Videos That Rock

Never underestimate the power of imagery. Use these AVPs to stimulate further discussion. Thanks to Egla Martinez for sharing some of these wonderful teaching materials.

The Story of Stuff (on the environment)
"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."

Violent Evictions at El Estor, Guatemala (on human rights and indigenous peoples)
"On January 8th and 9th 2007, hundreds of police and soldiers in Guatemala forcibly evicted the inhabitants of several communities who were living on lands that a Guatemalan military government had granted to Canadian mining company INCO in 1965. Local indigenous people claim the land to be theirs, and resent the exploitation of a foreign corporation. Canada's Skye Resources now lays claim to the land, and paid workers a nominal sum to destroy people's homes. With the force of the army and police, company workers took chainsaws and torches to people's homes, while women and children stood by. Skye Resources claims that they maintained "a peaceful atmosphere during this action."

A Vision of Students Today (the age of IT)
"A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University."


The Meatrix
Designed as a spoof of the popular "Matrix" films, this website addresses the history and current conditions of factory farming. It serves well as a starter for a lecture or discussion about motivations away from a meat-intensive diet. From the same studio that produced The Story of Stuff.

Kiwi
Kiwi! is an animation about a Kiwi - a type of bird that cannot fly, who spends its whole life working towards achieving his dream. The kiwi strived to create the illusion that it was flying over a forest as it soared down through the sky from the top of a cliff. Thus, the kiwi spent what must have been its whole life nailing trees to the side of a cliff. All this, to fulfil its one dream of flying, even though it was technically unable to. There are several powerful messages behind Kiwi, but mainly, it makes you think: no matter how absurd and seemingly out of reach your dreams are, what's stopping you from achieving them?

Symbolic Tools

Toothpick - to pick out the good qualities in others.
Rubber band - to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want but they will work out.
Band Aid - to heal hurt feelings -- yours and someone else's.
Pencil - to list your blessings every day.
Eraser - everyone makes mistakes, and that's OK.
Chewing gum - to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
Mint - you are worth a mint.
Tea bag - to find time to relax and go over that list of blessings.

