There are 29 results using the search term Van Gogh that include video, images, and encyclopedia articles. There is also a series called One Minute in a  Museum for grades 3-5 with 58 different pieces of art analyzed by three animated characters- Rafael, Mona, and Nabi. Their witty banter gives students background on the art as well as a child’s perspective.

The series Discovering the Arts consists of eight full videos for grades 6 – 12 on arts topics such as Impressionism and Beyond, Careers in Film, Masters of Color (Matisse and Picasso), Careers in Song and Dance, and more. There is also the Discovering Fine Arts series for 9-12, the Art Start series for grades 3-5 where students discover techniques for working with a variety of artistic media, and the Painting Pictures series of videos for K-2  which encourage students’ creativity and imagination with unique profiles of famous paintings by including children’s insights on  well-known works of art.

The results of a Guggenheim study released in 2010 showed the students in the Learning through Arts program scored higher in flexibility (the ability to revise or rethink one’s plans when faced with challenges), connection of ends and aims (the ability to reflect on whether one’s final work of art met the intended goals), and resource recognition (the ability to identify additional materials that could be applied to the completion of the project). According to Kim Kanatani of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, “By asking students to think like artists, we are imparting 21st-century skills in encouraging them to approach problems with creativity and analytic thought rather than just recitation of facts.”

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a 21st Century Skills Map for the Arts. Check it out here. “Starry Nights” may lead to starry tomorrows for our 21st century learners.

Other sites to check out:
Smithsonian’s Everything Art, Famous Paintings – Art Appreciation Lessons for Kids, Artcyclopedia

Flying solo, DEN STAR Brandon Lutz #60in6012

Last year’s P.A.E.C.T. Advocate of the Year, this year’s P.A.E.C.T. Southeast Regional Director, and always a DEN (super) STAR, Brandon Lutz is a legend at PETE&C any year. His name is synonymous with 60 in 60, a presentation that packs an overflowing full house eager to cheer him as he achieves the superman impossible: 60 tools in 60 minutes. Hard to find a faster hour, unless it’s his App Attack: 60 Apps in 60 Minutes. Brandon challenges any blogger to keep up with his pace, so his generosity in sharing his work ahead of time makes him one of my favorite perennial presenters. Here’s his Prezi. You can find additional 60 in 60 resources here. His Scribd Cheat Sheet appears at the end of this post.

The countdown begins...

Brandon began his presentation by noting he has added 50 new since last year because he is always trying to keep his work fresh, timely, and relevant. Billed by Brandon as a wine tasting of web tools, he recognized that there are different times for different tools. Always keeping his audience in mind, he supplied contact information and directed participants to his cheat sheet: the list of 60, linked, open space for note taking. Thoughtful touch. Brandon’s goal: 10 sites you want to check out and share with your community. Following a Wiggins and McTighe precept, knowing the end before you begin, Brandon did it again, beating the clock while making learning meaningful. Each tool is linked after the number. The countdown begins.

1. Prezi: Keynote or PowerPoint is Prezi, a whole new concept in presentation media. Brandon’s presentations (past and present) are done in it. Yon don’t need software;  just a quick download, then create.
2. 

   You would appear on the right, replacing the stick figure.

   PresentMe: allows you to put yourself next to a PowerPoint presentation so you can talk about it in a split frame screen; a good presentation vehicle when you cannot appear in person. Use the webcam and microphone on your computer to record yourself giving a PowerPoint presentation. Very cool tool.

3. Much Enough: an interesting concept and the way education is moving; create a class for free. Can be a tutoring session or an adjunct to your class; set times and book sessions for free open time or office hours online.
4. Edmodo: a Facebook type interface within a safe environment, Edmodo requires a code for students to join a class group established by a teacher; can attach almost anything; students submit via Edmoda so a paperless classroom; can send graded work back to students. Excellent for sharing in a closed secure environment.
5. 

   Goodbye, Diigo. Hello, Pearltrees.

   Pearltrees: (mentioned in App Attack) creates a visual environment for bookmarks, resembling pearls on a tree. This tool enables a drill-down scaffolding of items bookmarked. Must try it; a visual delight. Good-bye Diigo.

6. Flubaroo: script that works with Google Forms; set up a form and the top line is the answer key; Flubaroo scores you for it. Brandon noted it is complicated but has great site explanations.
7. Gooru Learning: a content grasper; math/science based;  click on link and you get interactives based on one topic. This tool gives you a plethora of resources (almost more than you need); you can set up a collection for your students. An overabundant resource.
8. Study Ladder: portal for grades 3-8; differentiates instruction based on needs; has interactives with an open whiteboard version.
9. 

   The Internet for Kids: safe, secure, with parent feedback

   Kid Zui: kid-friendly web browser known as “the internet for kids”; allows a free safe filtered environment. Kid Zui makes Facebook “safe” because of its Facebook integration; you can see your children’s visits and have them reported via email. Best of all, especially if you’re a Firefox user, you can download the add-on, integrated into your browser.

