30 minutes after Elizabeth’s presentation ended at 3:30 I was co-hosting a 4 hour class on digital video that will meet a total of 4 times. One area my school district has consistently tried to put tech into teachers’ and students’ hands has been digital video and photography. 7 years ago I took a digital video class that included a camera for everyone attending, and I have been hooked ever since. It is really what drove my principal to originally help write the grant that got us 30 firewire iBooks when they first hit the market. They are the ones that my fourth graders are using right now in our 1:1 laptop program.

On a side note, I felt my students were comfortable enough with basic use of their laptops that I have them using them with a substitute teacher in the room for 3 days – I know yesterday went well because I was actually onsite during our training so I touched base with both teacher and students and things went smoothly :  ).

I’ve taught this digital video class 4 times before, and one of my misgivings has always been that after the class ends, how much have the teachers used the camera in their classroom with their students?  Unfortunately, I’m afraid, not much. Only a very few teachers that I know that have gotten cameras that I have spoken to afterwards has ever told me about something they have done with students. But again, this group seems different. My cohort picked up on this too. This group was excited, asking questions, commenting on example videos we showed, and when we did a simple activity that involved them using their cameras for the first time they couldn’t get enough. They left class jazzed about showing up next week with some video shot that we can teach them how to edit. Several stayed behind to shake our hands and repeat how thrilled they are that they were given this opportunity!

Pinch me!