Flip Cameras and Puppet Shows Create Education

Digital Input Technology Lesson Plan using flip cameras for contest entry.
Title “Flip Cameras and Puppet Shows Create Education"
Irene Mosenthine, Maury High School, 322 Shirley Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23517
Objective: Students will be able to create, film, download, and produce an educational video using a flip camera and computer with 100% accuracy.

Materials: Flip cameras, computers, sample scripts written by teacher, various hand puppets, quiz
Anticipatory Set:
Teacher starts the lesson by asking students “What can you make with a flip camera and a puppet?”
Students are given time to respond.
Students give various answers.
The teacher responds that she is about to tell them what they will be creating.
Teacher asks students to raise your hand if you feel creative. Do you remember a favorite puppet show? Is a puppet more likely to get your attention than a person? Would you agree that puppets and cameras are great tools for teaching? If you had the power to record a teaching video and replay it as needed for review would this improve your retention of facts? These are just a few questions to get our discussion going today. The lesson involves creating an educational puppet show, filming it with the flip camera, downloading the film to a computer, and showing it to the class. In groups students will write the puppet show based on a chapter topic assigned by the teacher.
Students are grouped. Method of grouping up to individual teacher. Group size approximately six students.
Materials are distributed to groups. Flip cameras, puppets, sample scripts, topics.
Teacher gives directions to groups. Students are to use the puppets to practice the skits. Each student has a puppet and one student in the group will have the flip camera to record the skit. Students practice the skit. The teacher asks the flip camera man to record the skit being performed by the group. The captured video will be downloaded to the computer by the group. Students will edit the video. Students will show the captured video to the class. The teacher will ask fact based questions that were covered in the video in a very brief quiz format (five questions or less) to assess the video’s educational message. Students write their answers down and turn them in for grading.
For the next part of the lesson, students will be given topics and facts to write their own script.
The group assignment this time is to prepare a short skit incorporating the topics and facts into a skit.
They will have their script reviewed by the teacher. After any editing suggestions, students will perform their skit and record it with the flip camera. Students will download the video and show it to the class.
Students in the group that created the skit and video will also prepare their quiz. They will give a short quiz to the other students watching the video. The group collects the quiz and grades it with assistance and direction from the teacher.

The topics the teacher gives are related to the Digital Input curriculum: tablet pc’s, digital cameras, Dragon Naturally Speaking software, computers, Internet safety.

Closing. At the end of this lesson, teacher asks students for feedback. Did you learn the facts from the topics by using puppets and flip cameras? This was fun! Thank you for all your participation and enthusiasm. We will be creating more educational videos.


Additional thoughts and explanations -
Puppets in Inventory: Dog, monkey, elephant, panda, bear (purchased or made by students)
Preparation before filming: Write the scripts, name the characters in the scripts, assign parts, duplicate the scripts, practice the skit, learn how to operate the camera to film the skit
During the filming: Teacher needs to store and pass out the equipment (flip cameras, skits, puppets, props)
Group Job suggestion list:
Group leader (responsible for keeping members on task, giving direction).
Secretary (responsible for recording the progress group is making on project, keying the script and quiz as it is brainstormed by group, making notes on where the group stopped at end of bell).
Stage manager (responsible for storing puppets, props).
Puppeteers (responsible for teamwork in writing the script, rehearsal of the script, performance of skit).
Flip camera man (filming, turning in the camera at end of assignment).
After the filming: Download the film to the computer. As a group, students edit the video using video editing software. Students will incorporate the title and credit feature into their film. Students will give each student credit at the end of the video (rolling credits). Target length of video is approximately five minutes.
First Step. Students are placed in groups ( Six students to a group.)
Students are given approximately five minutes to discuss and assign the job of group leader, secretary, stage manager, and puppeteers. The decisions are recorded by the secretary. All work generated by the group will be saved on the computer, printed and placed in the group folder. Teacher is observing and assisting as needed.

Second Step. Sample scripts. A sample script written by the teacher is distributed to each group. Students practice the sample skit with their puppets. Students practice filming the sample skit with their flip camera. Students practice downloading the film to the computer. Students practice editing the film using the computer and software. Once students have practiced all the steps involved in creating an educational video they are to start on their original script. (This may take more than one bell and the next step would be continued the second class meeting.)

Third Step. Original scripts and video recording, editing. Students are in their groups. Using their group folders the secretary reads notes about the previous class meeting and results of the group.
Using the class textbook and the assigned pages from the book, students will write a script to teach facts from these pages. Target goal of the film is to teach facts from the pages and keep the length of the video to 5 minutes approximately.

Teacher assists with the editing of the scripts. Secretary keys the scripts. Prints one for each person in the group. Students rehearse the skits using their puppets. Students perform their show as the group camera man records it. All students are involved in the downloading and editing of the film. Final copy of film should include opening title, and ending credits. Depending on time, next class may be set aside for students to view presentations.

Presentations. The next class is set aside to view the films created by the class.


Incorporate small quiz into lesson plan. Students should write five questions based on educational facts presented in their videos. These quizzes will be given to their student audiences. After the quizzes are graded, the students can discuss the success of their video in teaching.





 
Sample Skit: Dog, monkey, elephant, panda, bear are sitting around talking.
DOG: “Hey, guys!
It is almost time to take a test in our DIT class.
The teacher is going to ask us questions about the Dragon Naturally Speaking program.”
MONKEY: “I really like using Dragon Naturally Speaking software. I can create documents three times as fast by dictating them. I can’t do that when I type them.”
ELEPHANT: “The stupid computer doesn’t understand what I say! I hate it!”
PANDA: “Make sure your microphone is positioned correctly. The “Rule of Thumb” states to keep the microphone a thumb’s width away from your mouth.”
BEAR: “Train the words that are misspelled or not understood. You build your vocabulary every time you train words. “
DOG: “Your user profile contains your pronunciation of words. Make sure you open your user profile before beginning the dictation.”
MONKEY: “I like telling the computer to “Wake Up”.
ELEPHANT: “I like telling the computer to “Go To Sleep”.
PANDA: “Don’t shout or whisper the commands. Use a normal tone of voice for best results.”
BEAR: “Did you remember the part about “Scratch That” and “Undo That” commands are the same but different?”
ELEPHANT: “ Well, they both take words off the screen you don’t want.”
DOG: “Yes, they both remove the last chunk of text that you have spoken. However, “Undo That” can reinstate deleted text as well. “
MONKEY: “I need to review that stuff.”
PANDA: “Me, too!”
(End of scene.)
 
QUIZ - Follow up Questions for Skit
1. Dragon Naturally Speaking lets you enter text over three times as fast as conventional keyboarding. TRUE or FALSE
2. Follow the “Rule of Thumb” when positioning your microphone away from your mouth. TRUE or FALSE
3. The commands “Scratch That” and “Undo That” both remove the last chunk of text that was continuously spoken. TRUE or FALSE
4. The command for pausing the microphone is “Lay Down”. TRUE or FALSE
5. Your user profile is optional, it really serves no important purpose. TRUE or FALSE