Story Book Writers

Young Writers using Portable Technology to Publish

Review – The key to moving forward

May 4

Posted by ederban in Assessment | No Comments

We are wrapping up the first phase of the project and assessment is on my mind.  The students have been showing their finished product to the grade 1s and we are beginning to work on a new story.  Having done the cycle once, I feel that the students will be much more able to manage things on their own however, guidance will still be required.  Before we move on, however, how did we do?  The final phase of the project must be to review the project, what was good or bad  and how we will use that information to improve upon our work!

Considering assessment

The students need to look critically at their work in order to improve upon it but that isn’t the only assessment that needs to happen.  The following is the list that is swirling around in my head:

  • Did the Story Books appeal to the Gr 1s.  What worked well and what didn’t?  What did they want more of or less of?  What format did they prefer?
  • How did student products stand up to the criteria we generated in class?  How well did the do in self evaluation, peer evaluation and finally teacher evaluation.
  • How did the projects appeal to other members of the school community?  What did other teachers think?  What did other students outside our group think?
  • What skills did the students gain from their experience – in their minds?  In my mind?
  • What did the students think of the two different modes of presentation?  In a compare and contrast format – which program performed better/worse?
  • Where are we now, academically? in terms of motivation? confidence? 21st Century Skills?
  • How was my teaching?  Did the students feel well prepared to create their Story Books?

Over the next few weeks we will be trying to answer all these questions.  We have already completed parts of the first two points next it is out plan to offer an open house to the school so that we can share our success and get a bit more feedback.  The final four points I think can be answered as students move into a new project cycle without to much trouble.

Lesson #10 – Sharing the books with Grade 1

Apr 21

Posted by ederban in Assessment, The lessons | No Comments

Reggie and Christos share their PowerPoint stories with Gr 1 buddies.

This week was so excited and affirming.  The students have spent about 3 months developing and creating their first story and they are so happy to finally get to share them.  In talking to Ms. Andres, we decided that the best plan would be to have students present their books in the period just before lunch.  As of Thursday, the Gr 4/5s had shared their stories with 7 Gr 1 students!!  We hope to be more efficient next week and complete those presentations.  After that, we will make arrangements for a special sharing event for the authors’ peers.

Problem 1:A little aside that relates back to Lesson #8.  We had some unexpected problems while doing the dry run in the classroom which confirmed the importance of going to the trouble of practicing the presentation.   The problems arose when we tried presenting the stories using the laptops.  The VSB is currently in the process of implementing a plan to install wifi in all schools but our school has yet to receive it.  As students were finishing their stories, most were saving their work on to a flashdrive, as I had modeled.  Some, however, due to a lack of understanding of how the computers work, were saving their work on the school server despite having the flashdrive plugged in the the computer.  With wifi, this would have been no problem, their work would follow them around the school but without it, they thought they had lost their work.  “um…Ms Derban…I can’t find my story.  I know I saved it but now its not there.”  An easy fix because I had taken the time to copy their finished work to my flashdrive for posting on the blog but it really highlighted for me their limited of understanding of “the server” and of how storage works.

Problem 2: Another example of my assumptions making us less efficient was discovered when we were using the laptops in our dry run without a power source.  It seemed like some of the machines had a shorter battery life than others; some were shutting down after only 10 min of use without power.  I know that as batteries age they do become less effective at holding a charge so we made plans to bring the power chords however as we were putting the laptops away, I realized something.  Only some of the students were actually “shutting down” the rest were leaving the computers on hibernate.  They would diligently go to the start menu and select “go to sleep” rather than logging off and then selecting “shut down”.  To them it looked the same – the computer screen went black.

Violet encourages her buddy to read her Pictello story on the iPad

Lesson #9 – Sharing the books with Grade 1

Objective: To present the completed story books to the grade  1 class so that each grade 1 has a chance to view and evaluate the work.

21st Century Skills:work creatively with others, implement innovations, solve problems, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, create media products, apply technology effectively, adapt to change, be flexible, manage goals and time, work independently, be self directed learners, interact effectively with others, work effectively in diverse teams, manage projects, produce results, guide and lead others, be responsible to others.