10. Reading Bear: reading website for K-3; has a wide variety of interactive flashcards; great for lower primary students; teaches reading.
11. Star Fall: also lower primary; an alphabet learner and an early reading tool with books that you can read to your children/students or they can be read to from Star Fall; K-3 level.
12. HippoCampus: brings the content to you, based on math and science; click topic and it delivers interactives to you without searching. Very cool tool!
13. Learn Zillion: math lessons; click topic and connect to common core standards by lesson and practice. Taught by teachers in video format; great for LS reinforcement; a cleaner approach than Khan Academy.
14. Math Train: students make math videos and podcast to the world; similar to the Khan Academy but with a Common Craft approach–simple but excellent.
15. Side Vibe: offers turbocharged web questing, placing the student in online discussion and activities in a direct context; 50 students for free with a charge at 51+. Lets the website and discussions view in a split screen, side by side, answering questions while watching videos in a confined environment, keeping students focused.
16. 

    2/2 60 in 60 (2nd presentation of 2 on day 2)

    School Notes: simplified way to communicate with your classes; a very simplified version of Edmodo.

17. Yacapaca: creates quizzes and surveys and modifies content and assessments; shared with fellow users, if you choose and has a popularity rating to help you make decisions on others’ sharings.
18. Simple Meet: creates a safe, non-login chat room for students; you get an email of all your students discuss; also good for staff development.
19. BlockSite: a Firefox addon that lets you filter any website you want to access that exists in a blocked environment.
20. Class Dojo (mentioned App Attack); assigns + or – behaviors to students in a class. Brandon’s favorite app/web tool but, as in the App Attack presentation, he cautions against displaying negative behaviors on a white board.
21. Gnowledge: test and quiz generation site with images, text; easy to create and share with students.
22. DropBox: file collector; especially good for dropping large files into it; flashdrive free w/24/7 access. You get 2 MG free, but if you go through the tutorial, your free gift is additional space.
23. dushare: send large files without a login with ease; up to 100 mgs; an alternative to DropBox.
24. 

    An interactive book creator for MACs

    iBooks Author: in Apple Lion, a free download lets you create your own virtual interactive textbook with ease of use; better than ePub and had 3D interactive images.

25. Remind 101: safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents; SMS or email students/staff; students have to come to you to request to join.
26. Oh Life: journal site with sent emails; if you respond, the site collects the information and then in a week sends it back to you; a gentler way to engage in journaling with reminders.
27. Boom Writer: grades 4 and up; engages students in reading, writing, creating, and competing; stories can be selected as part of the larger theme selected for writing; does not identify students’ names.
28. 

    A good way to do RA online

    Scrible: an easy to share online annotation site with iPad app; highlight text and send link to students; they can continue the highlighting. An interesting way to go digital with reading apprenticeship techniques.

29. Paper Rater: helps grade papers with a plagerism checker plus other writing tool correctors; a good proofreading tool for students before submitting work for assessment.
30. NBC Learn: brought their educational content into this site and are charging, but some parts of the site are free (science).
31. YouTube Teachers: creates a safe channel for your students for asynchronous learning; easier to unblock at schools than the more ubiquitous YouTube.
32. Capzles: creates a whole new dimension of learning and sharing. Enjoy this explanatory video made by DEN STAR Jennifer Brinson. If you missed her groundbreaking PETE&C session, Moving Our World One Project at a Time,  presented by 3 of her senior economics students, you can read about it by clicking this link.   
33. Docs Teach: looks at National Archives and combines interactives with archives; shared by teachers, making a bank of materials available without reinventing the wheel.
34. UsefulCharts: charge for printed copy but free for whiteboard use; very comprehensive and can be screenshot for other use, but it’s a chart without links.
35. 

    QR code at work

    Desktop QR Code Reader: download and have for your desktop.

36. QR Notes: lets you select an image, give it a title, image, and note.
37. QR Voice: scan QR code and it will read it back to your on your phone; a text-audio renderer.
38. ptable: interactive periodic table.
39. Screenr: free screencasting program web-based; select what you want to record and record it; Brandon used screenr to record the periodic table shown in his presentation.
40. 1001 Free Fonts: different fonts for graphic style; very cool fonts for posters, handouts, but not typing documents. If you love fonts, this is your new cool tool.
41. Jeopardy Labs: online jeopardy game with assessments; the easiest way to build a Jeopardy quiz; great for reviewing; can be downloaded and kept for future use.
42. 

    Study Blue: free mobile apps, too!

    Study Blue: flashcard site (mentioned in App Attack); tests students, web-based.

43. Cacoo: diagram site for step-by-step organizing; a good graphic organizer.
44. spaaze: an infinite virtual cork board; accepts videos, images, text, sites; great brainstorming tool; similar to Wall Wisher but with infinitely more flexibility.
45. Free Sound: all kinds of sounds; over 45,000 and copyright free; great for podcasting; Brandon cautions: there are inappropriate sounds, though, so be careful if you let your students use it.
46. Vocaroo: simple recording site; it just doesn’t get any easier. I love this site because it gives you options for a link and embeddable code. I used to use this site to create lesson plans for students, then posted to Moodle. This is a great EASY tool to use for differentiated instruction. Love it.
47. 

