader is able to participate in making decisions in the story. For example, the reader will be reading and comes to a page where an essential plot decision must be made. If you choose decision A you might go to page 23, decision B would send you to page 132, and decision C to page 45, for example. You continue reading the story, occasionally having to make similar decisions until your character either dies, or completes the adventure-be it a successful completion or not.
This project uses a similar idea but with the twist of digital video and web authoring. Language students have the opportunity to participate in the whole process from conception to micropubling. Students use all four language skills actively in a fun and challenging project. In this site I have outlined the steps required to suceed in this project, along with pedagogical reasons behind the project, screen shots when possible, and a link to a working example of an example story I have created.
Enjoy!
This project uses a similar idea but with the twist of digital video and web authoring. Language students have the opportunity to participate in the whole process from conception to micropubling. Students use all four language skills actively in a fun and challenging project. In this site I have outlined the steps required to suceed in this project, along with pedagogical reasons behind the project, screen shots when possible, and a link to a working example of an example story I have created.
Enjoy!
Steps to Success
Step 1- Teacher and Student Preparation
The teacher and preferably the students should be familiar with digital video and web authoring.
The teacher should be familiar with the whole process and make a sample video story, it is also important that the teacher is very familiar with the storyboarding process as outlined below.
As this project is quite extensive it is recomended that smaller projects be completed leading up to this final project. Suggested projects should be related to using digital video (Window's Movie Maker, or Macss Imovie; Along with working with Youtube.com) and webpage authoring using Weebly.com.
Step 2- Group and Role Creations
Students are placed in/form small groups. While the students should be expected to participate in all of the steps of the project, it is recommended that students are given different roles to take charge of. As different students have different strengths and likes and dislikes this is a way to help them suceed in this project.
Step 3- Brainstorm, Storyboard and Scripting
Students brainstorm to come up with possible ideas on plotlines for their story.
Students (or perhaps the teacher) decided how many segments (video clips) the story will have, and then follow one of the predesigned storyboard sequences. (While students may be capable of creating their own sequences it can become very confusing and so it is recomended to follow one of these predesigned sequences)
Some example storyboard sequences:
Finally the scripting for the story including it's various plotlines needs to be done.
Students (or perhaps the teacher) decided how many segments (video clips) the story will have, and then follow one of the predesigned storyboard sequences. (While students may be capable of creating their own sequences it can become very confusing and so it is recomended to follow one of these predesigned sequences)
Some example storyboard sequences:
| 3 video clips | 4 video clips | 5 video clips | 6 video clips |
Finally the scripting for the story including it's various plotlines needs to be done.
Step 4- Shooting and Editing
The groups decide on when, where, and how they will shoot the video, and do it! They could use something as simple as a digital camera that also has video capabilities, to a more complex tape or digital video camera depending on the resources available.
The videos then need to be edited with some sort of video editing software. Two free progams which should come with your operating system are Movie Maker for the Windows platform, or Imovie for the Mac platform. Movie Maker tends to be buggy for many users, but another free option which is better than Movie Maker in most ways is a program called VideoSpin. Additional sound editing could be done with Audacity which is also available for free. Movie Maker IMovie VideoSpin Audacity
The videos then need to be edited with some sort of video editing software. Two free progams which should come with your operating system are Movie Maker for the Windows platform, or Imovie for the Mac platform. Movie Maker tends to be buggy for many users, but another free option which is better than Movie Maker in most ways is a program called VideoSpin. Additional sound editing could be done with Audacity which is also available for free. Movie Maker IMovie VideoSpin Audacity
Step 5- Post Video Clips
At this points the video clips need to be placed in some online space. Using Youtube is suggested as the clips can easily be streamed and embedded into the future webpages of the stories. Students will need to be shown how to create accounts, upload their content, and how to get the embed code. Some schools have decided to block YouTube for various reasons, however there are alternatives to YouTube such as Yahoo Video, Blip.TV, and Teacher Tube.
