Genius Hour: Process
Producing a remarkable final product will take planning, attention to detail, hard work, and of course, YOUR genius!
Below is an infographic of the five components to the project (proposal, elevator pitch, blog, vlog, and TED-Talk presentation) that includes instructions and examples. You will find yourself referencing this infographic regularly. Below that, you will find links to short videos and other resources to help in brainstorming ideas for each stage of the project. Feel free to reference the rubrics for each component of the WebQuest on the Evaluation page to ensure you are meeting all requirements for the project.
*Note: each link will open in a new page.
The Proposal:
What makes YOU curious? Before you can write the proposal, you will need to spend time brainstorming a list of topics that you'd like to pursue. Below are links to short videos and templates that will start you on your path:
Brainstorming Videos:
Brainstorming and Proposal Templates:
- Please click here to fill out a Brainstorming form and place in your Google Drive Genius Hour folder
- Please click here to access the Proposal template once you have decided upon the topic you wish to pursue and the product you wish to create. Please fill it out thoroughly as the amount of detail you provide directly correlates to an excellent finished product. Upon completion, please place in your Google Drive Genius Hour folder. Click here to access a successful Genius Hour Proposal.
The Elevator Pitch:
Once you have completed the proposal template, you'll prepare an Elevator Pitch to present to the class to see what we all think about your idea, and collect ideas on how you could make your project even better. See the videos below for sample Elevator Pitches. The first video explains what an Elevator Pitch is and the remaining three are student samples:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq0tan49rmc
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCKk-R8nd20
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAnwuFmHNc
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw01kAecHV4
The Blog:
Before you begin your blog on blogger.com, please make a copy of this Genius Hour Blog planning template, and place in your Genius Hour shared folder in Google Drive. Please go to this link to learn how to create a blog on blogger.com. The title of your blog will be the title of your Genius Hour project.
Each week on your blog, you will answer the following questions:
- What have you learned about your topic?
- What have you learned about yourself?
- Where do you go from here?
- Include a photo with each post
The Vlog ("Video Blog"):
Please create a 2-minute Vlog which you'll embed in your Genius Hour blog addressing the following questions: a) who or what has inspired you in this project, and b) how have your reading and resources informed your project? Below are sample student Vlogs to serve as a guide:
The TED-Talk Presentation:
Since your projects will all be completed before Spring Break, when we return from our holiday, you'll be preparing a 5-minute TED-style talk discussing your product: what went well, what could have been improved, and what you learned about yourself in the process.
Before creating your own, why not see the professionals at work to gain a few tips? Please view the videos below as your first step in "wowing" your audience:
- https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity
- https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy
Next, the following resources provide tips oncreating your own TED Talk:
- https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks
- http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2012/07/09/5-quick-steps-to-a-killer-ted-speech/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/
- http://www.inc.com/magazine/201310/burt-helm/how-to-give-a-great-ted-talk.html
Ready to create your own? View videos below for sample student Genius Hour TED Talks:
Please visit the Evaluation page to ensure you meet the expectations for each part of the process.