Tennessee DEN

Last Saturday the TN DEN Leadership Council had the pleasure of taking 32 DEN members on an amazing trip down the TN River.  It was a great day of photography training!

We began the day in the Think Tank room of the IMAX Theater.  After some brief introductions, Tim did a run down on ways to improve digital photos.  He highlighted the Rule of Thirds, but also spent time on 10 other ways to get better pictures out of any camera.  The participants took a little time to practice shooting pictures, and then returned to learn about some really cool websites to help them with their finished products.

Tim showed them Pixlr, a free online photo editor that is quick and easy.  We looked at Be Funky (which was a big hit) to see how pictures can be transformed for fun in the classroom.  We also took a gander at a Make Up site which automatically applies makeup to any picture and improves the overall quality with just one mouse click.

Just before lunch, Teryl talked about all the amazing things the DEN has to offer, and went through the process of becoming a STAR in the DEN.  After returning from lunch on their own, the teachers boarded the newest ride at the TN Aquarium, the River Gorge Explorer.  This is a 70 seat high-speed catamaran that can do 55 mph and stop within 200 feet on the water!  We know!  We chased cars down the Interstate for a bit until we reached the River Gorge in the Cumberland Mountains.  We got some great pictures on the trip, too!

To top off the day, we returned to the Think Tank and looked at how to put those pictures into Photo Story.  Sally took them through the process from importing pictures to adding music and rendering a final movie file. We had a great time!

Here is the video to prove it!  Oh, and some of the teachers are sending me their digital story so we can post some of their work online as well.  I’ve looked at a couple of them so far and they are fantastic!

We are one week away from the next DEN Event for Tennessee.  We had nearly 60 people apply to attend the event.  We have increased the  number of attendees from 20 to 35.  Emails have been sent both to those who reserved a seat early enough to attend and to those who have been placed on a waiting list.

Now the ball is in your court.

If you have not responded to the email confirming your spot at our event, we need you to do that ASAP.  Your email response is necessary to let us know that you are still able to attend the event.  We will begin contacting those on our waiting list in a few days.  Please confirm your attendance today!

We are looking forward to a fantastic day!

One of the questions I get asked most often by teachers at my school is this, “How can I show a video from YouTube in my classroom?”  I’ve always sent them the way of Zamzar to download videos to a flash drive and show at school from there.  It works great, but it is limiting.  The broader question for me has always been, “How do I get kids to great content on YouTube and cut out all the junk?”

Drum roll please.

I am now using a fantastic site called Fliggo.  Fliggo sets up a video streaming site with a layout similar to YouTube.  You can upload your own videos or post a video from YouTube. (Currently, YouTube is the only video hosting site Fliggo uses).

Unlike using an embed code where the video is pulled into the school through the YouTube site, Fliggo actually hosts the video on their site.  Once you get your personal Fliggo site approved at school, all the videos play!

I pulled in a couple of videos I made, a few from the Palm Breeze Cafe series, and was ready to try it out.

I sent out a short email announcement about my site to the teachers at my school today.  I am already getting URL requests to load YouTube videos on the site for other teachers.

You can check out my Fliggo site here.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 28th!  We are hosting one of the most exciting DEN Events of the year in Chattanooga!

Want to learn more about taking better pictures?  Want to learn PhotoStory or iMovie?  Need lessons in advanced techniques for these programs?

Want to ride a really, really fast boat and tour the TN River Gorge area for fantastic nature shots?

Then you don’t want to miss this event at the TN Aquarium IMAX Theater.  We are doing a morning training, taking the 2 hour river tour, and then returning for some follow-up training to get your pictures out there for the world to see.

Here is our itinerary for the day:

8:45 to 9:00 - Check In at the IMAX Theater location

9:00 to 11:00 - PhotoStory and iMovie

11:00 to 12:00 - Lunch (this is on your own at your expense.  Sorry!)

12:15 - Report to the boat ramp - DON’T BE LATE!!

12:30 to 2:30 - River Gorge Tour

2:45 to 4:00 - Follow Up Training (We will use your pictures to create a digital story!)

BUT WAIT!  THERE’S MORE!

Included in the day’s activities is a FREE PASS to the Aquarium!  That’s right.  More photo ops!

PLEASE NOTE: This training is limited to the FIRST TWENTY PEOPLE to sign up.  Don’t be left on the shoreline.  Get on board quickly!  Need Directions?  Check here.

We’re sorry, but we not have nearly 60 people on our sign-up list.  We are not accepting any more applications at this time.  Join us again at our next event to be announced soon!

Use this form to sign up.  We will send you more information in your confirmation email.  The DEN will pay for your ticket for the boat ride.  All travel, parking, and lunch expenses are the responsibilies of individual attendees.

We have a winner!

We have had a total of 681 votes cast in our Best Buy Gift Card Photo Contest!  Wow!

And the Best Buy Gift Card goes to…

Cindi Ellison of  Bearden Elementary for her picture of Lilly, a Pit Mix rescued dog that is just part of her family.  After attending our camera training at Best Buy in Knoxville, Cindi went home and played with the ISO settings on her camera.  Lilly did her best to pose patiently.  And the rest is history!

Congratulations Cindi! Your gift card will be in the mail very soon!

Our next training will be in the Chattanooga area.  Look for more information later this week.  It will be awesomely fun!