DAVID BLACK

9-12 | Science & Tech | Student-created media projects

My Classroom Innovation

I teach a combination of science and media design classes where I integrate science with history, media creation, and Web 2.0 technologies (podcasting, blogs, and wikis). In The Elements Unearthed project, my students work in groups to choose and research a local site involved in mining or refining chemicals. They collaborate with a site expert (scientist, engineer, or historian) using a Wiki website to develop scripts for their videos which cover the history, sources, mining, refining, and hazards of the chemical elements and industrial materials. They interview the experts, tour the sites, capture and transcribe the footage, create additional content such as illustrations and animations, and edit it all into a series of video podcasts that are uploaded to the Internet and shared with the world. This project grew out of our experience developing a two-hour documentary for Salt Lake City PBS station KUED on the history of AM radio in Utah, where we interviewed 25 disc jockeys, scanned thousands of historical documents such as music surveys, and edited all into a broadcast quality program which aired in 2007. We also created an interactive CD and a DVD of the project. Before that, my students were chosen as a Mars Exploration Student Data Team by NASA in 2003 where they used authentic Mars data to predict weather patterns that could jeopardize the rovers. These experiences showed me that my students were capable of amazing things when challenged with authentic learning and allowed to create their own content; to be producers instead of consumers of education.

How Students were Engaged

Usually when asked to write a report on a chemical or element for a chemistry class, students don't put much time or thought into the project. But when I asked them to create their own media that will be shared with students worldwide, and made the experience as authentic and professional as possible, they engaged actively and creatively; they come in at lunch and after school and deliver amazing work. My students have shown extraordinary motivation and persistence, even during the slow and tedious parts of media design (such as interview transcription), knowing that they are creating something of value to the world. Seeing the comments of other students form around the world who have seen their videos and understanding that their work has made an impact is incredibly satisfying, and at the same time they are learning useful technology skills while also learning how to write about science.

PBS Program/Content Used

We created a documentary for KUED (Salt Lake City PBS): AM to FM: Three Decades of Radio in Utah