TeacherTube: The best ideas are often the simplest

I wrote about TeacherTube in a recent post (Who are you calling a tube?). At the time I wasn't sure how useful it would be. Since then I've spent a bit of time looking at some videos and came across something that shows the value brilliantly. It's a series of short videos from a teacher called Jennifer Gingerich that demonstrates a great educational use of iMovie. She calls then Riddle iMovies and it is worth starting at Step 3 so you can see what she creates and then going back to Step 1 and Step 2 to see how easy they are to make.

It is a really simple idea that children will pick up easily. I suspect that if you demonstrate how to create one most children would be able to go off and have a go themselves with little extra help. As far as I can see you could use this idea to help revise just about any topic. Show children what to do, give them some graphics (or help them find their own) and in next to no time you have an exciting and useful activity that produces a class load of fun riddle iMovies. I love it!

I decided to have a go myself, just to check it's as easy as Jennifer makes out. Although my riddle (and picture) is fairly duff, I can confirm it is easy to do... and fun. :-)



Update: Rats! This was working last night... but my pictures are just flashing up and then disappearing now. I'll try re-saving at a higher compression and then re-post later today.

Update 2: Compressed it a bit more, uploaded it again and I think it's working now. Be honest... was it worth the wait?

---

Technorati Tags: TeacherTube iMovie riddle, DavidDMuir, EdCompBlog

Powered by ScribeFire.

I'm wanted...

...but do I want them?

I received an email yesterday an (edited) extract of which I show below:

Our editors have handpicked your blog based on the interests of our members. If you would like m*L*t to syndicate your blog you have nothing further to do. If you do not want us to syndicate your blog, kindly respond to this email and let us know.

<<snip>>

As an added incentive for having your blog published on m*L*t, m*L**t will provide bloggers a javascript feed to place on their site. The feed will show all users from m*L*t who have subscribed to your blog.

The benefit of the javascript to you is that any of your readers that join m*L*t via your site will be credited to you as a referral and you will earn money based on their level of activity. It is a great way to promote both your blog and m*L*t.

{I've starred out their name - didn't see why I should give them free publicity.}

wall of spam,
originally uploaded by chotda

My gut reaction was to say no. Unsolicited, it felt like spam. They were offering to make me money from my blog... but I'm not interested in charging. The lack of detail about who they are and why they had chosen me made me feel a bit uneasy too. Also, I didn't like their assumption that it was OK to re-purpose my work and that I had to opt out rather than them asking me to opt in. So I said no.

I went and had a look at their site anyway. I found David Warlick's 2 cents blog there, so maybe it is OK. However, my visit convinced me I didn't want to be a part of it. Main reason is that they seemed to have a separate commenting system, so that people could be reading my blog and commenting on it without actually ever coming near my blog! As far as I can see... that's a silly idea.

Of course I may be missing the point. Perhaps it's a really good system and I'm just being a grumpy old analogue kid rather than a new world digital man. If I'm missing something, please let me know.

---

Technorati Tags: Spam?, DavidDMuir, EdCompBlog

Powered by ScribeFire.

Who are you calling a tube?

I lost the plot a bit on the blogging front. A combination of illness, holidays and poor time management. Strangely, although I have not made time to blog, my Flickr addiction has continued unabated. (Hmm... I'll need to think about why that is.) It's not that I haven't thought about things I want to blog - I just never seemed to get round to it.

Tigger the movie,
originally uploaded by DavidDMuir

What at last prompted me to get back on the saddle was all the news reports yesterday about Alan Johnson's speech at the NASUWT teachers' union conference. Essentially he was having a go at YouTube (or at least that's how the media presented it). Given the recent comments (well relatively recent comments) from Gordon about YouTube's failure to respond to complaints (backed up in the comments from others including Neil Winton). I wonder if England's education secretary weighing in will make any difference? I suspect YouTube will continue on unaware.

What concerns me about the reports however is the way it is presented as a technology problem with "solutions" being suggested such as giving teachers powers to confiscate mobile phones. Hmm!

However, two more positive notes to finish on. Firstly, and at least two weeks behind the blog pack, I recently discovered TeacherTube via a video and blog entry from Cool Cat Teacher. Check it out. I'm still not sure if TeacherTube will take off but it is an interesting idea. Sort of, "If you can't beat them..."



Secondly, for some positive YouTube uses, how about this human beatbox flute player that my daughter came across. Enjoy. :-)

---

Technorati Tags: YouTube, TeacherTube, Gordon McKinlay, Neil Winton, Cool Cat Teacher, DavidDMuir, EdCompBlog

Powered by ScribeFire.

This is mine!

