Brainstorming
You will be forgiven for thinking that digital media making is all about taking photos and using computers to make videos. You couldn’t be further from the truth. Our experience so far is that most of the learning and decision making actually take place away from computers. Its about planning, group work, decision making, research, presentation and Yes, using computers. In our project, the human interaction (and not the technology) takes center stage.
Infact, recently we made the decision to move away from computer lab to the beautiful school compound for inspiration in brainstorming fresh ideas for our media project. Students were introduced to the webbing technique, worked in small groups under time pressure, explored challenges that affect them, and made presentations. They gave and received feedback (a very interactive process) to and from peers.
Presenting to the group
Then they developed stories. I loved it when I made a rush judgement about a story from one group and made my opinions known too ( I thought it handled too many issues, so I was advising the students to cut down on the issues) and one student pointed out “Teacher, you have not asked us about our Style. I think our style will take care of your concern” and she went on to explain how their proposed style would handle the issue.
Its not everyday that we encounter these moments and I felt very proud of the team. Most of the time, students just take what teachers say without reflecting. At the end of the day, some students made the following reflections.
“I felt that my opinions matter and are valued by my friends”
“I am now confident; I can make a presentation before people. I couldn’t do that before”
Now that the STORY is done(Stories actually, since each group has a different one) , we shall focus on the Audience, Message and Style of our media next!
Speak Your Mind