The "OUR SCHOOL" documentary project is a collaboration with schools outside the United States to explore what it means to be a teenager in the global age.
We are looking for cool teachers to help capture their students' experience of academics, culture, and humor. In the process, you will become part of an international network of like-minded educators, students, and friends.
WHY?
Being a high school teacher, I quickly learned how important it is for young people to build friendships in different parts of the world. Most students cannot travel widely. They do, however, have access to the world at their fingertips, as well as a veritable video production studio! This is an opportunity for them to create deep friendships by exploring their hopes, fears, and dreams, under the supervision of caring educators. In the process, everyone involved will take part in an experiment that celebrates the best part of education – our students.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We are facilitating asynchronous video correspondence between teenagers in different parts of the world. It's kind of like a conversation by way of YouTube. As a "cool teacher", your role would be to help create these videos -- whatever that means to you. You can be involved as much, or as little, as you like.
WHAT NEXT?
The videos below were made in collaboration between myself and my students. Watch them with your class. What we are looking for is a creative and personalized response from one one or more of your students, on video, preferably something funny! A good sense of humor goes a long way! In the case of more serious videos (for example, those exploring the loss of a family member), it could also be something like a student explaining what the video meant to him or her, or any other kind of personalized response. Keep in mind that we, as educators, are looking to ignite a two month video conversation.
COMMITMENT - one short video per week for two months.
These could be uploaded onto YouTube or Vimeo. Students do not need to create these videos during your class! I'd be happy to provide some fundamental instruction on video production, but I bet some of your students already know how to create these types of videos using their phone. As the saying goes, "We're not making Ben Hur!"
NEXT STEP
Send an email with the subject line "Cool teacher" to brady.calestro@gmail.com to confirm your interest. I can provide you with steps after that. I'm also happy to answer any questions you have.
Brady Calestro, M.Ed.
email: brady.calestro@gmail.com
BSc, London School of Economics
Professional Teaching License in Integrated Language Arts from the State of Ohio Department of Education
School website: www.franklintonhigh.org
Here we are. Who are you?
