Revamping Video Texts

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I feel as if anytime you have an experience with something new, the second go-round is always a smoother and more effective process. This is no different when revamping an introduction video of myself.

My first introduction video was simple, vague, and to be honest, just flat out boring. However, with the help of the texts "Crafting Digital Writing" by Troy Hicks and "Argument in the Real World" by Kristen Hawley Turner and Troy Hicks, I was able to turn a boring and nonspecific video into what I would like to think a feel-good and visually pleasing representation of myself and my classroom.

Below you will find my Revamped Introduction Video in which I introduce myself and concepts, including argument, that we encounter in first grade.





When revamping this video, I looked to the mentor texts mentioned above for advice. I had always wondered if our initial introduction video posed another purpose other than allowing the online community to put names with faces. It was not until I read this statement that I realized the true purpose of the initial introduction video assignment. "Giving people- children, adolescents, and adults- an opportunity to play with a video editing task in a low-stakes manner is often a good way to introduce bigger projects such as digital stores or public service announcements" (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 97). Having the experience on the first introduction video, I felt more comfortable taking on this bigger assignment and applying new knowledge in its creation.

When brainstorming and planning for this "re-do," I relied heavily upon the MAPS heuristic and digital video editing considerations mentioned in "Crafting Digital Writing" by Troy Hicks.

Below you will find an image explaining the MAPS heuristic retrieved from a blog post by Renee Boss.

When reconsidering my video, I took into consideration the audience and the purpose behind my video. In my initial post, my video was simply to quickly introduce myself to a group of people- not too many details, but just enough to count. However, my revamped video serves to connect myself with my first grade parents and introduce them to who their student's teacher will be, as well as,  and overview to what they can expect to see throughout the course of the year. I also took into consideration three digital video editing ideas that were mentioned within the mentor text. Those video editing ideas were: narration, film effects, and sound effects and music. As Hicks (2017) states, "the various visual and audio effects serve in much the same way as word choice, sentence structure, or punctuation do in print texts: each has a different rhetorical purpose and effect" (p. 110). For the narration consideration, I felt it important, just as in my initial video to be the one narrating the video since I am introducing myself to my parents for the school year. They want to hear my voice and is important that the information comes from me as the teacher. For the film effects consideration, I shifted from an ongoing video of myself talking to the camera in my initial video to a video that is filled with images from my own classroom. This shows the parents glimpses into the school year and keep them engaged throughout the video. For the sound effects and music consideration, I decided to include background music in my revamped video. This gave my video a "happy go lucky" vibe that is inviting and calming to parents and students.

For tips of other ideas of what to consider when editing videos, check out the link below.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-tips-editing-videos-like-pro/

For advice on common video editing mistakes and how to avoid them, check out this link below.

https://www.techsmith.com/blog/common-video-editing-mistakes/




References

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Lockhart, J. (2018). How to edit videos like a pro: 8 tips you need to master. Retrieved from https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-tips-editing-videos-like-pro/

Patton, D. (2017). Avoid these 7 common video editing mistakes. Retrieved from https://www.techsmith.com/blog/common-video-editing-mistakes/

R Boss. (2015, February 15). Learning to muse: Students should create, compose, & connect digitally. Retrieved from http://reneeboss.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-students-should-create-compose.html#.XbpIOkVKh0s

Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Portsmouth, NH:Heinemann.

Effective Infographics

We see them everywhere, but our brains don't register what we are actually looking at. Maybe we are simply accustomed to them in our daily lives. Maybe they don't catch our eye. But maybe, just maybe, they are the things we need to enhance and revamp argumentative writing. Infographics could be the addition that arguments have always needed to engage and persuade its viewers.

But what is an infographic? A simple, yet powerful definition of an infographic is provided by a group of students within a text by Turner and Hicks (2017). The group of students defined an infographic as "any static visual presentation that creatively incorporates the use of words, statistics, and images in order to convey a message" (pg. 63). By this definition, there are many infographics out there in the world, but only few of the many are effective in their design. Turner and Hicks (2017, p. 62) also list some recurring themes of effective infographics that are important to keep in mind when determining the credibility of an infographic or deciding how to incorporate an infographic within an argument. These themes include the data within the infographic having a captivating storyline,  having reliable sources, being visually engaging and pleasing, and being easy to land in the eyes of the public.

Check out this short video that aligns with Turner's and Hicks' views and explains what makes an effective infographic:

Also, check out this Hubspot blog that lays out the dos and don'ts for creating an effective infographic.

Because infographics are used to enhance the argument of the writer, one of the most important pieces of infographics are their design. The audience of the infographic needs to be visually engaged and interested so that the message can be conveyed appropriately. For this to happen, the designer needs to apply CRAP design. According to Turner and Hicks (2017), CRAP design is a "simple set of criteria on which to base effective designs: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity" (p. 40).

Below you will find my Inpresentation on CRAP design (the good kind).

Untitled infographic

Infogram

References

Easelly: Infographic Design Tips & Tutorials. (2018, September 24). What makes an effective infographic? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl9ZcfKt8sY

L Toner. (2017, July 28). 8 dos and don'ts for creating effective infographics. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/dos-and-donts-infographic-creation

Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.