    You have to try this one (http://ifttt.com/)!

    ifttt (if this then that): saves visiting several social networking sites; check this one out; lets sites talk to one another by following the simple if this…then that. Just visit the site. Very cool tool.

48. Blabbarize: an oldie but goodie; lets non-talking things talk (remember the talking alpaca).
49. fotababble: lets you tell your stories with talking photos and slideshows.
50. Jelly Cam: Mark Perlman at his best, doing a demo; has apps for a smart phone; a download with Adobe Air; good for stop motion using a computer.
51. VoiceThread: 3 accounts free for teachers and then a paid site; text, audio, video, and drawing responses. An excellent collaborative tool.
52. Producteev: a task list website; has an app; lets you create a task group with one other person; emails you pre/post task reminders; interfaces with Google.
53. Paper.li: a newspaper-type aggregator. Jennifer Brinson’s students decide what content goes into their paper.li daily, Moving Our World.
54. Tweet Chat: can create a chat room with a hash tag or can search by hash tag for academic public content; a filter for Twitter for people who do not want to use Twitter directly.
55. 

    Super Simple, Fast, and Fun!

    pen.io: allows you to create a website without a login; is password protected for editing; has all the usual frills and you get a quick and easy site (not elaborate but can be done in a non-block class frame).

56. Sumdog: login and play games with other students; builds math skills; a robust site that continues to add content.
57. Pattern Cooler: graphic design and web design lets you customize patterns and download as a .png file. This site is really worth investigating; like what it lets you do with customization of a stock image.
58. Pinterest: aggregates urls by image but can add text; you can allow people to add content. My favorite new site; has a mobile app, and has made the Top 10 Social Networking sites.
59. Mentimeter: quick and easy way to poll students, staff; super simple poll site; can answer with laptop or mobile device; gives you QR code to answer codes.
60. Google Forms: an oldie but goodie; Brandon added a QR code for his own survey, which takes GF into the present and ends Brandon’s presentation.

Another amazing presentation, the second of two 60in60 presentations in one day!

PETEC201260in60CheatSheet

Related articles

• APP ATTACK! 60 Apps in 60 Minutes with Brandon Lutz & Scott Snyder (discoveryeducation.com)
• Join Discovery Education at ASTE 2012! (discoveryeducation.com)

Supermen Scott Snyder & Brandon Lutz: 60 Apps in 60 Minutes

Are you ready for the fastest 60 minutes on the planet? Is there a faster conference session anywhere? Yes, if you count Brandon Lutz‘s legendary 60 in 60 crowd pleaser, possibly the most popular session at PETE&C any year. Lutz and his co-presenter Scott Snyder, both DEN STARS, have achieved legend status, famous for a full house, so much so these presentations were moved to a larger venue at Hotel Hershey. And they still pack them in. A special thank you, Brandon, for sending the Prezi code in advance, a blogger’s heaven. Here’s the Prezi. You can find additional App Attack resources here.

60 Apps in 60 Minutes: Making the Impossible Possible

Making the impossible possible, Brandon and Scott began their presentation with emails: blutz01@gmail.com and ssnyder963@gmail.com. They welcome comments and feedback from virtual (part of the Virtual PETE&C Conference) and live audiences. Scott welcomed the virtual audience since this session is streamed, archived, and an available reference in the future. Brandon began with a Sock Puppets introduction. A fast-paced session, the only slow part was the intro from PETE&C Red Shirt Ambassadors.

This session has Android and Apple apps and where applicable will be listed and linked as Apple and Android. Unless otherwise noted, apps are free.

1. Posterous‘s mobile app lets you blog on the go and follow people as well; Apple; Android.
2. 

   Scott & Brandon working the App Attack audience

   Cardio Trainer tracks on a GPS the distance you travel, the carbs you burn, and your overall progress. Android.

3. Pearltrees lets you add your links as a pearl or a folder in a visual environment. Apple.
4. Cloud On lets you open a spreadsheet or a document easily, enabling editing and saving to a dropbox. Apple.
5. Qik is a streaming tool; stream your classes with a private link and parents have a window into your teaching environment. Qik also archives. Apple, Android.
6. Grocery Gadget lets you maintain shopping lists jointly. A great app for LifeSmarts classes to teach students organizational and budgeting skills. Apple, Android. Free to $3.99.
7. 

   Brandon before the crushing pace begins...

   Instapaper lets you save web links and gives you the opening paragraph without ads and distractions. Sync your device and you can read offline. Apple. $4.99.

8. Byline lets you connect to your RSS feeds, syncs and caches your readers, and provides articles by groups. Apple. Free / $2.99.
9. DropBox syncs all your devices and aggregates them in one place. Apple, Android.
10. Box is a web storage spot with teaching relevance as a digital locker. Great storage platform that enables editing, footnotes and the like. Apple, Android.
11. Sound Hound identifies music you tap and play. Apple, Android.
12. Falling Stars plays music with visual animations. You can create copyright free music with this app. Apple.
13. 

    Waiting for the shuttle...one last systems check

    Mobile QR Scanners-Droid or iPad-let you scan virtual information codes into your device. Apple: QR Scanner, QR Droid.

