Phase III

Well, the day has finally happened. I have successfully graduated from Fullsail University with a Master of Science in Education Media Design and Technology. What ride this has been!!!! There is no way to put all of this experience into a simple blog entry. But fear not my faithful followers, more details and sharing about this amazing journey as well has some photos of from graduation week will be coming. But as for now, it is on to new horizons. However, if you would like to know more about what has taken place over the last 12 month, please feel free to check out my website at: http://web.me.com/mike_mankins/cbr/Welcome.html.

That's all for now....keep in touch.

ETC - Final Project

 

Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario

Week 3 – Final Project Planning 

1. Target Audience – 6th and 7th grade middle school band students
2. Materials – computer(s), audio editing software, pre/post surveys, Internet connection, journal/practice log, camera, students Edmodo.com accounts, recording/playback equipment.
3. Objectives – The objectives of this scenario are for students to:

A) Synthesize supporting music to a silent film.

B) Organize strategies for producing and recording the music using various instruments and technology.

C) Adapt the music to a 3 – 4 clip of a pre – selected silent film in such a way it adds another dimension to the viewing experience. 

4. Procedure –

1.     Have students create Edmodo account and post their first comment/reply.

2.     Introduce students to practice log.

3.     Have students log practice time / material for two weeks. Logging will begin on 2/21/11 and end on 3/7/11.

4.     Collect practice logs / analyze data

5.     Students will continue familiarizing themselves with Edmodo; using this tool to connect with, not just the teacher, but classmates as well.

6.     Have students complete Creative Project Survey

7.     Once the Creative Project Survey has been completed, students will then vote on the type of project they want to create.

8.     Break Students will be broken into teams.

9.     Students will be shown the clip of the silent film and they will analyze if for: theme, content, set design, filming location, and overall effect.

10.   Students will then begin creating ideas for music to be put with the film.

11.   Students will turn in a projected plan for creating the music. This plan will include:

a.      Overall theme of the music

b.     Changes in theme, if any

c.      Instruments used to create that music

d.      Who will play the various instruments

e.      A timeline for completing composition

12.   Students will then begin composing their music.

13.   After composition is completed, they will begin the recording process

14.   Once all parts have been recorded, then the editing will begin.

15.   Students will then integrate the music into film.

16.   Students will then have a final screening of then film andchoose an audience to premiere it to.

17.   Students will document during entire process.

5. Web 2.0 Tool – Edmodo– a social networking Web 2.0 tool, specifically tailored for use in the public school arena. This application is great for student use because: it can be carefullymonitored, parents can have access, and thereare no non-education related applications associated with Edmodo. Therefore, students can use this tool specifically for school related tasks .
6. Social Participation/Social Learning – Students will be broken up into teams to create a musical sequence that will go with a silent movie. The musical sequence will be completed using the following directions:

a.      Student teams work together to come up with sounds that will help enhance the video.

b.     Students will determine what instruments would best fit the sound that is needed.

c.      The students will work together to compose the parts that will be recorded by each instrument. .

d.      Conclude the sequence by piecing the movie together with the new music.

e.      Students will then share their creative project with different audiences: community, student body, parents, administrators, civic organizations, etc.

7. Making Connections – Students have learned how music is created on their instrument. Such knowledge is crucial to their being able to create various sounds using their instrument and using or selecting those sounds with the film. The new knowledge will come when they are asked to compose the music that they will perform. Students will also need knowledge about affects TV has on movies and TV today. They will be required to observe and evaluate this media, makingnote of how music affects television.Students may have limited knowledge about composition; therefore, they will have to learn what it takes to make various instruments fit together correctly. They will need to answer questions like: “Does my instrument sound better playing higher or lower notes?” “Would it sound better if I playedmy instrument in combination with another instrument other than just myself?” “Does the sound that I am creating at this particular moment compliment what is taking place in the film?” 
8. Create/Produce – The students will work together to create a black and white feature film. The end product will be a short, 3 – 4 minute film clip that before was a silent film. The students will be the ones to create, compose, record, and add any musical elements to the silent film. After their film is complete, students can post it on my blog, share it with the student body, school staff and administration, or provide viewing opportunities for the community.
9. Assessment –I want to be able to create an environment where students feel most comfortable about speaking on camera; therefore the video interviews will be used for assessment. I believe this will provide the most honest and reflective feedback. However, the student body, teachers, staff, and administration will also serves as tools for assessment after their viewing.
10. Reflection – Video interview is one method of reflection that will be used. Students will be asked several questions to answer on video. Also, students will have opportunities to blog about the experience throughout the process. The reflection blog will take place using either video or digital text.

 

PE5 - Edmodo

I would like to share some more detailed things that I have done with Edmodo. First let me show you my groups.

Here is a screenshot of my "interface." You can see that students have already posted.

