Wow!
So, not too much time in the last two weeks to be writing on here. Been very very busy at my school, teaching Actor's Studio (a subject that's a mix of Drama and Media Studies for year 9's) Drama (Year 7's) and English (Year 8's.)
I've done lots of interesting activities with my classes and feel like I'm building up a rapport with the majority of students. I try to include lots of hands on and varied activities to keep the students engaged and wanting to learn more. In the English class I've been doing a study on the novel "The Outsiders," Within this we've done some work on persuasive language around the issue of knife crime and are now looking at debating on the same issue. I have shown this class a few youtube clips (links below) to have them thinking about different issues that may arise, as well as different people that are effected by knife crime.

I also edited a compilation of different music pieces for my year 7 students, all of varying natures, so that they could practice walking as different characters as inspired by the music.

Gotta go now, lesson planning away but more details to follow.

E-diddy.

The Media Studies teacher in ICT

Hi All,
Am just sitting in class as others are playing with Windows Media Maker, learning how to edit videos. As a Media Studies teacher, i feel as though I know quite well how to do this, therefore am just working here (with permission from the tutor of course!)

So as we've been trying to discuss ways you can use video in class, I thought I might just expand on this and list a few ICT related things that a Media Studies teacher will at some stage focus on in both theory and practice within their classroom.

Here goes:

Camera work, basic operation - on/off, stills and movies, charging, zooming, panning, using tripod

Film appreciation/narrative

Pre-production planning, storyboarding
Lighting, eg. 3 point lighting, use of redheads

Audio, including in-camera, boom mics and lapel mics

Editing, including titles, credits, cutting and sorting footage, smooth transitions & continuity, audio and soundtracks

Music Video, analysis, genre work, filming, editing

Photography, use of a digital camera or film camera, photographic composition

Photoshop editing photos
Use of programs for print layouts such as InDesign

that's about all I have time to write now, but it goes on!

Placement - ICT

Just started my new placement, as did everyone last week. At a very different school to last time, still a state school but just different. It's sprawling across a large campus with 1550 students attending. Staff rooms/offices are spread all over the campus, and I'm in a tiny one with only two others, squashed in between two classrooms with windows looking in. The school is pretty well fitted out, tech wise, with data projectors in every classroom, digital photography, computer labs, a 250 seat theatre with great lighting and audio tech. Teaching I've witnessed so far (in my two days!) has been fairly old-school, with little use of present technology. Will keep you updated. Am trying to get my mini-film that we made in the ICT class last week up here in the next few days.