Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Videos for Intros to Essays

Yesterday, I spent about three hours with Mike and Terence from IDEAL, shooting videos for my intro-to-essay segments. I was hoping for a sunny day so we could shoot outside, but it was cold and rainy. Hence, a lot of inside shots.

Once Terence and Mike edit the videos and create the final cuts, I'll be posting them to my Blackboard classes (yes, I'm going to use them both in my online and f2f classes) and to this blog.

I'm really excited to show the diversity of my assignments through the videos. And I hope to inspire my students with the videos. Perhaps the most inspiring one will be for Essay 3--Proposing A Solution. I really want this essay to become one that students can understand that their essay writing actually can make a difference. The topic I chose to focus on in the video was the problem domestic violence in Wood County. A friend and colleague of mine suggested I ask Mary Ann Robinson, the Domestic Violence Specialist for the Wood County Sheriff's Office, to be in the video. I learned a lot from her yesterday, and I think my students will too. If my students can see some of the possible solutions the citizens of Wood County have proposed and how those solutions are making a difference, I think they will feel more empowered in their essay writing and take the assignment more seriously and actually turn it into something that could make a difference in their communities! I have to say, I was empowered as a citizen and teacher by listening to Mary Ann. She really helped me see that all of us can make a difference.

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The Online Class is almost completely uploaded. The podcast lectures are recorded and uploaded. The weekly schedule is filled in, and the videos are shot. The one thing left to do is get the portfolio forms uploaded and record an explanation of the portfolio process.

I'm super-excited!

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