Chaparral teacher wins award for iMovie

The marriage of technology and imagination in Nanci Powers' kindergarten class at Chaparral Elementary School in Calabasas helped youngsters become "letter experts."

Powers and her class produced an iMovie called "Alphabet Zoop" using new equipment provided through a $128-million school bond measure passed in 2006. IMovie is video editing software which can be used to edit digital video to make movies that can be viewed on DVD or online, said Powers.

The digital movie earned Powers a Digital Voice award from the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The awards recognize student and teacherproduced projects that are made using technology.

"We actually won in the language arts category for elementary schools," Powers said. "I was surprised, but the kids weren't- they were confident from the moment they found out about the contest."

"Nanci is an innovative and creative teacher, always looking for interesting ways to get her students involved with technology," said Principal Somer Harding. "I am so pleased that this delightful iMovie was selected to win this award."

ABC'S EASY AS 1-2-3- Left, Skyler, a student in Nanci Powers' kindergarten class at Chaparral Elementary School, participates in the production of an iMovie, "Alphabet Zoop." The movie helped students become letter experts. Each child created artwork to represent their letter. Above, fellow student Carly's rendition of a cat for the letter C is part of the film. The project provided ample opportunity for Powers' 20 students to conquer the alphabet and letter sounds. The children learned verses associated with each letter and created artwork to match letters with their sounds. The children also learned to speak clearly in front of the camera and mastered some elementary movie direction and production techniques, Powers said.

"Before we even started the project, students were introduced to the process of producing a movie through a media arts unit," Powers said. Students practiced directing and acting in small groups, and each chose one letter of the alphabet to represent. During filming, students "took on the roles of actors, assistant directors and production assistants," she said.

Special effects, such as the appropriate sound effects when students mention an elephant, train or rooster, add to the production. The movie includes a "bloopers" section, showing the students yawning, laughing and correcting mistakes.

Other teachers, staff members and Principal Harding also got into the act, reading verses in the movie.

"Technology can be an extremely effective tool to deliver and reinforce instruction," Powers said. "Even children as young as 4 or 5 find computers and filmmaking captivating. To them, technology isn't intimidating; it's simply a part of their lives."

Powers was pleased with her students' enthusiasm for the project.

Parents reported that their children watched the movie repeatedly at home. "In doing so, they were actually working on homework without even knowing it," Powers said.

She said that the students' assessment scores improved 180 percent, adding it "wasn't all that surprising, considering how involved they were in the whole process. After all, what's more engaging to kids than watching themselves and their classmates on TV?"

The children agreed with their teacher. "I liked watching myself on the blooper part," said Jamie Klinenberg, 5. "We made some funny mistakes."

Chloe Shanfeld, 6, said, "It was fun going to the awards ceremony. I saw a lot of other movies, but I thought ours was the best."

"I liked watching the movie at home with my family," said Cassidy Leeds, 6. "I was fantastic."

"Alphabet Zoop" isn't Powers' first foray into moviemaking. When Powers taught first grade last year, she and her class created a movie called "The Digraph Game." A digraph is two letters that represent a single sound: "ea" in bread, "ch" in chat, "ng" in sing, for example.

Powers already has plans for future technology projects. "I'd like to do a movie possibly featuring a math or science concept," she said.

"What's great about this type of technology is its inspiration factor," Powers said. Other teachers at the school have also embraced teaching through technology. She said two first-grade teachers, Andrea Cirino and Amy Licht, created a movie about weather and another called, "What I Learned in First Grade." Second-grade teacher Stephanie Shipow also completed a movie to introduce elementary French, and third-grade teacher Linda Yollis completed a "place value" movie and a "polygon" production.

"It's really become a team effort," Powers said. "As educators today, we're inspiring others or getting inspiration from what we see our colleagues doing with technology."

At the end of the media arts unit, Powers staged a "red carpet" premiere for parents. Students received a copy of the movie to use at home for additional practice with phonics.

To view the movie, visit chaparralelementaryschool.org/ alphabetzoop.html.