Gary’s Intro/Keynote
- Why do we need to invent digital storytelling? There’s film-making and writing. Digital storytelling is a school invention to fit into our class periods.
- Having agency over the computer is important but like dancing or singing or sports – anything you want to get good at, you have to build some fluency.
- I am surprised when adults are surprised that kids do extraordinary things.
- Craft vs Crap – kids make things that they want to keep and their parents want to keep.
- Making things is better than being passive but making good things is even better.
- Software determines what you do and what you do determines what you learn.
- Give prompts that are not too big … if the prompt is too big, the range of experience that the kids can have is too small.
Resource recommendation
- Making learning whole by David N. Perkins – http://www.amazon.com/Making-Learning-Whole-Principles-Transform/dp/0470384522
- video – The Neistat Brothers from HBO – http://neistatbrothers.com/
- ImagineIt – http://www.imagineitproject.com/
Presentation: Research Without Copying by Elizabeth Allen
- introduce research and change the end product –> get them to synthesize rather than copy
- work smarter, not harder
Why kids copy
- limited reading ability
- limited vocabulary
- lack of research skills
- lack of understanding of assignment
- lack of motivation
- a non-stimulating final poduct
Examples of activities to do using Tech4Learning activities
- associative letter report (do research and use a thesaurus). Students can write sentences to describe why the word is related to the research topic
- if, but report (compare and contrast using first person vs another person)
- if report (cause and effect using three facts)
- geography riddle
- mystery report (10 facts about a topic presented to class in the form of a game – audience chooses number and audience guesses after each answer)
- fact or fiction book (answer is behind the question)
- tell me again (modeled after tell me again book for creating an autobiography)
- never-ever
- fortunately-unfortunately
- attribute report
- for rent
- classifieds
- wanted poster
- 5 senses poem
- top 10 (modelled after David Letterman’s top 10)
- animation
Software Trials
- Sylvia Martinez – TechYES mini kit coupon
- Pat from SchoolKit with 3 months subscription to PD21
- Intoclass for student class work
- Microworlds EX software
Software demo
- Frames
- inspireData
- Microworlds EX
Trial
- Animation-ish
- Microworlds EX – made a horse race … need to add cheering, can horse stop when it touches the red line, not when the middle of the horse get to the line?
- Keep a count for best of 5 or 10 races