My Daughter's Keynote

(If you are in school, you can not see the video.  So go to this link:  http://pserve1.pre.k12.hi.us/users/laurabrown/weblog/d3474/My_Daughters_Keynote.html

Can only access from PRE.)

Melissa made this keynote slideshow on Saturday in 4 hours.  It all started when she said she was bored.  I was awaiting the start of the Little League baseball game.  So, to keep her occupied, I told her to make a Keynote on the computer.  She said she didn't know how.  So, we first made a plan.  She picked her topic, and on scratch paper, we storyboarded her presentation.  Then, I had her draw her arrays using Kidspiration.  Since she already knew how to use Kidspiration, I let her do it on her own.  She created the four pictures in about 45 minutes.

Then, Little League Baseball started and I wanted to watch the game.  So, I quickly gave her a tutorial on how to make the Keynote slides.  I told her to select the white slides first, and we will add the background later.  I taught her the basics of choosing a slide, and typing in the information from her storyboard.  I also showed her how to drop the pictures onto her slides.  She made all the slides by herself as we watched the baseball game.

By the fourth inning, the Little Leaguers from Waipio were winning 7-0, so I started to pay more attention to what Melissa was doing.  I showed her how to choose a background theme for her slideshow.  It took her awhile to decide which background she wanted.  Later, I taught her how to add transitions to each slide.  After showing her how to do the first one, she was able to do the rest by herself.

She finished her Keynote about the same time as Waipio scored their 10th run.  We were all jumping for joy!  We cheered because the Waipio boys won, Melissa cheered because she was done.  It had taken her about 3 hours to complete the Keynote slideshow, but I wasn't done with her yet.

I taught Melissa how to use Garageband to create her own music.  This one took a little more one-to-one.  I had to teach her about music, like tempo, beats, and keys.  Together, we created a short song that she liked.  We added this song to her Keynote.  We saved it as a QuickTime movie.

Melissa created this short video in less than 4 hours.  I didn't teach her everything there is to know about a Keynote.  So, later, when she feels inspired again, I will teach how to add builds and voice, and possibly make her video into a podcast.

You can teach your students using this same process (minus the baseball game, of course.)  I've used this same process with my students several times.  The key is planning.  Make sure your students storyboard their ideas first, even before they touch the computer.  Making Keynote presentations are fun.  Take time to do it with your students.  It only takes 4-5 class periods.  I'll gladly help.  Just let me know.  Thanks for stopping by.