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American Sign Language Idol


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Keywords: Flip Video,
Subject(s): Foreign Language
Grades 6 through 12
NETS-S Standard:
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • Communication and Collaboration
  • Research and Information Fluency
  • Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Technology Operations and Concepts
View Full Text of Standards
School: Beach Street Middle School, West Islip, NY
Planned By: Jennifer Colonna
Original Author: Jennifer Colonna, West Islip
Students will choose the song of their choice (appropriate for school) and they interpret the lines from English into American Sign Language. Students will be contestants in a friedn;y competion with their peers. Students may choose to work on a "solo", "duet" or as a "band". Students are encouraged to use props, scenery and costumes. Students will be provided class time to practice and rehearse their performances. Then they will record and we will watch them during class. Students will provide eachother useful feedback and judge the performances.


AIM: Students will be able to identify, express and apply vocabulary and grammatical features of ASL in meaningful way with a high level of proficiency.

The West Islip school community will benefit from this the use of flip cameras because if this proposal is granted, our students will be provided with opportunities to collaborate with others in and around our community. Our community will benefit because we’ll be fostering students to not only become life long learners but to also be respectful digital citizens. Digital Citizens learn to use technology safely, legally, ethically and responsibly.
Comments
I feel that it is important to integrate the use of technology, in meaningful ways, into classroom practice and lessons. Currently, I own one camera that I use periodically with my classes. If we had more of them, we would be able to offer our students more opportunities to include technology in their projects and assignments in the ASL classroom. The application of technological materials not only enriches the learning experience but also motivates student achievement as it ignites our students’ imaginations and their creative processes. Everyday we are preparing our students for college and their future careers. We must consider that when our students enter college and the work force, they will be expected to be familiar with different aspects and uses of technology. In today’s day and age, even “Blue Collar” job responsibilities and skills require the knowledge and awareness of technology. I do my best to integrate technology when I can and when resources allow. Furthermore, using Flip Cameras and their software, opens up another opportunity for our students to display their abilities and possibly develop a new hobby and/or explore new interests.
Cross-Curriculum Ideas
The ASL teachers at West Islip have been encouraging our students to create portfolios of themselves that reflects their growth in using ASL. The video footage is also another assessment tool that we can use to monitor achievement. Their portfolios will exhibit their abilities. At the end of their academic career at WI, they will have an array of footage in their portfolio that they can bring to college/job interviews to show evidence of their fluency and mastery of using ASL. Currently, our students have only been able to build their portfolio by saving footage in the HS Language Lab. Our middle schools do not have this resource for their students. If we had Flip Cameras, our students would be able to upload their videos to any computer because the cameras have a USB port built into them. College acceptance is very competitive; possibly having a portfolio might set one of our students apart from other qualifying applicants.
Follow-Up
I have outlined just a few of the numerous project ideas that would employ the Flip Camera below:

1. American Sign Language Idol
- Students sign lyrics to their favorite songs
2. Home & Community “MTV CRIB”
- Students give us a tour of their home or a WI establishment in ASL
3. PSA Public Service Announcements
- Students create a PSA for the Health Unit in ASL
4. Five Minute Recipes
- Students create a mini cooking show in ASL for the Food Unit
5. Interview Deaf Community members
- Students interview the Deaf and inquire about their life experiences
6. “ASL for Dummies” (for any unit topic)
- Students create video clips to teach others how to sign
7. College Portfolio
- Students document their acquisition and fluency by creating a collection of their
dialogues and assignments to share with college admissions
Materials: Flip Video, Camera Bags, Flash/USB Drives, Tripods, Batteries