Water Cycle Bracelet
Group: Jacqlyn Rossi, Julia Sebastian, Amanda Finlayson
Video: Water Cycle Bracelet
Go Green!
Group: John Wagner & AJ Sharoni
Video: Go Green
Bullying
Group: Leila Goldsmith, Francisco Escobar, Kerry McGurty, Rashida Wisdom
Video: Ant Bullying video
RRR!
Group: Bianca Costanzo, Caitlin Glossza, Stephanie Zirbes)
Video: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Interview?
Group: Alice Wong, Jeffrey Park, Anthony Matthews, Kyle Linfonte
Video: How to NOT Show Proper Etiquette in an Interview
Johnny Thunderbird at the Macy’s Day Parade!
Group: Branavi Nadarajah
Video: The Macy’s Day Parade
1015 
Water Cycle Bracelet- I thought this video was great and would be a good tool to use in a class. For example, you could teach the water cycle and then play this video as the children are putting together their bracelets. I loved the use of the pictures in the background, which was a nice touch to remind students what you were talking about. Also, the close up at the end of each segment was great because students could check and make sure that they were on the right step.
However, I would have added more about the actual water cycle, for example more pictures of real rain, sun, etc. Also, perhaps different people could have presented each bead or they could have been more animated when presenting. I think kids really respond to characters well and love when they see their teachers acting a little silly. Overall, great job!
Go Green- I liked this video and thought it gave a lot of great tips on how to go green in your life. The music during the first part also helped staple the feeling down of a destroyed Earth, it fit with what you were trying to convey. Also, I liked how you incorporated how to go green in school, which would be great in a classroom. The students could actually do these suggestions in class.
I would have made the introduction of the video a little shorter and expanded a little more on the tips, though. For example, I would have elaborated a bit more on why these tips help save the Earth and explain the theories behind it. It wouldn’t have to go into too much depth, but a quick word or two. Also, I was able to hear AJ but not John, more projection was needed to hear since the microphones we were using were not the best! Nice!
Anti-Bullying- I loved this video! I thought the black and white, coupled with the signs, the story and music were extremely powerful. Also, I thought the acting in the video parts with the slowed down were really moving. Emotions were definitely evoked that make you feel the girl’s pain. The resources at the and were great and could possible help a student who is being bullied. However, I would have figured out a way to peter out the music and not just end the song. Also, I think the zooming in could have been smoother instead of in steps. Perhaps you could have even shown her getting help and shown what could have come out, a different ending, more hopeful to inspire students. However, I really loved this video, great work!
How to NOT Show Proper Etiquette in an Interview- This video was HILARIOUS!!!! I thought the acting was great and really portrayed a ridiculous character that is exaggerated to the extreme. It kind of showed you how unprofessional you come off if you do any of those things. I also loved the use of special effects, such as the bad and good, split screen, etc. I also liked the discussion questions at the end that tie it in.
However, I think the editing between two shots could have been smoother. It was a little choppy between each scene. Also, perhaps you could have added a part at the end which showed the good, which would have been great for contrast. It did get the idea across though and was very well done. It made me laugh.
-Stephanie Zirbes
Water Cycle Bracelet- I really enjoyed the Water Cycle Bracelet video. I thought you all did a great job explaining the steps of the water bracelet and what each bead represents. I also thought having the close up of each step after placing a new bead on the pipe cleaner. However, one suggestion that I have would be to know your lines a little more, that way you’re focusing more on the audience and not on the script. Another suggestion would be to include more content about the water cycle in your video. This activity would be a great activity to assess how well the students understand the water cycle.
Go Green- I thought the beginning of the Go Green video definitely made a connection with the viewers. It showcased the dangers of a damaged environment that people are facing today and will continue to endure if no one takes action. You provided the audience with many tips on how to go green. I liked how you actually demonstrated the lifestyles people should follow in order to protect the Earth. However, I think you could have used the transition tools better in between your tips, which would have made your video even stronger than it is. Another tip would be to slow down the end credits which list more ways a person could save the Earth. I also had trouble hearing the sound on your video- I know sound is a major issue for many people when making videos. Overall, you did a great job portraying the dangers of not thinking about the environment in our everyday lives.
Anti-Bullying- I really thought the close ups of each fact about bullying was powerful. It definitely made the viewers focus on the what is actually happening to children and how many are actually being bullied and are afraid. I also thought the black and white coloring truly made the message much stronger and evoked many emotions. I think the song at the end of the video should have been faded out, instead of it randomly cutting it off automatically. Maybe you could have included her getting help and actively putting an end to her bullying.
