point a to point b » Video

A Refreshing Look at a Hot Topic

Michael — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:00:30 +0000

We have certainly heard a lot about the H1N1 virus and what we should do to help prevent its spread. When I first read the email from BrainPOP that they had resources about H1N1 (swine flu), my first reaction was, “Oh, great, even Tim & Moby are talking about it.”

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised about the swine flu video for 2 reasons – first that it is directed at students, not adults (as all BrainPOP videos are), and secondly, the treatment of the vocabulary in the video is excellent. Any key vocabulary term used in the video is displayed clearly as the conversation ensues. The video displayed while the vocabulary is on the screen gives visual cues to what the term means. This provides reinforcement for the key points, and develops vocabulary skills.

I think the video is a good conversation starter or reinforcement to help kids express their questions and/or opinions about the H1N1 virus. Check it out:

You can also check out the BrainPOP section on Swine Flu or BrainPOP Jr. video on Hand Washing.

Hello Crew!

Michael — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:49:41 +0000

Hello video announcements crew! I just finished a workshop at Amherst Middle with Mr. Z. on using Visual Communicator. Click on the video below to see some of what I learned.

Let me know what you think, and see you in August!

Bravo, Ladies!

Michael — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:18:32 +0000

Three students from Heim recently won the Generation YES Go Green video contest. In the contest, students were directed to produce a video about how our school is Green and/or how it could be better at it. In the GenYES spirit, all aspects had to be student-driven. I can tell you without a doubt it was, and doing so proves how much our students can do given the right resources.

Once Caroline was approached about this contest by Mrs. Merlino, she immediately enlisted Mary and Kelly to join in. The only time I heard from them is when they needed a resource, or some guidance in how to do something. They did it all, and a fine job they did.

See the winning video at the Generation YES site here, along with the other talented student winners from California. Their videos will be featured at the National Educational Computing Conference in San Antonio June 29-July 2. Bravo, Ladies!

Performing Knowledge

Michael — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:55:42 +0000

We recently completed a video project with one of our social studies teachers. This 7th grade project involved students picking one topic from the curriculum, and interpreting it with video in some form. We showed the students some samples from TeacherTube, including some done locally in a Buffalo high school. We then set them loose with teams, storyboards, equipment, and guidance.

What I love about video projects is that since the focus is on performing knowledge, rather than just repeating knowledge, you get a better picture of what the students really know. While this can be either rewarding or scary, it still gets to the deeper understandings they have.

Quite a few different classes have created video projects this year, with some exciting results. I’m looking forward to many more next year!

Image citation:

18th-Century Engraving of Commedia Dell’arte Actors on Stage. Corbis. 2006.
unitedstreaming. 29 May 2008

Video Poems

Michael — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:59:34 +0000

We just finished a video poem project with Mrs. Calandra’s classes. The idea came from a Creative Educator article I have on my digital storytelling page. The twist we added was to have the students put imagery to their own original poetry. I have to say I was very excited by the level of work everyone did. I hope to be able to post some of the student work here in the near future (working on the logistics/legal stuff regarding that now…)

In the mean time, the students motivated me to create my own piece. I chose to write a reflective poem about one of my favorite books that I just re-read, Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I also wrote a little refelction on my Shelfari page about the book.

Thanks to the students in Mrs. Calandra’s class for motivating me on this – I hope you like it. (click below to play)

Jonathan

Dodging, swooping, yelling, screaming;
Why don’t you stay away?
Useless, crass, dirty, rude;
Please GO AWAY.

I did not see you since you were off on your
own.
When you soared by I thought you were
one of the bunch.

How is it possible we want the same things?
What makes us so much the same although we are
vastly different?

PLEASE let me
fly with you.

Sweet Camcorder

Michael — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:17:54 +0000

I was at a friend’s house over the weekend for a suprise party. They have a brand new HD camcorder that I noticed on the counter. You know how sometimes you see something, pick it up, and get that OH WOW feeling? Well that’s just what I got with this baby…it’s a JVC Everio GZ-HD3, 60 GB hard drive, HD camcorder.

