iPad App Reviews

Image by Photo Giddy

My Digital Media Production and Storytelling class reviewed a series of iPad apps for iEAR that can be used in the classroom. Here are the great apps we found:

StoryBuddy - http://bit.ly/uV6xTO
Coach's Eye - http://bit.ly/rpOmr7

Blurb Mobile - http://bit.ly/s6R5kK
Story Wheel - http://bit.ly/vAjQcD
Flat Stanley - http://bit.ly/v1L9qn
Time-Lapse - http://bit.ly/v01Va5
Dragon Dictation - http://bit.ly/ugl0me
Where's Mommy? - http://goo.gl/JeGsE
Storyrobe - http://goo.gl/BhsfO
Cartoon Studio - http://bit.ly/tmB2k3
Story Lines - http://bit.ly/tnn5Dc
Fitness HD - http://bit.ly/tZ0ScC
Postcard - http://bit.ly/rADfTu
FRS Story Starters - http://bit.ly/sm0Ntd

My First Day of School

This is lesson is a digital storytelling lesson for a first-grade class. For the assignment, students will create a digital story about their first day of school. As part of their pre-planning, the students will create story tables. They will draw several pictures and write the sentences that they want to put with their project. Prompts will be provided to the students to help their writing. For example: "Before school I felt...", "I thought my teacher would be..." The students will have two options when creating their story: they could narrate their story or they can type it. The students will use the online software ZooBurst to create their story. The goal of this project is to provide students with an opportunity to articulate their feelings about starting school and, hopefully, find common ground with their classmates. The student's final products will be shared with the class.

The model project for this lesson was created with help of elementary school students. At first, I was concerned that they would have trouble navigating the website but they quickly learned how to move objects around the page and add pages to create the book. Through the drawing tool, students are able to draw their own images; however, the students became very frustrated using the tool with the mouse. To implement this lesson in the future, I would have the students draw pictures beforehand or allow them to upload hand-drawn images. Creating the model lesson was manageable with two students but an aid would be needed to do a project of this size with an entire class. 

State Standards

This lesson meets the following Pennsylvania First Grade Standards:

AL 2 Demonstrate engagement and persistence

1 - Show persistence in ability to complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects and experiences

9.1 Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre & Visual Arts

L -  Recognize color, shape, line, texture, size/relationship (proportion/ scale) and 

pattern (repetition) in visual art

PS 1 Develop Self-Concept

A - Is aware of self and one’s own preferences, strengths and challenges

C - Know and state independent thoughts and feelings

1.8 Research

A - Use a systematic process for the collection, processing and presentation of information

3.7 Technological devices

D - Use basic computer software

1.5 -Quality of Writing

-Progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising,

editing and publishing)

-Write clear and coherent sentences and 

paragraphs that develop a central idea

ISTE Standards

This lesson meets the following NETS∙S:

1b - Students create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2b - Students locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media

2c - Students evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

5b - Students exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

6b - Students select and use applications effectively and productively

Rubric:
The following rubric will be used to asses student work:

Here is a model story for this project

References:
This story is based on a true story by Alexander Johnson
Pictures were drawn by 8-year-olds Alexander Johnson & Danielle Whitley

This digital story was made with ZooBurst

NETS∙S were provided by ISTE

State Standards provided by PA Keys

My 20% Project

This semester I had to create a 20% project for my Digital Media Production and Storytelling class. My project was to create a comprehensive plan to help promote the new online educational technology certificate at West Chester University. My plan was to create a website full of student-created content that would serve as a resource for graduate students, undergraduate students and faculty. I wanted us to leverage social media to build an online presence. I became so passionate working on this project because it was something that was  applicable to my life as a student; the hours passed and it never felt like hard work. To me, this reinforces that assignments should pertain to a student's real life and have real-life application.

Here is the presentation that I shared:

Ed Tech Website WCU

View more presentations from priscillataylor

Green Screen Fun

Last night, my Digital Media Production and Storytelling class learned how to green screen. Before class, we all thought that green screening was really difficult but we learned that it was really easy to do. We spent an evening in the studio with our props filming our scenes on our iPads. We used iMovie to create the green screen videos. Our class had so much fun: the studio was full of laughter, everyone stepped in to help each other and there was active participation, a great snapshot of what learning should be. In the end, we all created videos that we were excited to share with each other.

Green Screen in the Classroom: Students will love creating commercials, videos, newscasts and digital stories using green screens. Green screening projects can be used in a variety of content areas. A green screen is easy to create using a blank sheet or painted wall. Students can choose t  backgrounds or film them. More ideas of using green screens in education can be found here.

Here is the final product for your viewing enjoyment:

iRig - Microphone for iPod, iPad and iPhone

My Digital Media Production and Storytelling class has been using the iPad for a majority of our media production this semester. One of the issues we ran into was producing quality audio. Then I discovered the iRig. It is an external microphone that can be used with an iPad, iPhone or iPod. The iRig can be plugged in and used with an existing app or used with VocaLive, AmpliTube, and iRig recorder. The iRig creates high-quality audio for narration and singing for a variety of apps. The iRig can be used as a handheld device or placed in a standard microphone stand. It features three sound settings that can capture soft voices or loud speeches making it ideal to use in a variety of settings. Last week one of my undergrads (who worked in film production) said, "The eye can accept bad images and the story will still come through but the ears cannot accept bad audio." Now audio will no longer prevent users from creating powerful stories with a mobile device. With the iRig, students can create audio and video stories on the go. 


The iRig mic can be purchased from the Apple Store

Things I'm Thankful For

Image by honor the gift

In honor or Thanksgiving and inspired by Lisa Dabbs, I reflected on all the people that I am thankful for: 

     My amazing family who have been so supportive of everything that I've done. Their selflessness and sacrifice have contributed to my success and they mean the world to me. They keep me grounded and I always know that I can turn to them when I'm feeling down or want to celebrate.

     I've been blessed to have some great friends in my life. My oldest friends have been there for all of the crazy life transitions. It has been an amazing journey of laughter, happy times, career moves, graduations, weddings, babies, relocation, etc and they make every moment so much better. I don't know what I would do without them. I'm also thankful for the new friends I've made who add flair and laughter to my life. They never cease to amaze me with their challenging questions, tough love and genuine concern. 

     Mentors who believe in me and push me to be better. I am so thankful to have Chris Penny and Larysa Nadolny as my (unofficial) mentors. It is so amazing to have teachers who see the talent in me and partner with me to help it flourish. They've opened up a whole new world me, they're great to bounce ideas off of and they're constantly encouraging. 

What are you thankful for?

Natural Ability of Storytelling

Image by Gracieli Lisboa

Earlier this week, I had a conversation with one of my undergraduate students about media production (a little background: he worked in LA in film production). He said something I thought was really profound: that we all have a natural ability for visual storytelling. He said that we are capable of seeing a group of images and telling that they make a story. That we can all see moments and the natural story it creates. While I agree with that I think it's easier said than done. I can see a moment and see a story revolve around it but it can be hard to take tools, technological or not, and bring that moment to life or capture it in a photograph, an animation or video. I think that's part of the reason I don't delve into photography as much as I would like. Seeing a story and creating a story, breathing life into an idea and making it something that people can connect to, are two skills that I'm finding myself trying to merge because you can't have one without the other.