My Movie Project

Windows Movie Maker is some great software that I will be using in the future classroom.  I had no idea that this even existed until IT-365.  We had the opportunity to make a personal movie (pictures of family, friends, etc.).  I choose to extend my lesson on the United States of America.  I really wanted to create something that I could us e in the future.  Since I am hoping to get a job teaching social studies, history, or geography I created a video that would correspond with all three.  My video consists of national American landmarks (The Statue of Liberty), major US cities (New York), Oceans, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, Mountain Ranges (Rocky and Smokey), Volcanoes, and American Icons (Kelly Clarkson, Jay Leno, and Madonna).  The video is something that I can show my students before we begin our lesson on the United States of America.  During the course of this class, I have created a concrete and fun unit on America.  The Windows Movie Maker allowed me to create a great introduction to my unit.  I could also use this video as motivation in my lesson plan. I had a bit of trouble trying to create my video.  I started the project in the computer lab at the University.  When I got home to open the file all of my pictures were gone.  This is because I have a different program at my home than in the computer lab.  Well, I created the video again at home and could not get it to e-mail in the appropriate format because my computer did not have that format.  Therefore, I get to school to turn it in and had to remake the whole thing in about 10 minutes! I noticed some of my captions were not on the appropriate picture.  It was okay though… I had so much practice making the movie that it took me no time to create it again.  Plus… it gave me plenty of practice!  So it’s okay!  I will definitely be using this in my future classes.  Like I said earlier, it’s a great thing to use for motivation in a lesson plan.

NETS met:

My Movie Project met NETS standard 2a because it was designed to enhance student learning.  It was a learning experience that incorporated digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.  The project also fell under 2c because it was customized to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities to use tools and resources.  The video consisted of a wide range of topics that the students could relate to. 

Concept Mapping Assignment

During week 6, the class was introduced to Concept Mapping.  I really enjoyed this activity.  We learned how to create a concept map for a lesson or an activity that we would use in a classroom.  There were certain criteria that had to be met; I created my concept map on geography.  I love geography so this was an easy and fun assignment for me.  My lesson is about teaching students about the United States.  My lesson includes learning about the states, bodies of water (the two main oceans), volcanoes, the two mountain ranges, and major cities.  The concept map required five topic areas with at least two subtopics in each.  I will list them below:

Major Cities: Populations & Urbanization

States: Capitals & State Flags

Mountain Ranges: Rocky Mountains & Smokey Mountains

Volcanoes: Mount Shasta & Mauna Loa and Kilauea

One of the subtopics had to have its own sub-topics.  I chose to add more subtopics to the bodies of water because there is a lot of material to cover when teaching bodies of water in the United States.

Bodies of Water: Location, Salt vs. Fresh: 2 Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, and The Great Lakes

I really enjoyed the part of the assignment when we got to be creative!  The bubbles and links in the diagram had to be different colors and shapes (which made it fun).

This program is a great way to keep a person on track when they are teaching a unit.  I will definitely be using Concept Mapping in my future classroom.  If I have a map with the while teaching a lesson there is no way that I would forget something.  The great thing about Concept Mapping is it only takes an hour or so to create a great map!  The link is provided below:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BxsaBtml2NN1ZDJjNzRhYTctNmU3Zi00OTU2LTk1MjgtZWZjZTg0ZWY1MzI4&hl=en

NETS met:

The Concept Map Assignment met three different standards.  The first standard was 1a because the concept map promotes, supports, models creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.  The concept map is a great tool that helps guide a lesson.  The next standard that was met was 2a because it is designed to promote student learning.  It is creative and it adapts to the lesson and acts as a guide.  NETS standard 3d was met because it modeled and facilitated effective use of emerging digital tools to locate and use informational resources to support learning.