Lights! Camera! Action!

The smell of popcorn and the sounds of Academy Award winning music filled the halls of Union Middle School on February 16th. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators walked the red carpet past movie stars and paparazzi toward the auditorium for the 3rd Annual Canyons District Film Festival. It was a night filled with anticipation, excitement, trophies, swag bags, and of course movies!

The Educational Technology team pulled together to create a wonderful evening celebrating the creativity and skills of students from elementary, middle, and high schools around the District. Everyone was greatly impressed by the quality of the projects created by these students. Special thanks to all who contributed, including our host, Jeff Haney, and the faculty and staff at Union Middle School.  Congratulations to the winners! (View the winning films here.)

To me, the Film Festival provided clear evidence of the educational benefits of film-making. In the words of Nikos Theodasakis, "The filmmaking process from initial idea to final presentation is loaded with opportunities and experiences that make it such a powerful and appropriate tool for 21st century classrooms."
These skills include:

• use of digital tools
• working with multimedia
• research and information evaluation
• connection between curriculum and the world outside the classroom
• planning and designing
• analysis
• synthesis
• critical thinking
• creativity
• communication
• visual literacy 
• oral, visual, and writing presentation skills
• personal and group expression
• negotiating, communication, and other interpersonal skills
• collaboration
• awareness of community, family, and self
• digital citizenship

With all of the potential learning opportunities, I encourage all teachers to consider using film-making as a teaching tool in their classrooms.  Feel free to visit the Ed Tech website for more information about the Canyons District Film Festival. I look forward to more amazing film entries next year!