Our Latest Technology Projects

February 2002 Update

In the past year we have made a great deal of progress in our video techniques. After spending last year creating videos without microphones, we realized that it's really impossible to make good video without good audio. With the help of another teacher at the school, we set out to correct that problem by learning about audio, sound editing and microphones. We attended workshops and learned to use various sound editing programs. We even remade some of our videos using the new sound equipment once we got it and figured out how to use it. Our Jitterbug Making video is now quite good and is a wonderful instructional video which "speaks" to children about the art of creating this beadwork.

We again made self ID videos as part of our Cradleboard Project but this time, with the addition of the microphones, the final product is much improved over last year's version. We had students do all the actual filming and they learned how to set up the sound board, the microphones and the video camera. They even wear a headset to check the audio levels as they video!

Almost every student in grades 5 and 6 has had the opportunity to take part in the creation of a video. Students have learned to edit, import sound, import still images, create music to import into the movie, and put together a total production using iMovie on an iMac or a G4 computer.

Here is a listing of the videos we have created in the past year:

  • Maple Sugaring: Students went to the home of a local resident to learn the art of tapping trees and boiling down the sap to make syrup.
  • The Migration Movie: This is an interview with local residents telling about the Tuscarora migration from North Carolina to their present location in Western New York.
  • Lacrosse: Students went to the local shop, Tuskewe Krafts, where wooden sticks are made. They videoed the entire process. Now they are adding interviews with local lacrosse players and a history of the sport.
  • The Jitterbug Movie: A remake of the poorer earlier version . This video was done entirely by fifth graders. The audio and the video are now much improved!
  • The Cradleboard Exchange: PenPals from Pittsburgh visited our school. We had a day of "Sharing Cultures" including presentations by many local artists and historians and presentations about the cultures of the Pittsburgh students. Native American singer, Buffy Sainte-Marie joined us for the event.
  • The Tuscarora School Video: This is a lengthy project. Its purpose is to create a video about the school, it's history and what makes it unique. We have interviewed and recorded people who went to the school many years ago. We are also recording special events as they happen. This video will not be completed until the end of the year.
  • The Christmas Program: This video is a recording of the entire Christmas program 2001 including the band, choruses, and play which was written and produced by the people of Tuscarora School. The video includes an extensive slide show of pictures taken by students behind the scenes.
  • The SECOND Annual FryBread Movie: Making frybread is a tradition among the Tuscarora people. It has become a part of our annual Chili Cook-off. Sixth grade students make the frybread with the help of local residents. This year, with our improved student skill in creating videos and using microphones, the resulting raw footage is far superior to our previous versions. Students used a handheld microphone to ask questions of the elders. They also took a wide range of digital still photos which will make a terrific addition to this video when it's completed.
  • A variety of smaller videos have been made this year. For instance, we videoed two Cornell University students who did a puppet show of an Iroquois story. We also video presentations such as the one recently done by the Zoomobile as part of our PARP (Parents as Reading Partners) program. We will continue to video special events throughout the year so that many students have the opportunity to learn and to practice these skills.
  • Our AV Club is working on learning many more aspects of video creation this year.