Green Screen: Bringing Old Photos to Life
Our approach with technology may be a little different from what you may be used to. I prefer to push into classrooms and create interactive cross-curricular experiences that use technology and enhance what the students are learning in their content areas. It isn’t technology for the sake of technology – we are using it in a very intentional way.
For example, in this particular third grade activity, students have been learning about immigration in Social Studies. In the past, students were simply photoshopped into a time period appropriate photo. This year I teamed up with Mrs. Slavin’s class again to make those photos come alive using the Green Screen in the Innovation Lab!
Students chose photographs to use as a background and then brainstormed a speaking piece to act out in front of the camera. The third graders even came equipped with appropriate clothing and props for that time period. They really had to problem-solve to make it all work – one example was a student who needed to place a tray of food on a table within the portrait. After some trial and error it worked! Then, we edited the pieces to make the photos come alive.
I value the opportunity to collaborate with classroom teachers to create meaningful classroom experiences that challenge students in new and fun ways.
What does this approach look like with older students? Watch the video below to tag along as seventh graders explore Mars using Virtual Reality:
