1 Students’ Recruitment
As soon as the Project TV was set as team belonging to Recording Our Europe, we started with recruiting the students we’d have on board. It was in our school IES Puerto del Rosario in October 2014.
The first step was informing all possible candidates: students of 3th - 4th grades of Spanish Secondary system. For that, we announced we would hold an informative meeting to which interested students should attend. We finally had the meeting, informed the students and wrote their names and other data for a subsequent interview. Since we wanted to have around 5 to 6 student members and actually had about 20 candidates, we really needed that sorting interview.
Once the candidates were properly informed, it was time for the individual interviews. We had help from the project’s coordinator as well as from the Social Media Team in the design of the questionnaire.
Designed the questionnaire, the Project TV started with the individual interviews. After we interviewed all possible candidates, we finally selected the final 5 student participants belonging to our team. We have closely worked and coordinated with these 5 students, participating actively in most of our video productions. They have proved to be both hard working and committed, most of the times.
The first step was informing all possible candidates: students of 3th - 4th grades of Spanish Secondary system. For that, we announced we would hold an informative meeting to which interested students should attend. We finally had the meeting, informed the students and wrote their names and other data for a subsequent interview. Since we wanted to have around 5 to 6 student members and actually had about 20 candidates, we really needed that sorting interview.
Once the candidates were properly informed, it was time for the individual interviews. We had help from the project’s coordinator as well as from the Social Media Team in the design of the questionnaire.
Designed the questionnaire, the Project TV started with the individual interviews. After we interviewed all possible candidates, we finally selected the final 5 student participants belonging to our team. We have closely worked and coordinated with these 5 students, participating actively in most of our video productions. They have proved to be both hard working and committed, most of the times.
2. Coordination Meetings
Recording Our Europe was planned as a complex comprehensive project. It entails many people and teams involved, both locally and internationally. For that reason, holding coordination meetings has been crucial. The Project TV, as being the first established team, has held coordination meetings from the very start. However, those meetings not only served for coordinating but for other purposes detailed below:
Meetings to coordinate with the students: the initial meetings with the students were essential to draft short and long term proceedings. We’ve held those meetings regularly for the two years the project has developed. In order not to interfere with the students’ classes in the morning, we held most of those coordinating meetings in the evening. We dealt with any possible arising issue regarding our team or the project itself: planning tasks, work roles, trips, difficulties, quick workshops, etc.
Meetings to coordinate with other teams. Whenever we were assigned a task by a particular team, we would coordinate with members, students and teachers of the team to agree on some details regarding the assignment.
Meetings to coordinate with teachers within the Project TV. Two more teachers were added to the project TV in the second year. Also we were granted an hour per week devoted to coordination meetings. On these meetings, we decided on aspects regarding our students, reports, dissemination, planning future events and tasks, workshops, etc.
Click here and go to the Project TV tab to see our minutes on Trello.
Meetings to coordinate with the students: the initial meetings with the students were essential to draft short and long term proceedings. We’ve held those meetings regularly for the two years the project has developed. In order not to interfere with the students’ classes in the morning, we held most of those coordinating meetings in the evening. We dealt with any possible arising issue regarding our team or the project itself: planning tasks, work roles, trips, difficulties, quick workshops, etc.
Meetings to coordinate with other teams. Whenever we were assigned a task by a particular team, we would coordinate with members, students and teachers of the team to agree on some details regarding the assignment.
Meetings to coordinate with teachers within the Project TV. Two more teachers were added to the project TV in the second year. Also we were granted an hour per week devoted to coordination meetings. On these meetings, we decided on aspects regarding our students, reports, dissemination, planning future events and tasks, workshops, etc.
Click here and go to the Project TV tab to see our minutes on Trello.
24.03.2015: Results of the Short Teacher Training Event for German Teachers
The project members Jochen Steier, Britta Tschersich, Philipp Lüttgens, Julia Schweers and Susanne Auer met to discuss the results of the teacher training event in Kotka, Finland, in February. The teachers who had attended the training event, reported about the tools they used to edit films (WeVideo), about the work tools (Trello, Google+, Google drive) and the main dissemination platforms (e-Twinning, YouTube, Facebook) the IES teachers have agreed upon using. They showed how to handle them the way they had learnt in Finland.
