Major Motion in the Picture!

This week was quite a busy one! I learned about a variety of resources to help me further my Genius Hour portfolio and recognized the role they could play in the classroom. For example, I was formally introduced to iMovie, which I technically have had for over five years now but never attempted to try. When I began, I justified why I had never touched it before, as it seemed impossible to use! I needed to fit my ideas and photos into their preformed examples, which at first I resented. However, upon further reflection, I recognized the relevance this type of activity could have in the classroom.

This week, I went back to volunteer at my placement school. I was so excited to see my Grade 2 students and observe what they have been learning about since I have been gone. Their topic in language was procedural writing and their teacher was stressing the importance of being concise. Naturally, this was not the focus of the lesson. But the students understood that when writing in a procedural way, for example in recording a recipe, there is no room for 'fluff' words. You must be specific, to the point and clear in what you are writing. I could immediately see the connections between their work and what I was doing on iMovie! Some students enjoyed being able to write concisely, because descriptive writing was not their forte. But other students adopted the same frustration as I did - they felt they could not fit everything they had to say in the spaces provided. 

I think it would be very interesting to see their lesson adapted with the use of technology, and observe how they work with a program like iMovie. I have no doubt that they would be more successful than I was, and I feel that the stress of physically needing to scribe the information might dissipate when put onto the computer or iPad. 

Needless to say, I can see the relevance of a program such as iMovie in the classroom. Although it was quite stressful to create, I am proud of the work I have done - especially because it is on a topic that I am passionate about! 

I will be posting it quite soon, but until then I will continue building my Pinterest page!

THE END (sticking with the movie theme of course :)