Step 1:  Practicing the set up.  Having done a dry run of presenting the stories to each other, students will have worked out a few of the bugs and be ready to leave the classroom to test the portable nature of the stories on location with the Gr 1s.  Students should discuss what they will need when they leave the classroom.  My students came up with the following list.

  • pencil
  • evaluation papers
  • portable device (laptop or iPad)
  • flashdrive (if assigned a laptop)
  • power chord

Step 2: Planning the evaluation.  Students should consider how to collect feedback on their stories from the grade 1′s.  They should discuss at least the following 2 things; what information they want from the grade 1s about their stories and the best way for them to record those details.   This is what my students came up with

Julia scribes a Gr 1 evaluation of her story

:

The students recognized that the grade 1s would not necessarily be capable of a lot of writing so the chose to include a happy face ratings scale to show if they liked the story.  They also thought it might be good to ask the gr 1 “How can I make the story better?”.  To record their answers to the question, the gr 4/5 decided to offer to scribe if the grade one seemed to be having difficulty.  We made the evaluations into booklets and filled the Gr 1 names in ahead of time so each student would be able to keep track of who they had been with.

Set 3:Setting the stage. The students will need to scope out quiet locations to share their stories. As there are 10, this will not work in a busy full classroom so we selected the primary hallway.  There are 3 electrical outlets where 1 or 2 laptops can be set up.  The iPads can fill in the other spaces.  As a practice, we collected all the materials and set up exactly how we would when the Gr 1s would come.

An SSSW offers hand under hand support to guide the click for a student with unique learning challenges.

Step 4: Sharing the stories.  After students have set up and have loaded their stories they should be paired with a gr 1 buddy.  A couple of the gr 1s are SET BC students and they come along with a friend and their SSSW for support (making a group of 3).  Gr 4/5s orient the gr 1s on how to operate the software and encourage them to do the clicking to activate a change in page.  For each page, the Gr 4/5 should encourage the gr 1 to read the story out loud.  After they have shared the whole story, the Gr 4/5 will ask the Gr 1s for feedback on their story by filling out the evaluation.  Finally, the Gr 1s can change partners.  They will continue this process until each gr 1 in the group of 10 has seen all the stories.

Step 5:Sharing the ipads and the laptops.  It is important to most of the gr 4/5s that they get a turn on the iPads.  For that reason, each day they alternate presenting on a different piece of equipment.  Since the stories in PowerPoint and Pictello are identical, the Gr1s get the same information.

Review and Assessment:

The set up practice session worked out a lot of problems for students.  They discovered the importance of having all their materials including their flashdrive, finding a good place to sit, how dirty the floor is and how they would need to hold or display the technology.  Students decided that the mouse was impractical to use because the floor was so dirty  and so opted to use the mouse pad instead.

I didn’t anticipate having to remind the Gr 4/5s to have the gr 1s read the story.  I had been saying “Share your story with them”  which to my teacher brain meant have them read it but what I noticed on the first day was a more literal interpretation of my words; the just showed them the story and ran the audio.  We needed to have a talk about why we made these stories simple – so the gr 1s could read them and could enjoy the familiar pictures and settings used in the photos.

I thought we could do a simple rotation/station format to show the stories but this is complicated by the students switching equipment for each session.  The gr 1s also are not yet skilled enough in school routines to figure this out on their own.  Luckily we made a booklet of evaluations with each Gr1′s name filled in a head of time so the Gr 4/5 can keep track of who they need to see.

This process is slow but so rewarding.  Each day it takes about 10 min to set up and then at least 5 min per story session.  We only have 30 min to share the stories before we need to clean-up, go back and write our learning log so each session is only going through about 3-4 gr 1′s

Our Gr 1 SET BC student in this round, who is deafbind,  is really responding positively to the stories and the social nature of the program.  A great lover of paper books, he is happy to click to turn the page of the electronic book and is engaged in taking in the information.

 

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Lesson #9 – The Stories – a dry run

Apr 10

Posted by ederban in The lessons | No Comments

Since returning from the break the students have done a fabulous job getting right back into their work and we have crossed another major milestone;  we are all finished our stories on both PowerPoint and Pictello.  The

Students share their work

stories have been self evaluated and evaluated by two peers.