14. InAWorld Drama and Comedy lets you create fast video trailers. Apple. $1.99.
15. Puffin plays flash on Apple devices. LOVE IT! Apple, Android. $0.99.
16. 360 Web Browser allows integration with your Dropbox and Firefox sync; incorporates bookmarks and history into your browser. Apple. Free / $0.99.
17. Diigo Browser brings annotating pages into your browser by tab browsing. Very memory friendly. Apple, Android.
18. Firefox Home (love this one) maintains your desktop history and bookmarks. Apple, Android.
19. Opera Mini compresses pages quickly before sending to your device; if a school’s system is slow, this app pushes the website through quickly. Apple, Android.
20. 

    See and be seen--best business card in the room?

    1Password tracks all your passwords and syncs across multiple platforms. It’s not free but worth the cost to sync everything at the same time. Gives you a password connected file and is password protected. Pricey but love the layers of protection. Apple, Android. $9.99 / $14.99.

21. Sock Puppets lets you create a 30-second lip synced video. This is the tool Scott and Brandon used for their introductions. Very cool and very fast way to tell a story. A pay version gives you more than 30 seconds. Apple.
22. Puppet Pals creates unique animations for digital storytelling. Apple. Free / 2.99.
23. Strip Design creates mobile comic strips. Apple. $0.99.
24. Toontastic is Puppet Pals on steroids; you create puppet videos and aggregate them into a digital story. Very flexible with nice editing features. Apple.
25. 

    Can you feel Scott's excitement?

    AudioBoo records and shares your voice with the world and posts to the web or emails to friends. Can DropBox as well. Apple.

26. Animoto is content creation at its best; what you knew on the web comes to your mobile device. Free version gives you 30 seconds; the pro is worth the small fee and if you have pro on your computer, it follows you to the mobile app. Must add that this is my favorite app because I have been an Animoto user in and out of the classroom for years, and if you haven’t used Animoto yet, what are you waiting for. Apple.
27. Study Blue is a flashcards app. Apple, Android.
28. Assist uses bubble sheets that are downloadable for classroom sets. Scott suggests laminating and using them with a scantron for instant grading and accuracy. You can wipe the laminate clean and reuse. Good assessment tool for indexing what students have learned or for an exit ticket. Apple.
29. Board Cam Lite turns your iPad into an enhanced document camera; works with very small images and expands them. Similar to Hall Davidson’s DENPreCon presentation when he demonstrated how you can attach a magnifier to your iPad. This app is grommet free. Apple.
30. ShowMe is Scott’s favorite app, dating back to when it appeared in beta version. A great app for a flipped classroom. Makes short videos similar to Lee LeFever‘s Explanations in Plain English Common Craft videos. That would be reason enough for me to download this app. Apple.
31. ScreenChomp is similar to ShowMe; you need to try this app to experience its ease of use. Basically, ScreenChomp is similar to Camtasia or Jing, a tiny app but big on power. Lets you screencast and the nice thing about this app–the developers continue to develop, adding scrolling and other features that feedback indicates are user needs. Take a look at this one; it’s a mighty little app that saves to the Chomp library, AND it has a whiteboard app you can download as well. Beginning to see why I really embrace this app…
32.  iReview is a flashcard app similar to Quizlet. Apple.
33. Algebra Touch teaches the basics of algebra but allows students to interact. Our presenters say it’s worth the cost. Apple. $2.99.
34. 

    The Akinator Approach

    Akinator can read your mind and tell you what character you are thinking about, just by asking a few questions. It’s a different way of thinking about people, real or not. Don’t let the look/feel of this app fool you into thinking it’s a primary/middle school app. Our audience of adults were charmed by this app. Useful at any grade level and works great for a review session; it’s also a much better way to do a KWL analysis. Love this app but Apple only. Worth the cost. Apple. $1.99.

35. Producteev lets you collect your tasks and share them with one other person. It is a task management and a to do list tool. Apple, Android.
36. Elements is a basic text editor that saves files to and integrates with DropBox. You can sync and go paperless with this app. Not your priciest app but up there, but for the affordances, I think this will be the first app I download after I post. Apple. $4.99.
37. Office2 & Office2 HD allows more creation and editing. Coordinates with Google Docs, and for that feature alone, worth the investment. Apple. $5.99 / $7.99.
38. GoodReader reads or looks at almost anything. Now you can annotate text files or magazines and integrates with iCloud. Good if you want to read by yourself. Of all the reader apps, this one is my favorite. Apple. $4.99.
39. iAnnotate PDF lets you highlight, annotate, edit with 3 saving options: normal, layered, or flattened, all of which enable either sharing or levels of privacy. Apple. $9.99.
40. CatchNotes captures ideas and experiences and shares them: voice notes, text fragments, longer messages, images and locations are caught, organized and saved for when you’re ready to access them. Apple, Android.

41. 

    On point and on time–amazing!

    Evernote is great for taking notes. Take a photo of your notes and insert them into Evernote; this app eliminates notetaking. You can create folders, attach PDFs and documents, checklists, and you can share them out. Apple, Android.

