Category Archives: Digital skills

We are getting to make a music video?!

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When Sharon told us what our task was to be last week for our first animation input, I felt a great sense of nostalgia and so many happy memories came flooding back. I felt it was important to share this and reflect, because looking back it was such a significant aspect of my time at primary school.

When I was in primary seven, my teacher introduced our class to Moving Image Education (MIE) and we explored various projects and animations. Some used music or audio to tell a story, and others did not. This captured us all, as there were so many aspects to it, varying across so many curricular areas, and so it met all of our needs.

One project that has stuck in my mind, and will always stay with me as being one of the best experiences I had in primary school, was when we made a music video. It was just after Alexandra Burke had won the X-Factor and everybody was obsessed with her single ‘Hallelujah’ – and I mean Bluetooth-ing the song to all of our phones and blaring it 24/7 obsessed. Red Nose Day was coming up and we decided as a class that we wanted to raise some money, and this was what we chose – to lip-sync her song. We couldn’t believe it…we were getting to make a MUSIC VIDEO?! The excitement to try this, something that nobody in the school had every done before, was unreal. But we were all sworn to secrecy. We wanted it to be a surprise. And a surprise it was…however I do think some people began to get suspicious as to why the song was played twenty times a day.

A make-shift green screen in the corner of the classroom, hidden away so nobody visiting would see. We were each given a role in the process, whether it be organising who was miming what, helping to edit, making posters etc. Taking our turn, we stood in front of the ‘green screen’ and tried our best to match the vocals. We transformed our classroom into a cinema, and got popcorn to give out and created various trailers to play before the music video began. Honestly, I think we all felt like celebrities that day. The creativity and confidence we all gained from this project was enormous, and it was so enjoyable that we were continually motivated to get involved. I’m sitting smiling at my laptop screen as I write this, because honestly it was the best thing ever.

Our teacher noticed how well we reacted to this project and so tried something new. Like Sharon’s input with us, we were introduced to plasticine animation and how it worked. We all split into mini groups, thinking up story lines, characters, scripts, resources and so much more and created our animations. Relationships were built throughout the project, and we all learned to cooperate in such a fun, active way. My best friends and I created an animation on a granny at the hairdresser, and it was the most ridiculous thing ever but it was funny. I’ll try and see if I can upload it to this blog post. (Apologies for the bad quality, I had to record it from my phone cause the real video’s memory was too big.

Don’t judge though, I know it’s weird. We were eleven and had a thing for making people laugh…

 

Upon reflection on my experience in primary seven, I have begun to realise how significant this year was for me. My teacher was so enthusiastic and tried so many new and exciting things with us, and I really think my motivation to become a teacher was inspired by him.

Although animation and all things technology are not my strongest point, and the animation we made in our workshop is a reflection of this, I am so, so keen to try new things. I know how important it is to throw yourself out of your comfort zone, and I want to embrace this as much as possible. What is the point in life in sitting on the fence and never experiencing the thrill/adrenaline/dread of a new experience. Yes, it sometimes can be so daunting, but the satisfaction received after it cannot be replaced by any other feeling. I’m no animation guru, but I know with a bit of commitment, confidence and the right frame of mind I will some day be able to deliver such a fun, enjoyable and engaging lesson/project as my teacher once did.

 

Finding a Balance on the Internet

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What challenges/opportunities you may be faced with when marrying the personal vs the professional presence on social media?

Prior to this task and the inputs on the online world, I was quite apprehensive about using social media in the professional workplace. My high school had various twitter accounts ranging from the library, sports clubs and additional science help, and generally speaking there were never any problems. I liked having that extra connection, and let’s be honest, it’s the platform that we all use nowadays, so it works well to get news out fast. But there is always that ‘what if?’ in the back of my mind in everything that I do.

 

I use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and I repeatedly flick through my newsfeed as part of my daily routine. However, they are all private and always have been. I don’t like the idea of not knowing who the audience reading about my day-to-day life are. That way, I can monitor who can and cannot view my posts, ensuring both my safety and privacy. I am considering making an additional twitter account for all things Education. Not because I don’t want any of my regular followers to read it, but in my opinion my personal life should not be combined with my professional life. That way, the balance is set and I do not have to worry. Reading through the GTCS Code, it is clear that we are in a very vulnerable industry and unfortunately one action can be misinterpreted and a have negative impact. It is absolutely vital that you always stop and think before you post – will it affect my profession? The GTCS code guidance is an essential document, highlighting the appropriate ethos you must maintain whilst in the professional environment.

 

 

How are the challenges/opportunities afforded by social media framed? How will you frame things – positive or deficit viewpoint?

Although the internet and social media has created a platform for us to broaden our learning and knowledge on anything and everything that we desire, it brings a lot of darkness too, and so it is essential that it is framed in a very safe and encouraging way. I find it hard to read and hear stories about explicit content being exposed on social media to children, swallowing up their innocence, like the one Derek shared about his daughter, purely because my childhood was not internet orientated. Why does something so great have to be so corrupt at the same time? As a teacher, I want to present the online world in a positive way however children must be made aware of the dangers, and the NSPCC have created a fun but very informative website I will definitely make use of. The resources are endless online, and GTCS have highlighted how fundamental the internet is in delivering the curriculum in an engaging and innovative way, in parallel to teaching our younger generation to make use of it in the most secure ways.