"Filming Compassion" is an article written by two teachers in Ohio who wanted to share a great creative idea that involves using video cameras to both fulfill school requirements and contribute to society! Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy High School has a graduation requirement in place that calls for students to complete 120 hours of community service over the course of their four years. Video Production teachers Janet Bremer and Marilyn Clark came up with the idea of having students create a documentary or commercial for local charities and non-profit organizations. Students were assigned a partner and an organization, were given the necessary accommodations to complete the project, such as video cameras and transportation, and were then on their own to create their video. The sites they visited were instructed not to assist students in the actual filming and production end of things, but were encouraged to talk with students regarding what they would like to have filmed and addressed in the video. Students then conducted professional-style interviews with the employees and volunteers at their site, and filmed different aspects of the organization as they were led on a tour of the facilities. With the completion of their videos, students ended up with great video production skills, experiences, and projects, and the organizations were blessed with nice commercials and documentaries garnering support for their causes. In the end, teacher Janet Bremer was proud to say that "in addition to fulfilling some of their service learning requirements and acquiring new skills surrounding video production, students also learned about the day-to-day operation of nonprofit agencies. By the end of the grading period, students felt good not only about successfully completing the class and building their video production skills but also about having contributed a useful promotion tool to a worthy organization" (Bremer & Clark, 2005).
I love the fact that Janet Bremer and Marilyn Clark came up with a way to make students' work relevant, valuable, and applicable to society. This is a fantastic concept that could be applied to a variety of different causes. For instance, students could conduct, film, and edit a professional-style interview with a local politician. The finished product could be used as a campaign tool to raise awareness and support for the candidate's platform. In return, students would learn not only about video production, but also about the political system and their community. However, because ideas such as these involve giving a professional-looking video to important organizations and individuals, high school students should probably be the ones working on these projects. For the most part, middle and elementary school students may not yet have the same capacity as high school students to conduct themselves professionally and produce a serious, high-quality video. Since my goal is to be an elementary school teacher, I do no think I will be assigning any major video production projects such as these.
Janet Bremer and Marilyn Clark have created a very powerful learning opportunity for their students and for the community! Using video production to meet school requirements while also contributing to local organizations is a fantastic idea that should definitely be taken into consideration by high school teachers. Like the students of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy High School, teenagers could and should be given the opportunity to use their school work to truly make a difference in society. Producing commercials, documentaries, and interviews for worthy organizations and individuals would greatly benefit everyone involved. As future teachers, let's keep in mind this concept of giving our students relevant, productive, and valuable assignments!
This video production assignment actually meets all six of the NETS standards! In working with each other, as well as with volunteers and employees, to research the needs of the organizations and figure out what needed to be incorporated into their videos to help meet those needs and bring awareness to the rest of the community, students met Standard #2: Communication and Collaboration, Standard #3: Research and Information Fluency, and Standard #4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making. In editing their material to produce original, creative, and high-quality videos that were appropriate for the organizations to use to show their public audiences, students met Standard #1: Creativity and Innovation, Standard #5: Digital Citizenship, and Standard #6: Technology Operations and Concepts.
Bremer, J., & Clark, M. (2005, April). Filming Compassion. United States & Canada.
I thought this was a great project for the students, they can only benefit from doing it. They are helping people and them selfs all within the project. I would have this project in my class for my students to do becuase they can learn about production skills.
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