03/13/2024
Our team started the week observing CREC Academy of Computer Science and Engineering High School students engage in our Professional Short Film Project, in which students are tasked with transforming a screenplay into a short film. Students learn the physics behind cinematic lighting techniques to make their film look professional. Students are also exposed to the Computer Science of how cameras sense, represent, and compress data, and how that affects the cinematic qualities of the image. Along the way, students tapped into their creative side, explored a new side of Art class, and learned the very real-life skills of collaborating and iterating on projects.
During his inventXYZ partnership, Bryan Swormstedt has seen his students collaborate in way he doesn't always see in the classroom setting.
"The value this type of project offers to my class are those social skills that are getting lost these days, like collaboration, being able to communicate in a group, being able to redirect yourself, and not always relying on the teacher to redirect you," he said. "There is something about this group work -- putting cameras and lights in their hand -- that forces them to learn these skills."
CREC Theme Coach, John Tusch, loved seeing students engage in such an authentic way.
I saw kids today showing leadership, self-directed learning, student-centered learning, critical thinking, and problem solving all at once," he said. "I saw groups come together to solve problems … something freshmen are not always wanting to do, and they are doing it on a regular basis with you."
He also noticed something quite unique about the teacher experience.
"I saw the teacher being the guide on the side instead of being the sage on the stage," he said. "Mr. Swormstedt was completely in control but not at all in control. It was an exciting time and a fun thing to watch."
Thank you for hosting us Bryan Swormstedt and John Tusch!
