Video in the Classroom

    Let's start with an assumption: For students today, the preferred medium for communicating, interacting and learning is video. To clarify, video is not just about films and television. It's also about YouTube and Vimeo and Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook Live.  It's a single word that embodies the non-stop fascination so many students have with captured images that tell a story or capture a moment.
    Derek Martin, veteran US English teacher, not only grants the assumption, but also has found ways to act on it. He has, over the years, re-shaped his teaching strategies to actively include and create video content. Derek, like many teachers, has come to see that students learn content, process information and form associative links more powerfully through lessons with a video component.

Albert Camus' essay, "The Myth of Sisyphus," explores existentialism.

     Each year, in Derek's senior year World Literature class, students learn about Existentialism through the writings of certain authors. In this class, you'll encounter Camus, Kafka, Borges, Sartre and the like. You'll grapple with existentialist philosophical challenges as you discuss the nature of Existence, Essence, Freedom, Responsibility, Time and Authenticity.  What do these words represent as we try to live out their meaning? Is a life of value if it always falls short of the goals each of these words implicitly suggests?
    Existentialism is, to be sure, a difficult idea to learn. It's abstract. Sometimes discussing the topics associated with existentialism seem to lead participants down a rabbit hold of "what ifs" and "it depends." It would be helpful if students could use more concrete tools to learn about such abstract ideas. For Derek, video is the solution.
     As part of the unit on existentialism, students will work in teams of four or five students to create a film with an existentialist theme. Films are often school-based because the scene locations are very available.  Some examples of plot lines might be the challenges of being a social pariah, a student witnessing academic dishonesty or a teen trying to break loose from overly restrictive parents. The key is that in the film existential concepts are presented, hopefully in intriguing and subtle ways.

    When more than one group creates a film exploring the same theme, an opportunity for conversation is created. How and why do the portrayals of the theme vary? Is one approach more effective? Why? These conversations deepen a student's ability to think critically. And what about the process of adapting ideas and writing to a visual medium. According to Martin, it's another excellent example of how critical thinking is developed through the creation of a film.

    Derek's rationale for the film assignments? "Films add a layer of visible tangibility that helps students learn and remember."  And it's not just the visual cues that help students to learn. A good film will have a powerful audio track that might feature dialogue, music or sound effects that can really add punch to images.  That "visible tangibility" helps students remember and respond in special ways.  It's why when you ask students "Have you read 
this?" you typically get a lackluster response but when the question becomes "Have you seen this?" the response is most often an animated, enthusiastic yes.

    I've taught filmmaking for years and have used posts in this blog to offer the opinion that it's a terrific course for students because it helps them get more familiar with technological tools. Filmmakers must be conversant with an array of digital devices, must be conversant with file formats and need to be adept with editing and other software.  This skill set can translate easily to other areas of technological learning. 
    Derek understands the centrality of technology in creating the film and that's why when he begins to build his film groups, he always starts each group with a student who has advanced knowledge of film editing software. That student will not only help ensure the end product is technically solid but also will help mentor others in the group. That mentoring will come after the camera is put away and the students huddle around the computer to make editing decisions. Our "tech expert" might be at the dashboard, but it is the group that talks through the end product. In the process, two things happen. One is that all the students learn more about the editing software. The other is that all the students again engage in a critical thinking activity.
     "Students live in a video world." We can all think about ways to use that fact as we craft our classroom lessons. This doesn't mean we show movies all day or have students endlessly create films for every class.  It does mean, however, that finding appropriate ways to integrate some video learning activities into your curriculum can help promote learning and critical thinking. By any standard, these are good curricular outcomes. See for yourself in the films above, each completed by a group of World Literature students.
     

New Year, New Resolutions

    2017. Happy New Year! For many, a new year means thinking hard about goals to establish and reach. We call them our resolutions, of course, and I want to offer some thoughts about a particular set of resolutions you may want to create. Let's call them New Year's Tech Resolutions.  I got to thinking about Tech Resolutions after reading a NY Times article about the subject. This post draws considerably on the ideas in that article.

    I think it's a good idea to put password management on the top of your resolution list. The reason is simple: without good password protocols, you are at risk to lose your data, your operating system, your financial health and maybe even your identity. High risk doesn't even begin to describe those possibilities. So let's start with passwords in the new year. 

    We're all familiar with the problem of password overload. At GSB, there are passwords for KnightSite and Office 365 and the network log-in and the wireless network. Depending on your position and needs, there are also passwords for Accelerated Reader and Destiny and Naviance and FAWeb and Instant Alert and Pickatime.  Many teachers utilize websites that require a log-in with password. Add in your personal life - your apps and sites and devices - and suddenly you have a couple of dozen log-ins with associated passwords.  If you're more deeply into the world of technology, it's not at all hard to acquire 50 or more accounts each requiring a password.

