I have done a lot of experimenting this year with technology. One thing i have done is incorporating movie making in the classroom as a marking period project. I have assigned a movie project each marking period and have seen that the students take it very positivly. They have taken the liberty to shoot, edit, and produce their group movie with pride and a sense of ownership. They have put their little "twist" in their projects by the use of humor and personal stories.
For my world history classes, the first two topics have been "The 7 Wonders of Union City compared to The Ancient Wonders of the World" and "Greek Lagacies alive in Union City"
For my U.S I classes, the first two topics have been "Colonial Life" and "Recreation of the American Revolution"
The students do all the shooting, editing and producing on their own. They have used digital cameras, camcorders and even cell phones to shoot. On the most part, they have used Movie Maker to edit. They have put it on cd's, dvd's, and flash drives. However, some students have taken it to another level and produced their movie on YouTube.
Either way, these movies have instilled interest and motivation in my classroom. Movies are adaptable for any class, even math. Ex. Have students create a movie showing how Pie is alive in their daily life. Or to physically show a math problem solved via a movie.
