Herman Wood

GarageBand for Lovinggood, February 4th

We'll be introducing and exploring GarageBand on the Macs in this session.  GarageBand is a part of the iLife suite of applications, including iPhoto and iMovie that we have already explored.  GarageBand is used with to create and edit audio and audiovisual files.  In our society, we know that sound is used to enhance visual media.  (What would Star Wars be like without the soundtrack?)  

Even with no musical talent or training, you can create short arrangements using built in audio loops created by professionals to help you get just the sound you want using GarageBand.  You can also create podcasts that can be played in a web browser, iTunes, or an iPod.

I'll introduce the software to you, help you create a short audio clip for whatever purpose you may have, and show you where to get started if you are inclined to create a podcast.

It might be helpful if you'd bring your own set of headphones if you have some!

Lovinggood iMovie Session

It's time to learn to import video & edit!  Please use this link as your reference for iMovie 6:  http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iMovie/iMovie_Manual.pdf

If you have the newer version, then use this link:  http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iMovie%2008/iMovie_7_how.pdf

If you don't have access to the video footage we shot in an earlier session, you can shoot some more using the technique I'll show in person.  We'll learn about importing, editing, adding titles, transitions, audio, and still shots.

Your only assignment today is create a short video & share!

Using a Camera

The final product is only as good as the video or pictures you shoot! It's worth taking a little bit of time to learn how to shoot good pictures and how to use the camera. Here's the specific link to a guide on our site: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iMovie/Art_of_Movies.pdf

I also have a guide to using a basic DV camera: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/DV_Camera_Guide.pdf

Your task between now & next time is to shoot a short 15 second introduction to you and your classroom. Have it ready for next time!

Projects with Images

In recent posts, I've talked about creating slideshows and other products in iPhoto. One question that always comes up is where to find images. Don't forget the databases already available to you that have been purchased with county funds!

http://cvl.cobbk12.org/ There are amazing resources here!
There is a link to Nettrekker in there, but here's a direct link: http://www.nettrekker.com
From school, just click login, choose the school you're located at & start searching! (Students can create their own account and use it from home with their login.)

There are some great resources for images that don't require you to go Googling:
http://www.gigapxl.org/
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photogalleries
http://www.loc.gov/index.html

But what if you want to unleash Google on those sites? Well, you can with a custom search engine I built with Google's help: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=000201137543463009160:t8ddzopkqte

You can also build your own set to search sites of your choosing:
http://www.google.com/coop/cse/

Put a link to it in your blog, take your students to it in class or for homework and have a go at it!

Lovinggood Apple Cart 1 & 2

Scheduling and management of the two Apple carts available to you is being done through Mrs. R. Crumley in the Media Center. Please meet with her at least a week before you need the cart. After you have met, she will set up a custom login for the project you have in mind and communicate it to you. Once the project has been completed, you should archive it to the hard drive she has available.

Shortly after that time, the login and all associated data will be erased so that there will be room for other projects.

The login you use for training is only for use during the training time, as it is a shared login. If you have a project for use in your class other than class assignments, please ask that a login be created just for that project.

One final difference is that any login is specific to that computer only and the data is not available on any other computer.

I am also able to assist you with any projects, whether done by you or your class. Scheduling should always be done with Mrs. R. Crumley.

iPhoto Projects for Middle Grades

I've heard concerns expressed that projects are great, but teaching must come first. What about learning? Do students learn as much or as well from doing projects? Are students more engaged with the curriculum when listening or when they're constructing? Please join the dialogue by sharing your thoughts as a comment for your first assignment.

Your second assignment is to create a digital project you can use in class with iPhoto. I'll begin by showing you a few things, then let you work.

There are plenty of resources to help you if you need to finish later:
Here's the link on our resources to the documents we created to help you with iPhoto '06: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iPhoto_6_manual.pdf
You have iPhoto '08? Well, http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iPhoto_8_manual.pdf

From iPhoto, you can print photo books, greeting cards, and calendars, as well as create slide shows with music or other audio that can be burned to DVD.

Lovinggood Macs 2008-2009

There is a small cart of Macs for creating cooperatively grouped multimedia projects. The "Apple Cart" is for use in your classroom on student multimedia projects. Digital projects of all types are simpler to do and more robust using the tools built into these Macs. Projects include digital slide shows, digital audio, and digital video. If you don't have experience with these tools, it's sometimes hard to imagine what can be done.

