Room 319 Happenings Feb.-April 2017

If you could turn your teacher into an alien without getting into trouble, would you? Well, that is exactly what we did in Multimedia this marking period through the magic of photo editing. Taking a short break from video, learners used the editing software tool Adobe Photoshop to edit images.  They learned about selection tools, quick-masking, compositing, and photo retouching. This lesson is always a favorite as learners easily see connections and how these skills can be apply to their own personal photography.

Another leaner experience this marking period was the creation of informational podcasts. I am always surprised at the number of learners who do not know what a podcast is or take advantage of this resource on their iPads.  Learners were given time to explore the wealth of audio blogging material available to them and a chance to create their own episode using the Opinion App. They covered a huge variety of topics including; history, self-improvement, sports, video games, movies, and art. Listen to Emily and Sadie's here.

Want to use the Opinion App for audio blogging in your class? Check out these tutorials: Quick 15 sec. video overview       Detailed tutorial

Every good videographer knows that understanding his equipment is important to the success of his project. Learners researched the operating procedures, functions, and features of our equipment. They then created product review/tutorial videos to share their learning with others. Check out Kiara and Raquel's tutorial here.

Even with all of this going on, we continued to produce our entertaining and informative WESTV broadcasts.  Enjoy show 4 and 5 below:

Now it is time to put all of the skills we have learned this year to the test through a district-wide video competition. Middle school learners from the entire district are gearing up to create some creative and entertaining entries for this year’s submissions. The categories will be music video, silent film, public service announcement, short film, and stop motion animation.  Subscribe to this blog, so you don’t miss the showcase video.

Can you guess this educator? Comment below.

Comment with your guess below.

Call for Film Festival Judges

We are looking for volunteer film industry professionals to judge our district wide video challenge. Learners from all Coppell Middle Schools are gearing up to create some creative and entertaining entries for this year’s submissions. The categories will be music video, silent film, public service announcement, short film, and stop motion animation.

Our showcase will be April 27th. The one hour long video showings will take place promptly at 7:40 am, 8:35 am, 9:35 pm, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm.  The judging is simple – you just have to select the video you think is the best for each category. Plus, we will provide popcorn! Interested film industry professionals that would like to judge for us and enjoy some fabulously entertaining videos, will only need to attend ONE of the five sessions listed above.

Film industry professionals interested in supporting future film makers and providing authentic feedback for their learning should email Mrs. Champagne at mchampagne@coppellisd.com.