Today, science demands sophisticated skills not generally taught as part of standard science curricula. Ideally, science instructional strategies teach a body of knowledge and cultivate other abilities required for the practice of science. For example the scientific community values collaboration and teamwork, critical and focused observation, the use of technology for data collection, evaluation of information, and communication skills. All of these skills can be cultivated through the use of media making projects. For this reason, student media-making projects are an excellent way to introduce these 21st century proficiencies.
A good first-step media project to use with students is a narrated slideshow. The programs used to make one are relatively simple and students can either take their own photos or find properly licensed images on the web in addition to using their own voice to narrate the story. KQED has developed a new tool for educators to assist in the understanding of how to create a slideshow as well as the implementation of such a project in the science classroom.
I am a Social Studies teacher that is attempting to expand my curriculum to overlap with Science in a meaninful way. Most of my classes are Government and Economics and looking at US science policies and the emerging/developing Economic opportunities, would be an excellent way to encourage students to apply the concepts I am teaching in a real-world/real-time context to create cognitive connections between core subject matter.
I am looking forward to learning this performance-based, visual approach to learning and assessment