The Ragged Bear

My Audio/video portion of the project.

How to Tie Your Shoe

Video portion of my project.



Hope this works!

Final Project: Reflection

Over Thanksgiving break I finished the final part of my project, the audio/visual portion of the project. I had planned to have someone narrate a story and make some sort of a slideshow of the pictures from the story. I was somewhat worried about this portion but it turned out to be the same as the other portions. My sister read the story and I recorded her with the same recorder on my computer that I used for the audio portion. Then I took some photos of the book. This turned out to be harder than putting it all together. I think it was mostly due to my camera. I used the Windows photo editor to fix the pictures. I never really knew how awesome this program was until I used it for this project. It's awesome.

I put the two parts together using Windows Movie Maker again and it worked out just as well as the other parts of the project. I think overall the project was simpler than I thought. I had expected to have to get help with it but I really didn't find the programs that difficult to use. I think the harder part was using the camera or voice recorder. In every situation, the editing was the easiest part of the process. In addition, I was surprised at how well it came out. I'm sure someone with more knowledge and skill could do better but I'm really impressed with what I've managed to create. I'm hoping to post the videos on this blog after I finish this post. Wish me luck!

Project Check-In #2

So, Richie, Vinny and I worked on our projects on Sunday. We finished up the video portion of the project using my digital camera. It worked really well and it didn't take long to film the videos. However, when it came time to upload them onto our computers we had some issues. Richie and I both have PC's so we didn't have any issues. I easily uploaded all of the videos, put them on a memory stick and Richie put them on his computer. Vinny on the other hand had some issues, he has a Mac. It took about 30 or 40 minutes of struggling until we finally figured it out.

After that it was smooth sailing. Windows Movie Maker is better than I thought. Editing the video was easier than I thought and I was even able to add text and transition slides. I'm really happy with it and I'm glad that I lucked out with a good program. Had the program not worked as well I might be in trouble right now.

Finishing the last part of the project over break, will update after that.

Project Check-In

Last weekend I started working on my final project. I had planned on using my Ipod Touch to capture the audio portion of my project. However, after playing around with it I discovered that I was unable to upload it onto my computer and edit it with Windows Movie Maker.  So, I decided to try my back up plan. I used the voice recorder program that comes standard with my camera/laptop. This turned out to be a great way to capture audio segments.

After using the voice recorder program I simply dragged the audio into Windows Movie Maker. I was extremely pleased with WMM. It is very simple and easy to use. I was able to edit the audio and put multiple tracks together into one. I hope that editing the video is equally successful. After finishing mine, I was able to show Richie the same strategy.

That's all for now. I'm off to work on the other parts of the project now. Will post after completing them.

Website Resources

Websites that are helpful for teachers in general:

http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/
Put out by a popular publishing company. Many lesson plans that go with the anthalogies.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/
Lesson plans broken up into several different groups. Plenty of supplemental material. Great site.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/index.html
Go on field trips without leaving the classroom. Plenty of online resources and images/virtual tours.

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/
Printable worksheets that go with lesson plans on website. Creative lesson plans from other teachers.

http://edsitement.neh.gov/
Lesson plans and resources focused on the humanities.


Helpful websites for K - 5:

http://0-web.ebscohost.com.library.anselm.edu/ehost/detail?sid=2e0eb5a0-ae52-42fe-a5dc-f9b6a15870a2%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&jid=CLE
Online version of a journal that reviews different reading materials for this age group.

http://www.colorincolorado.org/
Lesson plans for bilingual learners. Help reach out to bilingual learners.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-k-5-teacher-resources/
Lesson plans with interactive components. Supplemental material available with lessons.

http://www.abcya.com/
Online games and activities for the lower grades.

http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/
Math lesson plans specialized for grade level or areas of study.

Reflection on my Proposal

After presenting my proposal in class I stil feel confident in my plan. I think I should be fine, my only concern is with the editing process. I want everything to work out the way I've planned and practiced.

I have yet to decide what I'm going to film with and where I'm going to film. I think I might save my video project for Thanksgiving break and try to get the other two done before then considering I don't need a special place to film. Which leads me to my next concern, what to film with? I'm going to run a test and compare my Jazz Video recorder (cheap flip) to the video quality of my camera. I have a feeling my camera will be better.

Other than those few concerns I remain confident in my proposal and plan. Let's hope my hubris isn't my fatal flaw.