As we move towards the end of the year (faster than I would like), it is time to return to more traditional skill building tasks in addition to our project work.  Now that the first round of stories are finished, we will be reducing our project time from 4 periods per week to 2.  We will begin each day with traditional Language Arts content and then return to our project work during the 2nd of our two periods each day.   Placing the project work in the second half will help motivated us through the first.

Lesson #8 – Pretending to share our stories

Objective: To use peers to practice presentation of the stories so that students are confident navigating the technology independently during future presentations.

21st Century skills: solve problems, communicate clearly, use and manage information, analyze media, create media products, apply technology effectively, adapt to change, work independently, manage goals and time, interact effectively with others, manage projects, be responsible to others.

Step #1: Separate students into two groups to create a rotation schedule so that all students have a chance to view all their classmates work in Pictello and PowerPoint.  The following files are the finished PowerPoint stories.

May I introduce to you, the fabulous Trafalgar Elementary Story Books……

Climbing by Vasili

Emma has a Problem! by Julia

Everybody is Falling Down by Christos

I am Walking Home by Reggie

Monster Run by Valerie

Monsters Around the World by Violet

My Friends by Jada

Nature by Robert

The Missing Bracelet by Calli

The Soccer Game by John

Review and Assessment:

We began with just the iPads and then moved to the PCs so that there would be a partner for each presenter.  I found it helpful at the end to make sure that students looked around the room to see that they had viewed everyone’s story.  There were a few that had missed some so it was a good move.  The stories listed above are identical to the Pictello versions.

 

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Lesson #8 – Self and Peer Evaluations

Apr 10

Posted by ederban in Assessment, The lessons | No Comments

As I look back on lesson #6, I am amazed that I thought February was so unproductive.  This is of course in comparison to March!!!  Two weeks of Spring Break, student midterm assessments and some political interruptions reduced the total number of classes that I could devote to the project to 3!  I have been feeling really guilty about not blogging but I really haven’t had too much to blog about.

For the past few weeks we have been “cleaning” and evaluating in preparation for presenting our stories to the grade 1s.

Lesson #7 Self and Peer Evaluation

Objective: To use self and peer evaluation to improve, edit and proofread the story books in preparation for presentation to the audience of Grade 1s.

21st Century Skills: Work creatively with others, make judgments and decisions, solve problems, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, access and evaluate information, analyze media, adapt to change, be flexible, manage goals and time, work effectively with others, manage projects, guide and lead others, be responsible to others.

Step #1: Once all students have finished entering photos, text and audio into both PowerPoint and Pictello stories, they need to begin self evaluating based on the criteria that was generated in January.   As a group, review the rubric to bring the criteria back to current thinking while considering whether or not the criteria are still valid.

(As students reviewed the rubric we found some criteria that were too restrictive for the level of reader being created and therefore we chose to omit them in this phase – the sections omitted are highlighted in red)

Story Book Writing Gr 4/5 for Gr 1

Not yet meeting

Minimally meeting

Fully Meeting

Exceeding

appearance

-Font inappropriate size

-Pictures don’t match the story or are hard to understand

-messy

-font still may be hard to read

-some pictures or drawing work others don’t work

-font is readable

-most pictures and drawings are easy to understand

-Font is appropriately sized for reader

-drawing are easy two understand and match the writing

conventions

-lots of grammar, spelling mistakes

-some grammar or spelling mistakes

-1- 3 mistakes in grammar or spelling

-no grammar or spelling mistakes

Sentences

-doesn’t make sense

-may be hard to read

-many incomplete, or run on sentences

-some sentences make sense but there are some incomplete or run-on

-sentences are all the same

-all sentences are complete

-some variety of sentence lengths

-all sentences are complete

-a variety of lengths of sentences

 

Not yet meeting

Minimally meeting

Fully Meeting

Exceeding

Word choice

-poor word choice for reader making it boring or too hard

-uses a lot of the same words

-many are inappropriate level

-most words are at an appropriate level and are interesting to read

-word choices are  best fit for readers level

-interesting words

ideas

-ideas are disconnected, too big or include lots disconnected pieces of information

-some are clear but other areas wander or include unrelated ideas or information

-the topic is clear and fairly focused

-there may be some insights or connections

-there is a clear and focused topic

-information is clearly connected (shows insight)