Youtube Yahoo Video Blip.TV Teacher Tube
Youtube Yahoo Video Blip.TV Teacher Tube
Step 6- Putting it all Together
Next the video story is pieced together on student created webpages. There are many free sites to easily create basic webpages(full html coding capabilities is not my goal here with my students), the site used used for the two sample projects is weebly.com. This site allows for easy drag and drop capabilities, and therefore is easily manageable.
Other similar sites are Google Page Creator and SynthaSite.
Students will need to put all the content together and test all of their pages to make sure everything is working correctly.
Weebly Google Page Creator Synthasite
Weebly Google Page Creator Synthasite
Step 7- Sharing and Commenting
Finally students have the opportunity to show off their hard work and the teacher and other students are able to praise and ask questions about how they have done the project.
Pedagogical Rational
Meaningful Learning
Learning should have long lasting effects and be relevant to the lives of the students.
After completing this project students will have created something long lasting with a potential audience from around the world. They will have used their imaginations and gained additional practice in their talents of creative writing, acting, managing groups, and web authoring. They can show the projects to their friends and family and return back to them for extra motivation to continue learning.
After completing this project students will have created something long lasting with a potential audience from around the world. They will have used their imaginations and gained additional practice in their talents of creative writing, acting, managing groups, and web authoring. They can show the projects to their friends and family and return back to them for extra motivation to continue learning.
Contextualizing linguistic input
Language becomes more meaningful and is more likely to become assimilated when a context is provided.
In this project students are not simply learning about language, but they are learning through language. There are a number of contexts for the project: on the one hand there is the context of digital video scripting and production, and on the other whatever context their video requires. This second type is most important because it has been choosen by the students and they are therefore intrinsically driven to complete and complete well the project.
In this project students are not simply learning about language, but they are learning through language. There are a number of contexts for the project: on the one hand there is the context of digital video scripting and production, and on the other whatever context their video requires. This second type is most important because it has been choosen by the students and they are therefore intrinsically driven to complete and complete well the project.
Intrinsic Motivation
Students are more likely to succeed when they are motivated from an internal drive to succeed.
The activity in an of itself will probably be new, fun, and exciting to students, causing motivation from within. As was also already stated, students choose create their own topics, write their own scripts, and create their own videos-this is all student driven and intriniscally motivated.
The activity in an of itself will probably be new, fun, and exciting to students, causing motivation from within. As was also already stated, students choose create their own topics, write their own scripts, and create their own videos-this is all student driven and intriniscally motivated.
Learner Autonomy
Real learning potential occurs when learners are able to create their own learning opportunities.
While there is some essential direction and instruction from the teacher in the project, the students have a considerable amount of freedom and are able to choose their own roles in the project along with their own script.
While there is some essential direction and instruction from the teacher in the project, the students have a considerable amount of freedom and are able to choose their own roles in the project along with their own script.
Communicative Competence
The ability to speak a language is much more than simply being able to translate sentences, fill in blanks on a worksheet, or reply to questions from the teacher. A conscious effort should be made to provide learners with opportunities to communicate in real ways and in real life situations.
Students actively use their communication skills as they decide on a topic, write the script, complete dialogue as they are speaking,create their adventure web site, and share their adventures with other classmates.
Students actively use their communication skills as they decide on a topic, write the script, complete dialogue as they are speaking,create their adventure web site, and share their adventures with other classmates.
Integrating Language Skills
Real language is not compartmentalized into the four language skills, but exists as a combination. Taking the focus away from the skills and to communication itself is an essential element to effective language teaching.
All four skills are integrated into this project. Students are required to write scripts, read/perform the scripts both in editing and in learning lines, speak and listen during the filming of the scenes, write (type) their adventure webpages, comment on each others work and generally discuss throughout the project.
All four skills are integrated into this project. Students are required to write scripts, read/perform the scripts both in editing and in learning lines, speak and listen during the filming of the scenes, write (type) their adventure webpages, comment on each others work and generally discuss throughout the project.
Demo Video Adventure Stories!
Click on either of the screen shots for a short sample video story.
The Great Shoe Adventure- A three clip example
Vicious Love- A seven clip example
The Great Shoe Adventure- A three clip example
Vicious Love- A seven clip example
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