Week 3

This week a new trainee, Cynthia Copeland, came to observe. Not surprisingly, she left extremely impressed with the quality of projects and level of student technology she saw in this school. Here is a run-down of what we did:

K-14: The kindergarten class continued to gather facts about their game or sport. Our goal was to write two or more sentences, in Keynote, that explained how each game used math. Ms. Ieong is still collected the “props” for each game or sport. Next week each student will take pictures of them with their “props” to use in their podcasts.

1-104: First grade got their first brief introduction to iMovie. First, each group used the iSight camera to record an introduction. Everyone had to be quiet, but that worked well. Then each group had to capture their video and drag it into their movie. This was much harder and will take lots of practice, but it was fun to play. Ms. Hamlin was working with students to paint their backdrops for their iMovie. Students learned a lot about scale and ratio through this activity!

2-204/3-304: The second and third grade classes spent a lot of time planning out their iWeb. Ms. Newman showed the class her sample site and demonstrated how she created a graphic organizer for her site using chart paper and post-its. Each group worked on their plan, getting more and more specific. Next week we will begin implementing these plans using the new TAG log in on the laptops!

4-404: Fourth grade students learned to use ajax animator. Students were amazed that creating a bouncing ball, which had taken 40-80 slides in PowerPoint, could be quickly and easily animated using “tweening.” We discussed how certain animations worked best in PowerPoint while others (flip-style animation) were best using the new, cool, online tool! Next, students will have to storyboard their math animations.

5-504: Fifth grade students were stalled in their script-writing tasks. They had their great ideas, but needed to turn these ideas into scripts. We spent the first part of the period outlining the movie into scenes. There was a lot of discussion, and all group members participated in customizing the original idea into a workable plan. Then, pairs of students were assigned different scenes and began scripting. Emphasis was on making the dialogue realistic and lively to keep the audience entertained. But also, to make sure the math was integrated into the story. A compete draft must be finished by next Friday to keep to our schedule!!

I also want to say I’m very proud of the teachers who have access to cameras for documenting student work and posting it on the blog using Animoto. I get a kick seeing what happens when I’m not around. Mr. Amft, we have to get you access to at least one computer with a web cam, so you can join the party!!