Here are some notes from Dr. Jason Ohler's workshop at Pete&C. (New Media Literacy and Narrative in Education)
The Overuse of Music
The #1 Infraction of Digital Storytelling is the overuse of music. To prove this point, you can shoot 30 seconds of video and remove the sound. Show the video and ask everyone what they think the story is. Now, add three different types of music to the video to prove how the music can change the story. You don't always have to have music in a story.
New Approach
1. Story Idea
2. Story Mapping
3. Story Boarding
Why? All story boarding does is make sure you story flows logically. So, if you have a boring story, you will end up with a boring story that flows logically.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Digital Storytelling: Dr. Jason Ohler at Pete&C
Our keynote speaker for the DEN pre-conference at Pete&C was Dr. Jason Ohler. http://jasonohler.com/index.cfm
Here are some notes from the session.
Screasel = Screen + Easel
Dr. Ohler talked about a term he coined: Screasel. The screens our kids are using are not just screens; they are also easels. The kids are using these things to view and create things. ex. a cellphone is both a screen and an easel. Students use it to view things, but they also use it to create things.
9 Digital Literacy Guidelines
1. Shift from text-centerism to new media collage (Look at most websites. They are no longer just text, they are collages of text, images, and other forms of media).
2. Value writing more than ever
3. Adopt Art as the 4th (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, aRt)
4. Follow the DAOW of literacy (Digital, Art, Oral, Written)
5. Attitude is the aptitude
6. Practice private and social literacy (we need to collaborate and edit each others stuff)
7. Develop literacy about digital tools
8. Fluency, not just literacy
9. Harness both report and story...embrace story! (Sometimes when kids say "I'm bored", they really mean "where's the story". Most information we want the students to "get" can be presented in the form of a story).
Assessment
Put the story first, and the tech second. What to you really want the students to be learning.
Avoid the "A for anything that moves" syndrome. Assess the process and not just the product.
There is actually too much about assessment to type here on the blog, so you can access Dr. Ohler's assessment page here. http://jasonohler.com/storytelling/assessment.cfm
Something to Think About
The kids are banging to get in and we have to listen to hear where they are knocking and open the right door for them. We are the gate keepers.
Here are some notes from the session.
Screasel = Screen + Easel
Dr. Ohler talked about a term he coined: Screasel. The screens our kids are using are not just screens; they are also easels. The kids are using these things to view and create things. ex. a cellphone is both a screen and an easel. Students use it to view things, but they also use it to create things.
9 Digital Literacy Guidelines
1. Shift from text-centerism to new media collage (Look at most websites. They are no longer just text, they are collages of text, images, and other forms of media).
2. Value writing more than ever
3. Adopt Art as the 4th (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, aRt)
4. Follow the DAOW of literacy (Digital, Art, Oral, Written)
5. Attitude is the aptitude
6. Practice private and social literacy (we need to collaborate and edit each others stuff)
7. Develop literacy about digital tools
8. Fluency, not just literacy
9. Harness both report and story...embrace story! (Sometimes when kids say "I'm bored", they really mean "where's the story". Most information we want the students to "get" can be presented in the form of a story).
Put the story first, and the tech second. What to you really want the students to be learning.
Avoid the "A for anything that moves" syndrome. Assess the process and not just the product.
There is actually too much about assessment to type here on the blog, so you can access Dr. Ohler's assessment page here. http://jasonohler.com/storytelling/assessment.cfm
Something to Think About
The kids are banging to get in and we have to listen to hear where they are knocking and open the right door for them. We are the gate keepers.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Ecofont - Use less ink/toner
As educators, we use a lot of paper and ink on a regular basis. I was recently made aware of a new font that reduces the amount of ink/toner you use. The font was designed by a company called Spranq and it is called Ecofont. Basically, what they did was remove as much of a letter as possible while still having it remain recognizable. They accomplished this by removing small circles from within each letter. I am not sure exacty how much ink you will save, but you will use less.
You can download the font from this location:
http://www.ecofont.eu/downloads_en.html
If you don't know how to install a new font, click the link below.
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B314960&x=12&y=12
Once the font has been installed, you will find it under the name Spranq eco sans.
You can download the font from this location:
http://www.ecofont.eu/downloads_en.html
If you don't know how to install a new font, click the link below.
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B314960&x=12&y=12
Once the font has been installed, you will find it under the name Spranq eco sans.
Monday, January 12, 2009
If you are having trouble getting Windows 7...
By now, I am sure many on you have heard that Microsoft has made Windows 7 Beta available for free. They have extended the availability until January 24. I have not downloaded and installed it yet, but I have heard that some people have been having issues getting the product key. Here is a post from LifeHacker that will explain what to do if you are one of this people. http://lifehacker.com/5128193/how-to-get-your-windows-7-beta-product-key
Also, if you have never been to the LifeHacker website, you might want to check that out too. They provide various tips for making life easier.
Also, if you have never been to the LifeHacker website, you might want to check that out too. They provide various tips for making life easier.
Crayon Physics: Make your drawings come to life.
If you haven't tried Crayon Physics, you are missing out on something big. Usually, I don't get this excited about a program you have to pay for. But, I think this game is definitely going to be worth the money.
Crayon Physics is basically a physics puzzle game. You are given problems to solve using physics. Whatever you draw comes to life and moves like it would in the real world. I only downloaded the free demo, but a colleague and I had a lot of fun with it. The full version cost only $19.95 and has over 70 levels. If you are interested in trying this click here. If you are still unsure, watch the video that embedded below.
Crayon Physics Deluxe from Petri Purho on Vimeo.
