The House on 91st

Watch this short instructional video. It’s very easy and helpful.

http://www.teacheronlinetraining.com/library/mod/resource/view.php?id=650

View the The Dalton School Sketchbook Blog.
Check out House 23’s sketches.

http://blogs.dalton.org/sketchbooks

Here are some other interesting links on Sketching and Sketchbooks:

Sketching with children:
http://boysalmanac.com/2009/01/07/sketching-with-children/
 
Using Sketchbooks in Primary Schools:
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/art/artsketch.htm
 
Sketchbooks in School:
http://www.accessart.org.uk/sketchbook/
 
Examples of Animator’s Sketchbook:
http://animator1.com/
 
Artists’ Sketchbooks/Explorers’ Journals:
http://www.boiseartmuseum.org/education/artbased.php
 
So… What’s So Great About Sketchbooks?
http://www.accessart.org.uk/sketchbook/?tag=introducing-the-project

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/sketchbook.html (elementary)

http://kendale.dadeschools.net/sketchbook.htm (elementary)

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/sketchbookHS.html (for middle and high school but can be adapted)

Janice Lowry’s Sketchbook

This is fantastic. The article was great and you can click through the pages of one of her artist’s journals. Intriguing and thought provoking ideas for sketchbook use…

Preview From Smithsonian Magazine:
From childhood on, Lowry filled small notebooks with daily musings anddrawings. Then, in the mid- 1970s, when she was a young mother and anart student, she moved to a larger format, 7 1/2- by 9 1/2-inchnotebooks. For almost 40 years, Lowry—an artist best known for herintricate, three-foot-tall assemblages—filled the roomier notebookswith jottings and sketches. The pages contain everything from original drawings, collages and rubber-stamp images to observations aboutherself and the world, including the commonplace “to-do” lists many ofus make: “pay bills/make plane res/get asthma med/Judi birthday gift.”

Read more:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Object-at-Hand-Drawn-From-Life.html##ixzz0SAAGDJPh

> FP Website – Check out links devoted to social studies, math, science, current events, books, etc.

> Wordle – A web-based activity for generating “word clouds” from text students provide. Great for filling bulletin board too.

> Discovery Education’s PuzzleMaker – Create word searches, mazes, cryptograms and much more.

> Bing – A new search engine from Microsoft. It’s an alternative to Google and specializes in specific, fact-based info. Go on, ask Bing a question.

> KidPix – There are so many activities. Have students create teacher portraits or self-portraits, create book covers, or illustrate their favorite summer experiences. In applications.

> Super Text Twist – You know it, you love it. In applications.

> Type To Learn Jr. – Keyboard familiarity. In applications.

> PhotoBooth – Take pictures with the built-in camera and add wacky effects. A fun time for all. In Applications.

> Pluzzle – An old fashioned puzzle with the object of arranging tiles to form a picture. Use the image of your choice. In Applications.

> Comic Life – Create a comic strip with photos and or text. Limitless possibilities. In Applications.
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Also: Atomic Learning is a great tool for teachers. It provides instructional videos on 90% of the applications and tech tools we use.

There have been a few issues regarding the Flip camera. These cameras are very easy to use, but can also get cranky. If you erase all the video but still do not have 60:00 minutes of recording time, follow the instructions below:

Connect your camcorder to your computer and open your DCIM/100VIDEO folder. This folder contains the videos from your Flip Video camcorder. When your videos are manually renamed within this folder, they are no longer recognized by the Flip Video program. Please ensure that all videos in this folder are carrying their original name. For example, VID#####.AVI where ##### is any number between 00001 and 99998. Then, delete all videos you have previously saved from this folder. Your videos cannot be retrieved once they are deleted, so please make sure you have the videos you wish to keep saved into another folder before doing this.

Also make sure you have deleted any videos that reside outside of the DCIM/100VIDEO folder within your camcorder’s root directory.

After you have deleted all videos, disconnect your camcorder and check on your record time. If you have still not regained your full record time, please reconnect your camcorder and empty your “trash can”. Then, power your camcorder on and off 8 times.

If you need additional info, click here:
http://puredigital.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/puredigital.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php

Good question.
It’s very simple.

In Word, go to the Format menu and select Font. Change the Font, Size and Style to your desired preference. Click on Default and choose Yes.

In the example below, every time I open a Word document, I will start typing in Comic Sans size 14.
That’s it.

Here are applications, websites and devices that your colleagues are presenting. We are available for questions and assistance with any of these topics and look forward to helping you plan many exciting lessons. Please feel free to comment on this blog with your own tips and recommendations. We are all about sharing at the FP!

Voicethread – A communication tool. Group conversations around images, documents and video. We have a school-wide subscription and house accounts can be created.

YouTube – A video sharing website where users can upload, view and share clips.

TubeTV – A freeware program for Mac OS X to download flash movies from the web (YouTube). It can be downloaded here.

ELMO – A digital over-head projector with unlimited uses.

Rand McNally – Online maps, teacher resources and interactive games and activities, as well as historical maps. We have ordered a 1 year subscription for First Program.

Flip Video Camera – Simple hand-held video camera with a flash drive. Holds one hour of footage and uses two AA batteries. GorillaPods – Ultra small and flexible tripod for the Flip Camera as well as most other still cameras.

Smarttech – Using technology in the classroom can have tremendous benefits for learners. In educator resources, you’ll find activities, programs and training to help you get the most from your SMART products.

