Whether it’s the beginning, middle or end of the school year, it’s always a wonderful time to share stories! I’m a huge fan of two powerful school tools, Google Classroom and Spark Video. Just like the tips shared in past posts (like the one linked here), there are so many ways these two popular classroom tools can be used together to accomplish a goal. You might use Spark Video to create “All About Me” projects for Google Classroom.
Projects for Google Classroom
If you are using Google Classroom you’re probably familiar with the about section. It lets users post information they want students to easily access in one place for easy reference. This is a great spot to add a link or file – including a video. When you click on the button add class materials, you’ll see the options to add a link, a file in your Google Drive, a YouTube video, or an attachment. In the image below you can see how I added a video. I added the video link to an “All About Me” video to the about page.
Looking for projects for Google Classroom? An “All About Me” video is perfect for a teacher creation to share in the about section of Google Classroom. You might create a video to post in this section to introduce yourself to your class. Students can use your “All About Me” creation as an example for their own movie to share their stories with classmates. As I kicked off the year working with a school who was just getting started with Google Classroom, we make these types of movies with Spark Video and added them to each of their Google Classroom about pages.
Making Movies with Students
Spark Video is my go-to movie-making tool for classrooms. It works with iPads, Chromebooks or any device with access to a web browser. With this website and mobile app, students can record their voice, add icons, images and video, and combine it with music to create a movie. Just like a teacher-created “All About Me” video added to a Google Classroom about page, students can save their creations as a video file or publish it on the web to a live link.
I created a handful of graphic organizers to use with Spark Video you can download here. You might use these to guide student creators as they make their own “All About Me” video. The graphic organizers can help students brainstorm as a whole class what you could include in this type of creation. This type of video could include icons that represent a student’s favorite place to visit or favorite food to eat. Students might also use the search tool within Spark Video. Alternatively they can use the upload feature to add images related to their hopes and dreams.
If you’re looking to energize a space often used for a syllabus or course info, try creating an “All About Me” movie with Spark Video to share with your students in Google Classroom and use this as inspiration for your own class activity!
