drag & drop

Patricia....
I think you'll like Keynote. You simply drag the sound files onto the page where you want them to run. Then you place them in the order in which you want then to play by simply dragging and dropping. Then you save and go to sleep. Haha, not quite that simple. I to had file size issues, but mine were due to using too many sound files. Let's just say I had an orchestra of animals and about 20 sound files. I had to cut my project back significantly, but the point is, creating it, then making adjustments to it, was VERY simple. Hard to explain here, but do try it.
Keynote is not part of iWorks, so I doubt your Board has it. It comes with Apples new word processor called Pages. But iWorks has a lot of cool programs and I would definitely experiment there.

drag & drop

Yes David is correct here and count me and our school as being "beside ourselves" at the Boards recent musings. Last year our school spent $7000 on iMacs because we wanted to become more creative in our differentiated learning practices...we are/were one the few elementary schools who were PC. Anyway, it's crazy to me, anyone observing students in action would see them race to get to the few MACS and be amazed at some of the projects kids are creating with them. Mostly, the PC's surf the Net and do some word-processing. As an aside, David, any idea what the HDSB's plans are for word-processing software next year? Apple is not supporting Appleworks anymore right?

beside ourselves

Yes David is correct here and count me and our school as being "beside ourselves" at the Boards recent musings. Last year our school spent $7000 on iMacs because we wanted to become more creative in our differentiated learning practices...we are/were one the few elementary schools who were PC. Anyway, it's crazy to me, anyone observing students in action would see them race to get to the few MACS and be amazed at some of the projects kids are creating with them. Mostly, the PC's surf the Net and do some word-processing. As an aside, David, any idea what the HDSB's plans are for word-processing software next year? Apple is not supporting Appleworks anymore right?

creative boys

Ohhhh, just found another little bit of a problem....that characters do not necessarily have to have clothes! It doesn't show anything, but still, I can imagine some of my more creative boys being able to add stuff afterwards....

creating characters

This is awesome. I'm thinking I could use it to allow students to create characters for a comic book. Can't figure out how to save it better than as a screenshot, but I just "wasted" about 20 minutes creating great characters.

crazy

Wow, Vanessa, that is scary. I think it's more scary than having that Facebook Group made up (as happened to me), because I imagine at some-point there are some conversations explaining that it wasn't you...or some huge questions to a college. It invokes mistrust of others or you in others - not nice! Wow, I wouldn't have a clue as to how to hack an email address....and I would NEVER think grade 4 students were capable of coming up with such a scheme. Crazy.

Explain WHY

Thanks Keethai....I'm sure they learned, which I think is the main point!! I put it all down to that - a great teaching moment. And you're right about parents involvement...isn't that true for everything?! I also think it's important for parents/teachers to not just block sites, but also explain WHY sites are being blocked to children/students.

banning

Hey Venessa...I'm not big into blocking too many websites....seems a bit like banning books. Obviously some have to be. I realize there are dangers out there, but I think the advantages far outway the risks. Again, I think education is the key...but how?....and what? And to be clear, this student created the Facebook Group at home, not school.

Music Videos

Sorry David, one more thing...a "heads up" for you....I had a friend in another school try to have her students create music videos this year - for the past three they've created narratives. Anyway, they had to write their own lyrics (a social cause), and create their own music...she wasn't pleased with the fact that students where "shy" when it came to being in the band and being video taped. She said they weren't as good as creating a regular 5 minute movie. Changes she would make: 1. Don't mandate all members to be on tape. 2. Make sure you have at least one STAR in each group. Perhaps survey who would like to be the Canadian Idol winner, then surround them with "production" people. Anyway, I would like to try the music video one day too, even if she is try to talk me out of it. Good luck with yours! I'd love to hear how they turn out.

iMovie and GarageBand

David, if you are going to make iMovies third term, I would for sure get SOME your students to try to create their music using GarageBand. This year with our iMovie projects, the HDSB disallowed the use of downloaded music and so the students had to create mood music, etc. I can tell you that I had SOME students (audio/musical learners) who preferred using GB to iMovie and spent HOURS and HOURS with it. Some of the music they created is amazing. I know creating a whole song is different than a few seconds for mood, etc., but I'd allow some of your brighter lights to experiment.

Maytag Repairman

The price-point thing is critical and often misunderstood...our board just did a comparison, and found Macs much more expensive. HOWEVER, what they didn't consider (and include in their cost estimates) is the upkeep costs and obsolescence. I bet we have a tech person in our school once a month messing around with our PC's. I was in our lab last week and 7 of the 30 were not working. We have 10 macs and have NEVER had a tech guy in to look at them. I have 3 of my own 10 year old macs in my room and never have a problem. I sometimes think that PC's are the greatest make-work projects ever invented!!!! Today's Mac Technician is like yesterdays Maytag repairman.... loneliest guy around!

tech accept

I think the gap between technology and acceptance and use of it is important and the issue here. I really believe that educators who are on the ball and open minded will adjust and USE technology rather than view it as an enemy (or a form of cheating). You can, after all, cheat with a pencil if need be. Cheaters will always be cheaters, and always use the tools available to them. Your point of using authentic ways to evaluate is great!

gallery

The gallery walk and sticky notes is a great idea David!! I have that part of our video creation coming up, so rather than just show one video after another, I think I'll do the gallery.....a much more efficient use of time (I have 25 videos, 5-10 minutes each).......

real value

Yes, to me PP real value is as a graphic organizer! A "picture" so-to-speak of the lecture or lesson. If it's limited to that, I think it has great value. I believe the great limiter to it is when we start to use it as a chalkboard of notes to be written out or looked at but not read....

