Pokémon Go has invaded social media, the streets, restaurants, my backyard, and yes, even education. Over the last week I have seen a high number of Twitter posts regarding Pokémon go in the classroom. What I think is interesting (and fantastic) is how educators are embracing this phenomenon as opposed to lambasting it. The tweets coming out of the educational realm are not about how to stop students from playing at school, instead, educators are posting about how to use Pokémon Go in the classroom. A Twitter search of #Edtech #Pokemongo will bring up hundreds of Tweets, articles, tips and resources for integrating Pokémon Go into curriculum. Teachers, Educational magazines, and students, are writing articles with titles such as, "What Pokémon Go means for the learning industry," "Here are 3 ways Pokémon Go can create meaningful learning opportunities," "Everything teachers need to know about Pokémon Go." I love seeing how most educators do not see Pokémon Go as a distraction, but as a learning tool. Teachers are sharing tips for how to use the game one school starts up again. Matthew Farber, author of Gamify your Classroom shares, "..use the game to get students to explore and research important historic Poké Stops near their home or school." These are the teachers who will make a difference, the teachers that students will remember and look forward to attending their class, these are the same type of teachers who let me read comic books during reading time, because at least I was reading and enjoying it, not just sleeping behind a book. Gamifying the classroom in any way will help students become more engaged, when something like Pokémon Go can easily be used to help gamify the classroom, embrace it, and more power to the teachers who already have!

Classroom Filmmaking

I am a big big fan of the work that Amy Erin Borovoy @VideoAmy does on Edutopia.org. I am especially glad when she shares educational tips for the classroom! I teach multimedia production at Fresno State, and I am always open to resources (specifically ones from trustworthy individuals who have an interest in education!).

Amy has a great list of videos for a Video 101 course listed below, as well as further resources. (EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS AMY'S WORK. SOURCE AT END OF PAGE).

10 Tips for Beginner Filmmakers (10:37) Young filmmaker Simon Cade's channel, DSLRGuide, is one of the most popular for filmmaking tutorials. He's got hundreds of tips to share and started making videos when he was just 11.
No-Budget Filmmaking Gear - The DIY Filmmaker (05:02) Getting your filmmaking kit together is one of the hardest things to do on a budget, but you can't begin until you have the basics. There are links to some of the DIY projects to build your own gear on the YouTube page for this video.
Adapt Your Script to a Storyboard (09:19) One great resource is the YouTube Creator Academy channel, which has a variety of tip videos made by YouTube's most successful creators. This video by Mary Doodles and Whitney Lee Milam is one of the best intros to storyboarding I've seen.
Telling Your Story Through Video (04:00) It's less glossy than the other tutorials here, but I love that this video uses footage from student work to illustrate camera angles. It's produced by ChildFund Connect, an Australian organization that provides an online space for kids to post videos they've made.
Top 5 Tips to Shoot Incredible Video with a Smartphone! (08:34) Nashville video producer and tech reviewer Danny Winget gives excellent advice for filming with smartphones, which is probably the most accessible way to get started. He covers both gear and technique in this short video.
5 Quick Math Tricks for Filmmakers (06:02) IndyMogul stopped posting new videos two years ago, but their YouTube channel is still a treasure trove of tutorials on every aspect of low-budget filmmaking, from visual effects to lighting. This video shows the math behind some essential filmmaking rules.
Sophia Dagher Offers Tips & Tricks in Filmmaking (02:14) ProjectED was an Amplify program that hosted open video contests for students and teachers. Although they seem to have stopped running these, they still offer some great resources, like this fun advice video from filmmaker Sophia Dagher.
Top 15 Mistakes Beginner Filmmakers Make (02:34) This is long (17 minutes) but fortunately filmmaker Darious Britt is really engaging. His advice is geared towards people trying to break into the film industry, but his tips are sound. Heads up for a little language that may not be appropriate for younger kids.
How I Edit My YouTube Videos (13:23) While there are hundreds of more informative and concise tutorials on video editing basics, I chose this one because it features Jennifer Zhang, a teen YouTube creator, sharing how she taught herself to edit video using free tools. She posted a Part Two here.

More Resources on Student Filmmaking

INFO FROM ORIGINAL SOURCE: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-classroom-filmmaking-resources