Digital Storytelling and WeVideo

Blue Screen in the BMS News Room

This school year I collaborated with classroom teachers to help students learn how to use the color keying tool in WeVideo (also known as chroma key, green screen or blue screen).  This editing tool allows students "to step" into the video.  Here are some examples of how students used this technology to redefine learning:

• French class with Mrs. Catoe: Students speak in French to share the weather in their specific region in France. 
• Math with Mr. Bloodworth: Students use the green screen to set the stage for teaching a math concept. 
• Language Arts with Mrs. Brown: Students promote a recently read title and select a backdrop to match the setting of their selected title. 
• Science with Mrs. Nadorff: Students create their own weather reports. 
• Social Studies with Ms. Hineman: Students step into their country during their country reports. 

Students have often used digital storytelling to tell a story and teach information.  By using the color keying tool in WeVideo, students modify their learning by including themselves in the video and selecting a background to visually support the information/story they are sharing. 

Science Weather Videos 6th grade with Mrs. Nadorff's class

French Weather Videos 8th grade with Mrs. Catoe's class

Math video in 8th grade Mr. Bloodworth's class

Book Promotion in 8th grade with Mrs. Brown's class

Explorer's Project

SS Explorer's Project

My students were challenged with a partner to research a land they were "explorers" from, then took that and used Google Drive to write their script, they also used a data base and found pictures to put behind on the blue screen then, they used a video camera to record their video and then edited it into a final project.  We had a viewing party and invited administrators. 

 This task falls into the redefinition portion of the SAM-R model. The students  would not have been able to complete this task with out technology. They loved re-creating and being able to share their final products with everyone. 

Below are links to both videos! Enjoy


Germany Explorer's Project

The Bahamas Explorer's Project

Weather Videos en Français

Description of Task:

During our weather unit students worked to create real weather reports in French.  Here is how we were able to do this:

1. Students watched the weather in French from this website: La Chaîne Météo.  After watching the video, students discussed what they understood and what elements made this like weather reports that we hear in English (talking about multiple days, talking about multiple places, an introduction, a goodbye)
2. Students chose groups to create a weather report with.  Students used Météo France to read the weather in French.  With their groups, students chose multiple days and/or places to include in their report.  Students worked together to summarize the weather they read about in words they had learned.
3. Students worked together to write a script for their project.  Students worked on memorizing this script.
4. Students went to the library to work with the school librarian to find Creative Commons pictures to use in their videos.  Students learned how to collect pictures to share with a group by using Google Docs and Flickr.
5. Students recorded their skits in front of a blue screen so they could insert the pictures they found behind themselves during the editing process.
6. Students learned how to use WeVideo to remove the blue screen from their video and replace it with the pictures they found.  
7. Students finalized creating their weather videos in WeVideo.  Students used a variety of elements including: transitions, words, and final credits.
8. We watched all the videos as a class.  Students critiqued each other videos.

Example of Student Work:

How does this fit with the SAM-R model?

The use of technology allows for a completely new task to be created that would not be possible without technology.  This fits the Redefinition mode of SAM-R.

Some elements that allowed for the new task to be made are:

• Online access to French weather and news.  Without broadband Internet and individual learning devices, students would not have been able to access the weather in French cities in real time.  Students would not have been able to choose whichever city they were interested in.  Without technology, students would have to use teacher-created materials or old resources.
• Use of WeVideo allowed students to incorporate actual pictures into the project.  Without technology, students might have drawn pictures.  The use of technology gave the project a realism that could not be achieved without it.
• Use of WeVideo allowed student work to be edit by the students.  By uploading the video to WeVideo, students were able to add transitions, words, and pictures to create a more realistic product.
• Use of WeVideo allowed work to be shared.  Because the videos are hosted online, student work can be shared with parents.  Without technology, students would have presented skits to the class, something that parents would not be able to watch.