Human connection

Yes.... seems to me that educators and presenters are viewing PP as THE presentation rather than the tool. I think we all have concluded that the content is king. It would be like "back in the day" a prof merely handing out his/her lecture notes then walking away leaving students to read them... no, the human connection is VITAL in the learning process.

Mac vs PC .... zoom.

Christine... Very interesting site... I wanted to add something to what you wrote about the site being accommodating to the vision impaired.... I'm not sure if a PC can do this, but with a MAC you press "Apple" and "+" and it will make the text larger....MUCH larger than what this site did. May parents are getting older and they appreciate this feature (I recently gave them my old Mac). Also, you can zoom in on something while making presentations if you want. I'd be interested if PC's can do these things....anyone?

Son of Facebook

Sorry....one more thing about Facebook.....I was recently a "victim" of it. A student and her friends decided to make a group of like minded students (past a present) who thought our school "sucked". My picture along with a few other teachers was posted there. Anyway, the student is one of the ones I enjoy more, so I was taken aback by it a bit. Anyway, she was suspended and after, on her own, appologuized to me saying they were just looking for "any" teachers pics, but could only find the ones posted......she meant it more as a slight against the school than the people.... ANYWAY, tuff to explain here, but my view is that people in grade 8 do silly things without thinking, and do allow thing to spiral via their peers. I'm quite confident she has learned her lesson, but I think the lesson here is for us teachers to better explain the ramifications involved and impress on the students that it's not just them and their computer and their buddy on the other end....I'm really convinced they don't see the millions out there. How do we show them that?

"collaboration"

I'm of two opinions (maybe 3 or 4) on this matter of Facebook and Ryerson. Yes students have been doing what they did for years, and actually a prof from another university states that he encourages it but values the marks of such group work lower. Technology makes this type of "collaboration" easier, which I think is the crux of the problem. I like the other profs view (I think he was from U of T) in that he's aware of the groups on Facebook and encourages students gaining knowledge by helping each other, but actually does the bulk of his evaluation via exams.... in other words, sure, help, collaborate, "cheat" as much as you want, but in the end, show me what you've learned. Maybe it's like when the use of the calculator was viewed as a form of cheating?

Keynote!!

I started building my project for this course on PP because I thought it was a requirement... and found it VERY frustrating having never really used it that much (I use Keynote). When I found we could use Keynote, I was off to the races, so to speak. The only problem I had with my project was the size of the "zipped" file which was 23mb I think and the server wouldn't accept it (lots of sound files). Anyway, I ended up EASILY editing it (another Keynote advantage I think) and got it down to a more respectable size. Come over to Keynote David!!

Comic Life - PowerPoint

 Christine...

I believe earlier someone mentioned the value of COmic Life (I love this software). Presenting it as a PP presentation is  a new idea for me. Kids, particularly boys, love this type of writing...or at least like it more than other forms...or dislike less than writing in general. Anyway, any ways to involve and enhance Comic Life is a huge plus!

peer edit

Christine

I think it's very important (just like written materials such as essays) for students to "peer edit" each others PP projects. I learn mostly from others opinions of my work. Great site, great ideas.

visual dictionary

Michael...

That's a sweet find and idea....... right now I'm thinking I could use that in English for synonyms or even a visual dictionary.. I could perhaps even use it in history for factfile terms - have the students visually portray something last The Last Spike. Thanks for the idea.

video is not too complicated

As someone who has spent the last 3 days viewing and marking grade eight, student created, science based, FIVE MINUTE videos (and marking them), I can really appreciate this site. Next year I will use some as examples of how much information can be packed in to so little time. Also, as an English teacher, I love the idea of using the short video as a writing prompt... I use still images sometimes, but what a great idea this is.

I can also see this being used as an example of proper class behavior for the class that doesn't know what attentive listening looks like.

I believe that in the past we've thought that video is too complicated or too much trouble or too time consuming to use properly. I think this site and these ideas speak volumes to the usefulness of "moving pictures".

Little Kids Rock

I know this is from our last module, but I just read about this Podcast on the Apple web site – it’s called Little Kids Rock. Even if you’re not interested in music, the Podcasts are VERY professionally done, and the organization is non-profit. They are free on iTunes.

 

http://www.littlekidsrock.org/index.htm

Bureaucracy of Bullets

I know we’re not supposed to say this, but I really enjoyed this paper. It’s basically about how misinformed or mislead or misread NASA officials were about the problems with the Space Shuttle Columbia, mainly through PP presentation reports.

Main points I found particularly interesting were:

1. The use of the phrase “Bureaucracy of bullets”
2. That through PP presentations, NASA officials were convinced that reports indicated “no problem” rather than uncertain knowledge and decided Columbia was “safe” and needed no further investigations. This was because of how the information was displayed rather than the content. Emphasis was placed in areas through use of a hierarchy of bullets. This merely reinforced the biases of the bureaucracy.

I also liked the point that it seems interesting how one’s elaborate though fits EXACTLY on to one slide. Again, athletics taking priority over content. The unbending slide-by-slide method affects and tailors the message.

Also came across something called “Conway’s Law”, which I had to look up. It is, “Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations”.

 

 

clarification

Just a clarification that I may have missed.....do we have to use Power Point, or can we use something else like Keynote?