Teachers struggle to get students engaged in writing arguments, but that struggle might ease a bit if you allow your students to create their arguments using technology. For several semesters now, I have been using digital arguments with my ENG 101 and 102 classes. I have both asked students to create a multi-media argument "from scratch", and I have also asked them to turn a traditional paper into a multi-media argument. The best results have come when they first create a paper argument and then turn it into a multi-media approach. I am fortunate to use a textbook that does a pretty solid job of explaining visual arguments, and that also helps them see how they might translate what they "say" into what can be "seen". Below is an example from last semester. (This student started out in developmental writing; she has really grasped the idea of argument and this multi-media approach!)
This is an example of a multi-media argument I received from an ENG 101 student. She used Windows Moviemaker to create this presentation, and I published it to YouTube so I could upload it to Weebly for free!
This is a lesson plan for teaching visual argument from our friends at the Louisville Writing Project.
visual_argument_assignment_sheet.pdf | |
File Size: | 65 kb |
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multi_media_argument_assignment_spring_2014.docx | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |
multimedia_project_rubric_spring_2014.docx | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
File Type: | docx |
This is the assignment sheet I used with my ENG 101 class this past spring as well as the rubric I use to grade these projects.
By the way, one question my students asked this past spring (and another student answered) is this: how can I find music on YouTube and then embed it in my Photostory or Moviemaker project? I learned of a very useful tool that converts music videos to mp3 files. Here is that link: http://www.youtube-mp3.org/
By the way, one question my students asked this past spring (and another student answered) is this: how can I find music on YouTube and then embed it in my Photostory or Moviemaker project? I learned of a very useful tool that converts music videos to mp3 files. Here is that link: http://www.youtube-mp3.org/
There are excellent examples of visual and/or multi-media arguments on YouTube. If you search for "Visual Arguments" in YouTube you will find many different examples. This one struck me as something middle or high school students would be capable of creating with Windows Photostory or Moviemaker.