My kids have been presenting this week.


I’m not sure what I expected. But it wasn’t what I got.

They had written persuasive essays on topics of their choice, ranging from poverty to animal treatment to global warming. But I wanted to see what they could do with visuals, so I asked them to also persuade using a multimedia presentation. The guidelines were vague: use any application, tell your story any way you want. I was curious. Would they live up to the hype of being members of this visual generation?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
I was absolutely floored. Without any instruction, students used Adobe Premier, FinalCut, PowerPoint, or PhotoStory to put together powerful, persuasive slideshows. If they didn’t know something, they asked a friend or me. If something didn’t work, they figured out how to go in the back door. Some used background music; others recorded their voices. One used only large blocks of text, another inserted a youtube vide at the end. Some took videos of other students to make a point, supplementing with still photos. I was impressed. Not a bullet anywhere!
But–my mistake– Not talking to them about copyright. I was banking on Fair Use for only using the slideshows in the classroom. They are so good, I wish I could share them. But I can’t.
So I explained the next time we would be sure to use Creative Commons images and sounds and attibute them properly so we could post the final work online.

The upside? I have a new tool in my toolbelt,  AND I don’t have to teach them how to use it. They are there.

And speaking of persuasive videos…