My videos for the most part have been done entirely by me on my home computer. The videos have many images and different video segments. It takes a long time to collect the video. Synchronizing the video and the narration is not easy. You have to come up with ideas for images and video that help tell the story and then write a script that goes along with the video, and make sure there is enough relevant video that connects with the script so the viewer of the video is not staring at one image while listening to me talk on and on.
My main method of putting this together is to put the still photo’s into a PowerPoint presentation and the narration, it is easy to move things around this way and it creates a storyboard.
On some of the videos I spent considerable effort on doing research.
Then there is the music, music adds so much to the video and it needs to fit with what is on the screen. I sure do not want trouble with copyright violation. To start with I pretty much just used the video that came with the video editing software. Lately I have been trying to promote the music of local artists.
Much effort is also spent editing down for time constraints,
Doing the narration is tough for me; I definitely am not a natural at this but have been working to improve. It is so hard to sound natural and interesting, keep a constant volume level has been a big struggle also.
As one might imagine it takes a great deal of organization to pull this all together.
I think these videos have real educational value. A lot of relevant information is packed into a video less than 10 minutes long.
Model Aviation, Rockets, and Kites
I have been working on educational science related activities that would be fun for kids, inexpensive, educational, and could be run in most parks or schoolyards. The activities I have been concentrating on are model gliders, water rockets, and kites. Rubber powered model airplanes are good also but require winders and very little wind.
Why
Airplanes, kites, and rockets all have challenges in maintaining stability, laws of aerodynamics. In the design process there is the selection of materials taking into consideration the balancing of strength, weight and cost. For successful operation, there is the process of making adjustments based on what you have learned.
With rockets, there is the excitement of the extreme acceleration and speed. Getting the parachute to deploy consistently is a big challenge. Selecting the right materials to handle the extreme speed and acceleration can be a challenge as well.
Working with kites, is about learning the nuances of the wind. To be successful you will learn about adjusting the kite angle of attack to wind conditions, selecting the correct length of tail for kites that need a tail, and selecting the right design and weight of kite for the wind conditions. When you are flying the kite through experience you will learn when you can let out line and when you better pull it in by observation of the flying characteristics.
Efficiency
The free flight model airplane is great for learning about efficiency. If it is a hand launch or catapult glider, there is the challenge of launching high and getting a smooth transition to a long glide. For a rubber powered airplane there is the challenge of using of a power source that provides a relatively small amount of thrust for a short duration and adjusting for maximum duration.
The Videos
I have several videos that show these activities. Model Aviation an Educational Activity traces some of the history of rubber powered airplanes, introduces the materials needed, and what I think can be learned from rubber powered airplanes. An Introduction to Kites I - demonstrates why kite flying is challenging, how to build a diamond kite and how to adjust the diamond kite. An Introduction to AeroLab shows a clever system using a simple rubber powered airplane that is flown on a tether which lends to doing many experiments within a small area such as most classrooms. Water Rockets I documents what I have learned with water rockets and how I approached some of the problems I encountered. Fun With Foam Gliders shows how I built a successful catapult glider that resembles a jet aircraft using inexpensive materials that are easily found locally.
STEPS for Girls at Stout details my visit to U.W. Stout in Menomonee Wisconsin in the summer of 2006 to observe their wonderful summer camp for girls to expose them to science and engineering using a manufacturing-oriented approach.
Bill Kuhl