"What the heck is all this talk about the 'first hour' I keep hearing from
AJ ?" Gordy demanded of the cold walls of the computer science building. Gordy, an imaginary
ITA employee, was invented solely for the purpose of introducing this blog posting.
Though Gordy may not exist, his question has been alive and well in the minds of many living/breathing
ITA instructors. The first hour is a vital and fragile moment of any
ITA session (read more about the first hour on the Wiki). To help us avoid the "okay, so, today I'm going to teach _____ " type of unit introductions, we have INTRO VIDEOS.
Well, certain intro videos are complete, namely Computer Hardware Camp and Vegas Video Camp. I am also tackling videos for the Digital Audio unit, the Many Uses of Computers Camp and the
ITA Portfolio system.
Allow me to take a step back and explain exactly what these intro videos entail. In a nutshell, the intro videos should be brief, engaging and SUPER exciting first looks at the unit a class is about to begin. The Sony Vegas trailer a fast-paced series of clips from student created films, all embedded within a humorous scenario so as to contextualize the content.
Of course, creating these types of videos requires a vision, a focus, footage and probably some actors (Will and Lance are the big stars around the office).
I believe that any aspiring directors here at
ITA may choose to adopt a unit and create an intro video for that unit. If you're interested, give
AJ a holler. Tell him Gordy sent you.