Very Cool Class Project Idea

If you’re teaching in the classroom or work with teachers, you’ve got to checkout Common Craft. They’re a small on-line company doing great things. They self describe their product as “explanation.” They produce short, on-line videos which explain things like social media and the election process in “plain English.”

Electing a US President in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.

As a teacher, I can see several of the videos coming in very handy in the classroom as they explain things much clearer than I typically do. I also think you could show a sample or two to your students and then charge them with the business of explaining something they’ve learned in class by making a similar video or presentation. All you’d need is white paper, a few markers and some kind of camera to record. Even a $15 web cam would work just fine. Picture a few students writing a mini script and making a little video explaining photosynthesis, the Civil War or proper sentence structure. And, you could add it to your own library to show classes in the years to come. It may also come in handy to show off to parents and administrators. Very cool!

Check out the

Common Craft Store for yourself. You can preview all the videos. Additionally, Common Craft offers a 50% discount on site licenses for school districts.

Classroom Engagement Tip for August 28, 2008