Green Screens Help Teachers Provide Instruction through Projects and Technology

by:  Karla Koenen

This past summer Krystal Austad (4^th grade teacher) and I attended the two day Technology in Classrooms Conference hosted by Keystone AEA.  We attended a session titled, “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Green Screen!” hosted by Jonathan Wylie, Technology Consultant from Grant Wood AEA.  During that session, Krystal and I were introduced to the app “Green Screen by Do Ink.”  Krystal and I immediately brainstormed some project ideas and attempted to create our very first mini-project during the work part of the session.  We soon learned that we needed more practice with the app before we would feel confident to share this app with students.  We learned that a weatherman’s job is much more difficult than we imagined!

Fast forward to the start of the 2015-16 school year.  Krystal and I continued to kick around our ideas, and we finally decided to dive in with a Green Screen video project!  Krystal’s 4^th grade class visited the Linn-Mar Aquatic Center for a multiple day swim experience.  Krystal took pictures of her class at the Aquatic Center and then asked each student to compile a news report using the Writing Process.  Students then honed their speaking skills by delivering the news report to one another.  Students practiced announcing their reports with expression, practiced speaking loudly and clearly, and practiced using phrases such as “Back to you in the studio!”

As a Technology Integration Coach, I consulted with Krystal regarding the use of the Green Screen and the knowledge we had gained from our summer tech session.  I spent time myself practicing to be a reporter so I could know what challenges our students would possibly face when it came time to record their actual news report.  Over three one-hour sessions, every student in Krystal’s class was able to record their individual news reports in front of the green screen.  Using the green screen was truly a team effort as all individual students helped with the recording process at some point in time.  Even though we only see the on air reporters, we talked about how we know that camera people, production managers, etc. are working behind the scenes.

Students in Krystal Austad's 4th grade class work on various aspect of recording reports using Green Screens.

Students stood in front of the plain green material to deliver their news report “live” from the Aquatic Center, even though they were truly standing in the hallway just outside the classroom. Upon completion of the recording, students were then excited to view their news report with an image from their swim experience at the Aquatic Center behind them!  Students were even thrilled to use a microphone to help deliver the news report!

Using the “Green Screen by Do Ink” app proved to be a valuable tool to extend the student’s learning.  News reports were also shared with families via a QR Code.  

Ella:   http://viewpure.com/dXDuy8uxN-o?ref=bkmk

Grace:  http://viewpure.com/Cf03qQDXBVE?ref=bkmk










If you are interested in working with a building TIC (Technology Integration Coach) on a project similar to this or any technology project, contact your district TICS here.