How to NOT Show Proper Etiquette in an Interview- This video was extremely funny- I loved Anthony’s facial expressions and mannerisms throughout his interview. Although it served as a comic relief, it did show the audience on what not to do during an interview. My major suggestion would be to refine the editing of the video. I felt that one clip just jumped to the next- it could have been a much smoother transition. You did a great job showing the audience what you should do during a interview by showing what you should never do. It was well done and made everyone laugh!
-Bianca Costanzo
Macy’s- I loved the use of the photobook scene that was the base for all the pictures. It was like you were looking at a photo album over the history of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also, the use of voice over was good because it was easy and clear to hear. There was a little stumbling over words that probably could have been recorded over however. I would also try to add some live footage of the parade. I think that could be really nice and iconic, since we mostly all watched the parade every Thanksgiving as children.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade- This video provided the history of the Thanksgiving Parade, which I never even thought about before. It was always the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade- I didn’t think of the background as to why the parade was first started. This video is definitely unique and carried out well. One suggestion would be to practice going over what you were going to say during the voice over. The voice over is a great effect to use and it definitely made the video more understandable and clear. However, you stumbled on some of your words, which could have been redo to strengthen the message of your video. Maybe you could have broken down the voice over into smaller segments, which could have avoided some of the stumbling.
-Bianca Costanzo
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,
This video was pretty interesting to make and we had an adventure doing so. We really wanted to create a story and characters that were funny but also had a clear message, we have to save our planet. I think we got the message across and gave quick tips on how young students could reduce, reuse, and recycle. It was interesting to play around in iMovie and figure out how we could present all our ideas. I loved filming with my group members and it really bought us together. I could see myself using this video in my future classroom.
However, there are always things that we could do to improve our video. The main thing is I really wish the sound was better quality. We tried to increase the volume of the voices, but it would also increase the ambient noise int he background. Also, I wish we had more shots, but were limited to the inside with time and weather. Overall, I think we did a great job and I loved it!
-Stephanie Zirbes
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- I had a good time making this video with Stephanie and Caitlin. We had a good time and had a lot of laughs together. It was eye opening to research about the dangers of not recycling and throwing away things others could use. I personally could have been more animated while recording my lines. We should have redone the scene with Stephanie and Caitlin by the dumpsters because of the loud background noise (I pretended that we were at an actual recycling plant.) Although you can still hear what she is saying, it is difficult to hear at some points. I think we did a good job explaining the main purposes of why people should reduce, reuse, and recycle and we can definitely use this video in our future classrooms.
I really loved working with my group and our singing!!
-Bianca Costanzo
Water Cycle Bracelet: I really enjoyed your idea of a water cycle bracelet. I think this would be a great lesson for students. Students would have fun making these bracelets but at the same time they can learn about the water cycle. I have never seen this done before and I think this could be great motivation for a unit plan on the water cycle.
I liked how you changed the little pictures in the corner when a new bead was put on. Little background changes like that can be a major addition to any video. I also liked how you included a picture of what the bracelet is supposed to look like when a new bead is added. I think this is almost like a tutorial and students could follow along very easily.
One thing you could have done to make your video better is to add more facts about the water cycle. If someone who doesn’t know about the water cycle was watching this, they might be a little confused. Maybe adding some facts or footage about the water cycle would add to the main idea of the water bracelet. Great job! I really loved it!
Go Green: I enjoyed watching your video! Your introduction was a slide show of pictures and it captured your audiences’ attention. I was drawn in because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I think the music was a nice touch because it wasn’t sad but it was captivating.
I liked how you filmed the actors in real situations and what not to do. It also had almost a comical feel because of how John kept on doing everything wrong and Aj correcting him. It was interesting because it didn’t feel like facts were being thrown at the audience.
Something you could have done to make it better is to adjust the sound. I know its hard because we don’t have the proper equipment but it was very hard to hear John speak. Another thing you could have done was elaborate on the points that you talk about. It felt a little rushed but if you had more time maybe you could have talked a little about why you should do certain things to be green. Overall good job!
Anti-Bullying: I liked this video because it was had a very serious and emotional feel to it. The black and white, slow motions, and music provoked emotion that may touch the audience in different ways. Some people watching this might have had a personal experience with bullying and it can easily be very emotional for them. I think the overall message of the video is portrayed without any words. I thought it was great for you to include links for more information about bullying.
Some things you could have done to make the video even better is to provide some ways that we can help prevent and stop bullying. Another thing you could have done is talk about different aspects of bullying and expand on that topic if you had more time. Overall I really enjoyed watching your video. It was very touching and informative.