42. Skitch Mobile lets you annotate images. Just like the computer version, but for a mobile app and easy to use. Send your Skitch to Evernote. Easy integration between these two apps. I’ve been using Skitch for a long time and liked learning there was a mobile app. Apple, Android.
43. Side By Side splits a screen horizontally and vertically, but can also split the view into 4 quads. Great for multitasking. Apple.
44. ScratchWork lets you create notes with an original document on the left. Apple.
45. AppShopper assembles your apps and wish list favorites, sales, and top apps; emails you when a wish list app goes on sale. Apple.
46. 

    Our DEN STARS Brandon AND Scott

    Class Dojo is a web app; go to a url and access it to create a home page on your device. You can upload class lists and award behaviors with icons or emoticons. Brandon and Scott caution against displaying negative emoticons for student behavior. Web Link.

47. Infinote creates work spaces and pins notes to a board; similar to Wall Wisher with much expandable space. Apple. $2.99.
48. Teacher’s Pick randomly calls on students in your class; very cool app because it lets you track responses with icons. Apple. $0.99.
49. Attendance tracks tardies and movement in/out of classroom. You can customize attendance codes and can group students. Apple. $4.99.
50. TapForms is a database app to track content using pre-made forms or fields that are list based. A good app for professional use (think instructional coaching). Apple. Free / $6.99 / $8.99.
51. Splash Top Remote allows you to sync your iPad with your computer screen; costs $4.99 but gives you freedom of movement in your classroom. This app streams video and audio files and allows you to interact with PowerPoints. Apple, Android. $4.99.
52. Mobile Mouse Lite lets you manipulate your computer or laptop with a digital mouse; works on iPhone. Apple.
53. Prezi Viewer lets you view Prezis on you iPad by downloading them to your iPad. Now you can edit as well in this app. Apple.
54. 

    Pumped, Pleased, and Perfect! 60 in (under) 60!

    PhotoSynth gives you a panoramic view of a snapshot. Apple.

55. PS Express lets you edit photos, add borders and text. Quick and easy photo editor for mobile devices or iPad, with sharing out features. Apple, Android.
56. TourWrist gives you 360-degree panoramic views of tour sites. You can add your own as well. A great virtual field trip. Apple.
57. Time-Lapse allows you to take a look at a process that takes a long time to complete. You can set the time for photo settings. Apple.
58. Time-Lapse-Lite is the version for Android. Android.
59. Fast Burst Camera takes rapid shots of an image. Android.
60. Burst Mode is the iPhone version of 59. Apple. $1.99.

This session ended at 58 seconds and counting and it was fantastic. If you missed it, you can find it at the PETE&C Virtual Session archives soon.

Related articles

• Green Screening for Dummies: Kim Adair and Mark Perlman (discoveryeducation.com)
• Moving our World One Project at a Time: Jennifer Brinson and Students (discoveryeducation.com)
• Steve Dembo: “iThink iNeed iPads in the Classroom” (discoveryeducation.com)

Hope Phones: Moving Our World

DEN STAR and PA DEN Leadership Council Events Chair Jennifer Brinson always adds a great dynamic to her presentations: students. This year her co-presenters are 3 seniors from her Economics class: Jackie, Lauren, and Abigail. According to Jackie:

We were doing a scarcity project in our Economics class and we wanted to select a topic more out of the box, so we chose the scarcity of technology, specifically the scarcity of communication between rural medical centers and patients in need. This lead us to the organization of Hope Phones. We then took the process of gathering old cell phones into our school and continue to collect them to this day.

A blogger’s delight, Jennifer always accommodates by providing her presentation resources in advance. Enjoy the two PSVs, the commercial, and the presentation Prezi. The PSVs and commercial took 9 days to create, edit, and upload. Work on the Prezi was complete in 2 days.

You can also find project resources (a wealth of information worth visiting) at Jennifer’s professional wiki, SHS Instructional Tools.

Changing the World

Jennifer began the presentation by noting her pride in her students who will do the entire presentation, sans her. Bravo, Jennifer for once again giving students ownership of their learning and presentation process. Also visit Twitter feed: @movingourworld and paper.li daily: moving our world. Jackie began  by explaining the process of finding a country with scarcity of technology and discovered Malawi, where nurses and doctors travel over 100 miles to provide medical need. Hope Phones, founded by Josh Nesbit, realized the communication issues affecting some countries, so he created an organization to provide mobile phones. Finding this resource through research was a core part of the project. Jackie noted that instructions and rubrics provided by their teacher guided them in creating this project, as well as her 1:2:1 instruction. The students realized and embraced the quotation from Mohatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” As part of their challenge-based learning project, they sought to make an enduring change in the world.

Then the students created a PSA about their counry of choice, Malawi, one of the poorest places, who desperately need your help (see first video). Lauren mentioned they contacted Josh Nesbit via email to further their research. Then the students created a commercial (see third video) to market their idea within the school community. Finally, they made a second PSA (see second video) guided by a more scaffolded and academically-challenging rubric. The girls stated that making this video was more intense because they needed to find a viable facilitated sustainable solution.

