Democracy Documentary

As part of a six week project in civics, students must select an issue facing contemporary society that they deem a priority for action. After selecting a topic, students access the Internet to find five scholarly sources on their issue. These sources must be evaluated, using a form provided, to check for credibility and merit. Students are required to use reliable Internet databases and demonstrate critical thinking as they select quality resources. Once found, read, and evaluated, students must then discuss these sources on camera and record their findings.

The next step is to set up interviews with “experts” in the fields relevant to their topic. For example, students addressing the problem of “discrimination in the police department” would have to interview people who could offer valuable insight on the topic, such as police officers, Chief of Police, the Mayor, people who have been discriminated against, etc.. Random interviews of their peers are not acceptable. These interviews must all be recorded, either by video, audio, or written transcript through email (in which case students then have to record a read through of the questions and responses and show the actual email on video.) These interviews are not always easy to obtain and often must be set up weeks in advance. Students are encouraged to set up interviews at the beginning of the project assignment.

Throughout this period students must also use Microsoft Publisher or Excel to create a survey to be administered to the general population. Students must write out multiple questions that are quickly and easily answered that could provide data relevant to the student study. Students have the option of doing this electronically through survey tools online which can automatically tabulate results ready for student analysis, such as a google docs form. Students must collect a minimum of one hundred completed surveys to analyze and tabulate. Students must then present the results of their survey on a video recording to be included in the documentary.

Once students have completed and recorded all of the source assessments, interviews, surveys results, and their own personal conclusions about the issue, they begin the process of video editing using Microsoft Window MovieMaker. This program is a standard feature of any Windows operating system machine and is therefore readily available for most students both at school and at home. Students must digitize their film if not already in a digital media format and then cut and edit the film. Windows MovieMaker allows students to also add sound bites, create special effects, and manipulate transitions for emphasis within their documentary. This program also allows students to insert still pictures, slides, and title or credit pages for added information and effect.

Through this project, students learn to master a variety of technological skills including, but not limited to, video and audio recording equipment, how to best make use of software programs such as Excel, Publisher, and MovieMaker, and how to creatively produce a medium for disseminating information that they believe is of some importance. Students also learn a number of classroom and life skills such as how to work effectively in a group, how to analyze information, detecting bias, presenting information, interacting with professionals, conducting interviews, categorizing and tabulating statistics, and demonstrating creativity to convey information.