How NOT to Show Proper Etiquette in an Interview: This video was hilarious! It was hard not to laugh while watching it. I really enjoyed the comic relief to something that is actually very serious. I liked how you showed the negative things and exaggerated them to show what the wrong thing to do during an interview is. I think this would be a great discussion starting point about interviewing etiquette. I also liked the use of special effects in the video such as spilt screen and the text popping up!
Some thing you could have done to make it even better could have been to include what a good interview looks like. The viewer might not catch everything that is unprofessional and it is important that you point them out. Overall I really loved your video! Great job!!!
Thanksgiving: This was an interesting video about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I liked this video because I really enjoy the parade. The video primarily focuses on the floats of the parade and the history of the floats. It was a slide show presentation with voice over. It was fun to learn about the history of the floats. I have never thought about researching it or learning more about them.
Some things you could have done to make this video better is to line up the voice over with the pictures. Maybe you could have found pictures of the old balloons when you talked about them or put the picture of Johnny the Thunderbird when you talked about him. Another idea is to record smaller segments of the voice over to avoid stumbling on the words. Overall good job!
RRR: Making this video was so much fun! We planned out everything that we filmed and took a lot of time to figure out how we wanted each scene to look like. I think most of our ideas did come to life in this video! I liked how we incorporated other actors into our video and how we used the characters the “three R’s” to help portray our main of idea.
From making this video I learned that editing takes a lot of time to make the video exactly how you want it. I am very proud of our video and the final result. However to make it better a few things could have been done. The scene when we were outside could have been fixed to hear our voices better. Although we don’t have the correct equipment for proper filming I think we tried the best we could. Another thing we could have added to the end was the lyrics for the song that we sung so everyone could have sang along with us! I think this is a great video that can be used by teachers to teach their students about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
-Caitlin Glossza
Water Cycle Bracelet: This was my group’s video..The things that I would change about this video would be to make it full screen, it is someone distracting for viewers. I would also add in live footage or clips of the “real” water cycle, it will help to make the video come together in a full circle (or cycle). I applaud Amanda for being so brave and acting out our “how to” video but maybe in our next video we can practice our lines more, I know we aren’t actors/actresses but It was slightly distracting when Amanda kept looking down at the script. Next time I make a film I will change scenes, now thinking about it I wish we would have went outside to see the sun shining, or sit by a plant or tree, it would have made it more visually appealing and would make it easier to relate then the small pictures we put in each frame. Overall I really enjoyed this project, I enjoyed working with Amanda and Julia they were great group members.
Go Green: I wish the sound was a little louder and clearer. I really liked the acting in this video, it seems like they really enjoyed performing their concept which made it just as fun for us to watch. It was hard to hear at times and the changing of scenes was a bit confusing, maybe in their next video they can add more transitions. I like how they had different scenes, but when she was in the laundry room, the lighting was very dark and hard to see, you couldn’t really see what she was trying to tell us. I like how AJ wore green it put her in “character” but we did miss the part from her shirt, she told us about her shirt with the writing on the front and back, I would have liked to see that in the video, it would have helped to tie everything together. This video pointed out good points we do every day, it made it really realistic.
Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle: I really didn’t find too many flaws in this video, however, when they were filming outside I would suggest them to speak louder or to have waited for the truck to finish with the garbage, just because it was hard to hear all the useful information they were trying to tell us. I thought the song at the end of the video should have been played both in the beginning, along with the end, I thought it explained the overall concept and by hearing it twice it would have stuck in our (or our future students) brains longer – song was a great choice, it stays with us better than a lecture would. I knew this group was going to have a great video, they are always so talented with their projects. I think this video could be applied to my future class.
Job Interview: I loved the humor, it really got everyone engaged, and you wanted to find out what happened next. I do like the special effects and concepts to this film but I would have liked to see pictures incorporated, I know they have very advanced skills and I would have liked to see that being applied. TI know the concept was “what not to do” but by adding the pictures after the cell phone call, after Anthony falling asleep, they could have stopped and added text and said, “Do not be like Anthony (I forgot his name in the video), while on an interview remember to make sure to put your cell phone on silent because…ect” I do like how they provided several questions at the end but I would have liked them to answer the questions. I would have liked to see their answers and reasoning for the questions. I also would have liked, the interviewer to hear the reasons why he didn’t get the job, that could have been another ending. I am really jealous how talented this group was with technology.
Parade: What I would change about this video, would be the speed of the voice. She spoke very fast, next time I would suggest to take breaths, read slower, or too just do multiple videos and piece them together after taping. I also wish she had captions underneath each picture because you just can’t assume everyone knows what each float is, speaking for myself, I don’t know every balloon in the parade, it would have been nice to had that added information. I liked how all the pictures she included were hers, but just like I said for my video, I would have liked to see actual footage of the parade. I have never attended the actual parade, I have seen it on T.V but I would have liked to see a visitors perspective, just as a different view point. I like how her topic relates to the holiday season!
