The grade 6-7 students at Queneesh Elementary are an active and technologically savvy bunch. Every time I visit Jaki Braidwood’s class there are a rotating handful of students that use ipods to tweet mental connections they make during my presentations. All of her students utilize technology in everything that they do and, to be honest, it makes me jealous of my own elementary education. I also get to play/fumble on their SmartBoard and the kids all look at me funny because I haven’t used one very often. We taught each other and from that relationship, built on solid waste, water issues, pixels,  and personal exploration, we started a very complex video production task together.  The Eco-Movie Preview Project.

The most powerful way to retain a concept of anything you learn is to apply it and then teach it.  Teaching a concept you have just learned, moves that information into a different part of your brain and this shift makes that idea more memorable. The kids were inspired and excited about a video project that I did together with students from Mark R. Isfeld and Lost Boys Visual Effects School called Disposable – The Billion Cup Blood Bath, and they wanted to make their own movie previews in groups of four to apply the knowledge about the environment they’ve acquired during the year. I think these students now have a better appreciation and respect for film-making and storytelling because as this task unfolded it got bigger and bigger and bigger.

These projects were big because before you make a movie preview, it’s a good idea to have a movie and before you have a movie you need storyboards and a script and before you have those you need a story, a message, a concept, and most importantly, you need to have facts and a firm grip on what you’re talking about. In short, making a movie preview, or “pre-production,” is a huge and vital task before the camera even gets switched on.

“When do we get to use the cameras,” a kid shouted out as groups filled in a plot summary graphs with action scenes, apocalyptic devastation, person meets person scenarios and  car chases? “What are you going to shoot,” I asked? “I don’t know, something I guess.” “Sounds interesting,” I replied, “but probably not a movie I’d want to watch.” “Oh yeah, I guess not.” There were a few exchanges like this and they were really important to me. I’ve never tried working with students in this age group on such a conceptual project before. It was challenging and frustrating but also rewarding to see kids laughing their heads off about people picking up garbage and being chased by monsters at the same time. I can’t help but to think of the hundreds of issues those monsters symbolize and the kids, unknowingly, tell the story idea to me with huge smiles, big eyes and the excitement that only validated connections can bring. It’s a beautiful thing – this storytelling business, on so many levels.

The whole project was about learning to connect imagination with knowledge of the environment and communicating with peers diplomatically. Nothing has ever been achieved peacefully without these skills and collectively the students worked out their creative differences, merged their concepts and eventually produced an idea to create a movie from. Every group dynamic was  unique and moved at different speeds. Some excelled at communicating and got flustered by creative sections, while others had ideas spilling over and no organization. One thing was for certain though, everyone had a skill to contribute and everyone was critically important in the process.

After a quick introduction to lighting, camera angles, composition and audio techniques for their ipods, the students were set lose to film their storyboards.  Chaos, lots of laughs and growth overwhelmed the students and their projects. Who knew learning about solid waste and water issues could be so transformational, rewarding and fun.  Thanks for the great term Queneesh. ACTION!

The last month and a half has been a whirlwind of presentations and lesson planning at Vanier, Isfeld, and Carihi High. I spent a fantastic afternoon with GP Vanier’s media production class speaking about video production to reduce solid waste. The dynamic group has been producing videos and I think you should watch this funky piece about personal style and reusable bags.

I spent a week with Mark R. Isfeld’s Honours Liberal Arts class speaking about environment, globalization, and solutions for the planet’s worst dilemmas that include fresh water shortages and waste production. I spent an incredible amount of time working with a really intensive curriculum and preparing students for the tricky essay questions on final exams in English 11, and Social Studies 11. I could easily spend a year going into depth teaching this exciting content but managed to get it introduced in a single week. I love this age group and teaching this complex subject matter. If you teach Social Studies 11, I would be happy to spend 1 to 5 days with your class. This service is free of charge for schools in district #71 and #72. Send me an email and we can meet to discuss everything ahead of time.

There were several presentations at Carihi High last month. Two of my favorites were with Wayne Demers’ Social Studies 11 class and his Geography 12 class. Both of these incredible audiences were so engaged and energized I thought we were all going to explode. Learning about alternative lifestyle and reducing our collective impacts on the earth can be so amazing and transformational. These two classes in particular “got it” and my heart is still racing just thinking about what a great time we had. Several of the students have sent me emails asking questions, getting connections and finding out more information on how to get involved at a deeper level in their community service commitments and transforming their lifestyle from material wants to contributory needs. This is the reward of my work and every day is a bright adventure in the classrooms of Central Vancouver Island. I’m already looking forward to a revolutionary year in 2011-2012 on the road to Zero Waste in all of our public facilities.

There are many ways to share your time together but Kim and Ian love to love life and each other outside. This incredible couple is planning their September wedding on the beach and in the forest over an entire weekend at a coastal cabin resort with their closest friends and family. I’m looking forward to capturing the energy and excitement of Kim and Ian’s multi-day wedding celebration. Congratulations on your engagement you naughty, naughty little wood nymphs.

Find out more about Zac Whyte photography for your wedding by clicking here.

T and Z in Uganda

Taylor Conroy is an amazing person and after you watch this video you are going to understand why he is one of my favorite people on the planet to hang out with. His actions and passion for creating positive change in the world around him are a daily inspiration for me. Over the last few years we’ve traveled to Africa and South America together and the experiences have been transformational for both of us. For Taylor, the experience of travel and social engagement have given him the drive and energy to serve the planet in the best way he knows how; by utilizing his incredible brain for business and enjoying the process every step of the way. Check out Taylor’s story in this TEDxJuanDeFuca talk, learn about his journey and his, it’s so simple that it’s revolutionary, idea that will change the world. teninthree.com

Here is a video about The HEAL Project. Please share it with your friends, family and colleagues. Let’s end the use of child soldiers by building strong communities around the world that support one another. Most importantly, let’s have fun doing it.