Public+Service+Announcements

= Public Service Announcements =

Public Service Announcements combines the power of persuasive writing with a dense multi-modal composition. The P.S.A. involves using image, written text (a script) voice (narration) music and video. Using digital video in the language arts or English classroom is a great way to involve students in the fluidity of composing. Other digital video projects include, autoibiographical portraits, oral histories, and ( a more engaging replacement to the traditional book report).

What the Literature Says?
In Hicks, T. (2009). __The Digital Writing Workshop__. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann., Troy Hicks relates the experience of observing a middle school language arts teacher assigning students to write a Digital Public Service Announcement. The definition of a PSA, and examples of the student work can be viewed at this [|PSA website]. HIcks talks about the rhetorical skills related to informative and persuasive writing, when creating a PSA and what changes from the traditional print texts when the PSA is recorded in Video format. WIthin this example, PSA's are also a group project, involving one student gathering images, one writing the script for narration, and a third compiling the timeline for the PSA. Citing images is also important, and this needs to happen on the credits slide. THe PSA assignment gets students thinking about: 1) The mode and medium of their composition: what genre is the best medium or media to help convey the message. 2) Who is the intended audience? 3) What is the purpose of the writing? 4) Situation for the writer and the writing: How do students know about the digital tool they hope to use and how much time and training might they need to create the PSA?

**Read:**
Staples, J. (2010). "Does My iMovie Suck?": Assessing Teacher Candidates' Digital Composition Processes. 99.5 (2010). pp. 14-21. This article is listed in the content section of D2L.

Questions to consider:
//Describe ways you plan to assess digital responses?//

Mary's Thoughts
The Public Service Announcement project, asks students to think critically about the main message that the novel has to offer. Once that is discovered or determined, the student needs to write a short script that persuades the audience to listen to the announcement and believe what the speaker is saying. In short, the student is learning how to communicate meaning in a persuasive multimodal way using digital video, photos, narrative and a musical track. As always in working with multimodal composition, the student is also cognizant of giving credit to images or video taken from the web, or created by anyone including themselves. The Public Service Announcement project is a contemporary alternative to the persuasive essay. The student still needs to write their thoughts and persuade the audience, but the critical thinking involved in composing layers of images, sound, and movement to persuade is a multi-layered task involving much deliberate thought.

=Mary's Example=

media type="youtube" key="upJncMBorOY" height="315" width="560"

Technology Knowledge
There are many digital tools to create a Public Service Announcement or PSA. Here is some guidance using the free online webtool, WEvideo.

Importing your media files (images and video)

Importing your audio files (narrative track and music or soundtrack) media type="youtube" key="zxMQFTeKg5w" height="344" width="425"

Uploading your video link to the wiki media type="youtube" key="MnZOJtKJcsU" height="344" width="425"

media type="youtube" key="6mZwLQatBqY" height="344" width="425"

Link to short video

Assignment
You will create a Public Service Announcement or PSA as a multimodal response to your novel, using the digital tool WEvideo. The purpose of this assignment is to critically think of the main message within the novel and to communicate that message as a Public Service Announcement to a wider audience. The PSA will only be 1 and a half minutes long including title and credits, and therefore will involve writing a narrative script that is fast moving and provocative. Your PSA should be in video format, but can include still images as well. You will need to find copyright free images, or use your own photos/pictures. You will also need to find copyright free video or create your own using a digital video camera. There are mini video cameras available to check out at the ETC Lab in Wyman Education Building. For instance, I checked out a Flipcam to create my PSA. If you use Flipcam, you need to download the free Flipvideo software to your computer. The PSA is a multilayered composition with images/video, narrative voice and finally a music track to create an ambience. There are several free music track choices given on WEvideo. You can raise or lower the volume to accommodate your voice narration. Credits must be given in a slide at the end. The PSA should be no longer than on and one half minutes including credits.

Assessment of your Assignment
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