Why I haven't blogged in 6 months

While I've been actively reading other edutech blogs this school year, I have not posted much. That is because in June 2008, I found out that I was pregnant. And on Monday, February 9th at 6:07 AM, my husband and I welcomed our first child, Charlie Star, into the world. Charlie is named after my maternal grandfather who passed when I was young. My husband picked her middle name. She is my heart! Although, I'm suffering from a bit of sleep deprivation, we are all doing well. Of course, Charlie has totally changed my outlook and schedule (I'm stealing time now while she is sleep to post this.) But I would not change this experience for anything. Hopefully, as things settle down, and I get back to work, I can rejoin this digital conversation.

What type of blogger are you?

Just heard about this neat site called Typelyzer via the Cool Cat Teacher Blog that will analyze your blog writing style and theorize your personality traits. Here's what it said about me:

The analysis indicates that the author of http://thehappyhappyapple.blogspot.com/ is of the type:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.


While not totally accurate, this analysis does hit pretty close to home. I think I'm more of a creative-type than an active outdoorsy-type. But the "impulsive, starting something new" description was dead on.

The other good thing about this post was that I found out about another blog, The ETLMS Blog which is sponsored by Oakland Schools -- my district! I don't know how long Oakland Schools has been offering the option of starting a blog on their site, but I think it's a fantastic way to keep the dialogue about educational technology open -- especially at home. And I can't wait to explore the other blogs on the site. Thank you Cool Cat!

Typealyzer

VIDEO: Do You Believe In Me?

Just saw this post on James Hollis' blog. Had me in tears... What a great way to start the school year.

Our Movie is Finished!

We finally finished our reader's theater movie of Three Cheers for Tacky a few weeks ago. It was definitely a learning experience for the students -- and myself. Right now, my main concern is getting it uploaded. More commentary on the process/bugs/lessons learned below.

I got the idea of making a movie with my first grade students after visiting Mathew Needleman's site, Video in the Classroom.com. (Be sure to visit his blog too!!) I was very impressed with the improved reading scores he noted with his ESL students after creating a Readers' Theater movie with them. The idea of allowing students to learn reading within a digital medium also impressed me. So in February, we began shooting Three Cheers for Tacky.

Initial Preparations
The students became extremely excited once they learned we were making a movie. Once I finished the script, we practiced our dramatic readings in class. I also gave the students personal scripts to take home so they could continue to practice their lines. We discussed what emotions they wanted to display in their voices while reading.

Costumes
I had a found a simple penguin costume design online, using a hooded black sweatshirt with felt beak and eyes attached. I sent this home with the "penguin students." I had two students who had different costumes; they were the walrus judge and polar bear judge. Their costumes consisted of a gray sweat outfit and a white hooded sweat outfit with bear ears attached. My parents' support for this project was phenomenal!

Audio
I had a SmartBoard installed in my classroom this year. So when we recorded the audio for the movie using Audacity, I let the class see what the soundwaves looked like. They began to to quickly understand how the software worked. I heard comments like: "She'll have to record that again. The lines aren't big enough!"

Shooting
I'm so glad that Matthew recommends using a storyboard to guide the pictures of the movie. Even though I don't think my pictures are the best, without the storyboard, they would have been a lot worse.

You'll notice that in the pictures, the students are standing in front of a green background. That's because Mrs. Bit-Off-More-Than-She-Can-Chew thought she could do a green screen effect on her first movie! As you can see, it didn't happen.

Putting It All Together
Once the shots were done, I uploaded them into Photo Story 3 (a free Microsoft program). I decided to not to just use Movie Maker because it did not have a wide variety of zooms and transitions like Photo Story did. After I finished editing the timing of the zooms and transitions in Photo Story, I exported the file into Movie Maker to add the credits and audio.

Movie Premier
If you stay tuned after the credits, you'll see a brief movie of our "Red Carpet Movie Premier." Again, my parents' support was wonderful! The students dressed up in their movie star threads and shades and walked the red carpet. Paparazzi-parents and relatives snapped pictures while the stars posed and strutted. I didn't get pictures of all the students who were there as I was setting up for the movie, but we had a great turn out. So much fun!

What I Learned...
Overall, creating the movie was a wonderful process. I'll definitely attempt it again next year. However, some of the audio did not match up perfectly with the visuals. Next time, I think I will do the visuals first and have the students read their lines while looking at the movie (like voice actors do for animated films). Also, I will add music during the actual course of the movie. This summer I plan to look for some inexpensive movie editing software to help this process go smoother next year. (What I really need is a Mac!!) Anyone have any suggestions?

Many thanks again to Matthew for inspiring this project! Your site is a wonderful resource for teachers looking for ways to use technology effectively!!

Hey You Guuuuyyyys!! They're Back!

While doing some research for a parent meeting presentation, I stumbled across some good news. One of the best educational tv shows is returning to the small screen. That's right -- The Electric Company is coming back! Right now, in NYC, new episodes are being filmed. The new show is slated to run in January of 2009. While I know they will update the show to appeal to today's youth, my heart will always belong to the orange-hued, scanimation-filled original. The show helped me continue a love of words and language that was started by my parents. Hopefully, the new show will do the same for a new generation. "Sounds righteous, delightious, and out-of-sighteous! Heavy, heavy [*finger snap*], heavy! Ha-ah!"

NY Times Article: "PBS Revives a Show That Shines a Light on Reading"

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

Ok. I've been on Twitter for a few months now. And while I think that it is applicable in an educational setting, I don't feel that I have been using it very effectively. In fact, for a while, I even removed my Twitter widget on my blog.

Then, about a month ago, I tweeted that I had posted about Google's Android software. And Vicki Davis (I know this is late -- but thank you!) actually linked my post! So then it started to click with me that the content of my tweets needed to be different from what I would send to my sister, for example. It needed to have a professional focus. Duh! Tweet about a blog post, an educational resource, ask a question, etc. Now, the whole point of tweeting started to make sense.

I just wish there was a way to integrate Twitter into my Google reader. Does anybody know if this is possible? Hey, I think I'll tweet it and see what happens...

Anyhoo, watch the video posted at Utech Tips. Thank you, Jeff, for posting.

 

 

Sent to you by Mrs. Green via Google Reader:

 

 

Jeff Loves Twitter

via U Tech Tips by utechtips@gmail.com (Jeff Utecht) on 5/7/08

Me personally….well that is another story. But for those of you trying to figure it out, learn about twitter in Plain English:

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to U Tech Tips using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

PowerPoint Games and Voicethread Presentation

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of presenting at Oakland Schools' 2008 PowerUP Conference. It was my first time presenting in front an audience outside of school, so needless to say, I was very nervous. So while things did not go exactly as I had planned, I am happy to have had the experience. And I learned the most important thing: make a backup of the backup.

Anyway, my topic was Using PowerPoint Games and Voicethread in the Classroom. PowerPoint game templates are fun easy way to use technology in the classroom, especially if you have some sort of data projection available (like a SmartBoard or TVator, etc.) For those who may not feel all that comfortable with technology, PowerPoint Game templates are one way to ease into technology integration pool. The kids absolutely love them, they can be used for any grade level and subject, and there are tons of games available for download online. I personally like the Jeopardy templates and have used them with my first graders for a few years now. It is a great way to review material before a test.

Voicethread is fantastic online site that allows you to upload photos, video, or PowerPoint slides and then add narrative text or audio to your visuals. It is a great way to introduce your students to digital storytelling. I've also used the site for spelling practice and math casts. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it. Voicethread also has added an community specifically for teachers and students, so definitely check it out.

Oh yeah. Here is the presentation...