Literacy Celebration using Animoto

We are preparing for our Literacy Celebration this afternoon. The Literacy team has decided to showcase the good things happening at school in a different format. We have been "powerpointed" to death and thought Animoto would prove to be a vehicle to showcase our good news.

The Nibble Worked!!!

Shared a clip today (not this one but something similar) to showcase the use of technology and how sharing information during an embedded session can be done in something other then powerpoint. I was exitced to get a knock on my door ten minutes later. Teachers came to me wanting to share their data for a presentation in a similar manner...Halleluah! They took the bait..now I cannot wait to share Animoto!

Election Day

November 4, 2008~ Thank you Starbucks for the coffee and also the thoughts presented...
What if we all pitched in all the time..not just some of the time.....

Debut of Student Run AM News Program

October 23, 2008~ It worked!! They all cheered, slapped high fives and then said "Awesome"! That was the response when the test run of their weeks of hard worked paid off! The televised "live to tape" morning news program worked. It started off as a morning announcements over the all call system in the morning. However, the students wanted more. "Can we do PowerPoint announcements over the television in the classrooms?" they asked..Certainly! And they proceeded to work on just that..BUT..yes, there is always something. The media specialist (who is assisting us with our endeavor) spoke up..mentioning we better make sure all TVs in the classroom are working. They weren't but at least it was a connection issue and not lets get a bunch of new television issue. In the middle of verifying all TVs in the classroom worked one of the crew said..why not put video on the PowerPoint announcements? We did..and it worked but a little cumbersome having to move from one computer station to another. You see..as technology goes some times...We are able to connect to our broadcast system on an older Gateway that has the RCA port and our newer Dell does not. Their first attempt with the embedded video did not work because the way the student embedded the video. After a few more attempts, it finally worked. (Of course, all along our journey the students were still doing the AM announcements via the all call system while they worked out the kinks).

OK..this is where I just had to speak up..I kept quiet as they worked through their chain of events using the technology they were familiar with and understood. They never gave up and persevered after many issues and I am very proud of them!! Finally, I made one suggestion. Movie Maker. That is all it took..now, as they have watched their final product several times they want more..Can we do it outside, can we use a map, can I wear a birthday hat when I do birthdays? uh, oh..I need to sit up straight..I cannot wait for tomorrow..yes, unfortunately due to technical difficulties there was not a production today but isn't that all part of the learning process??

Being a student again...

October 9, 2008 ~ In my effort to diversify my certificate and continue my professional development, I am taking the first of two courses that will grant me gifted and talented certification. While I have taken (and facilited) numerous online courses, this is a course like no other. It is based out of the SC SDE and being facilited through a neighboring school district. The first day of class we were given a CD that contains the entire course. We meet F2F four days and the rest we submit via email. I guess my use of Blackboard or Moodle has spoiled me..where is the Discussion Board to for participants interact learn from our diversity? As it stands now, I only know the few that are taking the course from my school (although there are about thirty in the class) and pretty much we are working on our own. I really wish all would practice what the The Partnership 21st Century Skills are advocating for students with us...what happened to model what you expect????

Thought-Provoking.....

Fifty People, One Question: Restored from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.
September 26, 1008~ Perusing my reader I came across this interesting video on Libraries & Life a blog by Dr. Curtis Rogers. It was originally posted on vimeo by Benajamin Reece (the creator of the clip). What would you ask for? It does make you think..we have all had those discussions before about "What do you want out of life?" or "What is my purpose" but what about today?? What do you really want to happen today?

Now the teacher/technology coach mode kicks in..what about replicating this type of activity with middle schoolers? What would the outcome be?? Would they ask for something different? I will add this to my wish-list of things I would like to do with students and hopefully it will come to fruition.

However, for today, I want...success..I want all the students at my middle school to experience one moment of success in their life. This is what I want for today!!

Morning Announcements

September 16, 2008~We have officially begun our journey with a morning announcement team. Our goal is to be the morning news crew but we are taking it in small steps. The students met today and brainstormed on what a morning news program look like in a middle school setting. Ultimately, they would like to enlist everything but perhaps it is easiest to start slow and work up. Currently, the announcements are made via the paging system. The announcement team will continue using the paging system until the news program is up and ready. It will be a "live to tape" program, with taping on the day before. Our media center specialist has been wonderful in partnering with us and is going to share with the team the "how~-to's" on broadcasting out to the entire school. As of right now..students will be using Microsoft PowerPoint, a Logitech Web-cam and microphone to get the project running.

If you have a news program in your school, do not hesitate to contact me and share some insight. We are in a learn as you go situation and would love to hear some words of wisdom as we embark on our new journey!

Credits:
www.flickr.com/photos/50653019@N00/359061406