How an Improvised Story by Children of Preschool Age Is Being Turned Into a Multimodal Movie

Abstract: Can children of preschool age create a multimodal movie; A movie which its script takes shape in three different ways. Constant education, regarding the modern tendencies in preschool age, since the ICT (information and communication technology) have brought in the educational process as an individual aspect of it, can answer the above question.

Children of preschool age need the intermediation of cognitive tools in the educational process. The ICT possess the appropriate dynamic and can be used as “object to think with” (Papert, 1980).

The design was based in two sectors: the educational and the technological. As far as the educational sector, the basic aim was that children learn to work in groups (3 work-groups: narration, black theatre, and animation) to contribute in the realization and completion of the final result-product (meaning the multimodal movie, which its beginning is being presented with narration, its middle part with the use of black theatre and its end with animation). Meanwhile, the individual aims concern sections of language, maths, physical expression and arts.

As far as the technological sector, the main aim was that the children were involved, by using the appropriate educational software, such as photostory 3 and movie maker, to create the multimodal movie. It was also pursued learning of expression in a creative way, using software of sketching and processing, playing and recording of sound, image and video. Children had to comprehend the function of visual and sound means (camera, video-camera).

The present assignment took place and applied in an all-day kindergarten school of Drama, in Greece. The topic “winter”, and how Vivaldi musically expresses it through his “4 seasons”, was the intensive for the creation of an improvised story by the children with heroes of their choice. The story was put into paper abiding to the correct order of the facts. Then, the improvised story became a multimodal movie.

Lastly, an interesting part for the children was a) how the digital narration takes place, b) the presentation of heroes in the black theatre c) making the heroes move and come alive in the animation.

        Key words: preschool, mitrou, soultanidou