Anti-Bullying: I did miss most of this video because I went to the bathroom. I think this was an excellent topic to cover, this happens in every single school, and is a problem that needs to be addressed. This is a great way to open a lesson about bullying. I wish they made the numbers more visual, maybe because I am a math person but numbers don’t lie, they really tell a message in of itself, or maybe they should have zoomed in after they were done showing their poster. I wish they did a “before and after” scene, I think it would have had more of an impact on us, or to any viewer that might watch this. I really like how they choose to do black and white, I like how they did slow motion actions, and I really enjoyed the acting.
Great Job everyone!!!
_ Jackie Rossi
Water Cycle Bracelet: This video is a great activity to do in the classroom. The pictures on the wall that was connected to whatever step you were introducing was a great addition to the scenery of the video. Those images can help young children remember what each color bead was for, especially those visual learners. The still images after each bead was placed on the pipe cleaner let anyone know who was watching what their bracelet should look like thus far which is always a great reference. The volume on the video was a little low, but the text on the video helped me follow the steps clearly. Also, possibly having someone hold up signs by the camera for the speaker to read off of, this way they don’t have to look down at their script. Overall, this was a great video and could defiantly be used in a 2nd or 3rd grade classroom
Go Green: The opening to this video was defiantly an eye opener. Seeing all these different images of the damage being done to the environment is likely to evoke an emotion from the viewer. The pairing of the images and the song was brilliant Showing all the different aspects of someones life where they could “go green” was great because it provided a wide variety and it wasn’t confined to one specific area. The volume during some parts of the video was low as well as the lighting so possibly using voice overs as well as some text could better enhance the video as well as some still images throughout the video.
Reduce, Reuse Recycle: The opening to this video really connected well with the super hero theme; the music and the bright lights. By putting the R’s on your chest, I think it will draw children into your video especially the boys because they usually love superhero’s. I also like how you switched from live video to still images so that the viewer could see the effect of pollution and waste on our environment and also how you showed the viewer how they could Reduce, reuse and recycle. I think that when you were giving important facts that possibly transitioning to the text being shown could have had a larger impact on the viewer.
How to NOT show proper etiquette in an interview: This video was hilarious! I loved it! Anthony’s acting was great and he really played the part well. It really showed how unprofessional you could come off in an interview. The special effects were also a great addition to the video. The editing that was done on the video kind of took away from the authentic quality of the video. Also, I would have loved to see the things that should be done on an interview and possibly some links to better help the viewer.
The Macy’s Day parade: I liked how this video was sort of a scrapbook showing the history of the parade. The pictures from the Macy’s day parade and the various balloon’s was a great addition. I also liked how the music faded out and signaled the end of the video. I think that the usage of some text throughout the video as well as possibly a video could have better enhanced the video. Also, giving viewers some information as to how they can go to the parade or when it will be taking place would have also been helpful.
Anti-Bullying Video: I really enjoyed making this video. After going to see Lee Hirsch speak about the video that he did, called the Bully Project, I really wanted to bring an awareness to bullying. Kerry previously did a video with the black and white effect along with the usage of signs and I thought the idea was perfect. Doing skits and showing a few of the many methods of bullying was fun and also shocking. The statistics, in terms of how many students are effected by bullying and stray away from school because of it was enlightening and powerful.
To improve our video, my group could have showed how the viewer can help those who are being bullied and showed the major change in Leila once the bullying stopped to really show the large effect that bullying has. This aspect of the video could have possibly further inspired the viewer.
Anti-Bullying Video: I like the variation in the presentation of the statistics and words. Moving from the signs to the phone is good. It both shows how it would actually happen (the bully hiding behind the phone not actually saying it to her face) and it varies the presentation in the video. On the first sign, I had to pause the video so that I could figure out what that statistic was. I initially was like “oh one out of a lot” since I couldn’t count the number of people on the bottom. When I paused the video to see that it is actually one out of ten, the statistic became much more powerful. One out of ten is a much higher number than I expected. Sometimes seeing the lonely girl walk through a crowded hallway can be powerful. I like that you slowed the video down for emphasis. Maybe in the hallway scene at sixteen seconds, there could be more people pointing or laughing in groups as examples of people who are happy. The music is great; it fits with the action on the screen. I noticed that it doesn’t start exactly when the video starts but I watched it several times and that only occurred to me later on. The zoom is choppy. I’m not sure if this was intentional. I like the presentation of resources at the end. It is continuing the education once the video is over.