Filming for the Future

In the reflection piece of this CBL project, Abigail said they gained an appreciation of how fortunate they are. Asking what the future holds, the team is sending their PSAa and commercial to the middle school, respective churches and their future colleges to continue the challenge of their project: to make an enduring and sustainable change in the world. Taking everything they have learned from this project, the team is confident their futures, including post-college, will be better for what they have learned in one class that changed their world. Now they are changing others’ worlds.

Q&A:

1. Asked about the second PSA challenges, Jackie said they implemented more changes using the high school’s media studio. Lauren stated that they learned how to use iMovie in class, but the school has an iManagement class that teaches the “how to.”
2. 

   Edmodo: Free, Paperless

   Length of time to complete the project: a semester because they continued to incorporate the project with the class’s learning. Block scheduling was implemented this year, making CBL more feasible this year.

3. Song artist: the team wrote for permission to use the song because of copyright use issues.
4. 1:1: students have the same laptop for the year; intend to turn in for the summer then pick up at the start of the next year.
5. Copyright: a comment, not a question, but Jennifer was applauded for enforcing copyright. Asked how that is enforced with faculty: Jennifer said the students are now telling the teachers what is not copyright friendly.
6. Past experience: PJAS prepped them in some ways, but this project was more extensive.
7. Fellow classmates: in a class with mixed ages, it was harder for 9th graders than for seniors.
8. Benefit of laptops now: easier because everything is on 1 laptop, no need to transfer files, nothing gets lost, easier to work; everyone has a laptop; good prep for college where incoming students given laptop/printer; know applications and programs; use of studying, organizing and sharing notes/information.
9. How did district deter damage of laptops: bulletproof cases–very sturdy–and students must use their cases to carry; have an option to use their own case, but every student must carry w/a case; insurance cost w/laptops
10. School preparation for selection: surveying and connecting with the community
11. Do computers increase students doing homework: Jennifer said the faculty would say homework is down, but several reasons could contribute
12. Do junior high do more homework: Lynn FH, middle school administrator, said the role of homework has changed; not much paper/pencil; Jennifer said her classroom is completely paperless because of Edmodo
13. % of staff going paperless: approximately 10 %; many teachers use Moodle

Mark says he and Kim will make you experts, and since perception is truth, you WILL leave here as experts. Green screening is a trial and error process; MovieMakes isn’t working well with chromakey, so they are using Adobe Premier to demo, and find it well worth the expense to purchase. Jcut was dual platform but it was taken away, so Adobe Premier is your go-to choice albeit a purchase.

If you want to got to http://wallwisher.com/wall/PETE2012GreenScreen during the presentation or for blog readers afterwards, you can Q/A and comment. Kim and Mark promise to respond and continue to improve. In their third edition of this presentation, they began with Green Screen Studio $2.99 and Green Screen Movie Effects $1.99 as fun apps for your smart phone. The latter does video, but you need to understand green screen concepts to make it sing. Check their blog for more tips.

So, what do you use to green screen: chromakey green exists, or you can go to tubetape.com to buy an expensive green screen. Mark and Kim recommend Yoostar purchased on eBay or Amazon–I’ve seen this and highly recommend it. If you are a MAC user, use Photobooth; set your background and record. Not that option available? Use a flip or pocket camera; the source doesn’t matter because you will edit. Get as close as you can when you film.

You need enough lighting for green screening or you will get an old-time movie effect. Although lighting is critical, distince from subject to green screen is also critical. Keep close to avoid a shadow effect. Put in a low watt compact flourescent near the subject or use a LED flashlight in a student’s hand to illuminate the subject. A soft light is also an option but will depend on the situation. Mark’s mantra: it’s not about the gear; it’s about the CONTENT. If you don’t have a lot of height for the from, have your subject site and relocate the subject/s to accommodate lighting to avoid shadow. But most importantly, let your kids be creative.

Last FAQ: how do I get started? Try a day in history. Discovery Education is a great vetted source for digital content.

Green Screening in Action

Kim green screens with her second graders; you can use a teleprompter (iPad has an app) but younger students sometimes read from larger posterboards. Make it work for you; as longs as your students have fun, that’s all that matters. But nothing is more fun than watching adults, many of them teachers and administrators, green screen for the first time. Our seasoned teachers and presenters came with 8 different scripts for green screen demonstrations. Just like students, some volunteering teachers were reluctant to film or read, so Mark and Kim adjusted roles accordingly.

Kim demonstrated dual platforms, beginning with Adobe Premier Elements, and Mark said you can buy bundled packages for educators at deep discounts ($60 or less, depending). Watching what you will see as you import your film for green screening is critical, and this explanation was thorough. You will want to check the tutorial for PC users on their glogster or watch this video.

Green Screening on a PC

Depending on your audience and expectations, you can use a variety of microphones, or you can use the sound system in your computer (audience Q&A). Several steps need to be followed, but since you have their video tutorial, I am leaving the details for your perusal later. Personal reflections from having done green screen in the classroom with both PCs and then MACS, the process with a MAC is so much easier. However, follow the steps and you will get a wonderful effect. In the image to the left, after editing, the speaker has a tornado video as her background. Imagine the power of this tool in the classroom. Unlimited.

