Eighth Graders Meet Geologist David Waldo

Eighth graders had the unique experience of being able to speak with geologist, David Waldo, about the controversy surrounding fracking. During their current inquiry unit on alternative energies, students have been researching some of the different energy sources currently used- solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal, hydropower, coal, and natural gas, to name a few. To introduce the students to the often controversial topic of fracking, we turned to the excellent service, Nepris, which quickly paired us with industry professional Waldo. Waldo shared his expertise about the fracking process, its impact on the environment, and how this source of energy compares with others. Students were also able to ask questions following his brief overview on the topic. At the end, students had a broad, inside perspective on the topic.

I recommend Nepris to anyone wanting to connect students with STEM industry professionals. A connection was as simple as posting a request and waiting for a response. Best of all, students gained a real-world perspective from an expert in the field.

Weather with the seventh graders!

We are wrapping up our school year with one final green screen project. This time seventh graders showcased what they have been learning in Science about weather in creative videos where they had to play TV meteorologists and predict the weather in a region of their choice. Since seventh graders were already familiar with the apps Green Screen by DoInk and iMovie, I showed them a couple of other apps to smash into their final videos: Explain Everything and Skitch. With Explain Everything, students were able to pre-record background videos to use in their green screens. They were able to add images, mark them up, and record annotations. With Skitch, students were able to add text and annotations to their images. Check out some of their final products.


 
 

Presenting the Great Minds of Ancient Greece!

Sixth graders in Mrs. DeMoulin's Social Studies classes found a creative way to learn more about Ancient Greek philosophers: create their own videos using the green screen! After each group did its own independent research on a chosen Greek philosopher, the students wrote scripts and recorded their videos using the app Green Screen by Do Ink. Videos were then edited with iMovie and uploaded to YouTube for sharing. View some of their examples below to learn more about the great minds of Ancient Greece.

 



 

Touring Asia with the Green Screen

We had a chance to experiment with our green screens again. This time 7th graders in Mrs. Berglund's Social Studies classes used the green screens and the iPads to create video tours of the Asian countries that they researched. In their videos, they highlighted special features of each country such as local cuisine, recreation, land features, and famous people. Students used the iPads and the app Green Screen by Do Ink to record their videos. They edited all of their video clips together and added special finishing touches such as titles and background music using iMovie.

Want to take a tour of Asia? Watch our student videos below.

Advertising the Colonies with Green Screen, Pic Collage, and iMovie

Our students have been so excited to try our new green screen. Mr. Wegner's fifth grade Social Studies classes were the first large group to test it out during their American colonies unit. After learning more about the 13 original colonies, students worked in groups to learn more about one particular colony. Their task was to create a video advertisement persuading others to move to their colony.  By app smashing with Green Screen by Do Ink, Pic Collage, and iMovie, students were excited to take on the role of American colonists and news reporters to create an original video advertisement. View their results below. To which colony would you like to move?
       

Green Screen Art Talk Videos

During the past few weeks, I have recruited student volunteers to practice with our new green screen.  Students have been creatively generating ideas for how they would use this in their classrooms while getting time to practice with it on their own.  Yesterday it was time to have 7th grade art students create their own videos talking about their sturgeon projects.  These projects will be on display at Mosquito Hill Nature Center during New London's sturgeon run in spring.  Attached to each student created sturgeon will be a QR code, linking Mosquito Hill visitors to each student artist's video description of what inspired his or her art.  I thought that using the green screen to create the student videos would be a perfect fit.

Using Do Ink's Green Screen app for iPad, students added a picture of their sturgeons and recorded a video of themselves discussing their artistic inspirations.  Videos were then uploaded to YouTube, and QR codes were created using the website QRstuff.com.  Since the green screen and the app are new to us, I asked just a few student volunteers to try it out this time.  Here are a few of their samples.

Next quarter our plan is to have all students record in front of the green screen.  We are also thinking about having students include their original drawings in the background and explain more about their artistic process.  In addition, these videos can be further enhanced and edited by smashing the green screen app with other apps such as iMovie.  There are so many possibilities!  The best part was how excited our student volunteers were to create these simple videos.  We hope the community enjoys learning more about our 7th grade artists.

Booktrailers using iMovie

Eighth graders in Mrs. Koshollek's Language Arts class have just completed reading utopian/dystopian novels of their choice following their study of The Giver by Lois Lowry. To celebrate and share what they have read, they created booktrailers using iMovie. Students had the choice to use the movie option or the trailer option. They used a mix of video and photos as well. Check out a sampling of some of their creativity.

 
 
 

Legos come to Life with Stop Motion Animation

Our Bullodog Time is one of my favorite times to experiment with new ideas and tools.  The 5th grade group of students that I have is willing to try just about anything.  For the past few weeks, we have been using an iPad app called iStopMotion to make simple stop motion animation videos.  The students thought that it would be fun to use their Legos to create videos after first developing a story.  Using the app, they gradually built their creations and took pictures of each step.

