Blog #5: Reflection on the PSA Project

Phew! What a whirlwind of a project. It was certainly an exercise in patience--that's for sure!
Some reflections for next year:

1. Spend a lot more time at the beginning of the project reiterating HOW to save properly and write it on chart paper step by step.
2a). Students will only start with finding pictures and have those pictures saved in a file to then be put in their iMovie at a later date.
2b) Ensure students create their audio recordings after the pictures are put into iMovie
3. I liked the selection of choices of music that Jeff prepared for the students. It was appropriate and the students didn't seem to have a problem finding a 'just right' song.
4. Remind students to include in their attributions in their PSA to include not only image attributions, but also references as to where they found their research info!
5. More reflection/sharing at grade level regarding the process--touching base, tips, warnings, etc.
6. Due to time constrains, the peer-review process was not as effective as it could have been. Next year I will devote 1-2 full period for peer-review and we'll do a sample review together as a class based on one of the PSAs we watched at the beginning of the project.

As a class, we've showed each PSA and watched them together. I asked the students to watch and identify the problem and solution to each PSA and this was done quite easily which means that the message of the PSA was loud and clear. I also asked follow up questions to the PSAs such as, "Is the solution do-able for you?" and "What was most effective in this PSA?" The students really enjoyed watching each other's. Students are asked to write a reflection and upload their PSA to their blog. An outline of what should be included in their reflection was posted to the class blog as a reference. Most of the students wanted their PSAs posted on youtube, but one group did not. Click here to check out the posted 5th grade PSA projects.

Overall, I'm very very pleased with the product from each group/individual. There were definite frustrations within the groups due to "losing" work, but in the end, the projects were completed and will be showcased on their blogs. They worked so hard on these projects and seemed to enjoy making their videos. I'm very proud of their accomplishments!