As the debate for the inclusion of cursive instruction in elementary classroom continues around the country, it is important that educators are aware of the many options available for them to utilize in the classroom. While a focus on penmanship is losing favor in the educational world, there are many who believe that cursive instruction should remain in the educational standards. This project was designed to demonstrate the many resources available to teach and practice cursive handwriting within the more high tech classroom.
While this video may appeal to many who have a desire to explore cursive software, it was designed with the classroom teacher in mind. The target group was considered for the second to fifth grade language arts teacher. An attempt was made to consider the wide variance of technological abilities and comfort levels for this group. From the first year, fresh from college technology native to the twenty-five year teaching veteran who struggles to incorporate technology into the lesson plan, this video endeavors to showcase software that will appeal to all.
Powerpoint is a basic platform that is very familiar in the classroom. Many teachers use this software on a daily basis and are comfortable with the look and feel of the product. For this reason, Office Mix was used in the creation of the video. It has the familiarity of a Powerpoint presentation with the addition of videos and an audio overlay to allow for the content to be showcased easily.
The process began in the Powerpoint program to create the basic structure of the product. A simple layout and design was utilized in order to keep the focus on the videos that would be added later. Following the framework, the following steps were taken to create the basic structure in Powerpoint:
• blank slides added for each point in the diagram map
• text boxes inserted and reformatted for a cursive font for any words that were required
• placeholders on each slide for any videos to be inserted
• pictures added to slides two and three were formatted with a shadow and rounded corners
• picture of workbook page added to slide two with a text box header
• animated graphic on slide two add, rotated, and resized to match the picture
• motion added to textbox entrances in animations tab and modified under effect options
Upon completion of the basic structure, videos were taken of specific apps in progress on the ipad or kindle fire. Anti-glare screens and backlighting were utilized to eliminate glare on the video. Each video was uploaded to the computer for editing. All video clips were trimmed to an appropriate length using Office Mix, cropped for reduction of unnecessary visual images, and inserted into the placeholders. A writing animation was screen recorded for the “a” located on slide three. This recording was cropped to remove extra letters and resized to fit in the space allowed. A large three-dimensional frame was added for depth on this slide.
After completing the basic layout for each slide, the visual was completed with a three part overlaid triangle that is repeated on each slide. This added a cohesiveness to the presentation’s appearance. Text colors were changed to further enhance the overall feeling of continuity of the presentation. The block arrows at the beginning of the presentation were animated to add impact to those specific points in the program.
Upon completion of the basic design, the videos and text animations were formatted to begin automatically as the presentation progressed. Using slide recording in Office Mix, audio was added to each section of the presentation. This feature also allowed for the animated text to be synced with the voice overlay in order to appear when the word is said on the audio. The completed project was uploaded to My Mixes and then downloaded in a video format for sharing.
The conceptual framework for this project began with a simple diagram and layout of the ideas to include in the presentation. The following is a representation of the design used.
This framework offered an easy to use format to work through the project. With the basic layout in place, it was a simple process of adding the elements that were required to fulfill each section of the framework. After completion of the visual aspects, a narrative was written and used as a script for the audio portion of the presentation. Using the key words in the layout ensured that they narrative followed the flow of the visual presentation. The layout framework, narrative script, and Office Mix software made for a smooth development process.
Resources
FizzBrain. (2013, October 27). Cursive Touch and Write. http://www.itunes.apple.com.
L’Escapadou. (2014, March 6). Cursive Writing Wizard 2.0. http://www.itunes.apple.com.
Nazarala, H. (2015, June 23). Cursiva 1.3. http://www.itune.apple.com.
Publications, R. (2014). New Wave Handwriting. http://www.ricgroup.com.au.
Readman, L. C. (2009). Lowercase Animated Alphabet. Retrieved from Handwriting for Kids: http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/cursive/animation/lowercase.htm
Studio, J. (2014, March 11). Cursive Writing HD 1.4. http://www.itunes.apple.com.
Cursive in the Classroom 