The iMovie that Grace Taylor, Amy Crews, and I created is entitled "The Stages of Performance." This movie is designed to teach a sixth grade dance class. Our movie discusses the steps that a dancer must go through before a performance. We begin in the studio for instruction, the stage for rehearsal, and then the dressing room for the day of the show. The movie shows the dance students examples of studio space, backstage, a dressing room, and what the stage looks like from the perspective of the audience. Hopefully this introduction to performance will make the students feel more comfortable with the process once they know what will be expected of them.
Click here to view "The Stages of Performance"
In creating the iMovie I saw how digital images and movies can be helpful in the classroom. If the teacher creates the presentation, it is a great way for students to get to see examples of things that they are learning. If the presentation is created by the students they will learn how to communicate and demonstrate what they are learning in an organized manner. I also learned that making an iMovie is not as hard as I thought it would be. I had never done very much video work before, and it was a surprisingly user-friendly program. I think that it is a very beneficial tool for the classroom for these reasons.
The first lesson plan that I found is called All About Me , and it consists of a student making a video about his or herself in Spanish. This is a wonderful project because the beginning Spanish students will be able to use vocabulary they have learned in order to describe themselves, and then be forced to make coherent sentences that their classmates can understand. The students can talk about their likes, dislikes, personality traits, family, and anything else they feel like sharing about themselves. I believe this would be a LoTi level three because the students are using technology to accomplish something they could do in class by talking to their classmates. Making a movie, however, requires much more time, energy, thought, and preparation. Hopefully, when they are through, they can listen to their Spanish speech and learn how to make it more effective in conversation.
The second lesson plan that I found was the use of a program that helps with pronunciation and accents in Spanish. This program helps students learn about the phonetics of the Spanish language, therefore, making their conversation better. By learning how to pronounce the letters and words better, the students will increase their ability to communicate with native speakers. Hopefully, using this program will make students more comfortable speaking with a Spanish accent, as many students are afraid of sounding awkward. If their hear the correct pronunciation repeated during a lesson, then they should become accustomed to using that type of pronunciation. This would be an example of the LoTi level three use of technology because the teacher could pronounce each word and letter repeatedly until students get it right, but that would be very boring for the teacher and the students. By using this pronuciation tool, the students can be more interactive with their learning, and the teacher can be more readily available to help the students if they have questions.
I found another lesson plan that involved making a movie about what a typical day in their life is like. The movie would be made completely in Spanish, and the students could use the vocabulary and new verbs that they were learning in class. This is great practice for the students to put sentences together in a sequence of events, and possibly use different verb forms. This LoTi level three assignment allows students to creatively use their new knowledge of the Spanish language to create something that their peers will find interesting. In viewing other students' assignments they will practice their listening and translating skills by striving to understand what each other are saying.
The fourth lesson plan that I found is similar to the previous one, but instead of making a movie about the daily of the student, it would take a historical and cultural turn. The student would research the daily life of somethone living in a Spanish speaking country. This would allow the student to explore a different culture and the history behind it. After doing the initial research, the student would use video clips and digital images to show their classmates about the culture they researched. This is an example of a LoTi level three project because students are simply designing a presentation using new technology. In designing it, however, they are learning about a different culture and how all of the parts of it can be tied together in one presentation.