Monday, April 13, 2015

Thing 17: DIY

I love that we were able to complete a DIY thing during this track. It gave me to opportunity to not only explore a new tool, but find a way to promote the library by creating a PSA. Ever since I started at Lake George, I have been working hard to promote the WISE model of Inquiry. In fact last year, my aide, who is a fantastic artist, and I designed a poster for the WISE model that is now displayed in every classroom. The poster has really catapulted our student and teachers understanding of inquiry and the idea of learning how to learn. I really wanted to build on this momentum and further promote inquiry and the library. I decided that I should build a PSA for the library.

I had heard lots about PowToon and was looking for a reason to learn more about this tool. I decided that I would create a PSA using PowToons. I love how professional the videos look that are made on PowToon and was hoping that it would be intuitive. I have to say that you can easily make a basic video by dragging and dropping with this tool. However, once I got into the timing of making images pop-up and fade away it got a little tricker. I eventually learned how to use the timeline tool at the bottom, but I know that when I make my next video I will need to teach myself again. That part of the tool certainly isn't as intuitive as I would have liked.  However, I wouldn't let this stop anyone from using this tool though. It has so many great images, templates and styles to choose from and the great part is you can mix different themes together. You can add uploaded images that searches free to use and share images, unlike other tools. It also allows you to embed video and add music from a long list of quality choices. The opportunity for creativity is endless! I know that I will be using it again and am already considering opportunities for student use.

Our sixth grade team is doing a writing unit using the theme of teen activism. I can certainly see the students making PSA's for their causes as an extension to the writing unit. PowToons would be a great tool for them to use because it certainly can be differentiated for all abilities. We use I-Movie at our school for most all our video creations and I think this is a great alternative since many students do not have I-movie on their home computers. There of course is a premium option, but I feel that the free version is quite expansive and perfect for what we as a school would need.

Below is the PSA that I created for the library. I uploaded it to youtube and have embedded it on the library website. If anyone would like to use it, they are more than welcome to!



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