ETC Week 4 - Final Video

Knowledge IS Power... 

Dear Reader:


Attached you will find a link to a 3-minute Viddler movie to a brief, persuasive message addressing "what needs to occur to our current educational system to make it more effective."


These are my thoughts; what are YOURS?




:-)!

PE6_WhyUseiMovie(TheSequel)

"Well..., BACK to the DRAWING BOARD!"

(* Image Courtesy of iMovie '09; Copyright  2007-2010, Apple, Inc.)  

Dear Reader:

Two posts ago in a diatribe entitled “PE5_WhyUseiMovie,” I asked myself, not to sound redundant (but somehow overstating the obvious) and paraphrased, here: “Why Use iMovie...  ...in a classroom?”

So, I got to thinking about lesson plans (and everything I learned from Apple Education’s official web page).

Here’s what I came up with…

Lesson Plan/Objective:

As I have taught fifth grade language arts, a possible project I could use in a classroom might involve using iMovie to produce a weekly book review devoted to young adolescent/pre-teen literature. 

Students would employ research skills to locate information on the Internet about a particular book they are reviewing.  Working in collaborative pairs, they would use this information to write a script that one student would read and  another student would record (using iMovie).  Both would ultimately learn to use digital video as they worked on the project.  Ultimately, reading, writing and research skills, as well as “hands on, real world” use of technology would be used by the students in order to complete their project.

Student Outcomes:

* Students would write scripts that summarize the plot/story problem of a library book.

* Students would use the Internet to find information about the author.

* Students would use iMovie to produce a movie highlighting a book which includes: imported pictures of the book and the author from the Internet, uploaded video of the students telling the summary of the book and the author’s life, video editing such as transitions between slides, music to enhance the movie and credits at the end of the movie.

Now, all of this may sound good in theory, but ultimately means nothing without the technical know-how to impart to students what, exactly, the assignment requires and what, exactly, they need to know/learn in order to complete it.  


THAT’S where I come in…

But, all digression aside, I need to become my own student, first.  (Sigh.)

I guess I should just look up my girlfriend “Lynda.”


:-(!

PE5.5_MLRiMovie

"...And the Academy Award for MOST Gratuitous Use of Male 'He-vage' in a Short Subject Goes To..."

Dear Reader:


In order to foster a greater understanding of what I want to LEARN about iMovie, I need to take stock of what I already KNOW about iMovie.  


That said, I have chosen to revisit my FIRST experience with iMovie in the short, thumbnail sketch I created for my Month 1 course - "Media Literacy and Research Methodologies (MLR)." 


All in all, I don't think it's "bad" for a novice - if I do say so, myself.  After all, it was created without ANY prior exposure to iMovie...  (...And on a shoestring budget!)  But, I know it could be BETTER!


When convenient, I'm interested in knowing what you - yes, YOU - think of it!


Thank You...


:-)!

PE5_WhyUseiMovie?

* Image Courtesy of http://www.1clipart.com 

Dear Reader:

In my previous post (i.e. PE4_iMovie), I asked myself : “What would I ultimately like to know about iMovie?  How can it be used for comprehensive and engaging film production in my (eventual) work environment ?”  (The fundamental question being: “Why Use iMovie?”)

Well, here’s what I’ve come up with, thus far…

As per my wont, I often take several left turns on the ‘World Wide Inter-Web.’  For starters – and in the interest of FULL disclosure, dear reader - THIS isn’t one of them; I'll spare you the grossly self-indulgent trivia of my discoveries.  (AHEM!)  Now, where was I...  Oh, YES!  For starters, I needed something MORE literal to inspire my creativity.  So, I went straight to the source and found this disclaimer:

  

“With iMovie, you can bring your lessons to life through video, sound, and pictures. iMovie is a powerful and highly engaging tool for students to share their knowledge and express themselves in the form of digital movies. Your students can create high-quality video reports to demonstrate abstract concepts, or documentaries to increase the relevance of social issues. And you can easily share best classroom practices with your peers. Students can create compelling projects that combine digital video, photos, and music, and even their own voice narration. There’s no limit to what they can create.”

How Students Are Using iMovie:

•To create documentaries, historical reenactments, and news reports on current events.

•To record science experiments, create environmental documentaries, and present their science projects.

•To create digital stories and poetry, bring journal writing to life, and produce movie adaptations of literature.

•To present difficult and abstract math concepts, enabling teachers to more effectively assess their knowledge.

- from Apple Education - iMovie in the Classroom Web page: http://www.apple.com/education/imovie/

That said, it got me thinking…  Not so much about myself and how to compensate for my lack of competency when using iMovie, but how to use it, generally speaking, in a future classroom.


