Being the Subject is Different

liveeworkcreate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28826792@N00/5971423516

Joanne Shang, a colleague, is getting her Masters and needed my help. 

This is her request:

Hi Karl,
I need to ask you for a favor again!
I am working on an assignment, for my graduate course, to create a documentary on someone in my everyday world who lives creatively. 
I can’t find a better person than you who lives your life with an obviously creative approach, integrating technology and working with middle school children at work and 
managing a farm and working with animals at home. 
May I ‘interview’ (and videotape) you at work on Tuesday 4/2) and Wednesday (4/3) while you are engaged in creative work.  
I wish I had the opportunity to tape you working on the farm too, but due to time constraint, that will be for the next project. 
 Having nothing to loose I agreed as I am prone to do. I think she captured it very well and I am amazed at all that I do and have done since I was born on a farm in Southwest Wisconsin fifty-six years ago.
 

 

Canción del Jinete Cami S.

Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca

Each year the 6th grade Spanish students create a VoiceThread project where they read and illustrate the poem Canción del jinete by Federico García Lorca. The purpose is really three fold in that students should be able use the language well, illustrate the poem with images that capture the mood of the poem while also being unique, and giving proper credit on the use of the images by doing a proper bibliography. We start the class with me showing the students how to use Skitch to create a title slide either with an image or just a drawing. We discuss how to resize the images in Skitch so they fill the screen in VoiceThread. Students who are using images other then their own creations use a Google Doc for citation which is then downloaded as a PDF and uploaded to VoiceThread as the final slide. After the initial title slide is created in Skitch, students drag it to their desktop. Then we create the new VoiceThread, edit the title, add a description, give it tags for easy searching. Next, we adjust the publishing so it is viewable, comments are both allowed and moderated. The last part is to use the Share settings to get a link and the embed code to add it to a Moodle Discussion forum. We do this in one class and then the students get to work on getting other images, creating images, and citing their sources. The last part is to record the VoiceThread using our Logitech Headsets. It takes about 3 to 4 class periods from start to finish and since the VoiceThread is embedded in the class Moodle course, all additions to the VoiceThread show up automatically. Students always think this is cool, which is a good thing as I think their learning should be embedded everywhere. Some also put it in their Google Site Learning Portfolio to showcase their Multimedia skills.

Below is one that Mr. Glass was a true showcase as the language is well done and the student clearly understands the poem since all artwork was created by her. I love it when all elements of learning come together. Of course, projects like this are always easier in May after students have been exposed to the use of the tools throughout the year.

 

http://damiddle.ed.voicethread.com/share/3087495/