The project members Jochen Steier, Britta Tschersich, Philipp Lüttgens, Julia Schweers and Susanne Auer met to discuss the results of the teacher training event in Kotka, Finland, in February. The teachers who had attended the training event, reported about the tools they used to edit films (WeVideo), about the work tools (Trello, Google+, Google drive) and the main dissemination platforms (e-Twinning, YouTube, Facebook) the IES teachers have agreed upon using. They showed how to handle them the way they had learnt in Finland.
3. Workshops
As stated above, some of the meetings served as workshops where both students and teachers got together to learn and to be familiar with the basics of video production on its three main stages: pre-production, filming and post-production. The students have been gradually learning and so growing more independent. All the students had to take several roles in order to master the basics of video production. Once they acquired a minimum of skill, they were assigned particular roles; those roles changed from assignment to assignment.
From these quick workshops, an express guide was designed, including a chart with some common bugs to be avoided when working on video productions.
From these quick workshops, an express guide was designed, including a chart with some common bugs to be avoided when working on video productions.
Apart from those workshops aimed at members of the Erasmus Project, the ProjectTV actively participated in other workshops at the local school where both members of the school and other schools’ members were present.
These somewhat seminars were devoted to show and engage the school community into the basics of video production with learning and teaching goals.
24.04.2015: Teacher Seminar on Video Editing
Philipp Lüttgens offered a teacher training seminar within a SchiLf (school intern teacher further education) to interested teachers of the Leopold-Hoesch-Berufskolleg. Mr Lüttgens showed the attending teachers how to edit a film with the internet tool “WeVideo” and how to upload it onto “YouTube”. At the beginning of the seminar some teachers were afraid that filming in lessons would be a very time-consuming activity which they rather did not want to implement in their repertoire of teaching methods. So, the seminar was held for those teachers who generally take part in EU-projects (see names above) because they found it a great way of documenting the projects they carry out.
Philipp Lüttgens offered a teacher training seminar within a SchiLf (school intern teacher further education) to interested teachers of the Leopold-Hoesch-Berufskolleg. Mr Lüttgens showed the attending teachers how to edit a film with the internet tool “WeVideo” and how to upload it onto “YouTube”. At the beginning of the seminar some teachers were afraid that filming in lessons would be a very time-consuming activity which they rather did not want to implement in their repertoire of teaching methods. So, the seminar was held for those teachers who generally take part in EU-projects (see names above) because they found it a great way of documenting the projects they carry out.
07.01.2016 – 12.01.2016: Post-production workshop with teacher Jochen Steier
In this workshop the films which are dealing with the subject matter of sustainability (The Buggy initially driven by a combustion engine is being turned into an electric buggy and the presentation of alternative drive systems in cars by the students of class HTO, link see above) the process had to be explained in English because only a German version of the explanations existed. So the students had to translate the German text into an English text. Unfortunately they did not want to speak it (!) so that Mr Steier had to take this part. In the end they were very impressed in which way our means of transport can be made less harmful for the environment. On the basis of this interest the coordinator of the project decided to “book” a tour in the hybrid bus that the Dortmund public transport system uses. Dennis Masuhr of the DSW21 made it possible on the next transnational meeting in Dortmund.
In this workshop the films which are dealing with the subject matter of sustainability (The Buggy initially driven by a combustion engine is being turned into an electric buggy and the presentation of alternative drive systems in cars by the students of class HTO, link see above) the process had to be explained in English because only a German version of the explanations existed. So the students had to translate the German text into an English text. Unfortunately they did not want to speak it (!) so that Mr Steier had to take this part. In the end they were very impressed in which way our means of transport can be made less harmful for the environment. On the basis of this interest the coordinator of the project decided to “book” a tour in the hybrid bus that the Dortmund public transport system uses. Dennis Masuhr of the DSW21 made it possible on the next transnational meeting in Dortmund.
