Make an informational video about your high school

The high school where I teach is unique as are many high schools in the U.S. and around the world.  I teach at a public independent study high school that students choose to go to.  It would be great to make an informational video about our school because a lot of people don't understand what kind of high school this is.  A teacher friend of mine teaches at a similar high school in Las Vegas and she made a video about her school that she narrates.  Here at Vineyard we have talked about making a video where students describe the school.

This is a guideline (that can be changed and added to) to help you start and finish a video about your high school.   You may want to watch a few videos posted on high school web sites.  I recently watched a short video on Oakland International High School's website.

FIRST

Make a list of questions to ask students.

1. How is your high school the same and how is it different from other high schools?

2. Describe your school to someone who has never been here.

3. Explain what you do at school and what kind of homework you do?

4. What do you like best about your school?  What would you like to see improved?

5. Why did you decide to come to this high school instead of another high school?

6. What do you want people (the public) to know about your school that they don't seem to understand?

Describe a typical day and/or a typical week at school.

Next

Show the principal your questions ahead of time to keep him or her informed.

Next, show your questions to students before you start taping their answers.  Have them answer the questions while you videotape and remember to leave 5 to 10 seconds before and after the person starts and stops talking.  You also may want to film the person answering the same question over and over again several different settings so you can pick the best video to use in the final product.

After you have all the student voices recorded film any parts of the school that you want to include in the final video.

As you are taping you will get new ideas and see common themes and make decisions on how you want to put the video together.  Remember these ideas and run them by another person or persons to get their feedback.

Then

Use iMovie, MovieMaker or more professional software to put your movie together.