Organization

-no clear beginning, middle or end

-does not follow a plan

-a problem exists and there may be a solution

-may have some introduction but ending is missing or abrupt

-does not stay on the same idea or topic throughout

-has a beginning and ending but may need some work

-has a problem and a solution

-changes in topic make sense

-clear interesting beginning and the end gives closure

-problem and solution are clear to the reader

-the plan is clear to the reader

Voice

-

Step #2: Each student needs 4 copies of the above evaluation on paper and a highlighter. Each page should be labelled with the following blanks:

  • Author:______
  • Book Title: _______
  • Evaluator:________
  • Date:________

Each student should write their name as author and their book title on all 4 of their pages.  Then they should use two of those pages to evaluate themselves; one for Pictello and one for PowerPoint.  On these pages they should make note of the version they are evaluating and sign their own name as Evaluator.  The other two pages are for two different other students in the class to use to evaluate the book.

With 5 iPads and 5 PCs, it is helpful to allow students to choose their own evaluators based on who is available to view their project on either iPad or PC.  The stories, text and photos should be identical.  As students cycle around the room, the teacher should be available to assist with troubleshooting, questions of adherence to the criteria and the presence of constructive criticism.

Review and Assessment

Students were very quick to go through the process of evaluating their own and others story books.  When we began this process, some students were still putting on the finishing touches of their story.  While they worked, the others self evaluated and then peer evaluated each other.  As more students became finished, the already practiced evaluators were able to quickly offer their services.

Overall, I was impressed with the students evaluating.  It was all business.  I know it is not a perfect process because they don’t see what I see and they are so kind to one another that they did not suggest any major changes or modifications (but maybe none were necessary).  I imagine that given time, as they make mistakes in their own projects and learn, they will be more likely to share that learning with peers who may be making the same mistakes.

 

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Lesson #7 Enter….. the iPad!

Feb 26

Posted by ederban in The lessons | 1 Comment

Well, for the past two weeks, body science has created project interuptis for my grade 5′s!  With that in combination with Flu season… February has been a less productive month than January.    We did manage to get together (most of us) for two classes in the last two weeks which allowed us to continue to learn how to transfer files and create Power Point story books.  There is now one entirely complete and two that need just a couple of edits before they are ready to view.  Here is the first book finished!

climbing by Vasili

This week we had three very important pieces of business.  First, students needed to continue to move forward on their projects; moving files to flash drives and creating the Power point books.  Second, it was time to revisit our learning logs and the criteria for those entries.  Finally, we are ready to move on to iPad use including a session on how to and a discussion on agreement for use.

The self directed learning that is happening is great.  They are so motivated and they all are keen to move to the next step without my prodding.    The less tech savvy students need a lot more support and need to repeat the processes more often before they become independent but the ones with a bit more experience are forging ahead.

We revisited our Learning Logs and considered some examples of how it should NOT be done and why the quality had gotten so poor.  I laid out a plan to make sure we are not rushed at the end of class and  gave some reminders to be a bit more organized and detailed.  Next time I think, I will do a sample on the board.

The Lesson – iPad introduction

Objective:  To introduce the whole group to the Pictello app and to come to an agreement on how the iPads will be used at school.

21st Century Skills: Think creatively, work creatively with others, implement innovations, reason effectively, make judgements and decisions, solve problems, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, use and manage information, analyze media, apply technology effectively, and create media products,

Step #1 – User agreements.  One of the considerations for iPads in schools is how to take a tool that was designed to be owned, operated and maintained by one person and make if functional for many to use.  My students and I took a closer look at this concept and came up with the following agreement.

  1.  Leave all settings and content as I find them.
  • No additional downloads
  • No passwords
  • No deleting or moving apps
  1.  Respect other students work and materials.
  2.  Be a responsible internet user.

Step #2 Pictello introduction.  Using Educreations, I created a 5 minute presentation for my students to view from the iPad through the projector.  I took photos of the Pictello and iPad screens by pressing the menu and the power button at the same time.  I then took those photos, loaded them into an Educreations presentation, pressed record and did the presentation.  The finished product ran itself using my voice and all the felt pen like markers to show the students the various buttons, functions and strategies to create a story book using Pictello.  Here is the link to my presentation on Educreations.

