Last Friday the kids had their 20 Time presentations in our media center. I went back and forth about exactly how I wanted to do this. Originally, my thought had been to have the students create something using multi-media (not Power Point - ugh). However, some teachers at my school have been expressing interest in the project, and wanted to stop by with their classes. To allow for flexibility I decided to go with ye olde tri-fold board, and have a gallery walk. The students had to write and rehearse a speech, utilize the tri-fold board in their speech, and still had to incorporate some sort of multi-media into the presentation. I had some students choose to use their iPods to play background music to their speech, some had their laptops cycling through a picture show, others displayed their laptops, and one demonstrated on the animation software she had used to create her short film.
I created graphic organizers for their speeches based on the students falling into one of four categories: I completed and loved my 20 Time, I did not complete but still loved my 20 Time, I completed but did not enjoy my 20 Time, and I did not complete and did not enjoy my 20 Time. I found that for most students, the reason they did not enjoy the process came down to poor topic selection. For example, one group was really successful playing the stock market game, but they found that they just completely thought that anything having to do with the stock market was incredibly boring. Moving towards next year, I am considering how I can best help students select a topic without giving them any ideas; however, I still recognize the value of learning what you definitely do not enjoy. The stock market kids know decidedly that following the bears and bulls is not for them. It was great to see the kids presenting to other students, parents, and teachers. I also invited the local newspaper, and you can see the lovely article they did here:I think that having all of these community members present adds an authenticity to the projects, and is a complete necessity.The students deserve to have their work viewed and understood by others.
I am at the point of reflection now, and frankly, today is not the day it is going to happen. I put together a survey for the kids, and next week, after I have submitted grades, signed report cards, and detoxed my room, I will begin the process of reading them and learning. However, it is clear to me that overall this was a success, but like any pilot year, tweaks will need to be made.