Crayon Physics is basically a physics puzzle game. You are given problems to solve using physics. Whatever you draw comes to life and moves like it would in the real world. I only downloaded the free demo, but a colleague and I had a lot of fun with it. The full version cost only $19.95 and has over 70 levels. If you are interested in trying this click here. If you are still unsure, watch the video that embedded below.
Crayon Physics Deluxe from Petri Purho on Vimeo.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Novel Trading Cards
Today, I started working on a project with our 9th grade English teacher. We are having the students create trading cards for the characters from a novel. The novel is The Pigman and there are 12 characters that were assigned. I made a template in Microsoft Publisher and saved it to the network drive here at school.
On the back of the card, the students are supposed to describe the characters' appearance and personality. They were also asked to include any other details they felt were important. Then the student will develop an image of the character in their head. They will find a picture of an actor/actress that they would cast for the role if the book was remade as a movie. The picture is going to be placed on the front of the card along with the character's name, the book title, and an important quote from the character. Once, their 12 characters are finished, they will save them to a shared network drive and I will print them on a color laser printer.
Here are some questions I think you might have and I would like to address them now.
1. Why did I create a template for Highschool kids that a capable of creating it from scratch?
2. Why I am spending time printing them instead of having the students print them?
3. What about the actor/actress photos and copyright.
#1 I created the template because we wanted the students to focus their time and energy on analyzing the characters, not playing around trying to make the card pretty. I have done activities in the past where students had too much creative freedom and they lost sight of the task at hand. If they finish early and want to change the layout and fonts, that will fine. I believe students need creative freedom because it allows them to express themselves and it allow them to take "ownership" of the project. But, we need to make sure they are meeting the objectives before we allow them to "play". At the rate they are moving, I believe that most of the students will have plenty of time to add a personal touch to their cards.
#2 I don't like to see instruction time wasted on "clerical" work. Either I will print them or I will have a student assistant print them. Keep in mind, we are printing these to a color laser printer that has restricted access.
#3 The students are using these photos for educational purposes and they are citing the source directly under the picture on the trading card. These cards will not be sold or distributed in any way.
This is only the first day of the activity and it has gone surprisingly well. The teacher I am working with is having two of her classes complete this activity. In both classes, there was a significant number of students who asked if they could stay during their lunch and free time to continue working on the activity because they like it so much. I was AMAZED! I taught these same exact students when they were in seventh and eighth grade and I have never seen them this excited about a particular project.
I cannot take credit for the success of the activity. I created the template and suggested the activity, but the English teacher has done most of the work. She has spent ample time planning for this activity and helping the students find the necessary information in the novel. If it wasn't for the English teachers dedication, the activity could have bombed.
On the back of the card, the students are supposed to describe the characters' appearance and personality. They were also asked to include any other details they felt were important. Then the student will develop an image of the character in their head. They will find a picture of an actor/actress that they would cast for the role if the book was remade as a movie. The picture is going to be placed on the front of the card along with the character's name, the book title, and an important quote from the character. Once, their 12 characters are finished, they will save them to a shared network drive and I will print them on a color laser printer.
Here are some questions I think you might have and I would like to address them now.
1. Why did I create a template for Highschool kids that a capable of creating it from scratch?
2. Why I am spending time printing them instead of having the students print them?
3. What about the actor/actress photos and copyright.
#1 I created the template because we wanted the students to focus their time and energy on analyzing the characters, not playing around trying to make the card pretty. I have done activities in the past where students had too much creative freedom and they lost sight of the task at hand. If they finish early and want to change the layout and fonts, that will fine. I believe students need creative freedom because it allows them to express themselves and it allow them to take "ownership" of the project. But, we need to make sure they are meeting the objectives before we allow them to "play". At the rate they are moving, I believe that most of the students will have plenty of time to add a personal touch to their cards.
#2 I don't like to see instruction time wasted on "clerical" work. Either I will print them or I will have a student assistant print them. Keep in mind, we are printing these to a color laser printer that has restricted access.
#3 The students are using these photos for educational purposes and they are citing the source directly under the picture on the trading card. These cards will not be sold or distributed in any way.
This is only the first day of the activity and it has gone surprisingly well. The teacher I am working with is having two of her classes complete this activity. In both classes, there was a significant number of students who asked if they could stay during their lunch and free time to continue working on the activity because they like it so much. I was AMAZED! I taught these same exact students when they were in seventh and eighth grade and I have never seen them this excited about a particular project.
I cannot take credit for the success of the activity. I created the template and suggested the activity, but the English teacher has done most of the work. She has spent ample time planning for this activity and helping the students find the necessary information in the novel. If it wasn't for the English teachers dedication, the activity could have bombed.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Embedded Learning Year 2 Course Outline
This entry is for those of you involved with Classrooms for the Future in PA. I created an outline/checklist for teachers taking the second Embedded Learning Course (Teaching Authentic). The reason I did this is because some teachers were clicking continue and accidentally skipping some of the Learning Log entries and/or the Sync Point Discussions. This way, they had a sheet that they could check off after each activity. Last year, it wasn't as hard to catch the thing they missed and have them go back and do them later. But, this year, with new CFF teachers involved with the first class and facilitating two separate "year 2" classes (one for math and one for science), I found it a little harder to catch everything as quickly as I did last year.
I posted the checklist on my wiki as a PDF. Here is a direct link. If you want to use it or even change it, feel free. If you need it as a Word Doc for easy editing, let me know and I can email it to you
I posted the checklist on my wiki as a PDF. Here is a direct link. If you want to use it or even change it, feel free. If you need it as a Word Doc for easy editing, let me know and I can email it to you
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