Pictello Demonstration

After students watched the demo, some returned to their work on the laptops while others were ready and eager to have some iPad playtime.  With our user agreement fresh in their mind, I was overly confident that there would be no problems.  I didn’t anticipate that they would get a case of the sillies (I am naive, I know!).  The potty humor started flying in text and over the recording – REALLY?  I asked them what they would think if the principal found their work by accident and things changed very quickly – there was some quick deleting.  Another lesson in communal iPad use – you create it and it is shared – by everyone.

Review and Assessment

The students all recognized that they were to become familiar with Pictello today.  They also all became more careful with their learning logs.  I have asked families for an email address for each student and have begun giving them some written feedback on their work.  This week, I gave feedback on the finished story books 4/10.  In the feedback, I included a copy of their storybook for them to share with their family.  This will not be possible with the Pictello app unless they have it for their iPads.

 

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Lesson #6- Moving the pictures and Powerpoint

Feb 14

Posted by ederban in The lessons | No Comments

This past week, students started finishing up their photo sessions.   There have some adult discussions about the security of each students’ files as we begin to consider how files will be transferred between the various types of media.  This week, I sent a request home with students to send any 1GB+ flash drives that they might be able to use for storage along with an email address that parents felt appropriate for my communications.  The hope is that these flash drives will allow students to save their photos and books and move them easily between the laptops and iPads without leaving them somewhere that risks accidental deletion.

Another interesting thing that I should have predicted, was the challenge of the early finisher!  So what do you do with a student who is so in his element that he finishes phase 2 while the majority of the group is still only part way through phase 1.   Well, my plan is to make him my assistant for the phase 2.  He has completed phase 2 and he did a great job so he is just as much an expert as I am!   Well that’s tomorrow.  Here is what happened last week.

The Lesson

Purpose:  To introduce students to moving files from cameras to flash drives and then to introduce and begin using Power point to create the story books.

21st Century Student Objectives:work creatively with others, implement innovations, solve problems, collaborate with others, create media products, apply technology effectively, adapt to change, manage goals and time, be self directed learners, interact effectively with others, manage projects, be responsible to others.

Step #1:  We began by demoing how to connect the cameras to the laptops.  Using the cameras as an external flash-drive allows the files to be opened in “Computer” and copied into the students personal flash drive.  We made sure that within the students flash drive there were file folders for photos and for books.(apply technology effectively)

Step #2:  In PowerPoint, students needed to pick a slide for the title and one that had space for the picture and the text.  The best slide seems to have the text space at the top so we needed to move that to the bottom.  Students could pick the background then duplicate the slide enough times to cover their story pages.  The next step was the most rewarding as students “insert” pictures and text making sure to pick the appropriate font.(create media products, implement innovations)  Then we record and add the audio.  The final step is to save the finished book on to the flash drive, into the “books” file folder. 

Review/Assessment  We continue to do our daily evaluations and review.  The majority of students are now finished their photos and are ready to do their first books(be self directed learners).  They have really had to work hard together to get their final shots(manage projects, manage goals and time).  By planning to have all their friends in their stories, they struggled to take turns, and decide who would take their photos in what order(work creatively with others,solve problems, collaborate with others, be responsible to others).  It created a real backlog of photos needed.  Our next challenge will be sharing the five laptops efficiently as the clog in photo taking moves to the computers.

Layering student completion is something that needs to be part of the plan.  They do it automatically in the beginning as some take charge more readily while others take a bit more time to get comfortable in their leadership role.  Eventually, you move into the bulge in the bell curve which will once again test students abilities to work and collaborate together fairly and responsibly.

 

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Lesson #5 – Classroom/Technology set-up

Feb 8

Posted by ederban in Planning | No Comments

If this is supposed to be a project that explores the use of technology in the classroom, why aren’t the students sitting down each day with an iPad or laptop making “full” use of these wonderful tools? Well, there are a few reasons:

  • we aren’t ready to start using the programs because students don’t have their plans and materials in place.
  • my room is not a computer lab most of the time and so, before each lesson, all the technology must be unpacked and hooked up (by me thus far which is about a 20min job)
  • the programs we will be using are fairly new to me.  So while students are getting their ideas and plans in order, I am working through how to use, create models and develop a plan on how to lead the students through their projects.
  • although students are surprisingly familiar with the equipment we are using, as a group their experiences and their confidence using the tools are not uniform.  I need them all to have the same information at each stage.  If that means some people have a repeat of what they already know, that will be OK as long as no one gets left behind.
  • they are way too excited!  This is a good thing but not if we haven’t laid out careful boundaries and expectations around use and care of the equipment before we use it.

