Video and the Spanish classes

For the past several years, I have been working with a Spanish teacher making videos, this project has grown over the years and has improved the language skills of these students.

The first years of the project I would meet with the students to discuss video planning and visual language in movies, the students would then put together scripts. The teacher now handles this part, which is great. Right now my role is to help out with editing, this being the labor intensive part, and the teacher cannot help all groups at all times.

In the beginning she only worked with Spanish 3 students, with the task of putting together a Spanish soap opera, each group of 4 would make their own. The later years the class would work together, with each group working on a subplot to the story, usually a large group scene in the end. These projects have become more sophisticated over time, and look better.

The Spanish teacher now has all levels of students doing videos, this morning I will work with them in editing a newscast. The idea is that all group have the same clips and they are to edit to make it look best. They worked together on the scripts and shooting, now need to put it together. This is similar to an assignment I had in a video class in college, we all shot the same thing and made different stories, we were not involved in the script, just had several takes of several scenes and had to make sense of it.

I have always felt that having students making a video is a valuable lesson, we are working in groups, developing ideas, writing scripts, thinking about visual language, budgeting time and resources. It is a form of expression that some students excel at, similar to some students excel at writing, some are good at video. I struggle to put my thoughts on paper, but to video the ideas is easy and effective for me to do.

I have been hoping that video making would expand to other classes, and it has to a small extent, not the level I would like. The ELA teacher who worked with me in having the students video short stories has left, and there has been no interest in picking this up in the creative writing class or any other ELA class. This is a disappointment.


For anyone that cares we use iMovie and various digital video cameras. Getting them to use a tripod when I am not there is another story.

Off I go to work with them…

We have an issue....

Last year I installed a computer lab for students to use for on-line learning classes. We made the decision to set up the lab using PC rather than our normal Mac computers, the reason for this was, I was sure, somewhere down the line, there would be an issue with something that would only work with PC and not Mac, you know this was sure to happen. So to avoid that problem we did PC, and gave us a chance to mess around with Vista (which by the way works well).

In order for this project to work, we felt it was best to put a teacher in the room to supervise rather than someone else, as the students would take it seriously, and the teacher was needed to supervise quizzes and tests. Therein lies the problem. Due to factors not under my control, these classes have been greatly under enrolled, most teachers have one or two students, several have none. So a few teachers, with multiple computers in their rooms decided to hold the sessions in their classrooms, with two exceptions, these classrooms have Macintosh computers. And so yesterday the inevitable occurred. I get a call saying one of the on line teachers could not read an attached file sent by a student, and I need to fix it. I tried to explain to the teacher that the reason the classes are held on PCs is to avoid this very problem!

I guess that explanation is not good enough. Now I have to explain up the food chain why I cannot “Make it work” , and the reason why the online lab is set up as it is. I was given trouble for using PCs there, now I guess I am getting problems because the teacher does not want to give up time in their room to cover their class where the class is to be held.

I could set up these classroom computers at a cost, to run windows, but why if we are all set just down the hall?

and so it goes

Note to self:Don't let the blog die

This is where I run into trouble. Not sure what to write, and then forget to write.
Almost really spring, might have a frost this week, we shall see.
Did some planting this weekend, and the rain today is helpful.
The garden is coming up, so that is good.
that is all for today

OLPC continued

As mentioned earlier, our district is working with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to pilot some of their work with the One Laptop per Child Program (OLPC). Today we met with some of the students from RIT to discuss their plans and some details of the pilot tests. I want to make sure that the tests are educational relevant to our students so that we are not just supplying lab rats.
The big problems we are facing is that RIT is out of session in a few weeks, and the researchers need to get data and write it up. We need to get parent permission out, signed and returned, but the permission forms are still being reviewed by RIT. The draft form we saw today looks intimidating, if I was to receive it, not sure what I would say.
We will be working with 5th grade students; they will work in groups of two at a time. It will take a fair amount of time to do, but if we get the paperwork done, should be no issue.
Hopefully this is the beginning of a working relationship with RIT and their educational technology people. The more the better!

Job Interviews

Does anyone like the process of job interviews? I really hate the trend toward the “gang interviews” where all of the “stakeholders” get a chance to ask a question. I think the gang interview process is more of a PR stunt than anything else. I do not think the committee can get to know the person, nor can the interviewee understand the culture of where they are trying to get a job. I prefer one-on-one interviews or a maximum of 4 people, any more than four; I cannot get a feeling for the job or for the person being interviewed. I would prefer sitting through a series of interviews rather than trying to be everything to everyone, and would prefer to sit down one on one with perspective employees. I think it is helpful to know if you can communicate with the people you will be spending most of your time with.
In order to make the interviews “fair” the large committees have a list of questions that they assign to a person at the table, this does not allow for communications, but who says the right words when. Sometimes when asking for clarification of the question the person that asked it has to ask what the question meant. Is this good communications?
With the current interview process, I need to ask to spend time in the district before accepting a job, and have turned down offered positions after that.
I guess that is the way the world is now.

figuring

Not a great day, but things will pick up. Had a good break last week and am ready to sail through the next 10 weeks of the year, and then spend the summer setting up for next year.
Always time to plan and plot what is going to happen in the next few years, determine what is going to be the next big thing. I think we made the right call about SmartBoards, jumped into that five years ago or so, and have really made it an item the teachers now want.
It is difficult to predict the future, and that is part of the job of director of technology. I have made some wrong calls, but we were not heavily invested when we realized it was not what we needed to solve a problem.
The hardest thing is to look for needs and then find a technology to fill the need, and do this before people realize there is a need. The easiest thing is to find cool technology and try to force it to work, that is not a great strategy.

some tired thoughts

Some thoughts while sitting and waiting for a meeting.
We were to start at 12:45, I don’t wait well. Just a few moments late, but antsy. Contemplating education in general, looking at some questions. What do we want our students to learn and how can we support them? The students are going to be supporting us in our old age- at least my kids will be in a way. I want all students to be able to solve problems, think for themselves, solve the world’s problems, and find cures for everything.
So students need problem solving abilities, we must teach this from the beginning of their education, they must cooperate with others in their learning, be responsible for their knowledge. Share their knowledge

Waiting 10 min now

I have a job I enjoy, why look for a new one? Life quality? Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, more money will allow me to do more things with the family and the house. There will be a loss of time with the family, but it will be worth it.

Is on time the new early?
Don’t fall asleep. Tired from a long day yesterday.
Set cell phone to vibrate. Check.
1:00