Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List, the IWitness Video Challenge is guided by the theme Ordinary People – Extraordinary Actions. In this activity, students will listen to testimonies in IWitness, develop insight into the opportunities for change in their community, get motivated to make a difference, and build a video essay telling their story of how they made their community and our world a better place. Are you and your middle or high school students ready to make a difference?
The challenge, sponsored by the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation, asks students to develop a video essay that links their own voices to those in IWitness to demonstrate how any individual can take action to make the world a better place.
Middle and high school students complete the IWitness Video Challenge activity on the IWitness website. The activity challenges them to increase their understanding of digital and media literacy, deepen their critical thinking, and promote positive social change in their community and in the world. As part of the activity, students identify ways in which they can make a difference in their community and create a video essay regarding what they have done. Teachers and their students select a winning video from each class to submit by December 2, 2013.
Video editing software is provided on the IWitness website, but students will need to gather images of their activities. The following two links provide further information:
One national winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip with one parent or guardian and his/her teacher to screen their video as part of the USC Shoah Foundation’s 20th anniversary activities in Los Angeles, as well as attend the 2014 Annual USC Shoah Foundation Gala as invited guests. If the winning entry is from a team video project, one student representative will need to be selected by the teacher to represent the team in Los Angeles.
If you have questions, please contact Jean Weller, instructional technology specialist, by telephone at (804) 225-2825 or via e-mail at jean.weller@doe.virginia.gov.