This week, I have finally brought out the big stuff – more than just the cameras – the laptops.  Another new thing we will be doing is engaging in daily class meetings to review and consider previous days events and lessons.

The Lesson

The Purpose: To introduce students to taking out, setting up, signing in and putting away the laptops in our little classroom as a team.

21st Century Student Outcomes:  solve problems, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, think creatively, work creatively with others, create media products, apply technology effectively, adapt to change, be flexible, manage goals and time, work independently, be self directed learners, interact effectively with others, manage projects, be responsible to others, guide and lead others, be responsible to others.

Step #1  This is how it should look.  Before students arrived, I arranged the room the way I wanted it and how it has been set up for safe use (apply technology effectively).   The students were very excited to see everything out but quickly realized it did not mean they would be getting a lot of time in front of the screens.    I started by showing them the where and why the laptops were set up the way they were.

Step #2 The Tear-down I modeled for students my expectations around how to put the laptops away.  We talked about power chord safety, the internet drops, how to wind up power chords for neat storage and how to shut down and pack away the laptops.  After question, the ten students worked together to put away all the machines with the promise that the next step was to take them back out( work independently, interact effectively with others)!! I required that every student take a turn unplugging and collecting the chords.  More confident students went first and were happy to share their learning with the next ( guide and lead others).

Step #3 The Set-up Similar to the tear down, students were expected to use the careful care that I had modeled to set up all the lap tops.  Now, more familiar and confident, students worked together in pairs to set things up for the day (be self directed learners, manage projects).

Step #4 Signing in Once the machines were set up and turned on, we signed in.  The many confusing layers of protection that our big district has put in place make us feel safer with our students using the internet but the cost is; we need to do a few extra little things for future flexibility.  When students sign in, they need to do it once on every laptop so that each one will recognize them all as a potential user in future.  This is different from home but everyone was OK with taking the extra time(adapt to change).

Step #5 The new classroom agenda and layout Our final task was to take 11 chairs and create a semi circle in the space left by the tables being used for the workstations.  This semi-circle will be used today and everyday from now on to review our past day and plan our current one.    In our semi-circle I reviewed our new daily agenda:

  1. Set up the tables, pcs and chairs (first students who arrive begin, others pitch in as they arrive).
  2. In our semi-circle, review last days answers to the self reflection questions.
  3. Discuss everyone’s plan for the day.  Work together to make sure everyone is on track and is getting to use the technology they need. (solve problems, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, think creatively, work creatively with others, manage goals and time, be flexible, be responsible to others)
  4. Work on the project piece for the day.
  5. End the day with the self reflection questions recorded in exercise book (for now).
  6. Clean up the equipment.

Assessment/Reflection Students took the time to consider their learning, what they need to do next on their project, what went well today and what did not go well.  Students were very able to articulate what they learned while practicing set up and tear down and what tasks they have for next day.  The biggest concern shared by half the group is their slow progress taking their photos.  This will be where we start with our group discussion next day.

Lesson #4 – Picking up the Cameras

Jan 29

Posted by ederban in The lessons, Uncategorized | No Comments

Robert fakes a big fall - photo by Christos

This made me laugh!  The students’ energy was barely containable; in fact a few of us (mostly me) had to take time to self regulate with some deep breathing.  The day was perfect for photos in the kids opinion; sunny and clear for the first time in 2 weeks.

We had all the technology set and ready to go.  The students had their photo release forms signed and the stories were well on their way.

The Lesson

Purpose: To introduce and begin digital camera use for the purpose of illustrating the story books.

21st Century Student Outcomes: Think creatively, work creatively with others, using systems thinking, make judgments and decisions, solve problems, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, create media products, apply technology effectively, be self-directed learners, interact effectively with others, manage projects, guide and lead others, be responsible to others

Step #1 Completed storyboards were checked by peers and teacher for criteria(think creatively), spelling and grammar.  Students found it challenging to create text that was simple and that stayed in the present tense while conveying the story to the reader  (using systems thinking).
Step #2 We looked at a sample to give them an idea of what their final project would look like in PowerPoint.  Students considered how their story boards and photos could translate into the final product (using systems thinking).

