Learning in student-generated T.V. commercials enhanced by computer technology

Abstract

In general, English language classes have used advertising mainly for cultural and linguistic content as well as to develop critical thinking but, to date, few teachers have taken advantage of computer technology to have their students create short commercials. This paper will focus on a collaborative project which incorporates filming and video-editing, and will examine student perceptions about the use of video production from feedback gained in interviews and reports and the ensuing learning when communicating in English. The project involved short, student-generated TV commercials produced by two monolingual English classes of third-year undergraduates in Japan. Techniques include brainstorming, storyboarding, making dialogues, filming, video editing (iMovie2), and portfolio assessment, etc.