Hmmm...


(To be continued.)




:-)!

PE4_iMovie

 * Image Courtesy of http://www.1clipart.com

Dear Reader:

Ever feel as if you have a story to share, but don’t have the technical savvy for that “cinematic, critically-acclaimed, feel-good, blockbuster” in your mind?

I do…

…And it FRUSTRATES me.

Nowhere, has this been MORE evident than in the “one-minute movies” – those commercials “advertising” a favorite Web2.0 tool - I’ve had to (haphazardly) make for this class.

Sure, what I’ve thrown together at the 11^th hour seemingly fulfills (in MY not-so-humble opinion) the base requirements for the assignment, but I want something more from my filmmaking endeavors.

Now, I don’t need the neuroses of Woody Allen, the Transcendental Meditation of David Lynch, or the perversions of Roman Polanski to tell a good story.  This much I know.  (And, I may not know much, dear reader, but I do know I can’t afford some self-destructive vice.)

I don’t need to procure (from family, friends, or grand theft) a GINORMOUS sum of money to finance my production.

I don’t even need a screenplay…   (…a pad of Post-Its will suffice!)

I don’t need actors…  (…or their insufferable “I only drink Evian and eat green M&Ms in my trailer” egos.)

Costumes…  (…I gave up my pension for cross-dressing YEARS ago.)  Just kidding.

Props…  (…an occasional “shout out” from my peeps will suffice.)

Rehearsals…   (Although this is negotiable.)

…Or film locations.  (But I would LOVE to se Cannes.!)

I just need a better understanding of iMovie and all its myriad popcorn “bells and whistles.”

So, I’m starting NOW.  Like, yesterday.

Over the course of the next three micro-blog posts (including this one) - entitled PE_4, PE_5 and PE_6, respectively - I will expound upon how I intend to cultivate my own, unique voice using iMovie – something I’m told will be extensively used come Month 8 in FPE (whatever THAT is.)

For starters, I’m asking myself the following question:

“What would I ultimately like to know about iMovie?  How can it be used for comprehensive and engaging film production in my (eventual) work environment ?”

Simply put:  I’ve only a limited understanding of its full capability, and would like to know more.

But I don’t need fame or the film festival circuit to do it.

Or a cocaine habit.

:-)!

   

BP12_OMM_WordSift

* speechless *

Dear Reader:


Attached you will find a link  to a 1-minute Viddler movie (or "commercial") advertising WordSift - my Week 3, Web 2.0 tool of exploration.

Get "Sifting..."

...And Enjoy!

PE3_GarageBandMeetslynda.com

lynda.com - My NEW Girlfriend

(Visit: http://www.lynda.com)

Dear Reader:

In order to compensate for my admitted ignorance of GarageBand - and its ability to create both effective podcasts and videocasts - please know I have enlisted the tutelage of lynda.com.

At press time of this blog post (and in the interest of full disclosure, dear reader) I have JUST activated my Full Sail student access e-pass for lynda's e-library of tutorials - something I've had, apparently, since JULY 30th!  (That is, according to the myriad e-mails I've received in my Full Sail inbox.)  But I digress.  Anyway, THIS is the FIRST STEP...

Wish me luck!

Podcast + Videocast Essential Training (Courtesy of Lynda.com)
(Visit: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=214)

PE2_GarageBandARPodcast

"My Educational Philosophy...et al." - My FIRST Podcast 

Dear Reader:


In order to foster a greater understanding of what I want to LEARN about GarageBand, I need to take stock of what I already KNOW about GarageBand.  


That said, I have chosen to revisit a podcast I created for my Action Research.  Attached please find a link to an audio composition I created for my portfolio website, this summer.


All in all, I don't think it's "bad" for a novice - if I do say so, myself.  (But, I know it could be BETTER!)


When convenient, I'm interested in knowing what you - yes, YOU - think of it!


Thank You...


:-)!

BP11_CommentToPeterBinskin'sFinger-tappingforFun

Dear Reader:

Please follow this link to comments I've made on "Peter Binskin's Finger-tapping For Fun BP5_Kidblog.org" blog post, by Peter Binskin.

Peter  Binskin's Finger-tapping For Fun

Thank You...

:-)!

BP10_CommentToCiao!Cannizzaro

Dear Reader:

Please follow this link to comments I've made on "Ciao!  Cannizzaro - BP4_Webspiration (Web 2.0 Tool Review)" blog post by Ann Cannizzaro.

Ciao!  Cannizzaro

Thank You...

:-)!

PE1_GarageBand

* Image Courtesy of GarageBand '09; Copyright  2002-2009, Apple, Inc.