Things that are blue

Step #3 Introducing the cameras was fairly quick and easy.  All of the students were basically familiar with how a digital camera works.  We did a quick review of:

  • the power button
  • the zoom
  • the differences between the Canon and Insignia cameras (functions, button location and batteries)
  • how to treat the camera (always wear the strap on your wrist and don’t view or delete your photos on site to save the batteries)
  • how and why to record your photo numbers as you take them using a Photo log.

While some students finished up, others began to play with the cameras.  By the end of Tuesday (2 periods), four students were able to report how the cameras were working and some things they had learned.

The boys

Step #3 Taking the photos began on Thursday. We were given 5 digital cameras to work with along with the iPad built in cameras.  We began by using the digital cameras with the plan to add the iPad camera use later in the project(apply technology effectively).   At the beginning of the period, there was about 15 minutes during which my teacher tolerance for overly excited students was pushed to its limit(collaborate with others).  After a short discussion of some rules, expectations and boundaries, the first finishers went out while the rest of the group madly rushed to catch up(make judgments and decisions, manage projects).   Soon enough we were all outside enjoying the crisp winter air and taking the first of many fabulous photos.  Before they left the classroom, students needed to take the following:

  1. a clip board and pencil
  2. photo log
  3. a completed storyboard
  4. a camera
  5. a partner(work creatively with others)
  6. props (be self-directed learners)
  7. a coat (most of them thought this was optional)

    The Monsters - photo by Violet

Within moments of going outside, one of the insignia cameras began to malfunction but students were generous and happy to share(solve problems).  Most of the student stories made use of our class members in the plot, so partners were able to share cameras easily as they included each other in various shots(collaborate with others,interact effectively with others,be responsible to others).  Students took turns directing their own shots(communicate clearly, guide and lead others).  Not everyone finished their list of photos but I was amazed at how well students followed their storyboards and used the concepts of photo taking that we had talked about in Lesson #3(create media products).  The photo log was not as well utilized.

John is lost - photo by Reggie

Step #4 Self Assessment/Reflection of the days events and learning happened back in the class.  Students needed to answer the following:

  1. How many more photos do you need to take next day?
  2. What did you learn today?
  3. What went well?
  4. What did not go well?

The responses were well thought out.  They all knew how many photos remained to be taken(manage projects).  Learning included: how to direct people, how to avoid shadows in your pictures, posing, keeping track of your stuff(make judgments and decisions).  Most thought things went well (9/10).  Things that did not go well included: people not listening to direction, needing better shots, needing to be more organized, controlling the contents of the shot, becoming distracted and not finishing or not getting a chance to take photos(interact effectively with others).

Next day we will begin with a discussion of the self-reflection and do some group problem solving.

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Equiptment Preparations, Set up and Storage

Jan 25

Posted by ederban in Planning | No Comments

The Equipment

We were very pleased to receive all our project technology a few weeks ago and have been working steadily to get it ready for student use.  In total we received 5 iPads, 5 visors, 5 iPad covers, 5 PCs, 5 mice, 3 Canon cameras, 2 Insignia cameras with cases, 5 SD cards and one Epson scanner.

The Technology support

The VSB has been supporting the project with all the technology set up.  The process began with a “footprint request” to our tech department which outlined what needed to be done and when.  Since then, our tech guy Daniel Lao has been wonderful at clarifying what I need by asking just the right questions around implementation and future use.  At this time we are waiting for Wifi at our school but expect it by the end of February.

The Set Up

With Daniel’s help we have done the following:

  • set up a series of 5 Internet connections (while we wait for Wifi)
  • Loaded Windows 2010 onto the PCs so students will have access to Powerpoint
  • prepped each of the PCs for use with the VSB server (including a demo for me)
  • set up the scanner
  • tested how the cameras interact with the computers
  • set up the canon cameras (this required charging the batteries, attaching the wrist strap, inserting and formatting the SD card)
  • set up the Insignia cameras (this required inserting the AA batteries, inserting the SD card, attaching a wrist strap and putting them in their cases)
  • iPads needed to have their visors put on and to be put in their cases before Daniel whisked them off to the board office.  There Daniel created a “cart” and an iTunes account for all five.   He has also loaded all the current VSB approved free apps.