Perhaps one of the attractions of tools such as Bebo and MySpace is that the spaces can be customised. Every teenager using the systems seems to have a different colour scheme and sound and graphics are used with with a staggering disregard for conventional design rules. (Sorry... sounding like an old fogey!) But the point is, the teenagers using these systems value the opportunity to personalise - to stamp their mark on the system - albeit within the structure imposed by the system.

As part of my job I visit a large number of schools and have observed computers systems being used in many of the Scottish authorities. There is a reasonable variation of look to the desktops from authority to authority. (Grief, there can be variation from class to class in the same school!) However, many authorities now have managed systems and the desktops and disks are fairly tightly locked down to minimise the possibility of damage to the system either by accident or design.

Dzid behind the screen,
originally uploaded by dwuziu

In one authority, that will remain nameless to protect the guilty, the control of the systems is such that every pupil's screen has a solid black background with the word "pupil" written in an attractive yellow! Talk about dull! Very corporate. If left to their own devices, I suspect some pupils would have chosen a black dektop background but many more would be likely to choose a picture, but no, everyone has a stunningly boring black background with the word "pupil" in yellow! Oh dear! I wonder if the head of education in that authority has a computer with a black background and "Director of Education" written in yellow text? I suspect not.

Anyway... I noticed that one of the pupils had a number of icons arranged in a pattern on the desktop. Then I noticed the person next door was the same. And then I realised that the icons were arranged into the shapes of letters. They had made their initials out of shortcut icons! Brilliant! They weren't allowed to personalise the desktop... so they did it anyway. :-)

---

Technorati Tags: desktop, customise, DavidDMuir, EdCompBlog

powered by performancing firefox

Garageband hints and tips

{This is another session from the Apple RTC meeting in Newcastle. Again I'm having a go at sending direct from my SPV M3100" since that's what I used to take the notes in the first place.}

Joe Moretti - Music

Garageband puts the ability to create and play with music into everybody's hands. Lot of good stuff just built into Garageband. However he will also look at third party hardware and software.

Plug in an instrument and adjust the amp settings manually. You can then save these as instruments. Don't use the pre-sets.

The relationship with iTunes means you can burn a CD or save to mp3 player for pupils to work at home.

There are things you can do to save CPU. Eg convert midi instruments to real and lock tracks.

You can edit midi instruments and create basic beats to work with. (Double click the midi loop.) Detailed midi editing a good way in moving beyond using loops by creating simple rhythms.

Sound effects added to keys and saved as instrument. Look at details and play with the vocal transformer. Able to extensively edit the sound.

Use master pitch to teach about transposition.

Lots of stuff on his website.

{I've done some minor editing on this entry now (does adding a picture count as minor?) and I'm disappointed that I failed to capture the excitement engendered by this session. Joe was excellent and he showed some seriously cool stuff. Also, I realised there were a couple of things that I should have mentioned... Firstly, he plugged his guitar directly into the Mac, no amp or midi, just the guitar phono plug at one end and a Walkman style plug at the Mac end. He then played along with and recorded into Garageband. I didn't know you could do that. Secondly, he showed us a lead that plugs into the guitar but has a USB connector at the other end and some clever electronics in the middle so you can play your guitar and record midi tracks into Garageband. Finally, he showed us a free instrument plug-in - the MDR Acordian... and who wouldn't want an accordian for Garageband. :-) }

---

Technorati Tags: Garageband, Apple RTC, Joe Moretti, DavidDMuir, EdCompBlog

Let Creativity Challenge the Child

{This is the first time I've tried posting to my blog direct from my new SPV 3100. Appologies in advance if it all goes funny. This post was typed live during a session at an Apple RTC event and probably should have been edited more carefully before sending!}

>From North Somerset RTC

Looking to challenge thinking instead of spoonfeeding. They found improvements across the curriculum. (Originally thougbt it would only impact media.) They used ComicLife to retell Chaucer. Another example was of using animation in Maths. For example, animated pizza to introduce fractions. Also motivational aspects was highlighted... even the previously difficult pupils.

Showing to governors had a huge impact. Also laptops are made available that can be borrowed.

Set up digital camera sessions for senior citizens.

Biggest impact has been to raise attainment.

Cross-curricular developments. Example given of iMovie the pupils produced to explain science concepts. Sets made in tech, storyboads in english and animated in ICT.

They also have an annual awards ceremony sponsored by their reseller.

"Our role is to challenge people to be more creative."

{Sounds like a good quote to end on!}

Andrew

Andrew,
originally uploaded by DavidDMuir.

Andrew said, "You should be blogging this." So here it is. Blogged from the Apple RTC do at a Chinese Restaurant in Newcastle.
- Taken at 9:36 PM on March 08, 2007 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu