Charlene Martin

Charlene Martin

Snapshot

Scan, Watch, and Read

One of the struggles I have as a high school level English teacher is motivating students — particularly reluctant or struggling readers — to read books independently. After sharing professional book trailers in class as a way to foster a culture of literacy, I saw an increased enthusiasm for discussing and sharing books. I then found student-produced versions that had won national awards with a potential for scholarship money. Soon, students were asking to create their own versions. They were excited to gain a new method of choosing books for independent reading, and I was able to “meet students where they were,” appealing to their comfort levels with making movies and acting out scenes. Since then, my vision has grown from sharing my students’ trailers in my classroom to share them across class periods. My ultimate goal is to take the experience to another level by helping students create and share QR codes that would lead to the book trailer. However, one of my greatest obstacles has been having appropriate technology for students to film their own material and edit it using student-friendly programs. By adding iPod Touches with video capability, students will produce the video, edit it, and use them to scan a QR code placed in the back of the corresponding book in our library so that other students can watch a short digital teaser when trying to find the perfect book. Not only will this enable students to share and find book ideas easily, but it will also create a legacy for the students whose trailers will be preserved in the books themselves.

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All sessions by Charlene Martin