Dear Reader:

Ever feel as if you have something to say, but don’t know how to say it? 

Or, if you know what to say and how to say it, what medium you want as a modicum to convey it?

Ever feel as if you want your own unique voice to be heard in your own unique way?

Ever feel as if you want to say something through a more unconventional means than through standard conversation or standard composition – both of which are something exemplary of a “lost art” and “fine to use” in their own right – but, just…  Just…  Just NOT enough?

Or if not enough (in fact, they are for my money, dear reader, MORE than sufficient and perhaps MORE meaningful than some technologically-based form of communication - that is, of course, dependent upon what content/effort you put into them) a bit dated?

Ever feel that way?  Just a little?

I do…

(…A LOT!)

As a point of information, I feel this way almost ALL the time.

Or, if not all the time, at least since I took up with Full Sail University and all its myriad Web 2.0 tools.  (But, I think you can relate.)  At least, I hope so; I’ve gone on long enough about this!

All said, dear reader, over the course of three micro-blog posts (including this one) - entitled PE_1, PE_2 and PE_3, respectively - I will expound upon how I will cultivate my own, unique voice using Garage Band – something I’m told will be extensively used come Month 7 in MTA (whatever THAT is.)

So, I’m asking myself the following question:

“What would I ultimately like to know about Garage Band?  How can it be used for comprehensive and engaging podcasts in my (eventual) work environment ?  Also, how can I use it to effectively create video podcasts?”

Simply put:  I’ve only a limited understanding of its full capability, and would like to know more.

If Ira Glass can do it, why can’t I?

To wit:  Why can't YOU???

:-)!

BP9_WordSift

“Are you going to be giving students some reading about ‘photosynthesis’ or the ‘Industrial Revolution?’? Paste the text into WordSift to see the most frequent words your students will encounter in the text. If you have access to an LCD projector in your classroom, you can share WordSift's results directly with your students.  Since WordSift integrates search results from Google images and YouTube video clips into its display, you can quickly show students what chloroplasts or textiles look like with just one click.”  (- WordSift.com, in their own words.)

Dear Reader:

Ever wrestle with a visual frame of reference for a new vocabulary word?  Like “kerfuffle”?  Or…  Well, “kerfuffle” is hard enough to define.  Anyway.  If so, worry no more; WordSift.com can help!

WordSift - Visualize Text

WordSift.com is a website primarily created for teachers helping students visualize text vocabulary structure.  It is devoted to, as the site’s byline suggests, “visualizing words and their connections.“  It can also, and perhaps more accurately, be described to the novice consumer as a Web 2.0 tool that was created in order to help teachers achieve this.

“Neat!” you emphatically say.  “How does it work?”

It works, dear reader, by displaying related word images from Google – its visual thesaurus of images showing word relationships and more – about the individual word or collective text being defined.  And, perhaps best of all, it’s COMPLETELY DONE ON ONE PAGE!!!

Let me tell you how:

Step 1.  For starters, enter a chosen word (or text passage) in the large text box on the WordSift Home page, and press “Sift.”

Step 2.  Next, notice on the succeeding page a word or “tag cloud” which features the chosen word (or text passage and its most commonly used words).

Step 3.   Click on any of the words within the word or “tag cloud”, and WordSift will generate a Google image search result, with corresponding visual thesaurus results beneath it.  

            

Step 4.   Lastly, WordSift will display additional sentences (with a sufficient context clue) created from your chosen word on the same page.

Cool, huh?

Now, let me show you:

Watch the demo video attached below, for a more comprehensive explanation:

http://www.wordsift.com/site/videotour/newFeat

There you – yes, YOU – have it!

What’s more, dear reader, is perhaps the most important feature of this Web 2.0 tool - it can be used ACROSS the curriculum in ANY subject with a vocabulary component, be it Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, or then some.

(...And what subject DOESN’T have a vocabulary component?)

So, get SIFTING…  (I think you'll be glad you did.)

:-)!

BP8_OMMStripgenerator

Teaching Grammar (with Stripgenerator)

Dear Reader:

Attached you will find a link to a 1-minute Viddler movie (or "commercial") advertising Stripgenerator - my Week 2, Web 2.0 tool of exploration.

Like any true comic strip, please let it "speak for itself."

Enjoy!

Wordle

Dear Reader:

If you - yes, YOU - have NOT yet explored Wordle, what are you - yes, YOU - WAITING FOR???

Under the encouragement of Zoe Marlowe (see previous blog post) I used it to enhance my poem entitled "On facebook..."

I encourage you - yes, YOU - to use it to enhance something you've written.

