// Langwitches Blog

If you are looking for an exciting project to do in the next month with your students, check out Chris Craft’s Life ‘Round Here” project. Registration is open until September 21st, 2007.

Here is a run down of what I put together and discussed with our “Life ‘Round Here” team at school a few days ago.

• Project Wiki: http://chriscraft.pbwiki.com/
• Local Project Participants:
• Silvia Tolisano
• Paige McGee
• Cyndi McKnight
• Teresa Hall
• Anita Freyer

Brief Description:

We are opening the window to the world for our students, by inviting them to see, communicate, feel and connect with other people and cultures. Others could be from across the street, town, country or world.

Internationalism does not mean the end of individual nations. Orchestras don’t mean the end of violins.”- Golda Meir (1898-1978), Israel’s third prime minister

In order to understand, communicate and make connections to other countries, their culture and people, one must know about one’s own. We want our students to realize that there is a big world out there and simultaneously can teach them about their own surroundings. SJEDS is taking a huge step towards educating global citizens by creating personalized connections to other countries and cultures for their students. Global collaboration projects are part of of this vision.

The “Life ‘Round Here” project tries to give students a creative outlet to think about their world. Not only will they look at their own area from their point of view, but will try to look at it from the point of view of a foreigner or stranger. We are trying to destroy stereotypes, clear up myths and show how life is really like here in Northern Florida. Let’s help our students tell a story that allows them to play a part in an “international orchestra” that together with students from other countries, cultures and life styles will sound amazing and in harmony. Let’s learn with and from each other.

Parameters (from Chris Craft)

1. Stories need to be created in Microsoft Photo Story
2. It may be no longer than 2:30 (2 minutes and 30 seconds). 2 minutes is the goal, with 30 seconds being given for attribution and/or title slides.
3. If photos are used that were not taken by the school or class involved, an attribution slide must be added at the end. If flickr images are used, only use images licensed under creative commons attribution. Only the user name is necessary for attribution.Student will tell their story in conjunction with the pictures, and only student voices’ may be used, no adults. – We might want to preview photos and add to a special folder that students can choose from.
4. Only instrumental music may be used, if music is used at all.

Timeline

1. Meeting of Project Participants
2. Introduce project to students
3. Discuss what life is like in Jacksonville from our point of view
4. Talk about different points of view for a foreigner, that has only visited or has only heard about Florida from the movies or books.
5. What are myths and stereotypes that we have about other countries and cultures?
1. What myths and stereotypes that exist about Americans and Floridians? o How can we break these stereotypes down?
6. A picture says a thousand words. What kind of pictures would show a kid in another country what life is like in Florida? What images should we search for? What photographs could we take ourselves?
7. Create a storyboard
8. Discuss how to write a script for each frame
9. Giving credit to author of images, writer, music, project etc.
10. Practice voice to be recorded (Great example here what a difference a good voice makes)
11. Introduce Photostory
1. Import images
2. Editing
3. Transitions
4. Recording
5. Adding music
6. Saving
12. Create photostory
13. Record Voiceover
14. Assess each project according to rubric
15. Select 6 projects to be entered into Contest
16. Create school webpage on wiki and upload video clips by October 31, 2007

Resource Links

• Microsoft Photostory
• Flickr
• Stockxpert
• Digital Storytelling

[tag] liferoundhere07 [/tag]