Meta-judge Heather Davis commented on this video, "This video was a joy to listen to and watch. The opening sequence with the young boy was excellent and gave a wonderful punch to beginning of the video. It may have helped to include text on the video of exactly what he was saying as he was so excited his words were a bit difficult to understand. This would help if someone was not an English first language speaker.

Background Music: I did find the music a bit loud and could possibly be turned down a bit. That being said the music choices were excellent. Each piece of music definitely went with the section of the video where it was used. I really liked it when you occasional just stopped the music and you could only here the speaker. It certainly added emphasis to the message. The music set the tone as you moved from point to point.

Voice over - the speaking voice was very good and definitely implied passion for the topic. The change in volume and emphasis was excellent. The script was well written and spoke directly to the message you wanted the viewer to grasp.

I found the video to me very emotional. It grabbed my interest at the very beginning with the young boy and then I was "hooked" and emotionally bought into the topic.

I would just suggest that you slow the credits down a bit so they are easier to read though you listed them all in a clear manner on the Ning

You told an excellent story and you should definitely continue creating in this manner."
 
 
This post was written by Sandy Wisneskis 


I just finished judging one step in the  Flat Classroom® Project 2013-1. It is always fascinating to be a part of this project that brings students together globally in a collaborative project using web 2.0 tools. I only viewed a small piece of the puzzle with this project. I know from doing the Digitween project, that there is a lot more that goes into this process. Students need to learn how to digitally connect through handshakes as well as work on a project using the Web 2.0. They also need to take on active roles as researchers, leaders and storytellers. It is one big package that brings together all the "goodies" that you want the student to be able to accomplish...collaboration, critical thinking, digital citizenship, leadership...the list could go on. The project is well-organized with specific timelines, rubrics, and requirements. 

It was an honor to judge this round. The students never cease to amaze me with their perspectives and creativity. I saw a variety of multimedia presentations with similar information but through the eyes of the students. How refreshing! Thank you to each of the students and teachers for their hard work on this project.