Student iMovie Project

~ Kyle Shack ~ Leave a comment

One of my goals this year was to allow my students more opportunities to create and manipulate media to demonstrate their understanding of content we cover in class. Through the chaos of my first year at a new school, I was not able to offer these opportunities for all assessments, but I am happy to say that my students are taking advantage of more and more opportunities. Below is an example of one such opportunity. After completion of our Poverty Unit in my International Relations class, one option was for student’s to demonstrate their learning through the creation of a Public Service Announcement, designed to educate the public about poverty. With very little direction from me, and using only a MacAir with iMovie, a couple students created this great PSA.


 

 

My Favorite Kind of Feedback

~ Kyle Shack ~ Leave a comment

We use many techniques, tools and theories to try and measure our impact on students. Some of these are more controversial than others, some are more effective and some are new and exciting. However, one of the most effective mediums for measuring impact is the first hand account of a student.

I was lucky enough to enjoy one of these moments today. A student approached me during class, inquiring about “Genius Hour”, and asking if we could do it again next year. I always enjoy receiving feedback from students, but what made this so unique was that this student is not in the class that is currently participating in Genius Hour. This student had heard through his peers about the project, and obviously their positivity was so contagious that it pushed him to seek out his opportunity. As a teacher, I always strive to lead a lesson that fosters out of class learning and discussion. Today, mission accomplished. What a great way to end the week.

 

Wanna check out our current Genius Hour projects? You can find updates and a list of student blogs on our class Genius Hour website here.