This flickr slide show was created to honor one of my favorite places on this planet: Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York. The stadium first opened its doors in 1964 (the year before I was born), and sadly, it is to meet its demise at the end of the 2008 baseball season. I am saddened because I have countless memories (most wonderful) attached to that building, so I figured I'd create something to honor those feelings and, perhaps, allow me to revisit a time long ago when life was simple.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
I enjoyed working on this program for a few reasons. The first is the storage capacity and accessibility of the Flickr website. What a wonderful resource! Students doing class projects will be able to store all their pictures on Flickr, without worry of gumming up the computer they are working on, and also enjoy access wherever they like. I also appreciate the slide show aspect because I can envision my students creating informative slide shows that strengthen their narrative skills. I will begin using this program immediately for students who leave class for a week or two on a cheap, off-season family vacation. They can submit a slide show with a narrative of their vacation, and then they won't be buried with make-up work when they return to the class. I also have plans to allow students to create civil rights narratives, which I hope will further their understanding our country's recent past, to coincide with our novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Once again, the only limit to this technology, like so many of the others we've been introduced to, is imagination.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Comic Life assignment
This week's assignment was to create a collage of pictures that represent a theme that has some importance to the artist (me!). I chose Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, N.Y. because it was an important part of my childhood and it is to be torn down soon. I also wanted to create a tangible homage to a place that I hold dear, and I think this poster will be a great gift for many of my extended family and friends who share my sentiments.
Originally opened in 1964 to house the New York Mets, a team created to replace the recently departed N.Y. Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, Shea has never been considered a landmark like its crosstown rival Yankee Stadium. While the elitist Yankee fans raise their noses at Shea, for two wonderful years (1974 & 1975) the Yankees were forced to play their home games at Shea while the house that Ruth built was being remodeled. Imagine my nine year old joy to have both teams playing in my favorite stadium all year 'round. Pure baseball bliss!
I really enjoy working with Comic Life because the graphics are easy to apply and imagination seems to be the only boundary to creating aesthetically pleasing projects that can inspire, amuse, entertain. I plan on using this technology, some how, to have students explore evocative themes such as Civil Rights, American politics, literary movements, and important inventions. The sky is really the limit with what a student can create. Imagine a genealogy project or a family tree that a student can take home and perhaps, one day far from now, give to his grandchildren. I love the possibilities!
Originally opened in 1964 to house the New York Mets, a team created to replace the recently departed N.Y. Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, Shea has never been considered a landmark like its crosstown rival Yankee Stadium. While the elitist Yankee fans raise their noses at Shea, for two wonderful years (1974 & 1975) the Yankees were forced to play their home games at Shea while the house that Ruth built was being remodeled. Imagine my nine year old joy to have both teams playing in my favorite stadium all year 'round. Pure baseball bliss!
I really enjoy working with Comic Life because the graphics are easy to apply and imagination seems to be the only boundary to creating aesthetically pleasing projects that can inspire, amuse, entertain. I plan on using this technology, some how, to have students explore evocative themes such as Civil Rights, American politics, literary movements, and important inventions. The sky is really the limit with what a student can create. Imagine a genealogy project or a family tree that a student can take home and perhaps, one day far from now, give to his grandchildren. I love the possibilities!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Comic Life - KinderComics
This past week we were introduced to Comic Life and I am amazed at its possibilities in the classroom. Students can work on a creative project that can combine artistic ability, visual graphics, and writing clarity, all in one package. After my initial introduction I left class with a number of ideas for educational applications and I believe I have one that we'll begin working on soon. My English Tutorial class, a class comprised of Freshmen and Sophomore students who are identified to be at-risk, weekly read to elementary students and a Comic Life project would be right up their alley, so to speak. All I have to do is work out the logistics, especially the parts concerning computer access, a digital camera, and computers that have the program (of which our school has none).
The reason this project should work is that the students can learn a new program, have artistic control over its direction, and have something tangible when the project is complete. On top of that, they'll be able to give their KinderComic books to the students, who should love them. I'm really looking forward to this.
The reason this project should work is that the students can learn a new program, have artistic control over its direction, and have something tangible when the project is complete. On top of that, they'll be able to give their KinderComic books to the students, who should love them. I'm really looking forward to this.
Old Friends
I have tried over a dozen times to post this IMovie, but haven't had any luck, until now! It looks like this worked and I'm happy to see it posted. This IMovie was created for my family so they would forgive me for missing so much family time with them by taking three University classes at night, while working full time in the day. I hope they like it half as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Digital Video assignment
This week's assignment was fun and interesting, albeit for me a bit self-indulgent. I have created I-Movies before and even used one in class for an introduction to the Vietnam War and the turbulent 60s, but it has been six or so years since I've played with this technology. Just like my last foray into this technology, I got carried away with family photos (especially of our little girls) set to some of my favorite music. But I see the value of video, especially concerning history. I am in the midst of creating an IMovie about the Harlem Renaissance, complete with blues music and spoken poems. I'll use it next year during my poetry unit. Its value is strong because students will see and hear the poets, view some of the historical milestones of the era (Great Depression, Jim Crow laws, etc.) and come away with a better understanding than if we read a textbook.
What's invaluable about IMovie is when students are assigned a topic, they really have to learn it. If their interest is sparked, they will voluntarily seek more information about their topic, which may not necessarily enhance their production, but will better educate them about what it is they are producing. If they do not pursue additional information, that's okay, because they wouldn't have done so from reading a text book. But if they do seek supplemental information, just to satiate their new-found curiosity, well that's the first step in getting hooked on the discovery of knowledge, which is really the goal of every teacher.
Of all the technology we've covered in this class so far, I believe this is the most accessible to students for two reasons: first it gives them power to direct the action and narrative; second it is relatively designed to be user-friendly. The hardest part of using IMovie is self-control - it's easy to get carried away and want to create too much.
What's invaluable about IMovie is when students are assigned a topic, they really have to learn it. If their interest is sparked, they will voluntarily seek more information about their topic, which may not necessarily enhance their production, but will better educate them about what it is they are producing. If they do not pursue additional information, that's okay, because they wouldn't have done so from reading a text book. But if they do seek supplemental information, just to satiate their new-found curiosity, well that's the first step in getting hooked on the discovery of knowledge, which is really the goal of every teacher.
Of all the technology we've covered in this class so far, I believe this is the most accessible to students for two reasons: first it gives them power to direct the action and narrative; second it is relatively designed to be user-friendly. The hardest part of using IMovie is self-control - it's easy to get carried away and want to create too much.
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