-Amanda Finlayson
Go Green: The pictures at the beginning are so depressing. They really get the point across about the amount of waste that our world is producing. The green goop is awful. I don’t even want to know what that is. I know we brought it up in class but I was thinking you might be able to adjust the volume of the interview with iMovie. By decreasing the sound on the other parts, the viewer would raise their own volume to be able to hear that part clearly. This would be a way to fix the problem with the sound without having to do all those crazy things with the boom microphone. The transitions were good, not distracting by the variations. Using the same song at the beginning and the end of the video would remind the user of the pictures at the beginning, hitting them over the head with the emotion of wanting to see those children healthy and those places cleaned up. The little plug for organic snacks and having your own garden is also an interesting combination that is different than other videos promoting going green. It was a little surprise tucked in there. The video becomes well-rounded with this addition. One thing that I am a little confused about is your target audience. This has a very generic feel geared more towards adults. I say this because children will not be able to make changes to appliances or electronics. They also do not control the buying such as organic foods.
-Amanda Finlayson
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: The use of personal reactions in your video is great. I like how strongly you all feel in the video. The use of the turtle picture is a good idea to reach the children because there are so many children whose favorite animal is a turtle. The mixing of pictures and acting is done seamlessly. In instructional videos, voice over work really well, as shown in your video. The acting is funny and simple while the script is informational and clear. Your research does not overwhelm the viewer but still gives them the new information they need to make educated decisions. As a viewer, I appreciate that this video about being environmentally conscious is not depressing but has an upbeat tone. You speak to the viewer with the positive outlook that changes can be made. The subliminal advertising for St. John’s is funny too.
-Amanda Finlayson
Water Cycle Bracelet: I really liked this video. It’s very creative and I like the beads idea. Also, the background with the pictures was nice and it can be used in a science classroom as an activity to follow. One way the video could have been better I think is maybe show real life images like the sun or water outside, to show more of nature.
Go Green: This video was really good. I thought the beginning was touching and sad. Made me realize more of how bad we are treating our environment. I thought it was really cute and funny. They showed ways we could make changes to improve our environment. Very useful and educational so kids know how to make changes to improve our environment. I thought some parts weren’t loud enough but other than that it was really good.
Anti Bullying: I liked the idea of using poster boards and showing it with a song that works. I liked the acting and it showed how sad it is to bully. It was short and got straight to the point. I thought it was really good and liked how the links were posted at the end so you know how to stop it. I think it may have been better if you guys were more serious cause in some scenes like when she was getting locked in the locker I can tell she was laughing. May have been more touching that way but never the less it was good!
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: I thought this was the most creative video and really enjoyed it. Some parts were funny and it was very educational. You can use it in a science classroom to show how to reduce, reuse and recycle. I thought some parts weren’t loud enough like the scene that was taken outside. Other than that I thought the video was good and I like the pictures that were used. Also, I loved the ending where they were singing ad it got the message across on how to help save our environment.
How to NOT show proper etiquette in an interview: I thought this was a very funny video and enjoyed it. Couldn’t stop laughing and educational at the same time. Showed us all the things you shouldn’t do at an interview like showing up late, talking on the phone, and dozing off. It was really creative and fun to watch. I really enjoyed it and wanted to see the proper etiquette in an interview. Kind of made you want to see the right way to do it but other than it was one of my favorite videos.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade: I did my project on the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC. I took pictures at the Thanksgiving parade in 2011 and this year. I talked about the history of the parade starting from the first parade in 1924. I read and heard some of the critiques on my video. I agree that I should have broken up the voice over instead of doing it on one shot so it was clearer. I also wanted to shoot a video at the parade while I was talking about the history to make it more visual and interesting but didn’t work out so I just did the voice over the pictures I took. Overall this was a fun project and I learned how to use imovie, which can come in handy in the future.
-Branavi Nadarajah
Water Cycle Bracelet:
I thought this video was a great idea for younger children.
Not only does it symbolize the life cycle of model but is also something they can carry around. I would fix the sides of the video so it’s a full view.
Go Green:
I think the start of the video should have a more age appropriate music. Something the kids will want to listen to and be entertain by. Also in the pictures maybe label them so kids cans see which action is which affect. At the end of the video they need to slow down the letters, its way to fast.
R.R.R.
There are not much things to say about this video. I loved every moment of it . At some points they could have fixed the sound quality. I could not always h ear what they were saying.
How to not show proper etiquette in an interview:
I think they should add to the video showing proper way to act in an interview. The beginning was a little unclear of what they were going to teach in the lesson.