(Even YOUR Action Research...)

:-)!

On facebook...

...each keystroke momentarily lingers on 

the proverbial, the gentle, and awkward.

The subtle foreplay between 

time and memory; a delicate moment of convergence.

The days are getting longer.

Funny how the occasional rain, betrayed by its white disguise, has nothing to say.

Like the way you embrace

your lover's lover in those small hours. 

Caressing her cheek, tousling his hair;

Itemizing charitable deductions; solving equations.

So you told me, and all your friends.

Tempting my paranoia, mouthing something obscene,

The proverbial writing is on our walls.

Displayed like your latest nosebleed or

how you registered as an Independent; the way you found Jesus.

The fact you put carrots in every meal you makes me wonder...

Or is it... just... me?

- Jeet C. Chadha, Early Spring

                   "On facebook..." - A Poem

"On facebook..." - A Poetry Wordle 

BP7_CommentToZoeMarlowe'sFSOBlog

Dear Reader:


Please follow this link to comments I've made on "Zoe Marlowe's FSO Blog - BP5 - Web 2.0 Tool - Wordle" blog post, by Zoe Marlowe.

Zoe Marlowe's FSO Blog

Thank You...

:-)!

BP6_CommentToJudy'sETCBlog

Dear Reader:

Please follow this link to comments I've made on "Judy's ETC Blog - BP_5 Myoats" blog post by Judy De Los Santos.

Judy's ETC Blog

Thank You...

:-)!

BP5_Stripgenerator

Once upon a time…

(Somewhere, someplace, a sudden hush falls upon an unsuspecting urban crowd at rush hour.  It is early Fall, and the air, laden with the soft fire of dusk, is still.  A Depression–era newsboy – A Depression-era newsboy? - his day near done, seems beleaguered from the weight of the late edition daily he carries in a burlap satchel from his right shoulder.  Invariably, he soldiers on with the dire hope he can sell enough gazettes in due time to buy himself – or his mother – or (after much internal debate and second-guessing) HIMSELF, the newest generation iPad for Christmas.  Suddenly, and almost by accident, he turns his gaze skyward as if to chastise the late-day sun for its unwelcome warmth, and sees a faint indistinguishable figure on the horizon.  Without thinking, he exclaims to the crowd-at-large while extending his index finger toward Heaven:)  “What…?  What’s THAT up in the sky??  It’s a bird…  It’s a plane…  It’s a…  A graduate student???  Ohhh, @#$%^&* me!  Let’s…  (Now clenching his fists and recklessly swinging them)  BAM!  POW!!  KAYO!!!  …give that big sissy a collective, COLLEGIATE wedgie for polluting the landscape of our fair city with ANOTHER Web 2.0 tool!!!)

The End.  Credits roll.

As I write these words, dear reader, I am not, contrary to popular belief, out fighting crime in the wee hours of the morning under an assumed alias.  Nor am I wearing some leotard that fits like a second skin – at least nothing I’m willing to admit to.  But I am wearing a CAPE.  And a SMILE.  (Just kidding.) 

Under the suggestion of my girlfriend - we’ll call her “Emily,” so as to protect the identity of the innocent – a social and behavioral researcher who, among many things, designs the “user experience,” I’m exploring Stripgenerator (www.stripgenerator.com) - a website/Web 2.0 tool that allows you to, as the name implies, generate your own (comic) strips (or storyboards).

Stripgenerator

Now for years, comic strips, as well as comic books, have been instrumental alternatives to reading in Language Arts classrooms in helping encourage reluctant readers, and/or promote visual learning in terms of dialect, characterization and plot development.

With the introduction of a tool like Stripgenerator, reading itself (as well as giving a book report, for example) just got a lot easier.  So, you ask:  “How does it work?”

Stripgenerator is, according to its website mission statement, “a free of charge project created to embrace the Internet blogging and (comic) strip creation culture, helping the people with no drawing abilities to express their opinions via (comic) strips.”

It has a very clean, simple interface, with very clean, simple “drag and drop” comic book characters to use, so anyone, regardless of artistic ability, can participate and craft their comic strip stories - no worries.  (It does not, repeat: NOT, require someone to be Stan Lee, the creator of Spider Man.)

The site differs from most in the genre, as I understand it (I’ve only a limited understanding of similar such sites), by offering a “blog” where people can post and receive comments on their artistic endeavors. This, in turn, fosters a sense of community amongst its users.

See for yourself, by watching the video introduction/tutorial at the following URL:

http://stripgenerator.com/video/

The website has artist galleries and an archive of over 200,000 comic strips available to view.

(Trust me, it’s NOT just a job for Superman!)