7+Fun+Project

//7. Will students think this project is fun? Why?//

"Internet video site YouTube has said its users are now watching more than 100 million videos per day." __BBC News__, July 17, 2006

In today's increasingly information rich society where learning can take place anytime, anywhere and in a variety of formats, learning is naturally fun and with the rapid pace of change life-long learning is a requirement for future success. In addition, with the advent of Web 2.0 tools, which make publishing to the web easy and seamless, students wants to contribute and have their unique voices heard. Students want to apply their existing knowledge and express themselves in creative ways. The ability to collaborate with peers on a video project and also communicate information via a videoconference or podcast can be extremely self-motivating to students, especially if it is based on a real-world context.

Much has been written lately about how schools, classrooms, and teachers need to change in order to meet the needs of today's students. This project would allow us to begin to make that shift in practice. Students will take more ownership while the teacher takes a step back to become mentor and facilitator.

While traditional learning methods and assessments do have merit, students often fail to see the relevance of many assignments to their immediate lives. Creating media projects will generate student enthusiasm for learning and at the same time satisfy curricular requirements for the subject matter. Peer review of media projects become active and much more fun for students (and the teachers!). Using the editing bays, the teacher can make a class compilation of work to share with students. Outlets for the students include submitting final projects to contests and local media.

ORIGINAL MATERIAL 7. Will students think this project is fun? Why?

//Of course, and highly educational too. In today's increasingly information rich society where learning can take place anytime, anywhere and in a variety of formats, learning is naturally fun and with the rapid pace of change life-long learning is a requirement for future success. In addition, with the advent of Web 2.0 tools, which make publishing to the web easy and seamless, everyone wants to contribute and have their voice heard. Students want to apply their existing knowledge and express themselves in creative ways. The ability to collaborate with peers on a video project and also communicate information via a videoconference or podcast can be extremely self-motivating to students especially if it is based on a real-world context. Much has been written lately about how schools, classrooms, and teachers need to change in order to meet the needs of today's students.//