Useful tools in the classroom.

For the last couple of days I have been examining different tools for use in the classroom. In this blog, I am going to focus on just one tool, Windows Movie Maker.
 It is so important to keep an eye on not just what your learners are taking in, but how and why? You see, there has to be a reason for using a tool. You cannot just introduce something because it is pretty or makes you look good. Ask yourself questions about its usefulness as a tool. How is it going to improve your learning and the learning of your students? Is it going to provoke enquiry, interest and further investigation? Does it have a message? Will your students be engaged to want to look into an idea further? Will this tool be used in a professional, ethical and safe manner?
You have to be aware that posting photos or videos of students where they can be identified is not acceptable practice. However, with care, you can use children and they can use each other. Permissions need to be gained from parents and rights and wishes respected at all times. A video can be a celebration of learning. When made by learners, it can be used as a platform to showcase the work of students. The sense of achievement and the digital footprint can be used by the learner to assist in future endeavours too. It creates a sense of community as they work together to make their own videos.

 I made "My Family", a short video, using some photos I had taken, funnily enough on my son's school excursion to Alma Park Zoo in Brisbane last year. The animals provoke the questions, Am I your family? and Can you help me find them? To me this short video could be used to help children understand that though the Peacock is a bird and a specific bird of  beauty, he and his family belong to a wider world and are a part of the animal kingdom and ultimately a part of the world environment. Children can begin to think beyond "It is a bird" and begin to think about relationships with others. They can move to questions like:

•  How are they different? What makes them different?(patterns and connecting)
• Do they co-exist peacefully? (observing)
• Does the environment sustain these creatures together in a balanced manner? How? (Food, Habitat, Food chain dynamics, etc.) (critical thinking and exploration)
• Who am I? Are my family different or the same? Where do we come from? Do I make a difference to my world? How can I help to improve my world? (Tracing origins)
• Does everyone's family look the same? Is it alright to be different? Do my differences and similarities make me a part of something bigger? (Connections to family and the world, making sense of the world).

This in turn will lead to lesson plans about the environment and sustainability, scientific experiments,cultural differences and integration or inclusion,habitats around the world, just to name a few. There are many different paths that this little video can begin for a journey of discovery that will engage and create meaningful, relevant learning for all involved.

In Kerri Smith's book "How to be an explorer of the world" (2008) (as cited in Gregson,2012, pp.7-9) suggests that it is important to search around and look closely because everything around you contains stories and if you look at the puzzles around you, you will find treasure in the most surprising places.

Have a look at my video and see what uses you could put it to? Does it provoke any questions and give you ideas for future lessons? My mind is racing as I write this and I hope that this idea has extended your vision for the classroom using Windows Movie Maker (previous versions called Photostory). It is a wonderful tool.

References:
Gregson, R. (2012). Connecting with science education. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.