And Action!

Kathy Swan is an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Kentucky whose research focuses on standards-based technology integration, authentic intellectual work, and documentary-making in the social studies classroom. Swan has been a four-time recipient of the National Technology Leadership Award in Social Studies Education, innovating with web-based interactive technology curricula. Mark Hofer is an associate professor of educational technology in the School of Education at the College of William & Mary whose research focuses on curriculum-based technology integration, classroom documentary filmmaking, and educational technology professional development. He is the co-creator of the Historical Scene Investigation Project, the Digital Directors Guild and Digital Docs in a Box.

• ForewordPrefaceCreditsChapter 1: Setting the Scene: A Rationale for Student Documentaries in the ClassroomChapter 2: Writing with Light: Preparing for a Documentary ProjectChapter 3: Getting a Grip: Phase I – ResearchChapter 4: Making the Pitch: Phase II - Documentary TreatmentChapter 5: Framing the Story: Phase III - StoryboardingChapter 6: Quiet on the set! Phase IV - Film ProductionChapter 7: Premiering the Films: Sharing Student WorkChapter 8: It's a Wrap: Parting Thoughts to Executive ProducersAppendix A: Documentary RubricAppendix B: Core Argument TemplateAppendix C: Sample Core Argument TemplateAppendix D: Documentary Treatment TemplateAppendix E: Sample Documentary Treatment TemplateAppendix F: Storyboard TemplateAppendix G: Documentary Tool Comparison ChartAppendix H: Student Production Role Checklist

And Action! offers a road map to guide a teacher in the production of students' documentary projects. Swan and Hofer very competently outline the particular steps involved in designing a documentary in order to help teachers either avoid some of the most commonly encountered problems or at least mitigate some of the effects to create a more seamless process. Potential problems that teachers may encounter are addressed. One teacher comments, 'If I had only known then what I know now about the documentary film process, I would have . . .' It should be noted that the authors do not get too detailed in the technical aspects of video production because of the wide range of hardware and software products in schools. However, of particular value is the information regarding copyrighted material and the Fair Use Act along with the compendium of informative template appendixes. A rubric template is also provided to use as a tool to assess students' projects and how the design of the projects line up with common core standards. This book is a great resource for teachers who want to add documentary filmmaking to their practice. Summing Up: Recommended. Professional collections.