Wednesday 15th October three students and I attended the Hand Held Learning Conference at The Brewery in the Barbican, London. There we presented for the Teacher Development Agencies ‘Developing Teachers for the 21st Century' break out session. We put forward the FFL perspective on the challenges and opportunities this technology offers learners in the second half of the first decade of the 21st century.... (certainly a bit of a mouthful but it is best to be specific as it will be all change again tomorrow!) To demonstrate the possibilities Hand Held Technologies offers learning we set ourselves the challenge of making a film on the journey up to the conference from deepest Dorset. This involved filming on a mobile and editing on the train and London Eye!
See the film >>>CLICK HERE<<<
It was my job to lead the presentation, but I was very ably assisted by the 3 students from the Thomas Hardye School, Sam, Douglas and Laura who excellently represented their own experiences of learning using DV cameras, phones and laptops.
To view Sam's Film: >>>CLICK HERE<<<
Douglas' Film
Laura's Film: >>>CLICK HERE<<<
Here is a brief summary of the presentation we gave
We told the FFL story, explaining that we work at a very small level offering some training and support to schools and individuals. All contributors provide their time on a voluntary basis and there is no commercial angle to this project. I then explained what FFL is about:
FFL is students making films for teachers to explain aspects of learning which lessons/teachers are trying to communicate.... however as with all good things teachers also want to get in on the act (and why not) and make films!
Films for Learning supports learning because:
- you can not make a good film to support learning without understanding the subject...
- communication skills are developed through the process both in front of and behind the camera, both in production and post production.
- the literacy of film is something which is almost in ‘built in' to today's learners, so this is their medium... not one they are scared of or should teachers retreat from.
- team working, and collaborative skill are encouraged.
- films can be shared in class or online... feed back can be given ... uniquely in the ‘timeline' facility offered the FFL Theatre
- film making supports a variety of learning styles... and challenges teaching styles!
Unfortunately film making is no silver bullet to aid learning... Two years ago a primary school we worked with were excited by the apparent successes they were achieving with students undertaking FFL activities until they saw no perceivable increase in KS2 results... However there is little disputing the increase levels of engagement of students undertaking FFL activities and the success of this work will be apparent later in personal development.
Whilst film making we have identified a number of challenges frequently experienced by educators and learners:
- Compatibility - Incompatible file formats produced by Tape, Hard Drive and SD cards... this often requires more software to achieve the same results. Some phones and new cameras work better with Mac than PC... the less straightforward a film project becomes technically the more barriers are created for the teacher
- Copyright - What does copyright free... free Music... actually it mean? DIDA/GCSE's insist on coursework remaining legal... but students are encouraged to inadvertently break the law elsewhere in the curriculum... and yet educators continue talk of the power of the blogoshere... In FFL activities we encourage students to use no music or create there own where feasible...
- Safety - another barrier to creating exciting lessons.... The risk assessment... this is never insurmountable and relatively easy to address.
- Time - Film making is not the quick option... a day is always better than 5 lessons... but that luxury is rare.... The dropping of KS3 SAT's may encourage more adventurous and flexible teaching?! (Keep your fingers crossed!)
- Resources - FFL work with the cheapest equipment and free software - MS Movie Maker and imovie etc. are our programmes of choice to ensure our activities are as accessible as possible to all schools and students. We am keen to remove as many barriers to learning as possible... especially for teachers!
- Skills - The teacher may not know all the answers, but the student is more than likely to know where to look or how to find out. The skill is for the teacher to allow this to happen safely without feeling that they have lost control. In some places ICT has been taught ‘traditionally' almost a means of control.... Some teachers are only happy when the class is sitting silently in front of a keyboard and screen... Hand Held technologies challenges these teaching styles and values.
I have now outlined enough reason why not to make film with students... so here is few reasons to make films.... !
- Students get really creative. Film work produced by students really is the ‘Student Voice
- By getting mobile you can get out of the class room... for that matter bring the real word into the class room... throw dummies of Cliffs, make explosions, visit real working environments, get real peoples opinions..
- Students and teachers can collaborate... initiate...commission... create a new dynamic in learning through film
- Filming making can be accessible to all.... Even the student who can never concentrate in lessons has been found to focus, contribute and even sit and be constructively bored!!!!
- Most student have found this process to be both challenging and fun... not because it is film making but because it makes the subject interesting and so engaging...
On an academic level we are convinced that film making can address the ‘Personalised Learning' agenda...
Of the nine Learning Gateways here are five examples of what FFL can hit...
- AfL... You need to target set, peer and self assess when making films...
- Learning to Learn - When film making you are exploring and creating new ways to learn
- Obviously new technologies are central to FFL.... and specifically Hand Held Learning technologies
- The student voice can be clearly be identified in this work....
- And any part of the curriculum can incorporate FFL this in their work...
Hopefully you will be inspired to contribute to this project...
As previously mentioned it is free...
You might have advice and resources to share through the blogs and forums in the FfL Community or Films you and your student have made to support learning which can be uploaded to the FFL Theatre.
We do insist that films contain no copyrighted music... i.e. chart hits etc and that images and footage are your own or obtained and credited to appropriate sources.
Images of children should not have their names published alongside and parental permission is obtain but retained by yourselves...
Good luck I hope we will be able t share some of your work!