There is a place where fourth graders will be using Final Cut and every teacher has a multimedia hub as their “desk.” At this urban school, classroom teachers will be filming video documentaries as part of their jobs.
Welcome to Edison Elementary School in Kalamazoo, Michigan: A magnet school with new multimedia production facilities. I recently led a video journalism workshop with a core group of classroom teachers where I taught them how to make effective video reports. (Teachers call training “professional development”)
One of my Camp Video Journalism Orlando students, Anthony Gettig, produced this short video report from that week. Listen to the teachers - see the excitement on their faces.
Classroom Video Journalism from Anthony Gettig on Vimeo.
Anthony and the school’s principal have been promoting multimedia as a way to document the progress they were making with their magnet school program - primarily through the individual achievements of students and teachers.
Last week I was invited to teach more teachers from this Magnet School. When their classes begin in a couple weeks they will be making films for their lesson themes and also of their student projects.
Using the video form to document and enhance student self-esteem in the learning process. Brilliant approach.
And as soon as the Macs are turned on at their multimedia production facility Edison students will be taught how to use the video cameras, produce podcasts, write shows and make media matter for their peers and their community.
Fourth and fifth grade students.
Gettig expects to be able to “push down” some of these multimedia opportunities to third graders before long.
Gettig recently launched a lunch-time video club where students learn the fundamentals of filmmaking. It is so popular that he is able to use the club membership to enforce discipline and recognize achievement in other areas that students may be facing.
This magnet school in Kalamazoo, after all, is serving one of the poorest urban neighborhoods and video expertise is but one tool that the faculty will be using as part of their long-term game plan to transform their community. And they are already beginning to see how powerful visual storytelling can be in supporting that effort.
This is fantastic!. When I was first introduced to this it was almost therapeutic for me. There were things I wanted to say but had no words to express it. I would tell my story, share my feelings on things through moving pictures and through sound/music. At projects end my feelings resonated with those that watched my piece in a way I could not articulate through speaking or writing.
I have empowered some of my siblings with this technical knowledge and it has made positive differences in there life’s ever since.
That’s great! You’re helping launch a new generation of journalists!
What great skills and opportunity for these kids.