Showcase Toolkit

21st-Century Learning with Vancouver 2010

An Official Supplier to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Nortel is proud to support educators in their quest to become 21st-century e-teachers. Our innovative approach helps teachers engage learners through the effective integration of technology throughout the teaching of sport, culture and sustainability.

Nortel LearniT shows teachers how to add Technologi-ZING! to any lesson or classroom activity. Through its rich library of free online educator-created lesson plans, video tutorials and the collection of best-practice examples, each teacher can easily transform a classroom to inspire learning.

Get started now with:

Integrated technology lesson plans
Streaming video technology tutorials
Best practices of 21st-century teaching

Photos

Learn the basics of imaging, from manipulation to formatting. This Nortel LearniT video series provides the skills necessary to work with digital images.

Tips for producing effective photos:

Keep the camera horizontal (landscape). Vertical (portrait) photos will not be as effective in the frame used on the website.
Have a clear centre of interest. Photos will appear in a small space, so the 'message' in each photo should be clear. A single large group shot will not be as interesting as a number of photos of individuals or small groups. Zoom in close on artwork or objects to ensure images are as clear as possible for an online audience.
Use special techniques sparingly. Odd angles and off-centre framing can add interest, especially in slideshows and video. Remember that you're "telling a story," and clarity should come first.
Keep focus sharp and contrast clear and watch out for red eye. Photo enhancement software is fairly easy to use and can improve photographs considerably. You may also choose to crop photos to isolate important details, but make sure to keep the photo shape consistent and not to use extremes in zooming in for a crop or you may lose definition.
Captions can often help. Keep them short and focused on the "point" of the photo. Don't create them for the sake of filling space. If the photo clearly tells the story, don't add words unnecessarily.

Images/Graphics

Screen shots of your computer can be inserted or pasted into a Microsoft PowerPoint or Word files, editable PDFs, or photo editing programs. Additional tips to remember include the following:

For Windows, screen shots can be created by pressing the "Print Screen" key, which is usually located on the upper right-hand corner of the keyboard. The screen shot is saved to the clipboard for pasting into your document or photo editing software.
On a Mac, screen shots can be captured by selecting Command-Shift-3. This saves the screenshot to the desktop. Command-Shift-4, on the other hand, allows the user to define the area to be captured.

Scanning items will allow you to create .jpg images which can be uploaded with our submission tool; the tool can upload files containing photographs, art work, handwritten text. Be sure to select either .jpg or .gif as the file type and keep the resolution to "web" or 72 dpi/ppi.

Slideshows

Learn how to produce professional presentations by incorporating all the tools available in PowerPoint. This Nortel LearniT video series guides you through PowerPoint and allows you to add buttons, hyperlinks and animation.

Organize photos in a coherent order. You may choose to tell the story sequentially (from start to finish) or to treat photos in thematic units (whole groups working together, individuals at work, finished projects). The viewer should be able to follow the sequence. The images should really tell a story, and should not seem like random images collected together.

Tips for producing effective slideshows:

Choose the best examples rather than using every available photo
Apply the principle: less is more

Web Content Creation

From the basics of good web design principles to the complexities of creating a rich, multimedia online experience, this series shows you how to create your own web content. This series includes the following topics: website naming, hosting and maintenance; good website design criteria; adding multimedia features to websites; instant web publishing through online tools such as wikis and blogs; using office productivity tools to create web content; using the free website creation tool Nvu; and using the most popular commercial web authoring tool — Dreamweaver.

Video

Learn how to create your own video. This Nortel LearniT video series provides the skills needed to develop your own video, from the shoot to the editing room.

These days, it's easy to create compelling video through easy-to-use editing software and available technologies, including cellphones, digital still cameras and light-weight video cameras. Whether the edited product is made up of still photos in sequence, actual video footage or a combination of both, video is an ideal means of capturing school projects. Teachers may work with students to create soundtracks with voice-over narration and music (again, beware of copyright violation) or titles that explain the action.

Tips for producing effective video:

Edit. As with a slideshow, keep videos focused on the important aspects of the event or project. Off-topic or repetitive footage will distract the viewer. Ask yourself: "What am I trying to say with this video?"
Keep it short. Long videos take too much time to download. On the web, short and snappy is best. Ideally, your video should be under three minutes long. It should not exceed five minutes.
Consider combining still images with moving ones, or creating video from still images alone. Many effective documentaries make great use of still images. You can edit stills to set up a rhythm, lingering over some, or racing through a series of similar shots to suggest action. A combination of stills and videos can create variety and surprise.
Editing software often includes an exhaustive menu of transitional devices and treatments which can be interesting but quickly become overwhelming. Apply the principle "less is more."
Consider using alternate types of video. When thinking of submitting to the /EDU Project Showcase, the first inclination may be to try a documentary format. This is a tried-and-true approach, but it's also good to consider other options. For example, students may wish to create mini-dramas (brief scenes that recreate events, explore interpersonal conflicts or tell stories). Other ideas include student animations (using stop-action photography for moving models), cut-paper figures and other animation techniques. A third alternative is to completely "reinvent the wheel" and come up with a whole new approach, harnessing a classroom's full creative potential.
Use sound effectively. Sound is a lively element in video, and there are many options to consider in putting together a soundtrack. Just a reminder to watch out for any copyright infringements, if you want music to accompany your video, since the project will be published on the web. Check out Creative Commons < http://creativecommons.org/> for original content that has shared copyright licenses.
Using voice-over is a great way to incorporate commentary into a video. The voice can be recorded separately (even using a video recorder and separating the soundtrack, or using a microphone plugged into the computer) and edited onto the video. You can also use voices from video, as well as both natural and man-made sounds, to create a soundtrack. The random sounds of a classroom at work can add to a feeling of busyness in a video slideshow, for example.
Interviews. Either video or audio interview material can be useful. You may wish to use "streeters" (clips of people on the street offering comments and personal opinions). These clips may include both the interviewer and interviewee in question-and-answer journalistic style. If documenting in video format, consider "over-the shoulder" camera placement as a way to keep the focus on the responder rather than the questioner. Also consider editing out the questions altogether to hear only the answers. As long as the questions do not solicit simple yes-or-no answers, the results can be used as commentary in a video - whether you choose to use the footage as part of the visuals or as voice-over in the soundtrack.

Audio

We are constantly listening to different sounds and audio clips. In this section, you will learn how to create a high-quality audio file using free software and minor editing.

Students may have written and performed original songs. This is an ideal place to post them, to make them available for a wide audience. Teachers may wish to create their own podcasts explaining what they're doing in their classrooms or schools. Students may even create radio documentaries about topics that reflect the three Vancouver 2010 pillars (sport, culture, sustainability). Audio submissions can be surprisingly powerful inspirations to other teachers and students.

Tips for producing effective audio:

Write a clear, concise script and deliver it in an engaging manner. All of the skills in writing a short essay go into such a script - especially an appreciation for the audience's interest and attention span. Try to make your podcast light, brief, informative, and engaging - with a dose of imagination and good humour.
Remember to engage the listener's imagination in a unique way. Combining narration, background sound, interviews and snatches of music into an audio presentation uses many of the skills required of video documentary. Creating radio documentaries is a great exercise in scripting, recording, and editing.
As in video, interview material can make up a part or an entire audio presentation. Answers to well-phrased interview questions can be used as part of a mix of clips. Alternately, a question-and-answer session (with a Paralympic athlete, an inspiring artist, a committed environmentalist, a representative of a distinct community, for example) serves as an excellent opportunity for a student to hone questioning strategies and to delve into the unique experiences and perspectives of individuals.