MultiMedia Tools: Video

Lesson Idea Name: Pollution Solutions

Content Area: Life Science
Grade Level(s): 3rd Grade
Content Standard Addressed: S3L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of
pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

Technology Standard Addressed: 1. Creativity and Innovation

Selected Technology Tool: Screencast-O-Matic

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): https://screencast-o-matic.com/

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration:

☐ Infusion Level: Students may work at a higher Bloom’s Level, but they do not have any “Voice or Choice”
during the activity and most of the decisions are made by the teacher.

☐ Integration Level: We would like to see ALL lessons/activities reach this level. The project is student-
driven. Students have “Voice and Choice” in the activities, selecting the topic of study and determining the
technology tool to demonstrate mastery of the standard. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator.
☒ Expansion Level: The projects created are shared outside of the classroom, publishing student work and
promoting authorship. This could be reached by showcasing the project on the school’s morning
newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, or publishing via an outside source.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

The Universal Design for Learning has multiple principles including providing multiple means of
representation, providing multiple means of action and expression, and providing multiple means of
engagement. I chose to use Screencast-O-Matic as my video editing tool, and it will support all students
because they will be able to collect and share content based on whatever learning level they are at.
Screencast-O-Matic allows for multiple means of expression through the use of written words, pictures,
spoken words, audio, and more. Students will have the freedom to choose what and how they share a
pollution solution that can help protect plants and animals. The activity provides multiple means of
engagement through whole class instruction, the collection of information from books, and the collection of
information from online sources. Students will be working alone to view the video I create, but they will have
the chance to brainstorm with other students in the class before they create their own video. Students can
collect information from whichever source best fits their needs or a combination of sources. The activity
provides multiple means of representation because the teacher will present information pollution through a
video that has audio, visuals, and written words. Screencast-O-Matic enhances learning because students will
gather information and present their solution in a fun way. Students will be far more engaged than if they
were just learning this content from a textbook, and they have the chance to really promote change.

SBooker, 2020
 MultiMedia Tools: Video
Lesson idea implementation:
For this lesson, the students will be learning about how pollution and humans affect the environment around
them. In class, I will introduce the idea of pollution by asking the students questions relating to what they
might already know about pollution or about times they might have recognized pollution around them. After
getting the students thinking about pollution, I will be providing the students with a screencast that
introduces different types of pollution and how they each affect the environment. The students will have a
day or two to watch the video at home and write down key points that they might need. At the end of the
video, I will introduce a project that the students will be doing to further their understanding of pollution. The
end of the video will explain that the students will need to propose an idea for reducing pollution in our local
community. I will give a whole day in class where students can brainstorm and share ideas with each other.
Students will be able to ask me and each other questions if needed. The same day, I will ask the students
what solution they came up with in order to check their progress and make sure their idea is relevant.

The next step will involve students researching information about how their proposed solution will actually
make a difference, and they will support their ideas with their findings. The students’ learning is
differentiated because they will be collecting information in a variety of formats such as from books with
words and visuals, websites with videos. The information students collect will also be differentiated because
they can choose to go broad or in depth with their information based on the learning levels of the students.
The students’ learning will be further assessed through the creation of a video or podcast of their own.
Students will introduce their solution through their video or podcast, and it will be shared with local policy
makers in attempt to change the amount of pollution in our local community. This helps the project reach the
expansion level of technology integration. I will check for each of the student’s level of understanding and
engagement again when they submit their projects. I will provide each student feedback and ask them
leading questions that could suggest things they might want to add to make their video or podcast more
meaningful. I will conclude the lesson by having the students share their videos or podcasts with each other. I
will also share responses from the policy makers if they respond to any of the projects. I will plan for this
project to take up to a week.

Importance of technology:
This project could certainly be completed without technology. Students could write letters to policy makers in
an attempt to promote change related to reducing pollution. However, the technology aspect allows the
students to get creative and decide how they want to present the information. Visuals and audio will make
the students’ proposals much more appealing to policy makers, and these two things would be lost if students
did not use technology to create a video or podcast. Technology will also be used by students to collect
research and explore ideas through various websites and other online materials.

Inspiration (optional):

Internet Safety and Student Privacy:

It is important that the students are protected throughout this entire project. When the students are
researching online, I will have to make sure the students do not have access to any harmful materials. I will do
so by having the students do all of their research on school computers where many harmful sites are blocked,
and I will be able to see what each of the students is doing on their computer. Also, I will make sure students
faces and personal information are not found within their projects before the projects are submitted to local
policy makers. Before the class starts working on the project, I will notify parents and administrators of all of
the details of the project and give students and parents the option to not have their student’s work leave the
school. Before students start working on their own videos, I will go over the “Dos” and “DON’Ts” of collecting
pictures, audio, and videos to use in their videos to be sure they are following acceptable use policies.

Reflective Practice:

SBooker, 2020
 MultiMedia Tools: Video
I feel that having the students create their own video or podcast deepens their understanding of pollution
and how it affects other wildlife because it requires the students to really evaluate the information they
collect and determine what information is relevant to create their solution/suggestion. The activity helps the
students reach a higher level of thinking rather than having them just know and remember the content. The
lesson provides several ways for students to interact with each other. Screencast-O-Matic also enhances the
activity since the students are presented the topic of pollution through a video with audio and visuals.
Students have the ability to pause or re-watch parts of the video that they need to see again, so the students
can learn at their own pace. If I wanted to extend the lesson to reach more tactile learners, I could bring the
students outside to observe how our school might be trying to prevent excess pollution. Students might get to
pick up trash they see around the playground or other areas of the school to help better the environment.
Overall, all of the students will benefit from this lesson and gain a solid understanding of how pollution might
affect their lives and other wildlife around them.

SBooker, 2020