50 Situations for Improvisation

1. You are in a restaurant. You have just had a good dinner. The waiter is waiting for you to pay the bill. You look for your wallet and find that you have left it at home.
2. The car in front of your car suddenly stops, and you cannot avoid hitting it. Both cars are damaged. The driver gets out of his car and comes toward you.
3. You are at home alone. Suddenly, the telephone rings. You pick up the receiver and hear a strange voice on the other end of the line.
4. Your friend asks you to return a book that you borrowed from him several months ago. At first you cannot remember what you did with it. Then you explain why you kept the book for such a long time.
5. At the theater, you discover that another person is sitting in your seat. You talk to him, explaining that he is in the wrong seat.
6. One day you get up early and go downstairs. There, to your surprise is a stranger sleeping on the sofa. You wake your mother up and ask her who the stranger is.
7. You visit a friend’s home. After sneezing several times, you realize that you are allergic to your friend’s cat.
8. You are walking downtown with a friend. Suddenly, you remember that you left some meat cooking on the stove at home.
9. You buy a sweater and leave it in the store by mistake. When you discover it is missing, you return to the store and ask the clerk if he has seen it.
10. You sit down in a chair. Suddenly you realize that you are sitting on your friend’s hat. The hat is ruined and you apologize to your friend, offering to buy him a new hat instead.
11. You have not cooked anything for dinner because you were at a club meeting all day. Your husband comes home and is very hungry. He wants to eat right away.
12. You are awakened in the middle of the night by a loud noise outside the window. You look out of the window and see a strange man standing there singing. You ask him to stop singing but he refuses.
13. You are so busy that you cannot get all of your work done. Your boss calls you into his office and asks you why you have not finished a certain project.
14. It is midnight. You are walking home. Suddenly you see a shadow in front of you. You hear a voice telling you to stop.
15. You are a teacher. When you walk into the classroom, you see that one student is crying at his desk. You ask him why he is so upset.
16. You run into an old friend whom you have not seen for years. He used to weigh 100 kilos. Now he weighs 75 kilos.
17. You get off a train in a strange country. You find a person who speaks a little English and ask him how to get to a certain address. After speaking with him for some time, you understand how to get where you want to go.
18. You are one of the first tourists on the moon. You are sending a message back to someone on earth.
19. Your house has been robbed. You call the police. When the policeman comes, he asks you a number of questions.
20. You bought a plane ticket to London. You go to the airport and learn from the airline representative that the flight has been cancelled. You are very upset because you must be in London today.
21. Your child has not been doing very well in school. The teacher calls you and tells you she would like to meet with you.
22. You bought a lottery ticket and left it in your coat pocket. Your wife does not know the ticket is there and she gives the coat away because it is so old. Later on, you learn that you have the winning number. You ask your wife for the coat.
23. You are very near-sighted, and you lose your eye-glasses in a crowded room. You ask someone to help you look for them.
24. You are strolling downtown. Suddenly you meet an old friend of yours whom you have not seen since you were in elementary school. You are surprised to learn that he has become a millionaire.
25. You are trying on shoes in a shoe store. You have tried on many different pairs, and the salesman is losing his patience.
26. You go to the bank to withdraw some money from your account. When the cashier asks for your identification, you discover that you have left all identification at home.
27. You are walking down the street. Suddenly you see a friend in front of you. You run up to him and say hello, but when he turns around you discover that he is a stranger.
28. You are a government official. A journalist interviews you, asking you your opinions on world affairs.
29. You are at a resort. While you are walking to the beach, you see your best friend. You call his name, but he acts as if he does not know you at all.
30. You buy a new radio. You take it home, but it does not work, so you take it back to the store and complain to the manager.
31. You are parking your car. You do not see a sign that says “No Parking”. A police officer comes up and asks you why you are parking there.
32. You are a teacher. You give a student a low grade on his paper and he becomes very angry.
33. You have just won a thousand dollars. You tell your friend the god news, but he does not believe you.
34. You are downtown. A stranger comes up to you and asks you for directions. You are also a stranger in the city, and you apologize for not being able to help him.
35. Your friend bought a new car, but now he does not like it. He is eager to sell it to you.
36. You are at your mother-in-law’s home. You are admiring a vase on the table. You pick it up and then drop it accidentally. You apologize to your mother-in-law.
37. You lose your child at the supermarket, and you are very worried. You go to the man in charge and ask him to help you find your child.
38. You and your wife are returning home from a movie. You suddenly discover that neither of you has the house key.
39. You go to the beauty shop and ask for a permanent. The hair dresser accidentally burns your hair, and you are very upset.
40. You are at the train station, and you have several suitcases. You call a porter and ask him to carry the suitcases to the taxi. He asks for twice the amount of money you plan to pay him. You argue with him over the price.
41. You are describing your boy friend to an acquaintance of yours. She describes her boy friend too. Suddenly you realize that she is describing the same boy.
42. You hear a noise downstairs, and you are sure that there is a thief in the house. You wake your husband up, but he does not believe that anyone is there.
43. You are in a restaurant. You order chicken, but the waiter brings you roast beef instead. You tell him that he has made a mistake, but he insists that he is right.
44. You are about to leave for a party with your husband. You are wearing a dress that he does not like at all. He wants you to change it, but you are fond of the dress.
45. You are in a good mood, but your friend is in a bad mood. You try to cheer him up, but he remains unhappy.
46. You go to a football game, but your girl friend insists that a movie would be much more fun.
47. You go to a travel agency. You want to plan a trip to France, but the travel agent seems bored and not at all interested in helping you.
48. You order soup in a restaurant. When the waiter brings the soup, you think you see a fly in it. You are very annoyed and ask the waiter to bring you something else.
49. You ask a man for directions to the post office. He keeps asking you to repeat what you said. After a while, you discover that the man is partly deaf.
50. You go to a pet shop to buy a canary. The pet shop owner does not have any canaries, but he tries to sell you a parrot that is very expensive.