#time words

UNDERSTANDING TIME WORDS BY CHILDREN AGED THREE TO FIVE YEARS OLD; IMPLICATIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

UNDERSTANDING TIME WORDS BY CHILDREN AGED THREE TO FIVE YEARS OLD; IMPLICATIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The study aimed at investigating the understanding of time words used in children’s literature in Early Childhood Education by Children aged three to five years old. Time words are indiscriminately used in story books, rhymes and songs meant for children in nursery and…

nu - time

q;e - when

nui - sometime

nuis - all the time/always

nu> - now/future (>ranu> [lit: near now/future] - now; <ranu> [lit: far now/future] - future)

nu< - past

Alex Burdsall, Student Winner of the Time Words Contest, shares a behind-the-scenes commentary on his winning video. Practice makes perfect!

1. When did you start making videos?

I began making videos with my older brothers when I was 6. We would film ourselves fighting with light sabers in front of a webcam. If only the webcam could capture what we saw in our imagination! As he got older, my brother became very interested in video, so I would watch him and help him out. Finally, when I reached high school and took a Video Production class, I began to seriously make videos. My group would write, shoot, and edit videos for the class, and it truly opened my eyes to filmmaking. I learned more and more as I created videos, and they got better with each new one. 

2. Where do you see filmmaking taking you in the future?

Filmmaking can take me many places in the future. Creating simple videos and short films has lead me into broadcasting for my high school. It brought me to photography, writing, and my love for storytelling. I can see myself entering into the television world for a career as a cinematographer or screenwriter. Filmmaking has opened my eyes and brought me so many possibilities, and I see it taking me into the storytelling business. 

3. What is one piece of advice you'd give to aspiring filmmakers?

A piece of advice for any aspiring filmmaker is to just keep on filming. Keep on shooting your videos and watching others. Try to mimic other techniques that you see in your videos. If you keep making new videos, even if it's around a concept you don't particularly love, you'll have more opportunities to learn from your mistakes and grow as a filmmaker. Furthermore, you'll see what you do well and nurture your personal style. There is an innate video style that every filmmaker has. No book can teach it; you can only learn it from yourself. Shooting more and more videos brings out this style. Even if your video is bad (my first ones were), just see what you did wrong and what you did write and incorporate what you've learned in the next video. Don't be discouraged. Good luck!

Greg Cox, the Adult Grand Prize Winner of the Time Words Contest, gives us a behind-the-scenes commentary on his winning video, "Proceed." He also shares his story. Check out the video and the interview!

1. How did you get into filmmaking? 

I started making films in middle school and high school for school projects or just for fun.  My older brother paved the way and was very helpful when I started to learn how to edit.  We were both janitors for a long time and he thought of a character called the garbage monster which would come and take over the school if the kids didn't clean up well enough.  We have since made 7 of those videos and each one progressively gets better and better.  

2. Where do you see filmmaking taking you?

I really don't see it taking me anywhere but where I'm at currently.  I'm just an average teacher who likes doing videos in my spare time.  I used to think that I wanted to work in film or television, but I hate having deadlines and creating something that other people want.  I like creating things for fun and with no real consequence if I make it or not.  It's a way for me to be creative and keep my imagination working.  I mostly enter these contests so I can purchase new equipment for my students to use or take them on field trips.   

3. What's the best part of being a theater teacher? How does it help you in storytelling?

I'm actually not a theater teacher.  I teach every subject during the day to my classroom of 28 students and my theater/video class is just a little club I put together for students who want to learn video editing and filming techniques for fun.  I have about 16 students that meet with me after school 3 days a week for an hour and a half and we learn different things that help make them become better speakers, writers, and hopefully better classmates.  We make movies and have fun doing it, but I'm also hoping they learn how to work as a team and be creative while working within certain guidelines and rules for each project.  The best part about this club is that I do it on my own time.  That means I get to teach whatever I want and just have fun with it.  That also means that the students who show up really want to be there because they are sacrificing their own time.   This allows me to take a student or two once in a while and make a real video for different competitions.  Being their teacher helps me understand the little nuances that each child has and that helps me create different stories in my mind as I think of each student and what they are capable of.  The "Proceed" video was a little different than most of my other videos because I didn't have any students acting in it.  I always try to involve them in any video I make.  

4. What is one piece of advice you'd give to aspiring filmmakers and creators?

Just have fun with it.  I've had friends that have gone into the corporate side of making videos and they end up hating the whole filming process.  Always take time to do something for fun that may not even be viewed by anyone else. Chances are if you enjoy filming it, someone else will enjoy watching it as well. 

With the time given to them, we're impressed with the videos we received for the Time Words Contest. The winners and finalists not only defined the words so that anyone can understand, but they also told some great short stories. 

Check out the videos below!

Grand Prize Winners

Gregory Cox

Alex Burdsall

Finalists

Kevin Gustafson

Joe Calardo

Jay Cisneros

Trevor Wright

Honorable Mentions

Uebersquad

Carmen

Viewers' Choice Award

Ryan Bailis

Congratulations everyone and thank you for creating videos with the power to teach!