There are a number of wow things on it, and I do not know how JVC HD camcorders stack up to the competition, but I can tell you that picking this up and using it was awesome. Among the things in this $700 (via Amazon) package is a 3CCD lens, HD recording, HDMI connector, external mic input, and lots more. In terms of connections to other devices – take a look:

It is amazing to see what a (comparatively) small amount of money will buy in camcorders these days. We paid the same, or more, for cameras just a few years ago that do not hold a candle to what this has on board.

The HD movement in video, and digital broadcasting of all TV by next year, has lots of implications for how we move forward in schools. We have no equipment that truly supports the new video standards. A camcorder such as this JVC model would be the tip of a huge iceberg in terms of the type of equipment we would need to realize its potential. While we begin to think about that, I’ll have my nose pressed up against the store window drooling at this delightful piece of technology!

Image citation:
“Everio GZ-HD3.” JVC Video Camcorder Site. JVC Corp. 8 Mar. 2008 . Path: Everio High Definition; GZ-HD3.

Reflecting on our French Video Project

Michael — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:03:34 +0000

Now that you have finished your French video project on shopping, take a few mintues to reflect and respond to the following questions.

Did your French speaking get significantly better by doing this project? Was it easier or harder than if we just did a speaking piece in class?
Was there more value doing this project as a movie than doing it as a skit in the classroom?

Your honest feedback is just fine (meaning you won’t hurt our feelings). Please use complete sentences and thoughts – no chat language, please!

Reflecting on Our Digital Storytelling Project

Michael — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:47:22 +0000

Now that we have finished the personal narrative piece in ELA incorporating digital storytelling, please take a few minutes to answer the following questions.

Do you think your writing improved as a result of this project? Give at least two reasons why or why not.
How was this project different than if we simply wrote a personal narrative?
Would you want to do something like this again?

Just around the bend…

Michael — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:22:45 +0000

…is the 2007 installment of the state educational computing conference, sponsored by NYSCATE. I’ve been browsing the program, and there are many interesting sessions to choose from. My favorite part about the conference is getting time to spend with national (and international) experts in educational technology. I’m signed up to spend a pre-conference day with David Jakes, and due to a very recent change in my schedule, I can attend the Constructivist Consortium Celebration (if there is still room) with Gary Stager, Sylvia Martinez, et al. The Celebration debuted at NECC this past July and sounded terrific. I’m glad they are bringing the celebration to New York.

My session, Digital Storytelling to Captivate and Motivate, is on Tuesday at 10:30. I’m really excited about how it has come together. The conference last year helped push me to where I am in helping learners tell their stories (see this post from last year). My presentation is on this page here at pointatopointb.

Looking forward to a great conference!

Image citation:
“The Quest for Success.” 2007 NYSCATE Annual Conf. New York State Assn. for Computers and Technologies in Education. 11 Nov. 2007 .

Oh, and the Other Thing Today…

Michael — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:36:55 +0000

So today was one of those “sneaker days” as I call them. Running from project to project and room to room. These days are awesome…

Mrs. Leone’s 8th grade spanish class finished the first digital storytelling project for the year today. Students had to be filmed in an interview situation with a partner. The content focus is to review the important basic communication elements they have learned for the past 3 years. The medium allowed them to create their own scenario for the interview. There were some clever ideas, and the time allottment was not big at all – just 3 days of classtime for editing (including exporting/burning). More importantly are 2 things: students were on task and self-directed (motivatied and captivated) since they were working on video of their own creation; and the product is tangible and lasting – the video will exist for as long as we want it to.

We have spawned a series of storytelling projects already this year, and I think we are going to be very happy with the results!

Image citation:
“Typewriter with the Word Digital.” Online image. PowerMediaPlus.com. 5 October 2007.