EDIM 503 - Flyer about Me

You.Com - ME

I have taken into very heavy consideration as to how much of me should be collected into one place for the internet to view all at once.  I have decided that this is the best place to house all of that information. I am aware that you may be able to Google anything and I will pop up but putting it here is easier for everyone.

I have mentioned before that I don't separate my personal and professional life.  I still replay the clip from The Hangover when Bradly Cooper's character walks down the steps of his school and refuses to answer a students question because "It's the weekend, ... You don't know me and I don't know you".  That was funny.  I could never imagine myself saying that. 
My classroom website is:
https://sites.google.com/a/parklandsd.net/thegreth/
This site is the most up to date place for my students to check out what we are doing.

My Facebook page is rarely updated and I don't look at it much.  But here it is:
https://www.facebook.com/JayJohnBob

I have a twitter.  I use it mostly for reading about sports or commenting on how badly the Eagles are playing.
https://twitter.com/jayjohnbob

I use iPadio for most of my work for grad classes.
http://www.ipadio.com/channels/johngreth

This again, is the first website I appeared online (in name only):
http://www.thewho.org/moon.htm

The most exciting thing that I have been working on for school is my Production Company's YouTube Account.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR-3g3eE3C3R7Bk2fQUHcjg
I feel that highlighting the work by the students and letting them view the analytic data will best prepare them for creating professionally.

I can only imagine how many more things younger teachers than I have in their digital portfolio.  I have always been conservative with how much of myself I put out for others to see.  I guess that is ironic due to the fact I am very open and honest to those who speak to me in person. I figure I am so open all the time and anyone can ask me anything I don't need to do it all the time. Being a little reserved and shy online isn't a bad thing.  Having every aspect of your personality created with pictures and short real time statements really will not get the nuanced traits of who I or any of us really are.  This is the challenge of teaching people who believe they are who they present themselves to be on the internet.  I ask a lot of my students how they find value in themselves.  It used to be Facebook friends and how it is twitter followers or the number of views on their last post on YouTube.  I think it is very interesting that as we continue to find the internet and technological tools available to reach our kids they continue to diversify their personality to the newest and most popular app.  This is the dynamic struggle that Educators face.

Broadcast ME!

The struggles of being heard effectively when you speak too quickly and the words pass by the kids too fast.  I think that if I could record myself I would have a better way for the kids to catch up.  Taking video of me would be awful. I move around too much and my gestures are way too distracting.  My voice would be much better.  I know that I am an auditory learner so I know that is my go to move.  Ipadio give the perfect way to give my students the extra time with my students and they can rewind and replay my words to make sure they sink in.

I have some proficiency with Audacity, the sound editor.  I think that is much easier and far more specific than garage band.  I like to edit my words ahead of time to make sure that I have clips to play in addition to the live words I would say.  I have performed in front of students for 10 years now.  I have given some professional development to my peers and that usually goes well.  I fall into a little sarcastic tone and that usually goes over well. My best PD was on the copy machine in the planning room. Entertaining and informative. 

The program that I created is on sound design for movies.  I have many different examples of movie scores that would be considered the most popular and the task is to write down on a storyboard sheet the visual images that come to their minds.  Using just an audio broadcaster is best so that the audience does not become distracted by other visual images.  The students will then storyboard action scenes or other scenes that will be imagined while listening to the music.  This change of production technique allows the video maker to challenge their creative mind by creating in a different way.  The three different music choices and direction will provide the students with a quick and varied look into this creation method.  The first is using a popular tv show theme to create using stock B roll footage into an into segment. The second is the Montage.  The passage of time using the convention of various images and video to pass time and move a story along quickly.  We will use the Rocky theme for this segment.  The third is a fear event.  Using a fear the student has and using the theme for 12 Monkeys the activity is to create visuals that will demonstrate that fear to the audience.  The challenge with this activity is to not restrict the visuals by convention of shooting or practicality.  

 The link to the activity is available on iPadio at the following address:Creating a Visual

I think that there were not any real struggles with creating the activity and editing the sound clips.  The only thing I would try and do differently next time is find a different way of broadcasting myself.  I think that the struggle I have with doing anything online is the feedback I am looking for from the students.  I want to be interactive in their creative process and I feel that it takes too long to get feedback if I am not there.  I know that I am going to need to make the transition into more online instruction but I really just like working with the students in the same room.  Seeing their process and not just the final result.  I have spent most of my online time documenting the work of the students in the finished category.  I need to keep searching for a better online collaborative site that allows everyone to share their screens but not be overwhelming if there are more than two people. 

