If they are, then they won't be able to access a lot of flash movies online. This should be a consideration as you decide which platform/s will host your class's work.
Fortunately, HTML5 is accessible on multiple platforms. And developers are adding functions to it every day. Take Mozilla, for example:
"Video on the web has always been a bit disappointing.
After all, it’s pretty much just like television, only smaller. And unlike the rest of the web, video is just as much a passive experience in your browser as it is anywhere else.
Mozilla would like to change that. Developers at the browser maker’s Drumbeat project — an initiative that advocates new open web technologies — have created Popcorn, a tool intended to make web video every bit as interactive as the rest of the web.
Popcorn is a very new effort and still a bit rough around the edges, but results are already impressive. Popcorn adds metadata to HTML5 native web video, annotating videos with information like location, details about the people and topics in the video, subtitles, and licensing details. The metadata can be used in real time to add to the experience."
More info here at Webmonkey.
Saturday
Tool for Collaborative Screenwriting
Next time you're brainstorming with the youth about what film to make, try this cool tool from BBC Scotland. (Courtesy of the great folks over at Lifehacker.)
Tuesday
NYT Learning Blog - Ethnography Curriculum
Photography is a really wonderful tool for teaching art, science, and humanities.
"How do writers create or defy popular images of settings? What is ethnography, and how can it be used to reveal the meanings of places? In this lesson, students consider the power of place in their own lives, and then execute an ethnographic research project that dispels clichéd notions about where they live."
Click here for the curriculum
and
Click here for a similar curriculum over at the California Council for the Humanities.
Both are great.
"How do writers create or defy popular images of settings? What is ethnography, and how can it be used to reveal the meanings of places? In this lesson, students consider the power of place in their own lives, and then execute an ethnographic research project that dispels clichéd notions about where they live."
Click here for the curriculum
and
Click here for a similar curriculum over at the California Council for the Humanities.
Both are great.
MEDEA Awards Deadline is July 31
MEDEA Awards 2010
The MEDEA Awards competition is an international event which recognizes excellence and creativity in media in education. MEDEA aims to highlight the educational environments that reflect the media-rich world in which our learners live nowadays.
Learn more here.
Past winners here.
This year, the MEDEA Awards 2010 and prizegiving ceremony will be incorporated into a new conference entitled Media & Learning: towards the era of digital fluency, taking place in Brussels from the 25-26 November 2010. This conference will bring together practitioners and policy makers and will highlight the latest developments, services and digital and media competences in education and training. Proposals for presentations, demonstrations and workshops at this conference must be submitted before 1 June 2010.
The MEDEA Awards competition is an international event which recognizes excellence and creativity in media in education. MEDEA aims to highlight the educational environments that reflect the media-rich world in which our learners live nowadays.
Learn more here.
Past winners here.
This year, the MEDEA Awards 2010 and prizegiving ceremony will be incorporated into a new conference entitled Media & Learning: towards the era of digital fluency, taking place in Brussels from the 25-26 November 2010. This conference will bring together practitioners and policy makers and will highlight the latest developments, services and digital and media competences in education and training. Proposals for presentations, demonstrations and workshops at this conference must be submitted before 1 June 2010.
Friday
What Does "Make Your Own Video" Mean to You?
I'm always on the hunt for lo-cost editing tools. I mean, Final Cut Pro is nice, but most of my students have limited access to computers and don't buy their own software (yet). I was a fan of Jumpcut.com before Yahoo bought and dismantled them.
About a year ago, I became a fan of Animoto.com The site's ability to edit music & stills into films is nothing short of amazing. Here's one I made a while back with location audio:
Actually used animoto with a group of youth this month. Now that they've added video capabilities, it's an even more helpful tool.
So I was happy to notice an ad online today for "Google Search Stories Video Creator". I thought maybe the benevolent giant had come up with their own helpful online video editor. What a disappointment. Basically, you can make a slide show of 6 google searches and they're calling this a "video" on youtube.
Sorry guys, try again. http://www.youtube.com/searchstories = FAIL.
About a year ago, I became a fan of Animoto.com The site's ability to edit music & stills into films is nothing short of amazing. Here's one I made a while back with location audio:
Actually used animoto with a group of youth this month. Now that they've added video capabilities, it's an even more helpful tool.
So I was happy to notice an ad online today for "Google Search Stories Video Creator". I thought maybe the benevolent giant had come up with their own helpful online video editor. What a disappointment. Basically, you can make a slide show of 6 google searches and they're calling this a "video" on youtube.
Sorry guys, try again. http://www.youtube.com/searchstories = FAIL.
Monday
Job Hunting for Youth
Many urban youth are completely digitally literate, but are not sure how to get a job. I've been asked to speak at a upcoming youth job fair, here's some of what I'm planning to present to them:
If you watch American Idol, then you know that it's not always the best singer that wins - it's the person with the best package: voice, style, age/race/gender, and song selection. It's the same with a job. The most qualified people only get hired if they have the best package. Here are the keys to putting together your package.