Green Screening on a MAC

To work on a MAC, more effortless, fewer steps (hear my bias but remember, have done both ways in the classrom), check Mark and Kim’s wiki for the MAC tutorial near the bottom left of the Glogster. Please check their wiki for a green screen link on the left menu bar. One of their very interesting videos is one students are flying.

As a session wrap, I must say this presentation was polished perfection, with two veteran presenters, teachers, and DEN STARS at their very best. So glad I was able to bring this session to you. Thank you, Mark and Kim, for sharing your passion.

Reed Timmer, Storm Chaser Meteorologist

Reed Timmer, Discovery Education‘s Chief Meteorologist and Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers opens the PETE&C 2012 Conference by reminding us technology and extreme storm chasing go hand in hand. Reed notes everyone uses their storm and tornado footage because it is simply the best. A thoroughly entertaining and exciting presentation, Reed shows us tornado fury and weather at its worst, and seems to love the entire process, one that would make most of us afraid.

April 2011 had 875 tornadoes, a record for an incredibly active season. Interestingly, Reed says he learned to storm chase the wrong way during an F5 merely 100 yards away. Covered in mud, Reed realized how powerful a tornado could be. An EF5 tornado in the south dug a 2′ trench. Spanning from Arkansas to Georgia, Tornado Alley is an active area for violent weather.

Words that come to mind with Reed’s presentation: powerful, fascinating, great videos. Unlike most tech presentations that I blog, Reed is an easy follow but I was too fascinated with the videos to take notes. Instead, I’ll try to provide some links for your perusal. My take-away learning: thrilled not to live in the South where most of tornadoes strike.

Many of Reed’s videos were found on Tornado Videos. Reed’s Discovery biography shows his early interest in weather at age 13. Debris falling from the sky doesn’t seem to phase him as he takes risk to chase storms.

The Dominator

Storm reporting gives weather channels and television reporting eyes in the storm, a benefit of storm chasing by supplementing storm warnings. A second benefit is their training as first responders in disasters. The third way storm chasers is the research chasing provides. Note the Dominator as an example of research to create a vehicle that is storm proof.  Reed says they tested the Dominator inside a storm, not beforehand, which drew laughter from the audience. Storm chases are producers, engineers, and researchers. During the season, Discovery Channel Storm Chasers produce livestream videos, as the image above shows. Check this Storm Chaser link to bookmark your storm watch in real time. Instruments in the Dominator measures and tracks storms horizontally and vertically. You can find Storm Chaser videos here.

For a window into Reed’s world, watch this CNN interview.

Guessing that to be a storm chaser at Reed’s level of involvement requires some adrenalin issues. I was fearful just watching videos; can you imagine being Reed.

The EF5 tornado: April 27, 2011 Tornado Outbreak in Mississippi and Alabama that Reed showed during his keynote.

According to Reed, one of the worst tornado chases.

One of Reed’s favorite places to storm chase is Canada; in Manitoba it stays light till 11 PM. Here’s another shared video from the keynote. You won’t believe the size of the hail; the English accents are interesting. Several beeps too.

You know you are engaged in a great keynote when you are totally disappointed when it ends. Thank you, Reed, for a wonderful presentation and a robust and enlightening Q&A session at the conclusion of the keynote. In response to why PA has so much “weather” is the Gulf of Mexico doesn’t clean out from warm air and horizontal and vertical vortices combine to create more violent weather recently in our state. Generous and so informing.

Related articles

• Discovery Channel Storm Chasers Series Features Live Streaming on iMap Interactive Map (prweb.com)
• Discovery Channel Covers Recent Tornado Outbreak in ‘Storm Chasers’ Programming Exclusive (dishtvblog.com)
• Storm chasers display vehicles at Norman high schools (newsok.com)
• Discovery Education Theme Pages of Discovery Talent (discoveryeducation.com)
• 22nd Century Skills: BD2 at DEN PreCon @PETE&C 2012 (discoveryeducation.com)

Resources from all the sessions will be posted soon.  Thanks, DEN, for a day worth writing home about!

Brad Fountain: Director of Instructional Implementation

Brad Fountain came on board shortly after Lance Rougeux joined the Discovery team. Head hunted by Hall Davidson, Brad is a seasoned presenter who specializes in brain research and administrative support, helping them learn how to function with media. His wife, a teacher, grounds him because Brad says it’s too easy to lose that classroom connection.Brad credits Hall with his being a part of Team Discovery and he is passionate about his work.

Promoting literacy in the classroom is no longer JUST part of the reading lesson.  The importance of developing the literate learner falls on all educators and is taught during all lessons.  Discovery Education has a plethora of digital resources that educators can utilize to develop literacy skills with reading strategies many educators use daily.

Filter by Important versus Interesting

Brad likes Exit Tickets (see Slides 22-23). I like RAFT. If students cannot identify what they learned that has a real world application, then either you need to revisit your planning to be certain you have a life learning teachable moment, or somewhere identify what the students missed. RAFT is a solid comprehension checker. If a student can answer all the components, you can infer that students have a fine comprehension of content, and since PA still subscribes to state testing, these tools are valuable in working toward meeting annual yearly goals. These strategies, added to Discovery assets, makes teaching, not teaching to the tests, a viable goal.

