And the Oscar goes to...
...Argo. Sorry to ruin it for you. If you haven't seen it, you still have a few more days to join the fan club. You might be wondering what this could possibly have to do with biology. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was looking for some engaging, informative videos on Cellular Respiration for my IB students to watch in preparation for our first class on Glycolysis. After the 20th video featuring a slow speaking computer generated voice that could put anyone to sleep, I decided that I would challenge my students to create a video that they would want to watch and post it to Youtube so that we could improve the quality of video options available for students learning about this topic. In this assignment, I asked the students to choose the content for their video, and then provided them with a list of tools they could explore along with some style options. Students were only given one class period to plan out their video with their group. The rest of their collaboration occurred outside of class.
Though a couple of the projects were contenders for the Razzies, or rather on par with the videos that inspired me to do this project in the first place, many of my students rose to the challenge. Not only did they produce some engaging videos, most of them chose to explore a new tool or method, including some that I had not listed as a possibility like Adobe After Effects.
And the Oscar goes to...
The weasel and the gazelle (I am using their animal spirit names to protect their identities).
This video was created using the RSA Animate style of illustration. You should have seen the outtakes :-)
Unfortunately, the second video I am sharing with you had to be eliminated from award contention, much like Ben Affleck, for his controversial use of a contraband video (illegally filmed without me knowing...clearly). The video in question depicts me singing "I Will Survive" using my travel mug as a microphone (filmed at the worst possible angle ever). Needless to say this video is banned in most countries and the full video cannot be found on Youtube (I hope). In any case, I decided to sacrifice my own pride and post a short segment so that you could see how After Effects can enhance a video presentation. BTW, he added the laugh track. He will pay dearly! As punishment, "the peacock" has to teach me how to use After Effects, and I plan to stretch this out over many painful sessions. Oh the things we can learn from our students!