EdTec 470: The Recreation of a Press Photo

While I realize that 470 was not technically part of my Master’s degree program I believe it qualifies to be included in my portfolio if only for the simple fact that without having taken it back in the spring of 2003 I would never have begun the EdTec Master’s program (and likely would not have begun any Master’s program at all). 470 was actually part of my teaching credential program, but an important and relatively new part mandated by the state for all aspiring teachers. Jointly taught by then doctoral students Philip Molebash and Jim Julius, 470 was my introduction into both the field of EdTec and the principles that would come to shape my program experience; namely those of utilizing computers, the Internet and especially video in the realm of K-12 public education. This project was particularly influential on my development as an educator because it was the first to expose me to iMovie as an editing, if not necessarily educational, tool. Since that moment I have been more or less intrigued by not only the use of video in education but also the production of video for exclusive educational purposes.

The assignment that gave birth to “The Recreation of a Press Photo” was a simple one: use a mini DV camcorder and iMovie to make a short film. At first my group and I had a difficult time deciding what we would use our camera to film. We finally decided to try and mimic one of the more popular regular skits done on “The Late Late Show” which at the time was hosted by Craig Kilborn. At first “Recreation” seemed like it might not work as we could not find a suitable photo in the day’s paper to try and recreate. The Tiger Woods shot seemed to require too many props for us to find in the limited time we had, but because I lived so close to campus at the time I was able to round everything up with a few minutes to spare.

We worked together to do a first take of the shot, but poor communication between myself and the camerawoman meant that we only had a few seconds of footage at the end of the skit instead of all the enjoyable and comedic moments that take place as we’re all trying to find our places. Upon noticing this, our group had to make a decision. Do we now, while all the other groups are editing their footage, go back outside and try to capture the shots we initially intended on using? Or do we bite the bullet and do the best job we can with the footage we have? After a brief meeting we all decided it would be better to take the time to film again and capture the correct footage.

This move cost us most of our editing time for the project, but myself and another team member decided to stay after class the next afternoon and edit the movie ourselves to the point that we were satisfied. Of course, it was during this process that I discovered my love for editing film as well as my penchant for perfection when it comes to the task. I soon found myself alone, still editing the film down to fractions of seconds in the hopes of achieving satisfaction.

When we finally showed “Recreation” to the rest of our classmates our whole group was able to take pride in our final project and I had not only participated in creating something as a member of a group complete with votes and difficult decisions, I had also participated as a leader, both creatively and developmentally.

By working within a group as a leader and participant I was able to contribute towards the creation of a creative and entertaining vignette that showcased both the skills of the group as well as my own capabilities as an individual.