Once the pictures were taken, they were arranged in a timeline, and a stop motion animation video was made!  The students were so proud of what they created.  Some of them got very creative with how they arranged their characters and moved them inch by inch.  This app was definitely very easy to use and user friendly!

Check out some of their final products below.

Retelling Scary Stories with iMovie

Sixth graders in Mrs. Dachelet's READ 180 class just wrapped up a unit reading scary stories.  To share one story that they read, students created trailers using iMovie.  Each group read one particular story of its choice and then mapped out the main events of the story.  Students brainstormed words and phrases that revealed the important plot elements, but did not give too much of the story away.  Then, they used iMovie's trailer templates to create the videos featured below.  Play their story trailers to find out more about what they have been reading.  Are you interested in reading these stories yourself?  Come into the library and we can help you find them.

Olympic Video Competition Results

The results are in.  Thanks to all of your votes, we are ready to announce the winner of the 7th grade persuasive Olympic video competition.  Which country should host the next Olympics based on your votes?  Read on for the results.

With 322 total votes, here are the final results:

Congratulations to Madagascar for winning the worldwide vote! If you missed their video, check it out below.




Even though time is up to vote for your favorite video, you can still watch all of the top 11 videos if you missed them.

Great job showing your creativity and persuasion skills 7th grade!

Which country should host the next Olympics?

Everyone out there in the world, the 7th graders at our school need your help!  They just completed an integrated Social Studies/Language Arts project creating videos to convince you to host the next Olympics in a country that they researched.  Now they need you to decide which video is the most persuasive.

To coincide with the 7th grade Social Studies curriculum of world cultures, students worked in teams in their Social Studies classes to research different countries.  Studies needed to find information on the history of the country's flag, national anthem, and popular tourist attractions, among other information.

In Language Arts, students worked to learn the different persuasive techniques that appear in advertising.  Some of the techniques learned included slogans, repetition, testimonials, glittering generalities, and bandwagon.  They learned how advertisers used these techniques to appeal to us and sway our opinions.

Once students completed the above, it was time to put what they learned together.  In Language Arts, students created videos using Animoto to persuade viewers as to why the next Olympics should be held in the country that they researched.  They needed to combine the facts learned from their Social Studies research with the persuasive techniques studied in Language Arts.  For some students the task was more challenging than others!  Despite the obstacles, students created very impressive and persuasive products.

Now we are looking to you to help decide which country should host the next Olympics.  Please view the top 11 videos on our Google Site, Olympic Videos.  After viewing the videos, please access the Google Form (also available on our Google Site) and vote for your favorite.  Voting will be open until March 15.  The winning country will be announced the week of March 17.  Everyone's vote counts, so please tell your students, parents, neighbors, friends, and other family members to vote as well.

We can't wait to see the results!  Thank you for your votes!

Photo credits: Sydney 2000 Olympics - Athletics . Photography.Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 26 Feb 2014. http://quest.eb.com/images/158_2462956

Holiday Video Exchange with Sweden

Integrated Technology students have been working hard these last few weeks to create videos using iMovie for our partner school in Sweden. Each school made videos explaining each country's popular holidays. Our students had a fantastic time showing off their creativity and exploring the power of iMovie all while helping our new friends in Sweden meet their English listening goals. View some of our student examples below.

 

Our Year in Review

It's hard to believe that another year is almost over.  We have worked hard and done some very exciting things!  It has been awesome to watch students learn and grow and create new knowledge using 21st century tools.

Below is a video that highlights a few of the ways in which we have worked with students this year.  This video was originally created as a way to highlight our program to parents and community members who will be visiting our school during our student showcase on May 30, but I thought that it was also a great tool to share with the world to demonstrate how our library serves students and teachers in the 21st century.  We are more than just a place to check-out books.  We teach the essential research and technology skills to ensure student success in today's connected world.

Thanks for another great year!

Look no further for your next vacation inspiration!

Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Let our 5th grade tour guides help you with your decision. Each student selected his or her dream vacation spot. Next, they used what they learned about persuasion to create a video using the free online video editor, We Video, that convinces others to go to their destinations of choice.

Want to get some inspiration for your next vacation?  Watch their videos below.

Learn about Digital Citizenship from our 5th Grade Stars!

Fifth graders in Mrs. Young's Integrated Technology classes want to teach you something about digital citizenship and online safety.  They have produced, directed, and starred in their very own public service announcements to share what they have learned.  Using WeVideo, our first-time video creators were able to easily edit their productions by mixing in text, music, and animations.  Want to learn more about digital citizenship and online safety?  Watch their videos below.

8th Grade Decade Research Videos

Eighth graders in Mrs. Koshollek's Language Arts classes turned a traditional research paper project into something 21st century by creating videos using Microsoft's free software PhotoStory 3.  Students created a Top 10 list of facts based a research topic they choose from an assigned 20th century decade.  Using PhotoStory, students were able to highlight the most significant events from their research and create a multimedia presentation that combines images, text, and audio. See some of their examples below.