Going Green

Gilbertsville Elementary School introduces Green Screen technology

Have you ever wondered how movies make it look like actors have landed on an alien planet? Or how the local news announcer can stand in front of an animated weather map? These visual wonders are all thanks to green screen technology.

This technology is now becoming an exciting and realistic addition to digital classrooms across the country. With an iPad, a green backdrop, and a green screen app, any student can incorporate green screen technology into their classwork.

So when Gilbertsville Elementary School students in Mrs. Jackie Laurence’s third grade class were learning how to write opinion pieces, Mrs. Laurence encouraged her students to use visuals to support their opinions. A true lover of technology and project-based learning, Mrs. Laurence decided that in order to fully immerse her students into their opinion pieces she would invite them to present their final projects using green screen technology. Once students had found a topic that interested them, they were asked to research and write a threeto-five paragraph opinion piece. They then had to find visuals to help support and strengthen their arguments.

Once the class had their papers drafted and their visuals saved, the students were assigned to small teams. These teams, comprised of three to four students, would assist one another in the production of their final project, a video of students reading their papers and showing their visuals using the Do Ink Green Screen app.

Installed on Districtprovided iPads, the Do Ink Green Screen app allows students to easily create green screen videos using their iPads. The app emphasizes ease-ofuse and simplicity, while still enabling students to achieve excellent results and sparking student creativity and ingenuity.

In a collaborative effort, the inspired third grade students created completely student-produced videos, complete with visual green screen effects.