Using Green Screen in the Classroom

Are you ready to get started using green screen with iPads in your classroom? If so, you've come to the right place! This page has resources, links and ideas to get you started. So, let's kick it off with a that show just how much of a difference that green screen can make and the kind of effects that are possible.

What You Need to Get Started

An iPad, mobile device or digital camera
A Green Background (lots of options here)
A green screen video editor like Green Screen by DoInk, WeVideo, TouchCast Studio, etc

Optional But Nice to Have!

A Camera Tripod
iPad Tripod Mount (E.g. Makayama Movie Mount, Padcaster, Caddie Buddie)
Microphone (E.g. iRig Mic, iRig Mic Lav, iRig Pre for XLR Mics)
Stop Motion App (E.g. KomaKoma, iMotion HD, Stop Motion Studio)
Teleprompter App (E.g. Parrot Teleprompter, Prompt Smart, Teleprompter Pro) or cueprompter.com on the web

Free Media for Backgrounds

Green Screen Creation Stations

1. News/Sports/Weather
Harness your inner journalist and pick up the mic to deliver the information that people want to hear. An increasing number of schools now have their own student news stations. Green screen is a great addition to that.
You could also bring in some history where students can make historical news reports that highlights what students learned about the first immigrants who arrived in the United States.

2. Stop Motion Mania
Green screen and stop motion go together like peanut butter and jelly. Claymation, Lego, art work, toys and all kinds of things lend themselves well to stop motion. Film it first as a green screen video, then bring it into the green screen app and add your background.

3. Mixed Reality Art Frames
With green screen frames like these you can add anything you want. Record a video with a student discussing a famous piece of art, add your own green screen photo, or add a video and have a conversation with a moving painting a la Harry Potter.

Extend this idea with a green screen window. Put some green paper on a wall that has no window, and frame it around the outside with tape or card to look like a window. Add stripes for leaded glass for extra authenticity and explore the possibilities of what students can see outside the "window".

4. The Floor Challenge
A Green Screen doesn't have to be upright and against a wall. Put it on the floor for some added creativity. Are you looking down a hole? Floating in a swimming pool? Fishing by a pond? Jumping over a chasm? The choice is yours!

As well as placing your green screen on the floor, you may even consider taping one to a ceiling or other surface like a table or desk to create portals to other dimensions! :)

5. Green Screen Puppet Station
Green straws or garden sticks can be a great way to bring paper or card puppets to life. In the example to the right, (from Amanda Worsham's class), a student has an Abraham Lincoln puppet attached to a green stick. When viewed on a green screen app, the green stick is invisible so you can maneuver the puppet as you talk and narrate the story.

6. Around the World Photo Booth
A green screen photo booth can be a great school fund raiser, or an easy way to celebrate holidays like Halloween or Valentine's Day. Students can go anywhere in the world in just a few quick taps. Simply choose a good background, resize your subject to fit, and snap to capture.

This is a great option for social studies. It's also a great way to generate book covers, or slideshows for parent teacher conferences.

7. Clone Yourself!
Ever wanted to be in more than one place at one time? Of course you have. You're a teacher!! Well, with green screen you can clone yourself with no problem at all. Simply create a green screen photo or video, then use that as your background for a second photo or video. Hey presto! You are cloned. You will be twice as productive in no time at all.

With good timing, or clever editing, you could create a clone interview with yourself like in this video :)

8. Green Screen Without the Green Screen!
Sometimes it is not easy to get all your students rotating around one green screen. So, when you only need a green screen image, try remove.bg. This free website will remove the background from any image with one or more people in it. Best of all, it can be used on any device. No green screen required.

Once the background has been removed in remove.bg, open Google Slides, Keynote, or Google Drawings, and add a suitable background image for your subject. Then add your photo from remove.bg on top, resize it and move it where you need it. Finally, export as a JPEG or PNG and use or share as needed.