As we continue moving towards a competency-based learning system, it is important to provide students with the digital tools they need to produce creative and collaborative projects to demonstrate their understanding of course material. Here are just a few of the digital tools I recommend for students to create some awesome and unique projects!
Video Production: WeVideo is an online, collaborative video editing tool that provides access to a variety of stock video, photos, and audio as well as pre-made animated text and other graphics. It is an intuitive program that most students pick up in just a few minutes, so there is not a steep learning curve. You can create a video without recording anything at all or you can record everything yourself - and anything in between. One of the most common projects in WeVideo is a Public Service Announcement. Londonderry School District has a district license for WeVideo, so all students and staff can use it simply by going to WeVideo.com and logging in with their Google account.
Audio Production: Soundtrap is an online, collaborative audio editing tool. If you have ever heard of or used GarageBand, it is the online, collaborative version of that! It provides access to a huge library of loops to allow students to create their own original songs. They can also record themselves. The most common project in Soundtrap is a podcast. With this project, most students create a short musical intro and then record a conversation about a particular topic. The files are exported as audio files that can be listened to on any device. We also have a limited number of licenses for Soundtrap, so you will need to reach out to me to get your class set up to use Soundtrap.
Graphic Design: Canva is an online, collaborative graphic design tool (are you noticing a trend here?) It provides access to thousands of free-to-use images, graphics, animations, audio, and video. It also provides hundreds of thousands of templates to help students get started creating content. These templates range from simple presentations and posters to more complex designs like book covers, infographics, and even comic strips. All students and teachers in the district have full access to Canva and can easily get to it from the Google App Launcher (the Waffle). No need to contact me to use it unless you would like me to present it to your class!
If you are interested in learning more about these tools, I created a whole bunch of short (like really short...most are less than a minute and a half) tutorial videos explaining how to do specific tasks in the digital tool. You can access those tutorials from the Training page - under Video Tutorials. You can also reach out to me and I am happy to help you develop a lesson or project that focuses FIRST on your curriculum and meeting your course competencies and SECOND on integrating a fun and creative digital tool.
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