Gena+Real+Life+round+1

=Put a Short Activity/Lesson/Project Title Here=

After School Program: Fall semester || Create an iMovie short introducing themselves at age 25 or so, after they have become a professional, describe their profession, show how they accomplished their goal, how they are making a difference in the world, and then give their younger-self advise from the perspective of their older-self. Examples from the DigiTales website: [] http://digitales.us/content/alyssa A favorite quote: //'Digital stories are simply the latest manifestation of one of humankind's oldest activities: storytelling. As we are continually swept away by the latest wave of leading-edge innovation, it's reassuring to know that some things don't change. From the age of prehistoric cave dwellers to the age of postmodern computer digitalists, our need to tell stories is one of those things.' -Jason Ohler (__Digital Storytelling__, pg.2) // || Be sure to highlight opportunities for students to practice/employ an "early adopter" or lifelong learning skill 1. List possible career interests and plan for guest interviews 2. Learn to use Storyboarding as a tool for project planning; learn to use the features of iMovie for effective storytelling 3. Sign up to our Edmodo Digital Storytelling Class account for ongoing dialogue, feedback and planning || Please identify opportunities for differentiation. 1. We will use the CCP structure to create a Digital Storytelling Characteristics Chart 2. Use the characteristics chart to create a self-monitoring Rubric 3. Use the self-monitoring Rubric during peer review sessions and during final presentations || 1. Guests: from our community or Skype (?) so we can conduct interviews 2. iPads and Macbooks with the iMovie program, digital camera, Edmodo account, Activeboard 3. Books: __Digital Storytelling,__ by Jason Ohler; __DigiTales,__ by Bernajean Porter 4. Websites: Jason Ohler and DigiTales websites, Youtube (Common Craft, Pixar), free clip art sites ||
 * **Title**: ||< Digital Storytelling (After School Class): Real Life Project ||
 * **Subject**: ||< content areas/technology integration ||
 * **Grade**: ||< 4th - 5th ||
 * **Time Frame**: ||< How long will the activity/lesson/project take?
 * **Summary:** ||< Write a SHORT summary of the activity/**project**/lesson here
 * **Tasks**: ||< Describe the main steps of the activity/lesson/project here
 * Objectives: ||< * What TEKS or other objectives does this activity/lesson project meet? ||
 * Assessment: ||< How will you assess the students learning?
 * Resources: ||< * What resources will be needed?
 * **Teacher**
 * Reflections:** || Please share what went well, what was challenging and what you might tweak or modify for your next round....

Our class meets after school once a week for 1 hour, and we have met two times so far. Class #1:
 * We watched a Youtube video that defines digital storytelling, in the Common Craft style, as an introduction to what our class is all about.
 * Then we viewed a couple of examples of digital stories from the DigiTales site. Focused on noticing how photos, music, voice-over, etc. were used to create effects needed for the purpose of telling a story effectively. The kids thought in terms of 'special effects' so we had a good discussion about the difference. We began sharing our 'dreams' about what we want to be when we grow up for project ideas.
 * The above lead into iMovie as a tool to create a message. We explored the iMovie templates to introduce the idea of planning with storyboards. This was a totally new way of looking at the program for the kids.
 * What was difficult was that this is an after school class and the kids came in with the expectation that they would be using computers and iPads to create something right away, so at times, it was hard to keep them focused on the discussion about the purpose of digital storytelling and the importance of good planning.

Class #2: My pebble is TOO BIG! Had to backtrack...we need to create a Collaboration Agreements Chart.
 * We revisited a digital story from DigiTales and continued our talk about future careers, but we need more time to discuss project ideas. Absolutely need to start a discussion on Edmodo because we only see each other once a week! -- Need ideas on effective starter questions
 * We revisited the iMovie templates to look closely at storyboards for planning. Our first/introductory assignment is to create a 2 min. trailer using an iMovie template focusing on the components of the storyboard and how they help us tell a simple story. They decided to do it as a group, and then ideas for camera shots exploded...
 * We stopped the 'ideas explosion' and decided to backtrack. As a group, we saw the need to establish group agreements for collaboration. We decided to sketch what this looks like rather than writing a list of rules. Good discussion about using 'agreements' rather than 'rules.' For next week, we will all bring a sketch of an agreement we want on our chart.
 * In the mean time, I only got to sign up one student on Edmodo (furstrating!), but a good outcome was that this student will try to meet with the others during the week and help everyone else sign up on their own time. Will let homeroom teachers know. ||
 * **Examples**: ||< * Links to teacher or student work examples. ||

Discussion:
Use the Embed Widget tool to add a Discussion Area widget. Bump the number to 100. This will take the comments from the discussion tab and add them to the bottom of the page. This will encourage teacher reflection and modification.