I have a love/hate relationship with technology in my teaching life. I love the possibilities that technology offers and hate dealing with the glitches, the learning curve, and the challenges of keeping my students on task with more creative technological tasks. When I moved to first grade after the pandemic, I left the creative use of technology mostly behind and instead depended on those practice apps as my primary use of technology in the classroom.
But lately, I've been feeling like my students need opportunities to be creators using technology instead of primarily consumers of content that others have made. I know that many spend time watching YouTube videos made by others, not even considering the idea that they could make their own. They play games someone else makes, listen to music performed by others…in many cases more passive than active. So with a bit of a nudge from my sister, I started thinking about a digital storytelling project where my students would create Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for things around our campus that were either going well or needed more attention.
To prepare students for this creating, I wanted them to study stories and understand how stories are put together. I also wanted to keep things on the simple side. We began with the story Jack’s Tale by Ellen Stoll Walsh. We spent time studying the story and breaking it down to three main parts: the beginning where the context is set, the problem (or the danger as one student described it), and the solution. We applied what we learned studying Jack’s Tale to other books we read, noticing when stories turned from one part to another. After this study, students took a wonderful wordless story, Flashlight by Lizi Boyd, condensing it to three drawings that told the major story elements. Later, they wrote their own stories based on a character drawing from their fifth grade pen pals including those same three story parts. At this point, I was ready to embark on the digital storytelling project.
Since our digital storytelling would involve taking photos with our iPads, we learned about three photography techniques: bird's eye view (a perspective from above), bug's eye view (getting low and looking up), and the rule of thirds (where the focal part of the photograph is positioned in a particular third of the frame). We studied some examples and then headed outside to try on these techniques by going on a photography scavenger hunt. The first graders in my class loved this activity and clearly began to understand the three different techniques. While not all the photos are stunning examples of photography, they are gaining experience with the camera on their iPads and making intentional choices about the photographs they take. Here's a few first grade examples.
The next day we brainstormed things that our school does well and things that need more attention. We know that our school is quite good at composting and that students need reminders to eat their snack and lunch before running onto the playground to play. We ultimately came up with eight different topics we could address in a PSA. After students listed their top three topics to work on, I put them into teams so they could help each other to tackle the topic selected. Before venturing out to take photos, I asked students to envision the photos they would need to take–one for each part of their three-part story. They had to consider what they needed in the photo, from people to other materials (balls, lunch materials, trash, etc.). I showed students how I would draw the photos I envisioned–rough sketches to guide my photography. Students then drew the three photographs they would take on campus to create a story of change...a public service announcement.
I was nervous on the morning I planned to have them take their PSA photos. Would they be able to take photos that would work in these stories? Could they use each other as actors in the photos they envisioned? How would they handle the openness of this task? Would they be distracted and tempted to mess around instead of focusing on the photos?
Before heading outside, we did a bit of role-playing in the classroom. We pretended to set up some photos and practiced directing each other to achieve the desired photos. After this in-class modeling, we all headed out with iPads in hand. I love it when students surprise me with their creativity and focus...and that was definitely what happened as students turned into photographers and directors…about to be movie makers. They supported each other, posing and directing each other with specificity and kindness. They checked their photos to make sure faces were not visible (one of my requirements), and they all got their 3 photos taken. I loved watching the cooperation and teamwork and was thrilled that I didn't have to referee any problems. I saw students who are often followers in the classroom take the lead in this creative pursuit and shy students step up to let others know exactly what they needed for their photos. When we returned to the classroom, we spent a few minutes back in teams giving each student a chance to show their photos to each other and tell their story based on the photos.
The next step was actually making the movies–what app would I use, how would I deliver instructions, what would work best with a group of six and seven year olds? I made my decision based on what I knew was already available on their iPads…and my own familiarity with an app that I had used in the past with some success, and decided that I would use iMovie.
I thought long and hard about how to best teach my students to learn iMovie. The first thing I did was to create my own PSA using the same process I had taken my students through. I was definitely a bit rusty knowing the ins and outs of the iMovie app. I had to experiment and fiddle around—giving me valuable experience to share with my students. Finally I decided that I would start by showing my students in real time how to make an iMovie by making another version of my movie right in front of them — and in fact having kids come up and do some of the processes for me.
We did the easy part first, and students got their photos into iMovie and created a title slide. Then we headed out to recess. I’ve learned over the years that doing complicated things around both sides of a recess is magical. You can get started…take a much needed break before things get too hairy and then return refreshed, but before things are forgotten.
After recess I showed students how to write a script and then record a voice-over for their movie and then set them off to work. The classroom transformed before my eyes, becoming a workshop where students were focused on their movies. They helped each other, giving advice and support to their classmates as needed. I was on my feet, moving and listening, reminding how to edit, how to delete. I spent a lot of my time borrowing student headphones as I listened to their works in progress. My biggest challenge was our less-than-stellar headphones. Some crackled when they recorded. Some refused to play back. Over the next couple of work periods I learned to have those with the most problematic headphones go outside and record without using headphones.
It was so exciting to see the finished products–especially knowing that these first graders were able to create these iMovie PSAs on their own. Here is a student PSA created by a first grader using iMovie.
But I have to admit, the best part of this whole process was when students started telling me that they were going home and making iMovies. They followed the same procedure we did in class: they took photos, planned something to say, and recorded their voices. I loved when a parent emailed me one of these creations! Students are now not only consuming digital content, they are also creating digital content!
I’ve learned so much during the course of the production of these iMovie PSAs. Here are a few take-aways:
- Writing the script for the PSA deserves more time and attention. Students need to study some mentors and understand ways to leave their viewers with an appeal to action…let’s do something to solve this problem!
- I want to build in an opportunity to watch first draft videos, offer feedback for revision to classmates, and provide time to revise and make the movies better.
- I’ve already requested better headphones for my students, with a focus on having them produce videos and potentially even podcast-type products next year.
- Time spent developing students’ understanding of story was an investment in the success of the PSAs. They had no trouble envisioning the images that would support their messages.
Throughout this project I was reminded to trust that our youngest learners can and will be creators and producers when we provide opportunity and support. They are not too young to raise their voices to make our world a better place for everyone!