 













The nice thing about the "teachers view" is that you can see everything from everybody, without having to dig too deep into the application. Of course you can't do everything on the surface, but there is a lot of stuff available at your fingertips.

One really nice feature available on Edmodo is the fact that you can create small groups from within the members of the larger groups. So I have created some small groups in each of the classes. These can be used for specific discussions, project - related meetings, etc.

The more that I get into Edmodo, the more I'm getting out of it. I suppose that's the way it is supposed to work. I love the fact that it is very well - designed, but at the same time, communication between student and teacher can be very informal.

Here is the first "blanket" message I sent to everybody.

I can not wait to get parents involved. I truly believe that this will be a huge asset to building community and communication between both myself and students and their parents. I also can't wait to see what student interaction and networking will come about as a result of this tool.

I think I am going to post something new right now!!!

PE4_Edmodo

I chose to stick with Edmodo as my Web. 2.0 tool. The more I got into this, the more I realized that this was going to be a great tool for my students to use. This has many wonderful features already built in. But one that I really like is that it is completely centered around students making "social" connections with one another and those connections revolve around student learning. As soon as I set this up and gave my students a few simple instructions, they are going crazy with it. And, even right now, they are still posting and interacting with one another.

I believe since this very similar to Facebook, the social networking site most are already quite familiar with, then it is easier for my students to navigate around.

So one of the first things that I did when I first started was to create my "groups," which are essential the different classes that I teach.

This is a list of the groups that I have set up, one for each of the middle school bands.

Here is a list of some students that have already signed up.

You can see some of the options on the far right hand side. The blue icon allows me to send out codes for parents to join. The next icon takes me to that students individual grade book. The lock icon allows me to reset a student's password (but, my student's would never need that!) And the last icon is for deleting students.

Here are some more things that you can do with in Edmodo.com. You can post notes, alerts, assignments, or polls.

Note

 

 

Alert

First assignment, after creating an account.

Poll

 

Another nice feature is that you can add links, files, and libraries. This is nice because students can upload files for assignments (ie., recorded assignments, practice logs, pictures, songs, etc.)

The spot light is an area that keeps me up to date about new postings, events, notes, etc.

In the next blog, I 'll go into more detail about how I've already become more familiar with this GREAT Web 2.0 Tool and how I intend on using it. 

PE1_iMovie

For these next blog posts, I chose iMovie. I wanted to see exactly what this application can do. I wanted to know if this program was going to be just another cheesy program with limited features and capabilities, or is it going to be something that you can actually create nice looking videos with and then output them to various types and qualities and then share them on various platforms. Because I had done all of my film - editing using Adobe Premiere, and I was used to all the "bells and whistles," I wanted to see what this program was all about.

One of the nice things about iMovie that you can use either a memory or tape - based camcorder. I use both types of cameras for my productions, so it is nice to have the capability to use video off the memory card from one camera or use the film from another.

The command controls for using a film - based camera are easy to control. These commands resemble that on the VCR functions of a regular, inexpensive camcorder so you can quickly establish a connection.

But you can import video from other sources such as: a still photo camera with video capabilities, a video enabled phone, or the iSight on your Mac computer.

One of the nice features about iMovie is the work area. As opposed to the somewhat frightening appearance of the work area of Premiere, iMovie is laid out in such a way that the user can quickly and easily make his way within iMovie. Here are a few key areas that a new user might want to locate and become become familiar with:

• Project Library
• Project Editor
• Event Library
• Program Monitor
• Media Browser

These areas will serve as important areas for important areas for importing, editing, and polishing your video.

Once you have imported all the media you choose to work with, you can easily begin editing process. One of the fastest ways to view your imported video or stills it called "skimming." Skimming is a process where you drag your mouse of a selected area video or photo to view it. If you would like to view a clip, press the space bar to toggle play / pause. You can also browse or skim through video clips in full screen.

Well, I finished my iMovie training from Lynda.com. It took me two days, but I got it done. I must admit, I was skeptical of iMovie at first, for several reasons. First, I have had extensive experience using Adobe Premiere. So I was accustomed to the user interface, the functionality, the features, and the raw power of Premiere. Also, because I had used Premiere CS3 for so long, and then upgraded to CS5 through Fullsail, my standard only went higher. And so I approached using iMovie with apprehension. I thought, "This will be one of those cheap programs that you can't do anything with. This will only let you throw your video footage in there and put in some cheesy transition and that's it." Boy, was I wrong!!

Once I began to dive into iMovie a little more, I soon realized that iMovie was more than just a video - editing app for the average user, but it was a program that allowed the average videographer to import his footage, edit the clips using precision tools, add professional looking transitions, add custom sound effects and jingles, insert titles, graphics, and still photos, then export the project to a myriad of different qualities and platforms. I began to realize that there were many functions that make iMovie a very user - friendly program. Just take the workspace for example. Just by looking at the work flow area, it is easy to understand the layout of this program. From the project time line, to the edit workspace, to the media and effects browser, it makes it very east for the average user to quickly grasp how to navigate through work flow.

