Saturday’s class turned out to be a lot of fun, even though the technology in the NSCC campus building was having ‘issues’. Our group of Amy, Bev and I were tasked to create a 60 second commercial on Assistive Technology using the iPod touch and the app ReelDirector from the Apple iTunes store. This app is listed as a powerful video editor for the iPod touch, iPad and iPhone and is in version 3.2 as of November 15th. Its reasonable price of $1.99 makes it an affordable app for purchase. I’m including a couple of YouTube videos that show how to use the app. The shorter clip gives a simplified (and funnier) version
while the longer video is more comprehensive.
This screen grab shows some of the features for the iPod or iTouch.
while the longer video is more comprehensive.
Reflection on the Creation of the Commercial
As a group of three we all had ideas to contribute and therefore we brainstormed separately, wrote down our thoughts and met to discuss and consider each other’s ideas. Once the main idea was selected, we again refocused on how to get our message across: we wanted the commercial to be engaging, entertaining and memorable and with that goal in mind we found ourselves making a storyboard list and problem solving for who does what, location in the building and time allotment. Throughout the process, we revised constantly as issues arose – all the while checking in for a consensus where everyone’s input was valued. In the end, we considered it a group production where we were all valuable contributors to the successful goal of a commercial on the benefits of Assistive Technology.
Although we were not able to share the video with the class as a whole, we were able to see another group’s video which we enjoyed. Hopefully, this coming Saturday, the ‘issues’ with internet in the building will be remedied so as to see the other group’s commercials as well.
The actual task of creating the commercial involved much more than using the app; it involved a group effort that began with the question ‘What are we going to do?’ and ‘How do we do it?. When all was said and done, we were happy with the result but at the same time realized that the actual ‘filming’ and processing of the video using the AT ReelDirector was only possible after collaboration among us that involved many processes - some taking more time than others - to get from start to finish. It is one thing to assign a project but another to really analyze what steps need to be done to get from point A to point B. Teachers often assign group projects to their students across the curriculum with the awareness that subject specific outcomes are being addressed. The following list touches on some of the outcomes and skills that were addressed in the process of creating this commercial:
Problem solving skills/outcomes: ex. organizing information | Project based learning outcomes: ex. using AT apps such as Pictello |
Communication skills: ex. negotiating to achieve consensus & comparing and analyzing ideas | Language Arts outcomes: ex. expressing ideas clearly and fluently |
Collaboration/leadership skills: ex. showing initiative & accepting feedback | Planning/sequencing skills: ex. taking an idea and composing a storyboard |
Social skills: ex. ability to successfully interact as part of a team | Research skills: ex. using the internet to find specific information |
Literacy skills/outcomes: ex. ability to convey ideas in print form | Technology skills: ex. the ability to successfully operate a software app |
Visual Arts outcomes: ex. creating images for a variety of purposes | Writing & Reading Outcomes: ex. decoding and comprehension skills |