Discovering Something New

The reason most websites are being researched for a classroom project is because the kids are not able to do what we want them to do.  Or, we have a new project and we want to make it more interactive or the students are looking for an easier way to finish their work. 

One of the sites I want my kids to begin using is Easybib.com.  This site allows the students to easily input the article, novel, or magazine information into the site and it will correctly create a MLA citation that is correct and easily inserted into the students paper.  The site does a very easy step by step process for websites, book, novels, up to 59 different specific options for a work to be cited.  I cannot tell you how many times I have needed to walk through the process and the kids just don’t want to do enough work to get them correct.  It is about time that there is another way for them to easily and quickly make a correct citation and put it into their paper. 

On the topic of writing I have found the ultimate resource for writing for any student. The Purdue Online Writing Lab is the pinnacle of the formulaic and creative writing author.  The processes and procedures recommended for proper writing can be difficult to demonstrate without proper examples and step by step guidelines.  This website gives you everything a teacher needs to ensure the students have the best resources to become the best writer they can be. 

The aspect about this site I like the most is the visuals it gives to really show the students what they should be doing.  Not only are they able to see the proper format of a paper but an auditory explanation of what it should be is available as well.  The challenge of walking through every student down the pathway of a perfect paper is not possible in the short amount of time in the classroom.  This dynamic and specific resource give the teachers more help in teaching and the students more help with the examples and the ease of use of the site. 

On to the newest video editing site that I have explored for my students.  WeVideo.com allows students to upload and have a dynamic and powerful editing tool to use on almost any device. 

The upload process is easy both on the computer and portable device.  The user interface is similar in both of those work windows.  I would compare the portable device editing to that of Imovie on an apple device.  The hardest part of using this type of editing is the specificity of an edit or audio adjustment.  Maybe it’s just my fat finger but getting the clip to be exactly where I want it is always a challenge.  I just may be too specific in my design for some of my smaller movies.  Not many people look to edit clips and photos to cut exactly on the pulse and tempo of a song. The best aspect of this editor is the green screen editing. One of the biggest issues when teaching video construction is the locations we have to shoot in allow the kids to be as creative as a school video.  The content of their work can be so much more.  The ability to shoot in our studio with the green screen and then allow them to place their shot anywhere lifts the burden of the boring “brick wall”.  It is really nice to see such a powerful cloud based editing software.  

The only thing that I am concerned about is how much it is when the free trial ends.  When I have a collection of students that rely on using professional software the cloud based version is not applicable to those going to continue working in college in this field.  It will be great for those students in my beginning classes as well as my English classes but is not the answer for my Media courses. 

Views Matter

One of the projects that I have been thinking about and have finally put into writing is applicable to my New Digital Media course. 

The challenge of teaching in this new medium of sharing videos online and their viewership dictates how "good" it is.  I know that shows like the Honeyboo's or J & K +8 are getting ratings and people watch them but are they really good?  The project that my students will be diving into next year will precisely decide that. 

The project is to create a 3 minute or less original video that will be uploaded onto Youtube through our classroom channel. They are then to take their attack to social media and get as many views as possible throughout the semester. The main goal is to recognise that just because your video gets a lot of views doesn't mean it is good and you might have a good video that may not get any views.  The only rules are that it has to be a video you are proud of (school rules) and you may not attack or sabotage any other students video. 

This also allows the students to use the analytic applications to identify and breakdown the demographics and the monitazation system of YouTube.  This is very important in college and the professional world to identify what "moves the needle" in the public sector and that is what gets professionals more jobs and more exposure. 

The "winner" will be entitled to some prize that the class will vote on and the evaluation process will be rated on the student's breakdown of their analytic data.  I am sure that most kids are aware of how this process works and the fight for views.  But, I think it will be the first time for many to try and get views for a better grade.  And that is the 21st century hard work and determination we are all looking for, right? 

I am too old for this Tech

I am really Bad at this.  I am not that old.  I am not that out of touch with technology.  I use it all the time.  But, I find that I have an old school approach to how I use this advanced computer in my pocket.  I am good at taking pictures.  I am bad at putting them online.  I want to be better but my heart won't let me.  I am not good at the whole put a picture up all the time to let others see what I am doing.  I know I am not that exciting.  I know no one will be following me and my thoughts on most anything.  I am not that important.  I am fine with that.  I think my complacency stems from being as PA Ducth as I am.  I like potatoes and simple meals.  Too much spice makes my stomach hurt.  Too much of myself out on the interweb makes my stomach hurt.  I am trying.  I tweet some times.  I started following more people. It became too much.  Why would I want to follow/listen to someone who I don't know?  Why would I trust these people? I am skeptical to begin with.  I don't think I have anything too exciting to say so why would I be reading all these other people? I am not old.  I do like the Old Fashioned doughnut at Dunkin.  That does not make me looking to put away my iphone.  I won't be trying to find many more people who I should follow. I know this is wrong.  I don't know how to jump start my leap into It.  I have an idea that if I did I would like it?  Perhaps that is why I am so hesitant.  OR I am afraid I will say something insulting and that would be bad.  Probably that. 

