Classroom teacher John Powers said the school-wide project
is this year’s version of an annual unit that attempts to encourage students to
apply classroom and personal knowledge in creative ways. He says the iMovie
Project was spawned through the inspiration of a teacher in another district; an
idea that has really taken off at the Raymond middle school.
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| Students prepare to film their animated production. |
Here’s how it works: Students form self-selected groups and brainstorm
ideas for a short film. The collaboration results in decisions, scripts, and
production meetings that require leadership and teamwork. The process demands
responsible group interaction, making contributions, listening to the ideas of
others and above all, patience. And finally, all products have a deadline
that’s expected to be met.
While it’s the fun part of the project, filming, using Apple
iPads, often results in the frustration of do-overs, necessary tweaking or
changes, or underestimating the difficulty of an idea. The filming stage saw
students spill out classrooms into halls, even into the parking lot.
Eighth grader Tom DuPont says the iMovie project gives
students the “chance to take an idea, use your brain and then make it come to
life.”
Norma Easter and Rainey Pawlowski were working on a
stop-motion film, pointing their iPad at a hand- made city-scape while
manipulating small cotton figures that represented people. They said their
digital story carries a message that encourages all to “follow your own path
and make your own decisions,” not follow blindly the wishes of others who seek
to control you. They were joined by Joshua Marquis who, although not a member
of their group, had joined to help Easter and Pawlowski edit their film.
Another eighth grade student, Sophey Potter, said that,
initially, she had a hard time coming up with an idea for her film but after
collaborating with a family member decided to pursue one of her pet-peeves:
friends and fellow students “who are always talking negative about themselves.”
She said they should reflect on how they see themselves and try to be more
positive. “Don’t say ‘I’m short,’ say ‘I’m fun-sized,’” Potter said with a
smile.
Subject matter for the films is as varied as the grade
levels and number of students involved. Powers discussed one innovative project
titled The Adventures of Ivan” in
which the central character engages in certain every-day activities that
demonstrate various principles of trigonometry. He said another was based on a
student’s original poem, while still another playfully charts the life of a
snowman.