Then, something that I was really surprised to find, was that you can actually edited video using a chroma key. Now that really took my by surprise! I have always know of the "green screen" to be a professional tool to use. But if the person running the camera understands how to film using proper lighting and chroma key, then that opens up another level in iMovie. And with the advanced controls, the user has the option to insert key words for tagging video, select either favorite or rejected video, and record a voice over. Then, with the inspector, the fine tuning becomes even more minute. You can change the duration of transitions, reposition audio, trip audio and video clips, edit video effects, and many more. The potential of this program for the average to advanced user is huge and the learning cure is VERY low which is why iMovie is a great program with a lot of nice features for both the amature and the novice.

BP7_One - Minute Video

Here is my OMM for Edmodo

BP4_250 word review of a tool

For this blog post, I chose to review the Web 2.0 tool, Edmodo. I found this tool at http://web20guru.wikispaces.com/Web+2.0+Resources and I instantly began thinking of ways I could use this in my classroom. This tool is very similar to facebook, which many students are already familiar with so the learning curve already has gone down dramatically. 

Getting started.........

As you can see, it is very easy to create an account in Edmodo. It gives you the option to create a teacher or student account.

   Once you create an account and sign in, you can see that the interface is very easy to navigate within. The first thing you will want to do is create your classes. On the left, you can see the two groups that I have created, one for the 6^th grade and one for the 7^th grade bands. 

 

  This will be where I will post assignments and for students to complete.

  Edmodo also offers a calendar which can be used to post important information such as due dates and deadlines.

One way that I look forward to using this tool is conducting discussions about musicians or musical performances. For example, look at this assignment.  

This could also be used for me to post articles for students to read and discuss and then post comments on other student’s posts. I could also use this to post videos that I have created and have students discuss the topic. This could also be used for peer assessment. Students could post their assignments on here and then other students would post comments. Great motivation.

This is a great tool for my classroom and there is a lot of potential.

PE3_iMovie

Here is a project I created using iMovie.

PE2_iMovie

Here is my certificate.

BP6_Link to Brandon Pigeons Blog

Follow this link to find out what I said on Brandon Pigeon's blog.

BP5 - Link to CJays Blog

Follow this link to see what I said on CJays blog.

BP2_jamlegend.com

OK. First of all, I must say that one I began really diving into the world of Web 2.0 apps, I really did not have any clue as to the immensity of this toolbox of apps. But now that I have started digging in, I am beginning to see the enormous amounts of potential that are held within the portals of Web 2.0 applications. As I began searching under the heading of music, I was amazed at how many there were just in that category. So, due to my overwhelming excitement about the endless possibilities, please indulge me for a few moments. I would like to just briefly mention a few applications before I get to that one that I really enjoyed. 

First, I want to tell you about uTutti. uTutti is an online program created with one overall goal in mind: save music teachers time and energy so they can get back to teaching. uTutti allows you to streamline the administrative aspects of your program so you can focus on the education of your students. Take control of your program by managing student contact info, parent communication, inventory, finances, fees, fundraisers, calendars, group email, grades, classes/groups, and more. And as a band director, anything that helps keep me organized is always a plus. 

The second is Audiotool. I haven’t even begin to tap into what this application can do. But my idea is let students create their own tracks for accompaniment. They will take these tracks and add them to things they have recorded, such as scales, pass – off lines, or even a song they have created. The possibilities with this application are UNLIMITED. 

 

Finally, the app that I am so excited about, primarily because I will be spending a lot of time playing it is jamlegend.com. Jamlegend.com is a web site where students can go and play the guitar hero or rock band game online for free. Many of my students, as well as yours, already have this game at their house and they are quite good at it. This is just another way to get students involved in playing a game and building community and just HAVING FUN! Take a look at how this average “hack” did playing the game! 

http://www.viddler.com/explore/mikemankins/videos/7/

BP3 iGoogle Screen Shots

Home Tab

FSO Tab

CBR Tab

ETC Tab

BP1_Welcome to my Blog

Thanks for taking time to stop by my blog. This is going to be the place where I share my thoughts about my journey through the EMDT program at Fullsail. Along the way, I will be sharing with you about experiences that are taking place in my classroom everyday. Also, I will be sharing with you interesting things that I run across that might be of interest to you.

I would like to tell you about a moment that took place in my 7th grade band class Monday. As students were coming in the band room, I had a quote by Charlie Parker and his picture on the SMART board. When they were set up for rehearsal, I asked them to read it, think about it, then I asked several students to tell me what they thought that quote meant.

Charlie Parker's quote said: "Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of our horn."

And Austin responded with this: "Music is a way of life.....if shapes you and makes you stronger."

So just remember, no matter hard you try to reach your students, remember there will always be those who will be impacted by everything you do. So keep up the good work!!