“Basically, I tinkered with this for my first grade class.
I did not think that tens of thousands of teachers and students were going to rush on it… ”The strength is with Master Lucas.
Behind the enigmatic name: the “baby” of a 36-year-old schoolteacher with an unpronounceable name - his name is Lucas Shildknecht - who, with his cousin Benoît, has created a website of educational content dedicated to first-degree students and their teachers.
200 fun videos, 600 technical sheets, covering the official program from CP to CM2.
And even if the first degree students will find their master or mistress in real life this Monday, after the Ascension Bridge, and that they have resumed face-to-face since the end of April, this site continues, like others, to attract schoolchildren (and their parents).
Read alsoCovid-19: can the resumption of classroom lessons relaunch the epidemic?
Unpretentious "home-made", assures the school teacher converted this year in the training of his peers, who especially had a maddening success during the week of distancing, just before the spring break ... The same week when the official content from National Education, in particular “My class at home”, deployed by the CNED, and digital workspaces (ENT), have crashed. In four days, 87,000 children and teachers viewed 170,000 content on Master Lucas' channel!
Something to attract attention until the Elysee: on April 26, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, split a letter to the two cousins, "congratulating" them for their "fun and educational videos which illustrate the extraordinary spirit of initiative and solidarity "of the French," in particular our teachers ", in the face of the health crisis.
The story begins in 2017. “I created a YouTube channel to post short videos on certain aspects of my first grade class curriculum, things that I was looking for as a teacher but couldn't find. .
I made 4 or 5 videos a month, with a little editing software allowing me to create your character, dubbed by my own voice, ”says Lucas.
His montages are animated by the famous Master Lucas, a sort of comic book hero who writes, with simple words, on, at choice, additions, subtractions, volcanoes, adjectives, the solar system or the cycle of the life.
Modestly, he uses the tool for homework and revisions at home, or even in class, for a fun time.
But everything changes during the first confinement and the closure of establishments.
"It's 100% voluntary"
“At its peak, the videos were viewed 50,000 times a day! Teachers called, suggested topics, and parents sent emails to say that they were home schooling with our videos, ”recalls Benoît. In September, the two cousins step up a gear and create a dedicated site: Maitrelucas.fr. New characters are created, including that of the student, who has no name, and his grandpa. “It's 100% voluntary,” they specify. "We put more videos, included technical sheets to download, all 100% based on the programs of National Education, adds Benoit. It took quickly! In one month, their site posted 250,000 visits on average, with a peak, therefore, the week of April 6.
That week, Noémie, school principal and teacher in CE2-CM1 in the Metz sector (Moselle), did not hesitate: “Faced with the generalized bug of the ENTs and the CNED in March 2020, I used the Master Lucas videos. Every day, instead of making videos, I sent links to their videos to my students. I also use it as a mom for my daughter. She adores. One of the advantages is that there are no ads, no banners showing, and I haven't had any malfunctions yet. It's pretty clear and fun, and very safe, since these are the official programs. So, by pairing it with a few exercises, I find myself there. "
“We were a resource for a lot of teachers and families,” confirms Benoît.
Our videos were distributed through the ENTs, or the link of our videos and our sheets directly sent by email to parents by the teachers.
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However, everyone is formal: the concept is not worth the class.
“Nothing replaces a flesh-and-blood institute for the development of a student,” says Noémie.
What the two cousins are aware of: “We have no ambition at all to replace teachers or National Education.
It is a modest tool, but which can be of use if the distance returns.
And the subject of one of our next videos is: How does a vaccine work.
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