Young Bend students showcase learning with movies

In Ray Page’s fifth-grade class at Juniper Elementary in Bend, you’re more likely to see a laptop than a book.

“If you just use the computers for word processing, than you just have a $2,000 pencil,” Page said Thursday.

“We’ve made tons of movies about circuits, lighting a bulb, motors,” said fifth-grader Ula McPherson.

Juniper Elementary is a technology based-school, and students use nearly every program on the district-provided Macs for a variety of subjects — using software like Garage Band, iMovie and Keynote to create digital presentations, movies and reports.

“It’s more interactive than me standing up front and telling them the information, or have them look through a book I’ve given them,” Page said.

Page’s class, along with the others, are getting ready for the school’s annual film celebration. It’s a night for the kids to not only show off their movies, but also share what they’ve been learning about in class.

At the age, you were probably learning how to write cursive, McPherson could already navigate a computer.

“I started learning how to make movies in this school around second grade I think,” she said. “I definitely have more computer skills than my parents.”

Even in fourth grade, the students are computer-savvy.

“It seems like it’s more helpful to use the technology and adds something else to learn with,” said fourth-grader Amelia Hartmanwarr.

And since these kids were born into technology, they often surprise their teachers with their knowledge.

“There are always kids that show me something new,” Page said. “I mean, they just take it, you get them started — and they can go a lot further than what I even know.”

Next week, the students will be showing their work off to their parents at a special film festival.

“They don’t know how to make movies like this, so they’ll be impressed,” McPherson said of her parents.

The Juniper Film Celebration is a school-wide event taking place June 7th at 5 p.m. The community is welcome to attend.