Samples of MicroMentaries Past

Since most of the early MicroMentaries were made prior to hardware that would allow for easy output to video or CDROM screen shots are all that exist. The hardware and software have come a long way and as a result the MicroMentary Project, ahead of its time, is now accessible to most science classrooms with modest equipment. New MicroMentary samples will be placed on this site as they become available.

Screen from Original MicroMentary "The Secret Life of Termites".

This was built in with slide presentation software and depended on a written narrative (appearing in the top right box. The image in the upper left is of a Trichonympha. It was a three second video sequence that looped until the slide progressed to the next organism. This MicroMentary focused on the endosymbionts found in the gut of a termite that help to break down cellulose.

Screen from MicroMentary on Hydra

This was also based on slide presentation software similar to that used for The Secret Life of Termites.

Samples

The MicroMentary Project can be used to bring new life to old topics. Here are two images from a "classic" microscope lab where kids learn about resolution and magnification using newsprint. Have kids create a simple presentation that exhibits their understanding of this central concept.

Other samples to view:

• will be posted as they become available