Email - Most jobs nowadays will contact you through email. You will also put your email on your resume. Make sure you know what your email says about you. The current trend is firstname.lastname@gmail.com
Lifehacker on Email trends
Phone - You need to have a dependable phone number. Do not sign up for a cell phone plan that you won't be able to afford down the road. Employer's can't hire you if they are calling a disconnected number.
A regular home line for $16 a month is the best deal. Just buy an answering machine at the swap meet. You can even get a lower price on the phone if you sign up for LIFELINE or LINK-UP service.) Regardless, make sure your phone message sounds professional - put your name and your phone number in the message. "Thank you for calling. You have reached Ms. Smitty B at (510)123-1234. Please leave me a message with your phone number and the best time to call back."
Do not have music or loud noise in the background. Make it easy for people to get a hold of you. If you are somewhere noisy when the phone rings, let it go to voice mail while you get somewhere quiet. Then call back right away.
Resume - Your resume tells all about the jobs you've had, your school experience, skills and achievements, and can even include volunteer work. A great new tool for you is Google Docs. If you have a google account, you can put your resume here and get copies of it from ANY computer with internet. No more need to carry around a usb drive. Also, there are many templates on google docs. Templates are like a skeleton - you will have to add the muscle, but they're a good place to start from.
Google Resume Templates
Before you write your resume, look at some other resumes to get a sense of what they look like. You can find lots of them here: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/res/ Don't just copy someone else's resume - write something that's original, like you!
Cover Letter - This goes with your resume and, same as the resume, you can find templates on google docs. Look at some samples but write your own letter. Get an adult you trust to read it and give you suggestions for how to make it better. It needs to be personal, but not too personal. Email cover letters are shorter than traditional ones, but you should still write more than "here's my resume".
References - You only give references when a job asks for them. They are people like coaches, teachers, bosses, and other adults you know who can speak about how great you are. They cannot be friends or family. Make sure you have the right phone numbers for your references. Also, call them to let them know who you gave their name/number to. Talk with them about what good things they can say about you.
Online ID - What does google say about you? What about facebook or myspace? You are building an online id every day. Your boss might do a search on your name, your email address, your phone number, or even your address. (They can even pay companies to get info you thought was private, like your status updates, who you friend and fan pages you subscribe to.) Make sure you think about that when you put comments, pictures, or other information online. It's a good habit to keep info you want private off the internet.
Your Online ID is a tool. You can use it to help show off the best of who you are. You already know how to make friends online - tell those friends you're looking for help to find a job. Use online clubs, fan pages, and blogs to find out more about subjects that interest you. Friend people who are already successful in the job or career that you are interested in. Ask them for advice. You can become an expert by doing your own online research. You can also create an online rep for being hardworking, smart, kind, creative....all the things your new boss will be looking for.
Your package includes all these things: email + phone + resume + cover letter + online ID. If you're lucky, you will get to add phone conversations and interviews to the package.
Remember: Only the contestants with the best complete package get the job!
Before I wrap up, a couple of ways to find jobs:
* Craigslist job listings. Be sure to use the search functions. Look in different areas - including non-profit sector and gigs.
* Follow the Twitter Feeds of folks you'd like to work for.
* Look for Twitter Feeds & Lists of specific types of jobs like Social Media or Youth Uprising's Jobs List
* Don't forget about people ITRW. A lot of times they know about jobs that will never even make it to the website. Visit old teachers and neighborhood businesses. Reach out to cousins on Facebook. Tell them what you're looking for and see if they offer any suggestions or advice.
* Go to places where they post job flyers/listings. This includes the Unemployment Office, City and County Human Resources Offices, and Youth Job Centers. Bring a notebook so you can write down who to email your resume.
MOST IMPORTANT:
Make getting a job, your job. If you want to work 40 hours a week then go to sleep and get up early, take a shower, dress professionally, and work your job hunt every day. Look for jobs, send out resumes, and go out on interviews 40 hours a week. Make getting a job, your job.
If you watch American Idol, then you know that it's not always the best singer that wins - it's the person with the best package: voice, style, age/race/gender, and song selection. It's the same with a job. The most qualified people only get hired if they have the best package. Here are the keys to putting together your package.
Email - Most jobs nowadays will contact you through email. You will also put your email on your resume. Make sure you know what your email says about you. The current trend is firstname.lastname@gmail.com
Lifehacker on Email trends
Phone - You need to have a dependable phone number. Do not sign up for a cell phone plan that you won't be able to afford down the road. Employer's can't hire you if they are calling a disconnected number.
A regular home line for $16 a month is the best deal. Just buy an answering machine at the swap meet. You can even get a lower price on the phone if you sign up for LIFELINE or LINK-UP service.) Regardless, make sure your phone message sounds professional - put your name and your phone number in the message. "Thank you for calling. You have reached Ms. Smitty B at (510)123-1234. Please leave me a message with your phone number and the best time to call back."
Do not have music or loud noise in the background. Make it easy for people to get a hold of you. If you are somewhere noisy when the phone rings, let it go to voice mail while you get somewhere quiet. Then call back right away.
