iLife Surround Sound

As part of their in depth series on iLife software, MacLife presents this gem: Add Movement to Sounds in GarageBand

Do You Find $$ or do the $$ Find You?

Really insightful article from TechLearning about Reactive and Proactive Grantseeking

I've done mostly reactive grants - and had some success at it. But never thought to break up types of grants into these distinctions. And I love what he says here about meeting and collaborating with others to figure out the problems/solutions that your teaching is offering.

Kind of Random...

But any blog that mentions the movie Man With A Movie Camera gets my vote.
film | serial consign even gives a nice description of the film and places it in a modern context.

If you haven't seen Man With A Movie Camera (many haven't) I do recommend it. Kind of a surrealistic documentary. Nice one for opening students' eyes to different techniques too. And while I'm recommending films to blow their minds, let me add I Am Cuba and also any Fellini.

Recently Expanded - Great Source for Youth Made Media

Uth TV
has been expanding its' website and now offers even more clips from youth media producers nationwide. The quality of work by todays' students is just amazing. If you already spend waaaaay to much time on You Tube, be sure to peek here as well.

Gallery: Digital Video Expo Is AV Geek's Wet Dream

Gallery: Digital Video Expo Is AV Geek's Wet Dream: "Digital Video Expo Is AV Geek's Wet Dream By Dave Bullock Write to the Author 12.12.07 | 3:30 PM LOS ANGELES -- From editors to video bloggers and pornographers, attendees at last week's DV Expo 2007 found a show floor full of gizmos and software to take their productions to the next level. Hundreds of digital-video-tech manufacturers demo'd their latest wares to potential buyers. If you've tried to take your cat's video LOLblog to the next level, or if you want to sink your teeth into high-quality, prosumer production, check out the latest DV tech offered at the show. Left: Panasonic's AG-HMC70 is a low-cost, solid-state, shoulder-mounted HD camera. Sporting an array of pro features -- balanced audio inputs (bottom), HDMI outputs, AVCHD codec and an adjustable eyepiece -- this new camera will be quite a deal when it's released at around $1,200."

Interesting Journal

This journal seems a bit broad, but it does have some excellent equipment reviews.

"T.H.E. Journal is dedicated to informing and educating K-12 senior-level district and school administrators, technologists, and tech-savvy educators within districts, schools, and classrooms to improve and advance the learning process through the use of technology. Launched in 1972, T.H.E. Journal was the first magazine to cover education technology. T.H.E. Journal’s franchise consists of the monthly magazine, two Web sites (www.thejournal.com and www.EduHound.com), four newsletters (K-12 Tech Trends, T.H.E. SmartClassroom, EduHound Weekly, and T.H.E. Focus), T.H.E. Institute (research, consulting and professional development), and targeted list rental opportunities."

Take Your Sound to the Next Level

MacLife presents this helpful tutorial on how to Add Movement to Sounds in GarageBand Nothing like surround sound to kick it up a notch.

What Goes Into A Video Class?

Digital Storytelling: It’s More Than Just Software: "Digital Storytelling: It’s More Than Just Software Jon Orech from Educators' eZine 'We've been working here for an hour. Am I in the right room? I signed up for Digital Storytelling…but we still haven't turned on the computer…' Whenever I conduct a DST — Digital Storytelling — workshop, I usually get this reaction from participants. Digital Storytelling is one of the most powerful, yet misunderstood applications for the classroom. If your district is deciding how to develop staff to take the plunge into the 'movie' world, you need to begin by clarifying one point: Digital Editing is not Digital Storytelling."

Net Day/Speak Up Survey - Fill it out before December 23

"Speak Up, a national online research project facilitated by Project TomorrowSM, gives individuals the opportunity to share their viewpoints about key educational issues. Each year, findings are summarized and shared with national and state policy makers. Participating schools and districts can access their data online, free-of-charge. All districts and schools, in the current NCES database, are automatically registered to participate in Speak Up. To participate in the survey and obtain free, online access to your school or district’s aggregated results, your registration must be activated below."

Shorts Showing

When I was a film student, one of the ways I studied was to volunteer at film festivals. That way, I got to see all the movies for free! Now, I encourage my students to do the same.

Independent films can be an excellent source of inspiration. I also find that independent short films teach students about story, character, and the craft of filmmaking in ways books and lectures never can.

PBS, ITVS and their show Independent Lens have put several of this year's best shorts online for viewing - and voting starting December 10. Maybe time for a contrast and compare with the Insomnia winners...

Online Shorts Festival

Insomnia Film Festival - Winners!

Insomnia Film Festival has the winners up on their website.