PhotoBooth – A small software application by Apple Inc. for Mac OS X for taking photos and (since Mac OS X v10.5) video with an iSight camera or other webcams. It is installed on all Dalton computers that have a built-in camera.

iChat – A video conferencing application that uses AOL Instant Messanger (AIM). It’s home theater mode can connect four users simultaneously via video.

Boardmaker – An application that allows you to create printed materials using Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) and other pictures and graphics. Boardmaker Plus works interactively with the Smatboard and audio components. We have 6 CD’s in the lab for check out.

Clicker – A writing support and multimedia tool. It enables you to write with whole words, phrases or pictures. It is a powerful tool that supports every area of the curriculum. Lina, a representative from Clicker will be visiting the First Program on the afternoon of October 22nd. More information to follow.

One solution is to choose selected messages from First Class and save them on your hard drive and/or faculty accounts.

In most cases, there is no need to save old messages in your mailbox that will take up valuable space. For that 1 time you need to refer to an old email, it will be saved in a Word or text file in a safe place.

Here’s how:

1) Highlight the messages you would like to remove from First Class.

2) Under the ‘Message’ menu, choose ‘Summarize Selected’. A single text file should appear containing all your messages.

3) Select one of these two options for saving the file:

a) Under ‘File’ menu, choose ‘Export…’ and select where you would like to save the file.  All content will be saved, although the formatting may be altered.

b) Copy and paste text into a new Word document and save the document. All content and formatting should remain completely intact.

The text in both of these documents can be searched by Command-F or ‘Find…’ in the ‘Edit’ menu.

4) Delete the messages in First Class.

That’s it. It is much easier and quicker than always trying to delete a few items in order to send out your next email.

Two Options for Presenting a Completed iMovie

1) Creating a DVD – iDVD is an application that transforms iMovies (as well as iPhoto slideshows) into “Hollywood-style” DVDs that play on most standard DVD players. iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, as well as iTunes and Garageband, are components of Apple’s iLife software suite and are designed to work in conjunction with one another.
2) Creating a Quicktime movie on CD – faster option that creates a CD that is viewable on a Mac or Windows computer using Quicktime.
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From iMovie to iDVD: Instructions for Creating a DVD

Steps for creating and burning DVDs once you have your raw video in iMovie

1) Insert chapter markers – This is optional, but can make a large impact if your movie has natural breaks or is longer than a few minutes. In iMovie, after your movie has been created, click the iDVD icon (it’s on the lower right side of the screen). In the Chapter Markers window that opens, use the playhead to mark chapter breaks and the Add Chapter button to select and name chapters.
2) Hand off to iDVD – Save the iMovie project (preferably in the Movies folder on your hard drive). Click the create iDVD Project button at the bottom of the chapter list. After 1 or 2 minutes the iDVD program should open. Tip: To turn off the obnoxious Apple logo that appears in the lower right corner of every iDVD project, choose iDVD menu -> preferences -> turn off “Show Apple logo watermark”.
3) Change themes – this is an optional step that will add a snazzy style to the presentation of your movie. Click the Customize button and then Themes and browse the various styles and select one. Choose Advanced -> Apply Theme to Project, which will add the theme to every screen.
4) Previewing your project  – Back at the main screen in iDVD there should be a Preview button, which will bring you to preview mode. A remote control will pop-up and you should view your movie and make sure everything is fine and wonderful before proceeding. Click the Exit, Stop, or Preview buttons to return to edit mode.
5) Burn Baby Burn – Click the Customize button -> Status tab. This allows you to see the project size and if the iDVD is ready to burn. Wait until the word Done is under the Status heading for each item. This may take several minutes or longer. Next, File -> Save Project. Make sure there is enough space on your hard drive, at least the amount indicated by the “Project Size” in the Status tab. Click the Burn button twice. Insert a blank CD-R disc when prompted. It takes approximately twice the length of the DVD to process and burn it.
6) Enjoy – Sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that you have accomplished something remarkable.

Exporting an iMovie into Quicktime

Steps for exporting into Quicktime and burning a CD

1) Exporting – In iMovie, when your iMovie is completed, go to File -> Save Project. Click on File -> Share… This opens a new window. Choose the Quicktime tab. In “Compress Movie for:” choose the Expert Settings option and click Share. When the “Save exported file as…” appears, click Options (not Save).  The following are the settings I use, but if you are more familiar with these options, you my choose your own.
In the Compression Settings window:
Under Video click on Settings…

•  Under the Video drop down choose Sorenson 3
• Quality = High
• Frames per second = 12
• Key Frame every = 24 frames
• Click OK
• Skip Filter
• Under Size  -> use custom size -> try to preserve a 4:3 ratio. 400 x 300 is relatively small, but has good resolution
• Under Sound -> Settings… -> Compressor: Qualcomm PureVoice -> OK

Click OK again
Choose file name and location and Save
Wait for Movie to compress and transfer to Quicktime

2) Burning

• Insert a blank CD-R
• When the Untitled CD appears on the left side of the finder window, locate and drag the file to the CD
• Click the yellow and black burn icon next to the name of the CD
• Wait for the CD to burn

3) Enjoy your finished product!

Remember to check out PhotoDepot, the FP’s home for images, on the FP Faculty server. It is a photo archive where you can store your Dalton images and view and use photos from other faculty and staff. This may be a good time to start storing your photos, so they do not fall into the end of the year crunch.

Please click on the image below for the location of the PhotoDepot and how to properly resize your images. Learning how to resize your images in iPhoto is essential for newsletters, projects and emails as well.