Wanna Get Away?

Over the last few weeks, students have been learning about the geography of North America. Recently, they were tasked with researching and analyzing the countries of Canada and Mexico - specifically, the people, culture, environment, resources, and landmarks. The driving question: What is important about the geography of these locations and what might draw people to live or vacation there? 

In an effort to help our students develop important twenty-first-century literacy skills (including media literacy), we asked students to use their knowledge and understanding of the countries they were researching and analyzing in order to produce a travel/tourism video that communicates the important aspects of these countries' geographical features and why these countries would be ideal locations to live, work, or vacation to (appealing aspects about the climate, resources, culture, land/water features).

When we told our students that we'd be integrating a WeVideo production to help facilitate their connections to this content, their motivation and engagement skyrocketed. The critical analysis that was required in order to evaluate the most optimal multimedia features so that they were able to effectively communicate their messages, added an authentic component to an already complex task of mastering disciplinary knowledge. They navigated this learning experience with such enthusiasm and focus and the results were pretty amazing. We think you will enjoy them, too (you'll actually find some of them at the end of this post). This week's guest bloggers reflect on their experiences. Enjoy.

This was so fun! I was amazed at how interesting Canada is because I never really thought it was that cool. I really feel good about my video and how I timed my images with my voice because it was pretty hard getting to fit the part in the right place. One thing that I would do differently next time is speak more fluently in my voiceover.   - @SkullTrooper

I got to learn a lot about Canada's culture with this project. I feel good about how I read at a good pace and that I didn't talk too fast in my voiceover. One thing I would do differently next time is to make sure the images on the screen match what I am saying in my voiceover.    - @SoccerDog14

This was a fun experience. One thing about my video that made me feel good was that I took my time to research my country in detail and I made sure I included the details in my commercial. One thing I would do differently would be to have my music be more quiet in the background.    - @imadog697

This was a great experience. One thing that I felt good about my video production was that I put together all of the elements needed into a short one-minute video. One thing I would do differently next time is lower my music volume so that you can hear my voiceover more clearly.   - @ApplePie

I had a lot of fun and worked really hard on my commercial. One of the things that I liked about my commercial is my catchy slogan. Also, I like how I made it so the music faded at the end instead of just stopping. One thing that I did not like was how rushed my voice sounded. Next time, I will read more slowly.    - @LoonDog1

I like how lively my commercial is. One thing I would do differently next time is read my voiceover more slowly.    - @PumpkinPie

This was a good experience because it helped me learn about maps and how to edit a video. One thing that I would do differently next time is make the images in the background relate to my voiceover.   - @McGrimace

This experience really made me put myself out there. A few things that I feel really good about are my voiceover, background music, and the images I selected. Something I would do differently next time is to take my time and not rush because once I previewed my video, I realized I was saying everything wrong.    - @Rosita

This was a good experience. I learned about a country that I had only been to once and that I didn't really know much about. I really feel good about the ending of my commercial because I put extra music at the end that did not overpower my voiceover. One thing that I would do differently next time is not pause as much as I'm reading my voiceover.    - @Milly

I enjoyed this experience because I got to learn new things about a country. One thing I feel good about is my slogan because it's really catchy. One thing I would do differently next time is talk a bit slower during my voiceover. This was a memorable experience.    - @banana

This was a fun project. One thing that I feel good about is the part about the natural resources. I timed the images and the voiceover just right. One thing I would do differently next time is make sure that all parts of my video are timed the same way (the part where I talked about the people of Canada didn't have the right images).    - @Oreo17

I thought this experience was worth the time. It was good to view my classmates' videos too because it motivated me to push myself to do better. If I had to do this again, I would probably practice reading my voiceover over and over and over again so that I don't mispronounce words and read more fluently.    - @TheRing

This was a worthwhile experience. One thing I feel good about is that the transitions stayed the same the whole time. One thing that I would change about my commercial is to not have pauses in voiceover.    - @Beaker

This was a great experience. The part of my production that I felt good about was my slogan. One thing that I would do differently next time is not have so many pauses in my voiceover because it made my video too long. I want to give a shout-out to @ApplePie because he didn't have ANY pauses in his video.   - @RoxyDog