Resume - Your resume tells all about the jobs you've had, your school experience, skills and achievements, and can even include volunteer work. A great new tool for you is Google Docs. If you have a google account, you can put your resume here and get copies of it from ANY computer with internet. No more need to carry around a usb drive. Also, there are many templates on google docs. Templates are like a skeleton - you will have to add the muscle, but they're a good place to start from.
Google Resume Templates
Before you write your resume, look at some other resumes to get a sense of what they look like. You can find lots of them here: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/res/ Don't just copy someone else's resume - write something that's original, like you!
Cover Letter - This goes with your resume and, same as the resume, you can find templates on google docs. Look at some samples but write your own letter. Get an adult you trust to read it and give you suggestions for how to make it better. It needs to be personal, but not too personal. Email cover letters are shorter than traditional ones, but you should still write more than "here's my resume".
References - You only give references when a job asks for them. They are people like coaches, teachers, bosses, and other adults you know who can speak about how great you are. They cannot be friends or family. Make sure you have the right phone numbers for your references. Also, call them to let them know who you gave their name/number to. Talk with them about what good things they can say about you.
Online ID - What does google say about you? What about facebook or myspace? You are building an online id every day. Your boss might do a search on your name, your email address, your phone number, or even your address. (They can even pay companies to get info you thought was private, like your status updates, who you friend and fan pages you subscribe to.) Make sure you think about that when you put comments, pictures, or other information online. It's a good habit to keep info you want private off the internet.
Your Online ID is a tool. You can use it to help show off the best of who you are. You already know how to make friends online - tell those friends you're looking for help to find a job. Use online clubs, fan pages, and blogs to find out more about subjects that interest you. Friend people who are already successful in the job or career that you are interested in. Ask them for advice. You can become an expert by doing your own online research. You can also create an online rep for being hardworking, smart, kind, creative....all the things your new boss will be looking for.
Your package includes all these things: email + phone + resume + cover letter + online ID. If you're lucky, you will get to add phone conversations and interviews to the package.
Remember: Only the contestants with the best complete package get the job!
Before I wrap up, a couple of ways to find jobs:
* Craigslist job listings. Be sure to use the search functions. Look in different areas - including non-profit sector and gigs.
* Follow the Twitter Feeds of folks you'd like to work for.
* Look for Twitter Feeds & Lists of specific types of jobs like Social Media or Youth Uprising's Jobs List
* Don't forget about people ITRW. A lot of times they know about jobs that will never even make it to the website. Visit old teachers and neighborhood businesses. Reach out to cousins on Facebook. Tell them what you're looking for and see if they offer any suggestions or advice.
* Go to places where they post job flyers/listings. This includes the Unemployment Office, City and County Human Resources Offices, and Youth Job Centers. Bring a notebook so you can write down who to email your resume.
MOST IMPORTANT:
Make getting a job, your job. If you want to work 40 hours a week then go to sleep and get up early, take a shower, dress professionally, and work your job hunt every day. Look for jobs, send out resumes, and go out on interviews 40 hours a week. Make getting a job, your job.
Wednesday
Friday
FCP 101
The good people over at Mac|Life have put up "Getting Started with Final Cut Pro". It's still a little detailed for a beginner IMHO, but there are some helpful tips here. (Three long pages of info.)
Might be worth it to do a little selective copy and paste to make your own handout for students. My students prefer to watch the tutorial movies on the Apple FCP site.
Might be worth it to do a little selective copy and paste to make your own handout for students. My students prefer to watch the tutorial movies on the Apple FCP site.
Sunday
New Curriculum Resource from The Film Foundation
Just after VHS but before DVD's, the laserdisk was invented. This technology got filmmakers really excited because it was the first format that came even close to the picture quality of movie theater film. And thus began the letterbox wars which eventually created the 16:9 HDTV format. As Directors began to see their creative legacy get translated into multiple formats, they became concerned about possible hack jobs. And out of this concern, the Artists Rights Foundation was created.
This group of filmmakers established new protocols that did things like limit Turner Classic Movies from arbitrarily colorizing classic Black and White films. ARF also wrote one of the best filmmaking textbooks I've ever seen, complete with activities, worksheets, and suggested movie clips. You can download a PDF copy of "Making Movies: A Guide for Young Filmmakers"here
Turns out the Artist Rights Foundation merged with the Film Foundation back in 2002. Recently, the Film Foundation announced the launch of The Story of Movies, a clearinghouse for all kinds of curriculum. The goal is to give different teachers tools that will expose students to classic films. Is it any surprise that Turner Classic Movies is a co-sponsor?
[edutopia article on the site here]
This group of filmmakers established new protocols that did things like limit Turner Classic Movies from arbitrarily colorizing classic Black and White films. ARF also wrote one of the best filmmaking textbooks I've ever seen, complete with activities, worksheets, and suggested movie clips. You can download a PDF copy of "Making Movies: A Guide for Young Filmmakers"here
Turns out the Artist Rights Foundation merged with the Film Foundation back in 2002. Recently, the Film Foundation announced the launch of The Story of Movies, a clearinghouse for all kinds of curriculum. The goal is to give different teachers tools that will expose students to classic films. Is it any surprise that Turner Classic Movies is a co-sponsor?
[edutopia article on the site here]
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