26.01.2016: Further education for teachers about video editing
Philipp Lüttgens and Julia Schweers taught another course in video editing to the staff of the school. Especially Susanne Auer took the opportunity to learn more about WeVideo. Julia Schweers showed how easy it is to put in special effects, structural tools and subtitles with the example of a film about social media that her class 12 had made. In the discussion it became clear that WeVideo is a great tool, especially as it is free of charge, but the fact that it can only be used online makes it sometimes difficult to use it when the internet connection is instable. These experiences, together with the students’ post-production experiences, were integrated in the Good Practice Guide at the end of this event
Philipp Lüttgens and Julia Schweers taught another course in video editing to the staff of the school. Especially Susanne Auer took the opportunity to learn more about WeVideo. Julia Schweers showed how easy it is to put in special effects, structural tools and subtitles with the example of a film about social media that her class 12 had made. In the discussion it became clear that WeVideo is a great tool, especially as it is free of charge, but the fact that it can only be used online makes it sometimes difficult to use it when the internet connection is instable. These experiences, together with the students’ post-production experiences, were integrated in the Good Practice Guide at the end of this event
08.02.2016 – 21.02.2016: Post-production workshop with teacher Jochen Steier on the documentary about the meeting in Kotka in October 2015 and the Making Of of the horror movie “Dangers of Social Media”.
In this workshop Jochen Steier post-produced and edited the documentary of the meeting and making-of of the “horror movie”, two films, which were made in Finland during the transnational meeting. The films were cut and special effects were integrated into the film e.g. inserting film sequences into other film sequences. The students of the workshop (and of course also the viewers later) were very impressed how it was made possible to show the planning and script writing phase and how ideas were actually carried out in the finished film simultaneously within one picture, so that the process of “generating” a film could be made clear to the audience.
In this workshop Jochen Steier post-produced and edited the documentary of the meeting and making-of of the “horror movie”, two films, which were made in Finland during the transnational meeting. The films were cut and special effects were integrated into the film e.g. inserting film sequences into other film sequences. The students of the workshop (and of course also the viewers later) were very impressed how it was made possible to show the planning and script writing phase and how ideas were actually carried out in the finished film simultaneously within one picture, so that the process of “generating” a film could be made clear to the audience.
4 Productions for the ROE Teams, Transnational Meetings and local school IES Puerto del Rosario
The Project TV was first devised as a major dissemination tool at the service of the other teams. As so, the Project Tv has since filmed and shared other teams’ work and progress from the very start.
In order to work more efficiently, we have always coordinated with the team behind the project, holding meetings and working together in the fieldwork. Both, students and teachers from involved in projects have closely cooperated whether it was for the production of a short film, documentary or infomercial-like videos.
Some of the videos for other teams include: visits to desalination plants, Villaverde Primary School, waste treatment plant, Millares Primary School, short film at IES Puerto del Rosario, etc.
Although time, lack of time rather, has always been an issue, we’ve always tried to hold those coordination meetings before filming as an initial stage within our regularly systematized approach. Whatever the type of production and the team we were working with, the below steps (from PTV’s Express Guide) were regular and relatively followed:
The teams for which we have produced videos included: Social Media, Sustainability, Employability and Good Practice. Not only have we worked locally, we have likewise filmed all the transnational events whether in Spain, Germany or Finland. All our productions can be seen at our YouTube channel.
In order to work more efficiently, we have always coordinated with the team behind the project, holding meetings and working together in the fieldwork. Both, students and teachers from involved in projects have closely cooperated whether it was for the production of a short film, documentary or infomercial-like videos.
Some of the videos for other teams include: visits to desalination plants, Villaverde Primary School, waste treatment plant, Millares Primary School, short film at IES Puerto del Rosario, etc.
Although time, lack of time rather, has always been an issue, we’ve always tried to hold those coordination meetings before filming as an initial stage within our regularly systematized approach. Whatever the type of production and the team we were working with, the below steps (from PTV’s Express Guide) were regular and relatively followed:
- Planning: once we’re roughly told the event or task to film, the team in charge of the production of the video, Project TV, carefully plans how to undertake it. The planning stage begins assigning the person responsible for this particular project within the project TV.