This is why I teach

Interview to use my phone

I have always enjoyed putting new energy into finding tools to better my teaching and enhancing the possibility for student learning.  I usually read ACSD or other educational publications about the newest thing.  The search brought me to Lori Peters who has changed my mind about using the most common handheld device in the classroom as a learning and diagnostic tool.

Lori Peters is an English teacher or 11^th grade has brought to my attention that the cell phone has been there all along and been overlooked as in important tool for the modern educator. 

The first thing I need to check out is the district’s policy about how they deal with students and their cell phones. Her perspective is that with a firm understanding of what the kids can and have tried to get away with will arm the teacher with a much better footing when having students bring their cell phones into the classroom on and ready to work.

The programs that she recommended I try are zipgrade, turnitin app, and reading with digital copy.  Zipgrade is an app connected to an easy to use website that grades form tests with the cell phone camera.  This is great because you never have to wait in line to use the bubble machine in the faculty room.  Also, the compiled data that is collected for each student and the class as a whole is far more comprehensive than any simple bubble sheet.  The teacher can print out complete documents informing the students what they missed and what the other kids in class chose.  This gives the teacher the advantage in reteaching if they see the majority of students missed the mark on a standard or idea. 

I have used turnitin.com before but never thought about using the app to grade my essays.  I think that with the amount of energy needed to carry all of them around while always having my phone in my pocket it never occurred to me to try and just grab my phone.  I did not try this one yet but I think the next much of essays I should force myself to keep the paper away and jump onto my phone. 

I think that the feel of a good book is relaxing and therapeutic.  The cold hard glass and steel of a phone is not the same thing.  But, since all of my students have a phone with the ability to house all of the novels I am teaching and give them a bunch of tools to make them a better, smarter reader.  I can have the students look up words they don’t know just by highlighting them.  This is a much more powerful tool than most people realize.  The challenge of the modern student to use more than one “device” at a time is not realistic.  But now they can just use one, their phone, to get immediate feedback about the word they don’t know.  In addition to the, highlighting, side notes and bookmarks that are now able to be used and transfer from device to device.  So if a student has more than one it can have all of their notes shared on both devices.

I think that I have underestimated the power of the cellphone as a classroom tool.  Next year, the cell phone will be out and the power it wields will be glorious.  

www.Zipgrade.com - 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zipgrade-grade-paper-tests/id635077270?mt=8

www.Turnitin.com

https://www.apple.com/ibooks/

Tools for a Teacher

I wanted to try all of the different URL minimizing websites but I was blocked from all of them by the school filter except for ow.ly - So that is where I traveled. http://ow.ly/Nj2pd Is the awesome shortened website address that it gave me so click on it to see my school website. I think I have had to use one of these before and they all work similarly. This site though needed me to prove I am human by making an ice cream sundae. That was new for me. I can see myself using this when I tweet websites out to the students. I think that it is far better than trying to type in all of the characters.

 I like using the QR Reader. But, I did not use the one that was on the activities page. I used http://www.qr-code-generator.com/ I really like that you just have to put in a url and it creates it without having to register or go through too many steps. Some of the other sites needed you to do that in order for one to be created. I did put it up in my classroom but I know my kids have my website book marked already.


I have to speak to how great keepvid.com is.  This is a website I was able to identify as THE ONE teachers in my building need to know. With the difficulty of getting through the firewall to Youtube the best solution is to get the videos onto the computer.  This site allows you to have the file of the video you want and you can then organize it in your iTunes or any other way you want.  This is the best way to have those "use every year" videos without the scare of loosing track or not being able to find them again. I used to use ZamZar.com but that site had issues with copyright and now they do not permit that function from youtube anymore.  I hope that KeepVid continues to work.  I would be lost without it. 

