Justine: There’s magic with the green screen, a wow factor. It makes the students feel like they can do anything, be anywhere, and that’s something really special, especially now in the world that we’re in, where it feels like we’re under a lot of constraints. The green screen is a way that we can explore so much more.

Student: Here we are on planet Neptune, and we have some good facts for you.

Student: Ready, three, two, one.

Justine: So green screens are a production tool where you can merge two
or more images or video together in order to create this layered effect. So it’s a really great way for students to show their thinking, where they are working on all aspects of the creation, where the teacher can take a step back, and it’s truly owned by the students. In order to get started with a green screen project, you’ll need some sort of green backdrop. My very first green screen, all I did was take twenty pieces of green paper, tape them together, put them on the classroom wall, and it works. You’ll also need an iPad or a phone that can download a green screen app, like Chromavid or Green Screen by Do Ink. So initially, when thinking about green screens, I often go to this example of a weather person. It’s an easy association for students to make between the real world and then the world that we’re creating in our classroom, where we’re going to use the same technology.

Student: The weather this morning is raining gummy bears. For supper, it will be
snow and cotton candy.

Justine: So there are many different projects and subject areas that would lend themselves very well to the green screen.

Student: [speaking Spanish].

Justine: The green screen provides this opportunity for students to be somewhere where they are not. The green screen allows us to transport in time or go on field trips.

Student: Welcome to beautiful British Columbia.

Justine: Students have transported themselves to the top of a mountain.

Student: Or in the city center.

Justine: We’re always trying to get students to show us their thinking, not just write the answer, and then they’re done. So in math, students can take a picture of their journal and throw it behind them. They would point to the sections where they explained their thinking, and tell you more, so they’re adding that verbal element. Students love to explore text through the green screen. They’re able to select or create images that they associate with the book. They can also pick a favorite book, and then they take their own spin on it. So a student had just read “How to Read a Book” by Kwame Alexander, and she created her own green screen video where her little face is on the cover.

Student: Finally, find a cozy place to read.

Justine: Another great way to use the green screen is through student self-reflections. A self-reflection activity that I like to do is where students actually
have a conversation with themselves on the screen. So we’ll take a picture of them,
and then the student will create a second layer where they’re talking to themselves. This might allow students at the beginning of the year to look forward and set goals, and at the end of the year, to reflect and consider what they were able to learn this year.

Student: I made new friends at school, gardened, played basketball. I know next year will be even better. Keep working hard. You’re handsome.

Justine: Greens screens provide an opportunity to broaden how we might
share the work that we do, and to give a little more purpose to it, so that we have this new enthusiasm and engagement in the project. Students research, they evaluate, they’re thinking about their audience and they’re processing all of this learning, and eventually transferring it to other settings.

Students: The end.