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After
reviewing my first introduction video submission, I realized that it certainly was in need of revising and rewriting. I had all the wrong things in all the right places
during the filming. The lighting was
poor, video grainy, and background noisy. It was also boring with me sitting
center in the shot. I, myself, was trying to avoid looking at the computer
screen during the entire filming as I was afraid I would faint and fall over if
I did. This definitely would not have
been a good camera angle shot with me having an episode of syncope on the
dining room floor! Therefore, I chose to start over from scratch.
During the last school year, our Technology Facilitator kept asking me to try PowToon with my students. Yet, it was not until I saw it posted in a class collaboration document that I really considered it. PowToon seems to have endless possibilities for students to experiment with and create content. Using PowToon, my students can take conscious and deliberate control over their digital writing process in an interesting and fun way. In his book, Hicks (2013) reminds us that “we can offer our students a broad range of choices”(p. 23). PowToon will be another technological tool that I will present to my students for the enhancement of their writing projects.
According to Kessler, Bikowski, and Boggs (2012), “technology has influenced the writing process and practices in many ways” (p. 92). Computer and technology skills are valuable tools for student writers. However, they must learn to plan, evaluate and regulate their thinking in order to construct meaning. Revision is the key to great digital writing and it must be practiced. This is my second attempt at this project and there are still things that I would like to change. Throughout my journey to revise this digital writing piece, I wanted to clarify and refine my introductory video. Moreover, my goal was to make changes that would communicate my story more effectively.
According to Kessler, Bikowski, and Boggs (2012), “technology has influenced the writing process and practices in many ways” (p. 92). Computer and technology skills are valuable tools for student writers. However, they must learn to plan, evaluate and regulate their thinking in order to construct meaning. Revision is the key to great digital writing and it must be practiced. This is my second attempt at this project and there are still things that I would like to change. Throughout my journey to revise this digital writing piece, I wanted to clarify and refine my introductory video. Moreover, my goal was to make changes that would communicate my story more effectively.
References
Hicks, T.
(2013). Author’s craft, genre study, and digital writing. In T. Antao (Ed.), Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across
media and genres. (pp. 11-27). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Kessler,
G., Bikowski, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). Collaborative writing among second
language learners in academic web-based projects. Language Learning & Technology, (16)1, pp. 91-109. Retrieved
from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2012/kesslerbikowskiboggs.pdf
Your gif, writing and video are all so awesome! I love that you wrote about your feelings when making the first video because I felt the exact same way. You accomplished integration of Hicks (2013) suggestions for successful presentations and videos: You told a story, used strong visuals, kept it simple, and appealed emotionally to your audience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about the importance of revision, and I felt exactly the same way. I felt that I had revised extensively, but after viewing my final product still wanted to go back and make additional changes. When I think of revision, I think of editing writing-- with a pen. I think of peer evaluations and reviews; I don’t necessarily think of the tenets of editing outlined by Hicks which include such aspects as: “adjusting timing and transitions,” “recording one’s own voice,” and even “importing media into a movie-making program or website” (p. 114). When I have used Movie Maker and Adobe Premier in the past, I didn’t think that I was actually writing, but I realize that I was actually using my knowledge of the writing process extensively. Having students create videos not only engages them in the practice of writing, it also takes this practice to the next level and moves them to the ultimate goal of publication. The concept of videos as writing is definitely something that is shifting my paradigm regarding the changes in writing due to digital media.
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media
and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
I think we all decided to recreate our introduction videos. And I think we still feel like we could have done better.
ReplyDeleteRevision is the key to a great video or presentation. I found myself struggling with what to decide to add to my video. I had read in Hicks (2013) that “the most difficult part of creating a video/multimedia text- is knowing what to put in and what to leave out” (p. 110). I have a tendency to ramble and I had trouble figuring out what was important in an introduction and what was not. I had to revise much of my video (and reshoot) to create a decent piece.
Great job! I love the video and your blog.
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing- composing texts across media and genres. Portland, NH. Heinemann.