Think-Pair-Share is a good collaborative effort where students learn the intricacies of teamwork while still maintaining the integrity of their own voice. We have looked at written and auditory texts, but Discoverystreaming has the largest library of digital videos, and using them as the basis for marrying media with digital literacy builds a fine bridge. Using editable clips from Discoverystreaming, inserting it into iMovie (Mac), you can click on the record icon and become interactive with the video. If using a PC, use MovieMaker. Video pulls students into the learning process, given guidelines, a rubric, but some freedom of expression.

Carmella Doty and Renee Henderson kicked off their mash up session at the DEN PETEnC pre-conference by  talking about Notaland where you can “ mash your ideas and media together with friends in a dynamic whiteboard wiki. Using photos, videos, and other web content you can instantly create brainstorms, presentations, scrapbooks, and enjoy an interactive chat with more than 50 friends” according to the site. It is compatible with PhotoPeach which is owned by the same company, so if you already have a Photopeach account you can use that to log into Nota! It is similar to creating a digital poster in Glogster with a different way to pull in a variety of resources. Unlike Glogster you can add multiple pages similar to a Smart notebook file.

Dragontape allows you to search Youtube and create a mashup of video clips. That newly created video can then be used in a project. It is available on the web and as an app for iPad and iPhone. The segments can be dragged ( drag – on) into a sort of timeline and then mixed into a new creation. Find a dragontape demo here. Think of being able to show several segments of Youtube videos blended together for one lesson! Here is an example created by Renee Henderson.

Would a mash up be complete without mentioning GlogsterEDU? Their presentation wiki contains more information on the GlogsterEDU features.

A fun device demonstrated was the Pop Phone, available in a variety of places such as Amazon, that will plug into your smartphone and you can pull a traditional phone handset out of your bag and talk “the old fashioned way” while using your smartphone. Could stop people in their tracks!

Smashing mash up tools from Carmella and Renee!

The STEM Diva: Patti Duncan

STEM is a mindset, a way of thinking, and Patti Duncan says there are a lot of misconceptions of what STEM really is. STEM requires kids to think, be independent workers who can also collaborate, but skill sets are important and need to be learned in a relevant way. That way to integration within the STEM movement.

It’s not walking from one place to another, and because schools are compartmentalized, that’s how students see learning: disconnected. Learning is an assembly line within a class, making it difficult to apply their learning to real world situations. If students only engage in repeated problems, they learn no life skills. Memorizing a pattern does not mean that a students understands the content. Rote is not learning.

Because teachers tend to keeps their spaces “theirs,” students will relate different rules from different classes but they cannot see the whole big picture, so teachers are often pitted against each other. Concept and reasons for rules need explanation and cannot exist in a vacuum. Content must exist in a different integrated environment. And the best way to integrate learning experiences is through Project-Based Learning.

Siemens STEM Institute

Real-life classroom experiences teach students respectful working with others while still maintaining your own individual voice. Time management, time on task, and assuming responsibility occurs when teachers explain how to scope out a sequence of skills for PBL and CBL. Often the first learning experience is failure when we do not model learning expectations and teach real-life skills. Teachers can embrace Project-Based Learning is a vehicle for engaging students as creators and collaborators with teachers as facilitators and students owning their learning experiences in a collaborative environment. To explore PBL, watch this short video.

Jennifer Dorman's PBL Wikis Page

Patti notes that sharing is the most important part of PBL but it is often overlooked. Sharing can take many forms, but if students were tasked with answering an overarching essential question, then their project is the answer, coupled with their sharing. National standards for CORE content for science are not rote, and assessments attached to core concepts are project driven. You can find Patti’s Top Ten Tools for STEM here. Jennifer Dormen’s PBL pre-and-post webinar resources can be found here. Dorman’s additional resources can be found on Grazing for Digital Natives.

The best practice for PBL is taking whatever resources you find and making it your own. A good source is Sedl, because resources for emerging learners of the English language can be accommodated because this site places Spanish side-by-side to English. Edzone is a great site because it integrates multiple disciplines. MSTeacher gears PBL to middle school learners. A list of resources with links make this site great for teachers, especially those who want to connect math to science. Neat site!

Lodge McCammon YouTube

Collierschools is a great site but Patti said we must be fair to the students and not make them guinea pigs for what we want to try. We need intelligent design that involves students as creators and sharers as they learn and collaborate. Patti concluded that as a teacher she has talked to many science teachers, but she thinks she should shift her audience to math teachers because kids can’t make connections to the real world. Do kids see geometry everywhere in the real world? Probably not. This subject area really needs to focus on making math real to students, and it isn’t that difficult to do. Science, technology, mathematics, and engineering are interconnected, but math is at the center of all courses. Easy way to get math on board: Dr. Lodge McCammon. For a delightful entry to the world of PSV (Paper Slide Videos) with math and music, check his channel.

To see an exhaustive list of Patti’s resources check: tinyurl.com/duncanstemresources (but give this link to the end of the day). Bravo, Patti. Great job!