One good way to understand how the tools on the Macs can be used in your curriculum is to see what others have done. Take a look at some examples from the Apple Learning Interchange:

6th Science Example
6th LA Example
6th Grade Math
More 6th Grade Math
& 1 more...
6th Grade Social Studies

7th Grade Language Arts
7th Grad Math
7th Grade Science
7th Grade Social Studies

8th Grade Language Arts
8th Grade Math
8th Grad Science
8th Grade Social Studies

Health & PE

I was unable to find an example of Art that I was really happy with, but why not have students create a slideshow of their own work or of the work of an artist in your curriculum? Here's one I did find.

As for music, create a slide show of images to accompany a specific piece of music with images the students find through research?

Now, who did I leave out? Let's talk!

You can also search on your own for examples done by others. Open your web browser and navigate to the Apple Learning Interchange.
Click Search

Put in a broad search term for your subject area and take a look at what others have done.

You have two assignments for homework:
1- Leave a Comment with your subject area as the title with a link to something in the Apple Learning Interchange that you found interesting.
2- Though targeted more at movie making, take a look at my resource on constructivist learning and student projects: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/constructivist_planning.pdf Tell me in a second comment one way you have grouped students for collaborative projects in your classroom successfully.

Welcome Back!

Summer is almost over for you! Why am I happy about that? It means it's almost time for me to get to work with you again! I've been busy with two courses, iNtegrating iLife iNto iLearning and eXtending iLife iNto iLearning, as well as the National Educational Computing Convention in San Antonio.

I learned lots at the Convention! You can see the sessions I attended and my notes at:

http://edtech.typepad.com/theblog/

Of note, there was quite the brouhaha at the convention by a request from ISTE, the organization who puts on the convention, that they wanted podcasters to not only get the permission of presenters to record, but to get permission from ISTE. ISTE bowed to pressure to drop the request, but it started quite the conversation.

I'd like to wrap up by saying hello! Hello to two schools that are new to me, Barber and Lost Mountain. I look forward to working with you!

iWeb & Classroom Websites

Classroom websites can be the foundation for a one stop shop to fit all the needs of students and parents! In our district, we are not able to provide space for every teacher at this time. You are still welcome to provide your own. There are solutions that provide space and templates that are marketed to teachers, but their drawbacks and cost make the unpalatable to me.

Your starting point on the Mac is iWeb. It's simple. The main problem is if you are trying to maintain more than one specific web site- say a family site and a school site. It's difficult to keep the two separated. Once you're done, you have to upload your site to a web server. Here's the link for iWeb help: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iWeb.pdf

Depending on your internet provider, you may already have space provided to you that comes with the cost of internet service. Bellsouth, before AT&T, and Earthlink are local service providers who have reasonably simple procedures for uploading a web page created on your Mac. Comcast is another story altogether. We tried multiple times leading in to last summer to find ways to FTP a website onto personal space on Comcast servers and finally concluded that they just don't want it done. Here's the link to support for hosting: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/Hosting_Help.htm

Directions for Earthlink are current as of this writing. Bellsouth, now AT&T, should be updated soon.

To do the upload, you'll need to download and install CyberDuck (approved software on the district list): http://cyberduck.ch/

Here's the directions for CyberDuck: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/CyberDuck_config.pdf

It's a little geeky, but once you see your web page in someone else's browser window, it's pretty rewarding!

iDVD & iWeb for Compiling Collections of Content

One problem with creating lots of media is how to share it. Another is how to archive it!

iWeb and iDVD are helpful with both of these challenges. iWeb is solid web site creation tool. As long as you stay with the premise of keeping media in the default location, and even if you don't, it's simple to drag and drop whatever you want wherever you want it on a web page. As always, support materials for iWeb are at our website, the Integrated Mac. You'll also find information on how to upload your web page and guidance in choosing a host (a place on the web so others can see the web page) for the site.

iDVD is used to create DVD's that can be played on almost any DVD player. Content that can be placed on DVD's created in this way include slide shows, as well as movies. Though it also supports drag and drop, the interface can be daunting. Support materials can be found at our site, at: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/instructionaltechnology/mac/resource_files/iDVD6.pdf

Atomic Learning also has great tutorials for both of these applications.