How will you use this resource to meet the needs of
your instructional purposes?
Well, the content of the lesson didn't change from last week so that part would stay the same. I guess in bringing this over to a CMS I would be able to have the students work more independently, possibly even doing it at home for a weekend or vacation project. The format would also allow for me to have a discussion board where students could answer each others questions or I could jump on and do so.
What directions or tech support will you provide students before the lesson (or before accessing the CMS) to focus learning?
Honestly, the CMS was so simple to use that I don't think there would be too many issues. I did run into a couple small problems the first time I used the resources namely, students have to be logged in to a Google account to make the site work, and students accessing the site via a phone have to click "View the desktop version" or whatever it says at the bottom of the page if they want the ability to edit things. The site scales well though so this is not a big deal.
Why is this medium appropriate for the students you teach/plan to teach?
I'll refer to the Google sites site as the medium here because I discussed the phone app in the last lessons review. The Google sites site is fantastic and would probably work well for most students. Mine are all very tech savvy and all have smartphones so the more I can use these things with my students the better. I have found that students are very enthusiastic about using these technologies for class if they're done right. That usually means keeping things simple and making sure the students are aware of the language focus.
What technical problems did you encounter while
preparing the A/V?
There were a number of issues that came up during the initial stop motion video lesson and the original Google sites lesson. Beyond those though, I had none. I don't want to say that there wouldn't be issues when running through the lesson with students but I think this goes to show that if you plan well and take the time to work things out the first time, they can go quite a bit smoother when you try them a second time.
Lesson time: 60 minutes - In order to stay within the time allotted, this will be a part of a multi-day lesson. While trying to teach myself how to use the app I was able to make my materials and make my video in just under an hour so with my instructions and being able to split up the work, it should be possible.
Target: The target is a conversation class made up of Korean University Freshman. The class is taught at the high-beginner level though there is quite a bit of variety within the class.
Storyboard sketch containing plan for video (completed in previous class)
Paper
Pens/pencils/markers/etc. (students were told to bring these)
Procedures
Introduction (3-5 minutes)
Get in your groups from the last class. (3-4 students per group; groups assigned so that at least one person has an iPhone or iPad)
Watch the sample video I created. (see materials)
You are going to create a video just like this (or hopefully better).
Preparing to make the video (10 minutes)
You need to use the paper I give you to:
draw characters and cut them out
draw backgrounds for each scene
write dialogue cards
download the app
Assign tasks above to each group member.
Create materials.
Prepare tech requirements (3-5 minutes)
Clear your table.
Stack some books or a chair to act as a tripod. (demonstrate)
Follow my example (using app on projector) to make a short video of a pencil moving. (demonstrate using the app)
Open the app.
Click on Capture Frames.
Place the phone on the books so that the paper is facing the right way and in the shot.
Click the box in the center of the screen to take a frame.
Make sure to only move the objects a little each time.
When doing text, take about 20-30 frames for each line of text to make sure that there is enough time to read it.
When finished, press Done.
Press the button labeled Elaborate Movie.
The video should now be in your photos.
Upload the video to the class Dropbox folder. (Students know how to do this already.)
Make videos (30 minutes)
Make your videos.
Ask me if you need help or have any questions.
The app has some more advanced editing features but only play around with those if you finish making your video early.
Review (10 minutes)
Watch videos from Dropbox on projector as a class.
Lesson review/analysis
How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional purposes?
The content of this lesson, worked on before this particular class, can involve anything being studied in class. I chose directions for this example because it is something I will cover but it doesn't have to be. This lesson could be very flexible in this way.
Why is this medium appropriate for the lesson you plan to create (e.g., relevance to the target language, interest level, and motivation)?
Honestly, I thought that this seemed a bit childish for my students but upon thinking about it further, I decided it wasn't. Korean adults read comic books and watch animated videos so the medium is quite familiar, even to university students. Also, I could encourage them to write their stories about something that they find relevant to their lives. For example, rather than going on a picnic as in my (rather lame) example, they could go to a bar or to a nightclub or whatever it is that they do on the weekends with their friends.
What are the potential problems, either language based or technical, that you may need to troubleshoot or prepare for?
Students might have a hard time with the app though I got the simplest one I could find that works so hopefully it'll be ok. There may also be issues with the filming. I had a bit of trouble at first orienting everything and making the camera steady. Hopefully I'll avoid both of those issues by demonstrating everything for the students. I have an adapter to hook my phone up to the projector so I will use this while demonstrating.
One other issue that comes up is the story. In our readings for the week there was a quote about how we are trying to tell stories rather than bad movies. I'm afraid that mine falls in the later category but I think my students will be able to do better, especially since they'll be given more time to write their stories in an earlier class.
What technical problems did you encounter while preparing the A/V?
Like last time, there were a number of issues that came up:
I initially wanted to use a different, simpler app that was available on the iTunes store as well as the Android store. It was very easy to use--there was only one button to take shots and one button to save the video--but it kept crashing when I used it so I went with something else instead.
I noticed when I was done that my video was oriented the wrong way. I had missed the this way up instructions in the app. I fixed this on Youtube but will make sure to tell my students about it beforehand so they don't run into the same problem.
