Today we were editing the clips from Monday's lesson to produce the final film. This turned out to be another chance to see technology fail us.
We began by converting the files to .wmv for use with Windows Movie Maker, for this we used a site called zamzar.com. It was very simple to use and children (who are competent with using the internet) would be able to work through the instructions with little hassle. Although once we had downloaded all our newly converted files and began to play them we noticed that the majority of them had become corrupted. This then meant we needed to find a programme that would convert the files without corrupting them. Not only did this waste time but it also (like Monday) caused some frustration and annoyance that we had to redo the work we had already done. I would be very wary to use this site with a class because it can be unreliable, Sharon told us that during peak times it can take a long time to convert the files. Not really practical for a lesson in school.
The experiences of this week have strongly cemented in my mind that when doing an ICT lesson with children, ALWAYS have a backup way to complete the same task. I think getting children to do the same task over again could destroy their morale and wreck any motivation they had for the task in hand.
Once we got the files converted Windows Movie Maker was a very easy tool to use. It is all set out in an ordered manner and children would find it easy to use after a small input of the basics from the teacher. I would use this with a class for displaying pictures of trips or class experiences, as well as a tool for movie making.
Our movie is still to receive the finishing touches, but watch this space!
2 comments:
Yes it is very frustrating and even worse when you have thirty odd children all requiring your help; luckily we were all adults so the pressure was not as bad.
I have reflected on this input and you can read this in my blog too.
Now, to help you with you reflective posts follow advice below:
What I would like you now to do when you are writing a blog post that looks back a a process is to use the following methods:
1. Describe - this is where you tell the readers what you did. A simple description of the task. Why were you doing this task? What was the learning outcome? Where did it fit into CfE?
2. Reflect - this is where you look at what you did and tell us what happened or did not happen. What were the problems? What were the successes?
3. Evaluate - this is where you will reflect on the process from your own personal development and how you could use with children.
In the above you should provide links to websites and have at least ONE reading reference to support your reflections.
I have written a post on my blog related to the above process that might help.
In your discussion you rightly note that you should have a back up plan when using ICT in the classroom.
With regards to your blog I agree with what Sharon has said, try to reflect and evaluate your discussion.
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