    To complicate the password morass, some of your passwords might be considered "high stakes." Passwords that protect access to bank accounts, financial institutions, credit cards and the like are clearly in this category. Here, a password breech could be devastating. What can be done?

    The general advice about passwords should become your first tech resolution. That advice is "use complicated passwords and create different passwords for your accounts."  A complicated password can be defined as at least 8 characters long utilizing a good mix of character types (capital letters, small letters, numbers and symbols). But the challenge is immediately obvious to all of us. With all those accounts, how can you possibly keep it all straight in your head?

    Here's what I did. I created a spreadsheet with account names that also listed user names and passwords.  Then, I password-protected that particular document.  I then uploaded that document to my Dropbox account. With the Dropbox phone app, I have easy access to my file of account log-in information. I also need two passwords (a form of two-factor authentication) to get to the information; one for Dropbox and another for the spreadsheet document.  

   There are apps that provide similar services now. LastPass and 1Password are two examples. They can also provide you with complex passwords to use.

    I mentioned two-factor authentication above, and you've probably been prompted to use this protocol by one account or another.  Here's how it works. When you log in to an account with your user name and password, your account sends a text to your phone with a code. You then enter that code on the log-in page to complete your log-in process.  In other words, you authenticate yourself using two independent passwords.  This adds considerable additional protection against unwanted account access and is highly desirable for those high stakes accounts.

    A second Tech Resolution you might consider involves data management. What's involved? Organizing your desktop. Cleaning out unwanted photos. Making sense of your music library. Examining multiple devices to see if the data on each device is what you want there. In short, this resolution means your goal is to get control of the information you have stored on your computer(s), phone, tablet and in the cloud.

    A few people love managing and organizing their data. They like the aesthetic appeal of  a well organized place to work.  But for the rest of us, it's a bit of a chore. I would argue, however, that it's an important chore for two reasons. The first is that you'll be more efficient and productive while using your devices. You'll be able to more quickly locate information you need. The second reason is that your devices will also become more efficient.  Inevitably, after a few hours of culling and organizing, you've deleted plenty of unwanted files. Less storage allows machines to process more quickly.

     A suggestion to get started on your computer clean-up may seem odd but I think it's helpful. Change your home screen image to a single dark color. Most people like a personal image as their desktop home screen image but when layered with individual files and folders, the result is a very cluttered, confused look. So for clean-up purposes, change to a uniform, neutral background. Then, look at what's on your desktop and begin to decide for each file: does it belong in the trash, in a folder with other similar documents or should it continue to stand alone as an individual file? As you go through each file, your desktop will become more organized. When done, move along to your document section, your pictures, etc.

    File cleanup can take a bit of time or many hours.  But if the process is looking like a significant task, that's a reminder that it is particularly important to undertake. Data management does not take care of itself. The longer you wait, the bigger the burden. Make it a resolution to undertake data management this year.

    A third Tech Resolution to consider involves adopting usage habits that put a premium on an  environmental ethic.  Be conscious about recycling older devices. Minimize the disposable products you use, especially printer inks.  Own only the devices you'll need and use.

    This third resolution really needs the least explanation. It simply suggests that we all include our digital lives as we seek to live in an environmentally sustainable way. Few would argue the importance of a philosophy that states: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  But it applies to the plastic in your tablet as much as the plastic in your water bottle.  Finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint as it relates to electronics is a community good worth pursuing.   

    There are a variety of specific suggestions that can make a significant cumulative difference. Printing less is a great way to start. If you need to print, use the black and white option whenever possible. Color inks have a greater environmental impact because of the way they are manufactured. At school printing to a copying machine, as opposed to a traditional computer printer, is also a preferred option when available.  Disposing of used equipment properly makes a difference as well. Many towns sponsor e-waste collections. Companies like Amazon and Gazelle allow you to mail in devices, often for store credit or cash. Finally, being a more conscious consumer of electronics can make a real difference.  Occasionally, devices are purchased without much forethought and end up collecting dust.  Acquiring only what you'll use, whether for work or recreation, is both economically and environmentally sound.

   
    I could offer a few more Tech Resolutions but we all know it's easy to create these resolutions and easier still to ignore them.  I think a few well-intentioned, perfectly achievable goals are plenty. They key is to believe they matter to you and to others and then to act on them. If that's done, then your 2017 should be great, at least technologically. Good luck, and Happy New Year.