 Video Production with Microsoft Movie Maker
Teresa
C. Fuller
Project
Ignite Instructional Technology Specialist
Savannah-Chatham
County Public Schools
Lights,
camera, PC! If you are interested in integrating video into
your curriculum, then Microsoft Movie Maker is for you. What’s better, it’s FREE! The session entitled “Video
Production,” presented by several Instructional
Technology Specialists from the Atlanta Public School System
at the 2004 GaETC Conference, offered a wealth of information
and abundance of practical ideas for using video with your students.
This session
began with an emotional video created and produced by middle
school students in the Atlanta Public School System. The main
character in the video was a student whose father had been
unjustly imprisoned in Viet Nam. The video included interviews
with the student talking about his father’s experience
and what it means to be free. The video also included maps, photos,
and professional quality narration and credits.
You may
be thinking, “Great, but how is this related
to the curriculum?” That is the fascinating part. At this
particular school the subject area teachers planned collaboratively
to carry out this project. For example, the social studies teacher
covered the geography and history of Viet Nam while the students
wrote the script and edited it in their language arts classes.
According to the presenters, the students not only learned factual
information, but they were highly motivated and used higher order
thinking skills to accomplish this task.
“Prompting students
to create a movie requires that they engage higher order
thinking skills and gain an understanding deep enough
to explain it to others through the movie medium. The
movie also serves as a natural assessment tool to gauge
students’ understanding.” |
Athena
A. Maikish, Teacher’s College Columbia University |
Now, the nuts and bolts. What can you do with Movie Maker?
Capture video
- Capture new video or import your old VHS footage
- Drag scenes into a storyboard or timeline
- Build a library of audio, video, and still images
|
Storyboard |
Add
awesome effects
- Make cinema-style transitions, such as fades, dissolves,
and wipes
- Easily create titles, crawls and credits
- Amplify your story with narration, music, and sound
effects
|
Transitions |
Perfect
it, then present it!
- Use easy tools to fine-tune your audio and video
- Premiere your movie on a PC and over the Web
- Burn your production to a CD or DVD
|
Import tune |
I am currently
working with a federal grant which focuses on integrating science
and technology in grades 3-5. I have used the knowledge gained
in this workshop to help create a PowerPoint presentation which
includes movie clips. In addition, I am working with 5th grade
teachers to integrate the areas of science, technology and
language arts to create science movies. As part of the project
the students will:
- Use the Internet to print resources and gather information
about their topic
- Write a plan for a movie.
- Create and import video clips, audio clips and still digital
images into Microsoft Movie Maker.
- Edit and connect the clips to create their movie.
- Present their movie to the class.
Through the
making of movies, I believe the students will learn not only
about the specific science topic chosen, they will employ project
management skills, research skills, organizational and representational
skills, presentation skills and reflection skills. These are
all skills needed to succeed in today’s workplace.
So, with the help of Microsoft Movie Maker software and a little
creativity, one camera can become an amazing tool to help increase
student achievement.
 Free Downloads:
Windows Movie
Maker 2.1 - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.mspx
Windows Movie
Maker 2 Creativity Pack Fun Pack - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/mmcreate.mspx
Movie Maker
photos captured from - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/videos/create.mspx
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