Multimedia Creation: Successful Student Projects
Note: This page is a resource for anyone who wishes to use it. You can share it with your students and alter items to meet your needs. Almost all of the documents are Google Docs so feel free to copy them into your own Drive.
Why do a multimedia project? It’s a nice change of pace and in most cases the students spend more time with the material than they would on a paper, as the planning involved requires the students to work with the information in different ways. In addition, for some assignments, creating a multimedia video or presentation can be a more authentic assignment than writing a paper. While this all sounds great, a multimedia assignment, especially when done on an iPad, comes with potential logistical pitfalls. These pitfalls can make a great assignment a really bad experience if they aren’t addressed early on. This page is full of resources and tips to help you create a more successful media project. And here is a link to our Prezi “How to Create a Successful Student Multimedia Presentation”
Assignment Foundations (Faculty)
As with all assessments, start with your objectives for the project and then translate those into a rubric. Be clear about what you wish to assess. For example, if the content is the only important part of the project then don’t assess on the student’s successful use of the technology or the final video. Below you will see several examples of rubrics from which you can begin. Notice that some evaluate only content while other evaluate the process and the effective use of the medium.
- Tips for a Successful App Smashed Media Project
The Process (Students)
The resources and links below are organized to follow the creation timeline
- Evernote app/website is a great tool for research, but there is not a free web clipper option for the Evernote app on the iPad. There is a work around that will allow a user to clip web pages on the iPad just as they would on a computer. This may not be appropriate for younger children but it is a viable option for high school students.
- Click here for Installing the Evernote web clipper on the ipad instructions – Tutorial
- Side-by-Side iOS app is a multiple-window reader/browser with offline reading and note taking capabilities. It turns the iPad into multiple resizable reading devices working in parallel.You can browse webpages, download files, read documents, or take notes on each split screen.
- Storyboard Template – if you use UPad on the iPad it has a wonderful storyboard template.
- UPad Lite (ios)
- MetaMoJi Note Lite (android/ios)
- Google Drive (apps for Education) – provides an easy to use, cloud-based method to type a script either for an individual project or collaboratively for group work.
Image Release Forms
It is best practice to require students to use an image release form when filming others for use in a project or for use on the web. This teaches digital responsibility and makes them mindful that not everyone wishes to be displayed on the web. It also adds a degree of professionalism to the project.
- Interview/Image Release Form
- Interview/Image Release Form – Lower Grades
- Interview/Image Release Form – Higher Grades
Recording and Importing Video
The next step is to gather all of the media needed for the final product. When doing this it’s important for your students to keep copyright law in mind. This is also a great teaching moment for faculty to make sure students are aware of what is acceptable.
Images and Graphics
You can create a picture of anything displayed on the iPad screen, no matter which app or website you have open, by taking a screenshot. The screenshot is automatically saved in the Photos/Camera Roll.
To capture a screenshot on iOS
- Press and hold the Menu button (a.k.a. Home button, the main button below the screen).
- While the menu button is held down, press the power/lock button (the switch on the top edge of the device).
- You will hear a camera shutter sound and the screen will be saved in your Camera Roll.
To capture a screenshot on Android
- Press the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time, hold them for a second, and your phone will take a screenshot.
- It’ll show up in your Gallery app.
When keeping with copyright use laws, it’s often hard to find the true owner of a web image in order to ask for use permission. So when possible use free or copyright free images. Here are several resources to help you get started. A more extensive search I’m sure will reveal more:
Audio and Music
May video editing applications will not allow DRM protected music in your videos, even if you purchased the song. As with images, it’s best if you can use copyright and royalty free music when possible.
- How to add and use audio/music on the iPad
- Supplemental Content
- Archive.org – Internet Archive containing music, video, and audio that can be used in student projects. Includes wonderful speeches and texts as well.
- Free Music
- App Smashing Matrix – a listing of free apps for each stage of the process.
App Smashing is taking items created in other applications/apps and combining them into a finished product. For example taking video from the camera app, a chart from a chart creation app, and a map from Google Maps all into one final product such as a video in iMovie. The App Smash Matrix contains a list of apps that students may wish to use to create a more robust final project.
Putting It All Together