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?
       

Our latest library newsletter

What a great finish to the first semester!  Our library has been busy, busy, busy helping students innovate, create, explore, and learn!  Check out our first semester newsletter below to find out more about the great things happening here.

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.

Testing out our new Makerspace!

For the past month, I have been secretly working to transform the library into a space to play and create.  I f you look into the back room, you will notice that shelves have disappeared and a green screen studio has been added. You may have also noticed the boxes of gadgets that are regularly delivered to the library.  It is now time for the big reveal!  Beginning January 5, come into the library during lunch and play around in our new Makerspace.

What is a Makerspace?

A Makerspace is simply a place to play, explore, create, and experiment.  Are you interested in learning how to make a green screen movie?  We have a space for you.  Do you want to learn more about robotics?  Give Sphero a test run.  Do you love building things?  Try out our new K'nex sets.  As the year progresses, we will continue to add more things for you to try.

Today fifth graders had a chance to be the first to try our new space.  Here they are in action.

Controlling Sphero, our new robotic toy

Making green screen videos

Learning how to code

 

 

Making music with Makey Makey

 

 

 

 

Building with K'nex

Making a K'nex bridge

Are you interested in learning more about the items in our Makerspace?  Come into the library after break and test them out for yourself.

Happy Holidays!

Packers and Patriots Fans Unite for One Huddle

Today Integrated Technology students participated in a very fun Mystery Skype.  After guessing one another's respective locations, each school took time to share some information about their state's NFL team.  On our end we shared information about the Green Bay Packers, including the team's history, record, and famous players. 

Once our Mystery Skype revealed that we were speaking with students from Foxborough, MA, we discovered that they were New England Patriots fans.  This Skype was set-up as part of their One Huddle program.  One Huddle was designed to connect young Patriots fans with students living near where the Patriots' opposing teams play.  This gives students an opportunity to learn more about different US regions and the NFL teams in that area.  Despite the fact that football fans can be very passionate about their teams, through our conversation today, we learned that we actually have much in common.  (Our teams even currently have the same record right now!) 

Thanks to Mrs. Clements' fourth graders for doing such a great job today!  We are hoping for a potential Packers-Patriots Superbowl match-up so that we have the chance to meet with one another again.

Learning About a Career in Computer Programming

I am so excited about Skype in the Classroom's Hour of Code speaker series!  They have put together an excellent group of talented technology professionals who are willing to speak with classrooms to share their experiences and advice for students dreaming of a related career.  Yesterday, fifth graders in Integrated Technology listened to our special guest speaker, Sanjay Raghani, Software Development Engineer at Skype, share his advice for success in a computer programming career.  His biggest advice? Work hard in your math and science classes, and find any opportunity that you can to reinforce your skills.  He suggested that students join school math and science competitions and robotics teams.  He also explained the tasks that he must complete everyday at his job and shared some of the skills that were essential to success in his career.  The students were especially entertained when he gave them a problem to solve: what if a money broke into the room where the server that hosts their school district's website is housed?  Students had to share some different solutions that would help solve this problem.  He stressed that at his job this is how his team needs to think; they need to always figure out multiple solutions to a problem before they even happen to be prepared for any situation that may occur.

At the end of the presentation, students had a chance to ask their questions.  They were curious about college classes that prepared him, whether or not he liked using computers and electronics when he was younger (He did!), and what were some of his job perks (no set schedule!).  Before we said goodbye, we posed for a group photo.

Thanks to Sanjay Raghani for a great learning opportunity.  Thanks also to Skype in the Classroom for putting together such a great group of speakers.

A Peek Inside a Career at Xbox

This summer I had the chance to speak one-on-one with a few people responsible for the awesome space that is Skype in the Classroom about a new computer science related speaker series.  I was very excited about the potential to have these speakers talk with my students and open them up to careers that they may have never considered possible.  I was pleasantly surprised this month when I visited Skype in the Classroom's website to find a section entitled "Hour of Code," featuring technology professionals volunteering to speak with students about their careers.  I jumped on this opportunity and sent messages to several speakers who I thought would be of interest to 5th graders in Integrated Technology.

John Solaro, Principal Design Manager for Xbox, graciously volunteered to be our first guest.

 
Prior to our session, students worked to brainstorm questions that would help them learn more about John's career.  Questions ranged from "What college classes did you take?" to "What are some of the perks of your job?"  Throughout the Skype session, students also learned more about the process involved in making an actual Xbox system and the tremendous amount of time and people it takes to create one gaming system.  John also stressed the importance of collaboration and taking classes in a variety of subjects.  Although we were not able to touch the surface of the 33 questions students had prepared, we were able to learn a lot about the skills and education necessary to work in a similar career.

After the presentation, students shared some of their favorite highlights.  Among them included:
"I can't believe that he gets free Xboxes and games!"
"That's so cool that real kids test out the games before they are made."
"I never knew that it takes years to actually make an Xbox."
"You need a lot of people to make an Xbox.  I was surprised that there are so many people working on it."
"He played a lot of video games too when he was a kid!"

Skype in the Classroom has organized an amazing opportunity for students.  Not only do students get to meet some very cool people, but now they have a chance to ask pertinent questions of the people who work in a career that may have seemed out of reach for some students.  This program is going to open up doors.  Take a look at what Skype has to offer by visiting their site and then clicking on the "Hour of Code" section. 

We look forward to our next speaker, Sanjay Raghani, Software Development Engineer at Skype on December 4.