I will be adding Pictello when the iPads come back.  The iTunes receipt will be generated in an email to the VSB which will be forwarded to me so I can process the reimbursement through SET BC.  It has been recommended to me that I pay for the apps with an iTunes card because it will avoid linking my personal credit card to the iTunes account that students could have access to.   The remainder of the card (less than $5) can be used for a cheap app later.

Update: Jan 29, 2012.  With a $25 iTunes card, one Pictello app was purchased for $18.99, with the VSB iTunes “cart” account.  Because the other iPads were linked to the cart, I was able to download Pictello to them all without having to purchase more than one licence.

Storage and Security

Storage and security of all this wonderful equipment has also been a serious consideration.  At first we thought a mobile AV cart would be best but stairs and secure storage with something that big is tricky.  Instead, we have chosen to go with two mid sized Rubbermaid Totes.  The iPads and cameras have their cases, but the PCs will need be protected by fabric covers (pillowcases really) while they are in the bin.  The bins are light, clean and easily stacked and stored in a locked storage area.

 

Lesson #3 The Story Board

Jan 20

Posted by ederban in The lessons | No Comments

At the end of our last lesson we did some brainstorming of different possible topics for our stories.  This week we took both our days together (4x45min) to create a rough plan and to begin to put our ideas down on a storyboard.

I have been trying to build my background knowledge about 21st Century classrooms and Skills while we have been preparing to dig into the meat of this project and one of the teaching concepts that my reading has re-emphasized, is the importance of considering learning styles during presentations and activities.  A dynamic response to my students needs and abilities is required during all parts of the lessons, practice, performance and assessment.

The Lesson

Purpose: To brainstorm, create a basic outline and then a storyboard to guide the creation of our story books at a later date.

21st Century Student Outcomes: think creatively, make judgments and decisions, work creatively with others, communicate clearly, collaborate with others, be flexible, analyse media

Step 1: Planning our stories.  Before jumping right into the planning, introduce the lesson agenda (brainstorm, plan and storyboard).  Revisit some of the ideas that were brainstormed at the end of last class.  Assess  the students’ readiness to move to the planning stage and do so if the majority are confident in their story book idea concept.  Those who are not ready to move on to planning can now be offered one-to-one support.

Offer students at least 2 different options of ways to plan their story but be open to other ways student might need to try (including scribing their ideas for them).  Most of my students used the following page from Communication for All.   Some also chose to use a web and still others needed minor scribing to help bridge the gap between their ideas and the paper(think creatively).

 

Step 2:  Clarifying “Events”.   I found that students struggled to take their big ideas and pare them down to fit in our little (8-18 page) story books.  Many of the students wanted to include complex problems, dramatic fight scenes and slapstick comedy.  It was helpful, to remind them of our intended audiences’ age, ability, interests and sensibilities(be flexible).  The books need to be Rated G and they need to be brief(make judgments and decisions).

To help open students’ minds to the variety of choices for story planning, we looked at the following slide from PowerPoint Story Mountain Planners for pupils also found at Communication for all.

Story planning – plot ideas

Step 3: The Storyboard.  Once students were able to offer proof that their story plan is complete, they moved on to the storyboard.   A completed story plan should be mostly on paper to use a reference but parts of it can be presented orally.

Students could choose from two different styles of storyboard.   In a previous lesson, students learned how to take a 11X17 paper and fold it 3 times to create 8 boxes.  The second option is below.

storyboard-template

The criteria for a completed storyboard is:

  1. The corrected text as it will be written in the book including any dialogue(communicate clearly).
  2. A black and white stick man drawing of the photo that will be taken.
  3. A comment about the camera angle.  To define the camera angles and the various affects camera angles have, we took a look at BBC Northern Ireland’s My Place My Space; a neat sight designed for kids who are creating their own film(analyse media).

Assessment:  Students storyboards will be informally assessed as they are completed by peers and then teacher.  Editors will be looking for the three criteria for each scene or page(work creatively with others, collaborate with others).  Text will need to be free of grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.  Depending on the student, the editor may need to support the student by scribing missing details.

Once, all the required information is present, students will be able to move on to taking the photos for their book.

 

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