- Known the event to film and the reporter in charge, the Project TV starts to work on the plan itself. This entails close cooperation with other teams; we need to know every single detail regarding the event we will film, for it will condition the number of reporters involved, the necessary technical equipment and the way we will undertake the filming. Therefore, in order to be as much informed as possible, members of the Project TV attend meetings and briefings organized by other teams before the event takes finally place.
- Filming: everything planned, it’s time for action. The reporter attends the event with the required equipment and knowledge; in constant communication with the Project TV’s coordinator and in close cooperation with the Social Media crew, she carries out all the tasks involving filming: sound, lighting, the setting, recording itself, selecting valid sequences, talking to subjects.
- Postproduction: this stage involves backing up all the footage into the computer first to secure such valuable material. After that, it’s time to copy just the best valid sequences into a new folder; this new folder contains all the footage, plus some additional media files -photos, logos, songs, other audio files, video headers- required when editing.
- Dissemination: the final product is ready now to be shown. The Project TV uploads the video into the several channels we have so that all the members, partners participating in the project as well as anyone likewise interested can watch it.
The teams for which we have produced videos included: Social Media, Sustainability, Employability and Good Practice. Not only have we worked locally, we have likewise filmed all the transnational events whether in Spain, Germany or Finland. All our productions can be seen at our YouTube channel.
Apart from being in charge of producing most of the video projects for the ROE project, our team has also worked locally with our Spanish Secondary School, IES Puerto del Rosario, in filming some activities worth being shown. These include: the solar week, open house, art parade, Biology’s lipdub, musical, day of the Canary Islands, etc.
5. Dissemination
As said above, the Project TV has been responsible of uploading all the videos produced, either locally or not, within the ROE Project. This is an essential disseminating task, but not the only one. Letting others know what we do was one of the project’s main goals; this two-year long enterprise is an ambitious, complex and comprehensive one and thus, all the activities carried out inside must be shared.
The Project TV has had an active role in disseminating. Uploading videos into our Youtube Channel was our specific task within dissemination. Additionally, and together with the Project’s Coordinator, the PTV worked in feeding our profiles in Social Media: Facebook, Twitter.
The Project TV has had an active role in disseminating. Uploading videos into our Youtube Channel was our specific task within dissemination. Additionally, and together with the Project’s Coordinator, the PTV worked in feeding our profiles in Social Media: Facebook, Twitter.
Traditional social networks aside, we also made use of the project-management web trello to show all the activity within the PTV.
6. Equipment
A sensible requirement when starting the Project TV was the issue of technical equipment. We decided from the very beginning that we should be provided with basic filming material and a place to establish our set and keep everything locked.
As for the place, we tried to get a dedicated room for us; a difficult task it this was in a nearly “overcrowded” school where every square inch is well assigned in advance. Teachers from the Philosophy and Economics departments were kind enough to make room for us, sharing their already tiny room. Since we didn’t have anything else, we thankfully agreed. Part of the room was given to us and we started to clean, organise and paint it - for the green screen. Also the school lended us a locker to keep everything in.
As for the equipment itself, thanks to money support from the project, we could buy all the necessary gear we would need to start out. Below you can see the illustration showing everything we have. It was more than enough to start working properly accounting for video, sound, lighting, stabilization and protection.
All this equipment, together with the motivation towards using video at school, could be consider as some of the project’s legacy. We firmly intend to go on encouraging the school community to actively use video for educational purposes, being the equipment a valuable tool for that means.
As for the place, we tried to get a dedicated room for us; a difficult task it this was in a nearly “overcrowded” school where every square inch is well assigned in advance. Teachers from the Philosophy and Economics departments were kind enough to make room for us, sharing their already tiny room. Since we didn’t have anything else, we thankfully agreed. Part of the room was given to us and we started to clean, organise and paint it - for the green screen. Also the school lended us a locker to keep everything in.
As for the equipment itself, thanks to money support from the project, we could buy all the necessary gear we would need to start out. Below you can see the illustration showing everything we have. It was more than enough to start working properly accounting for video, sound, lighting, stabilization and protection.
All this equipment, together with the motivation towards using video at school, could be consider as some of the project’s legacy. We firmly intend to go on encouraging the school community to actively use video for educational purposes, being the equipment a valuable tool for that means.