New Blog

You spoke and we listened!  We decided to have all students create a second blog for school work.  You will be encouraged to continue blogging about your passions on your original blog.  Please remember this is connected to a school account, you BPS Blogging and Commenting Guidelines should be followed.  You should also be sure the content is school appropriate!  

You will need to go to your Blogger Dashboard and “create a new blog”.  The new interface looks a little bit different, but if you look around you will be able to find this gray tab.  Please name your school blog in the following manner:

         This example would be if I were a student creating a blog:

                  Name of Blog:   Kim’s School Blog

                      URL:   kimsschoolblog(.blogspot.com)

**You may need to add the first initial of your last name or a symbol if you have a common first name.  You will know as the new interface will tell you automatically if that URL is not available.*

You will need to choose a template which allows you to make multiple pages easily.

You can now work on the design of your blog.  Please be sure to create the following pages:

1. Home (this will be automatically created and the only page on which you can create a “real post”  I would like you to create a post telling your new teachers a little bit about you. You may want to include your strengths and weaknesses in school, likes and dislikes, etc...
2. English
3. Math
4. Science
5. Social Studies
6. Technology

**You may delete the Technology page from your other blog.  You could put your podcast post on your new blog if you’d like.

You may play around with design, colors, widgets, etc....

Be sure to “Apply” and “Save” as you go!!

Happy Memorial Day!

  For many of you this means a shortened week after perhaps missing class last week as well due to rehearsals and the spring concert.  If you didn’t have class #2 last week you will be turning in your rubric for your blog during class #1.  If you turned in your rubric already, I have been grading them.  Please be patient with me as I have over 250 blogs to correct. I want to give each of you some useful feedback.  As for this week; you will be completing your digital stories.  If you have been putting in effective effort as a class and are feeling as though you won’t be able to make the deadline of class #2 for completing your digital story, have no fear!  I will check in with you all at the end of class and make a decision about adjusting the due date.  Please try your hardest to complete this project on time so I can have plenty of time to give you useful feedback on this as well. 

Putting It All Together

The time is finally here.  You are going to bring all of the “ingredients” in to Windows Movie Maker (WMM) or another tool of your choice.  Once you have them all in your tool, you will begin the editing process of your digital story.  Remember to use the Atomic Learning tutorial to help you answer any questions your may have throughout this process.  Take your time and experiment to find exactly the “look” you want for your story.  Use your checklist as you are working on this project to be sure you have all of the elements you need.   Good luck and have fun!! 
**Remember you also need to put some time in to your blog.  You will need to turn in your student evaluation at the end of class 2 this week.**
 Please take a minute to take this Student Survey.  Be sure to read the directions and submit the form.  Thanks.

Do a Great Job Today!

Now that MCAS is over we can all let out a huge sigh of relief!  But don’t think we are done for the year!!  You have two major projects due in the next couple of weeks.  I will be out today, but Mrs. Delaney is in and ready to help you keep on track so you can be successful!!!  Please give her all of your attention and respect.  She will guide you and share some information, but most of what you need can be found in earlier posts on this blog, in MOODLE or both!!  You may have different objectives, depending on your ILT #, but hopefully by the end of your class today, you will have all of the ingredients for your digital story.  Please remember to add URL’s to the Google Doc you have started.  There is a screencast on the blog post entitled, “Finding the Music” and on the MOODLE module for this week to help you with downloading music.  If you are getting at all frustrated with something, please stop and move on to another objective.  Your blog rubric and student evaluation will be collected at the end of class #2 next week.  PLEASE DO NOT TURN YOUR RUBRIC IN TO MRS. DELANEY.  SAVE IT IN YOUR BINDER OR FOLDER AND GIVE IT TO ME NEXT WEEK!!  If all else fails, take the time to get your blogs ready for me!! You have that rubric in your binders/folders.  I will leave some extras with Mrs. Delaney in case you have misplaced yours.  Please try to find some time to take a look at the tutorial for Windows Movie Maker on Atomic Learning.  The log in for Atomic Learning is on the front board.  (BarnstableIS and redraider-it’s case sensitive!!)  Next week you will start creating your digital story.  If you would like to try a tool other than Windows Movie Maker, you could search the cooltoolsforschool WIKI to see if there is one there you’d like.  If you do choose to use another tool or program, you will need to find a resource (tutorial or site) to help answer questions you may have.  The downside to using WMM is it is computer based, not Internet based.  This means you will have to work on it in school.  It is a free download, so you could move files back and forth from home to school if you need to do so. However, if you are using your effective effort strategies, you will have plenty of time to get your project done in school.  I am counting on you to do a great job today.  I am doing my part to help you be successful.  It is up to you to do your part!  Have a great day and I’ll see you next week!  Oh and one more thing.....before leaving today, you will need to complete this "Electronic Ticket to Leave."  Be sure to read the directions, complete and submit.  I will be planning next week's lessons based on the feedback from these tickets!

Caught in the Crowd

For the second year in a row, I have seen my students have incredible reactions to Kate Miller-Heidke’s song, “Caught in the Crowd.” You could hear a pin drop as the students watch the digital story unfold. I found this amazingly moving digital story a couple of years ago when I was searching for an example of a good digital story to introduce this genre to my seventh graders. "Caught in the Crowd" was the subject of a 2009 schools video competition, in which students were asked to address the issue of bullying by producing a music video for the song. Each year, this one being no exception, students have downloaded this song to their phones and iTunes accounts. As we work on our digital stories, students will ask to see and hear the digital story again. Many questions arise about the song and video, for which I have not had answers. I decided to do a bit of research to see if I could find some answers. I found an article published in the February 2009 Herald Sun which included an interview with Kate. The link to the article is below. I also found a Facebook post from Kate sharing the information about the video competition. So the question, “Which came first, the song or the video?” has been answered. The song came first, then the video (digital story). If you want to see the official video of the song featuring Kate, check it out here: Kate Miller-Heidke-Caught in the Crowd. It is very different from the digital story we have been watching. I hope this has answered some of the questions my students have asked about the song and digital story.

Kate Miller-Heidke’s sings Caught in the Crowd about bullying -Herald Sun interview:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/grab-bully-by-horns-says-kate/story-e6frf9hf-1111118893136

Kate’s Facebook Message about Video Competition:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=58698602196\

Finding the Music

I have been asking you NOT to think about the music; just the images and words. Well now I want you to think about music. There are sites offering what is called Open Source music. This is music which is in the public domain; meaning you do not have to have permission to use it. You will NOT be permitted to search You Tube or other similar sites to find music. You may search from the list of sites below. Think about the story you are telling. Your music should be another piece of the puzzle. It should not overpower your images or text; but compliment them. At the end of this week you should have your images, music, and citations all set and be ready to start “mixing” your digital story. Have fun. Keep an open mind and try listening to some music you may not have considered. If you should finish early, please get your blogs ready to assess.

Please watch this video showing how to download and save your music properly:
        Downloading Music for Your Digital Story



Music Sites

Community Audio
http://archive.org/details/opensource_audio

Freeplay Music
freeplaymusic.com

Creative Commons Audio
http://creativecommons.org/audio/


If you are using music from home, you must bring it in to school on a CD or a flash drive. It must be a song you have legally obtained. You may not bring in music you have downloaded from Limewire or other similar sites.

You MUST have your music in school next week! There will be no exceptions.

At the end of class this week you will have an electronic ticket to leave which will give me feedback and let me know how you feel about getting this project done on time. Please click this link: Electronic Ticket to Leave. Complete and submit the form. Thanks!