Checking out new sites to better education

Twitter When I first heard of Twitter I really did not see any positive educational value to it whatsoever. I thought it was a great way for people who have opinions to say what they want to people who may or may not care what they said. I think it is very interesting that with more time and patience the educational experience is far more intricate than I ever expected. The thing that I never accounted for is that Twitter provides a great way to connect with others through other people or from searching them out. I was able to find other educators through the search and use their following lists to see others of interest. The best thing that Twitter does is allow the user to provide links to pictures, articles and videos. This is where my attention was placed for the secure and positive educational value. The ability for my students to be able to follow me for my classroom and be provided with the articles or links to videos I use in class invaluable. The mess of having to print out all the things I want the kids to read and then they lose them anyway. It is just frustrating. I think it is far more valuable for my time and resources that I can provide a link that is not encumbered by the school webpage and get right to the point. See what I want them to see and nothing else. And, if they follow me they can get it right away. The transition of language is becoming more concise and specific. Twitter is moving the trend down to the least about of language possible. I think my students will love it. Prezi I grew up with taking notes from Power Point on a classroom TV. I thought that it was way too slow and cumbersome to take notes. Most of the PowerPoints had words and that was it. The newest version of the power point style media presentation software is web based Prezi. This online tool allows the user to create movable and much more intricate presentations that keep my attention far better than the old PowerPoint. The best advantage of using the new Prezi rather or over the linear PowerPoint is that if you want to review a specific part of the presentation you can view the whole thing in one screen. The software has the ability to zoom and focus your data into or on top of each other. This excellent program will allow students to create presentations for class where their ability to present is hindered by time, creativity and their grasp of the material. This easy to use program will enable students to include any and all resources in their presentation to make sure they can demonstrate their knowledge in the best way they know how. The fact the software is usable across all platforms makes it the best way for my students to be permitted to use it and demonstrate their knowledge. Educlipper One of the most difficult things when you begin teaching is finding resources for you as a teacher and to provide your students. Being able to find comfort in a curation website for education that you can trust moves teachers beyond the surviving mode and into thriving mode. What better educational resource could you ask for than one that connects great people with their great easy to use resources? Educlipper enables individuals to create profiles and add resources to permit others to connect with them and use their materials. I know the challenge of googling a topic for your classroom instruction and getting the mounds of data back that may or mostly may not be used by an effective teacher for their students. Educlipper gives a new teacher and student the ability to find documents and presentations that will enhance the ability to learn. This is also available across all platforms to enable all students regardless of technology access to this great resource. Twitter.com Prezi.com EduClipper.com

Checking out Moodle with Wes Spence from LCTI

My investigation into creating a larger online portal to conduct my classes I was directed to a teacher that through the course of blended learning uses the website Moodle to house all of his class discussions, tests, quizzes and presentations. In the discussion I had with Wes he was very pleased with the improvements in his classroom organization and student accountability with the use of Moodle. I never even thought about the accountability part of the educational process as a reason to move more online. I guess I should have more quickly with the focus of my current educational ventures. He is able to have organized assignments set on a calendar and have the students access all at one time or release them one at a time. He began using Moodle about five years ago when the school began piloting the program in the high school. The site allows only those who have accounts and passwords to access the course material. This security is a wonderful part of the program. He is able to use any and all content he finds appropriate for his course without the fear of copyright infringement. This is one of the reasons I am so intrigued by his use of Moodle in the classroom. In my film courses I want to use clips from major motion pictures and I need and want to post them on my website for all of my students to view. Moodle will give me the avenue to post clips online and the students can exchange ideas about that material in a safe and secure environment without my fear of being sued. His advice for anyone who is wanting to transfer their classroom into an online environment is to prepare for tech glitches to take over your life for the first year or so. He even after a few years has some pop up every now and then but most of the students successfully communicate, create, and be evaluated all online. All of that paperwork that was so cumbersome to manage now is online in easy to see and organize files. The students can just upload or create their content right there in the same place the content for the lesson was taught. I think that with the correct application sizes and support I will be right in line to begin trying to get my film courses in with Moodle. Unfortunately without the proper authorization the course moodle sites are not accessible. I guess you will just have to take my word how great his set up is. https://moodle.org/ http://moodle.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuKhBKAgQcA

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. When researching the types of licenses that are available and attractive to use for myself and my classes. I am familiar with giving credit for work that someone does not pay for with my video classes and the copyrighted music we use. I think that those who take work that does not belong to them and position it as their own should be accountable for doing so. I am not exactly sure to what measures or what extent those punishments should be but... something. I have no problem others using what I create and modify it to their own advantage or use. I think that taking great ideas and changing them around is what most art does. Why not continue to use it in the art of teaching.