Recently I was having a conversation with a colleague of mine and we got to talking about how so many young students do not know who choreographers such as Bob Fosse or Alvin Ailey are. I have noticed that in the last 5-7 years of my teaching experience fewer and fewer students are exposed to any sort of historical context and know nothing about the choreographers who shaped today's dance world.
Luckily we live in the age of technology and YouTube has been a life saver in the classroom. When I teach theater dance to high school students I can pull up videos of Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, Twyla Tharp, Susan Stroman, and many more with the click of a mouse (or tap of my iPhone screen). The students have responded well to these video viewings; I accredit this to their obsession with Facebook, YouTube, OoVoo, and Skype.
YouTube is now an essential part of my curriculum development. It is a free, easy, and highly accessible way to keep students historically informed and use technology in the classroom.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Lights, Camera, Action! My first attempt at iMovie
This week I created my first ever iMovie. I will openly admit, I was nervous and afraid to try because I don't consider myself that technologically savvy. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how user friendly iMovie was and I was instantly put at ease. I actually found myself having a harder time choosing which photos and music to use than I did using the iMovie features.
Here is my top 10 favorite iMovie features:
10. Drag and Drop is your best friend for all media (pictures, text, sound, transitions)
9. Instant access to your iPhoto and iTunes libraries without having to open the programs.
8. Make a mistake? No problem, the undo command is your best friend.
7. I didn't need to read a 100 page article to learn how to use it. To learn what a button does, hover your mouse over it and it will display its job.
6. Crop: You choose the focal point of the picture.
5. When layering music, it automatically cuts it to fit the length of your movie.
4. AUTOSAVE, without creating a filename first.
3. Export your movie using multiple formats.
2. Ken Burns: this is genius! It can make a still picture feel like its moving.
1. Lots of customizable items!
I would recommend that all performing arts educators become acquainted with iMovie as I believe I know have a useful tool to supplement my work.
Here is my top 10 favorite iMovie features:
10. Drag and Drop is your best friend for all media (pictures, text, sound, transitions)
9. Instant access to your iPhoto and iTunes libraries without having to open the programs.
8. Make a mistake? No problem, the undo command is your best friend.
7. I didn't need to read a 100 page article to learn how to use it. To learn what a button does, hover your mouse over it and it will display its job.
6. Crop: You choose the focal point of the picture.
5. When layering music, it automatically cuts it to fit the length of your movie.
4. AUTOSAVE, without creating a filename first.
3. Export your movie using multiple formats.
2. Ken Burns: this is genius! It can make a still picture feel like its moving.
1. Lots of customizable items!
I would recommend that all performing arts educators become acquainted with iMovie as I believe I know have a useful tool to supplement my work.
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