Help Denise Teach

Bragging

2011-02-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

I am going to take a few minutes to brag on Christina. She took over Globaloria at Randolph Technical Center when I became state manager. I try really hard to leave her along but sometimes I just have to step into her class and interrupt. She takes that all in stride. (Or at least I hope she does.)

First semester she had success stories and a few kids who weren't successful. But those kids who were not successful at creating a game still learned to blog, edit a wiki page, learned what a keyframe was in Flash etc.

Christina has started her second semester class of Game Design II and I already see the confidence she has gained. The students are going to create some great games this semester.

I challenge you to brag about someone you know in the program. Someone who has helped you or you have used their work. Tell about it.

Christina, you are doing a great job! Thanks!

Catching up

2011-01-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

I have not blogged in so long and I have to admit that I missed it. After spending time with everyone this weekend I realized several things.

1. There was not enough time to talk to everyone.
2. There are some super talented educators in West Virginia.
3. Educators are not used to learning independently.
4. Educators are VERY willing to help each other.
5. Attitude is everything.

Being in this program I have got to know several people and I did not get a chance to talk to all of them this weekend. I never got called Barbara by Melonie and I didn't have a chance to steal Donna's purse.

Walking around the room and helping people let me see the talent of the teachers in West Virginia. Even teachers who did not think they were doing okay were doing great. It was super to see them work.

I have had a classroom for some many years where I had to keep learning new things on my own. I got so used to that, that I forgot not everyone can learn that way. Many individuals would like more guided learning. I have mixed feelings about that. We need to teach our students to be independent learners regardless of their learning style so we need to experience it to help them.

I lost count of how many times I heard one teacher asking questions of another teacher. Teaching others also reinforces skills. From a planner of the academy that was wonderful sound.

Watching individuals this weekend I can really see how "Attitude is everything." Educators who approach the training/program with I can do this, I am open to change, I will ask questions, are the educators who were learning the most during the training. Also it is their classes that are having the most success. I know everyone in the program can do it. I just want you to believe you can.

It is a privilege for me to be part of this program! I love working with all of you!

My Culture Education

2010-11-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Recently I made a trip to New York and saw all the cultural activities available. Most of these things I have never experienced. Growing up poor in West Virginia did not allow for many cultural experiences such as plays, museums or library visits. As I was on this trip I thought of the differences of growing up in New York and Ellamore, WV where I grew up. The cultural things I did growing up was swimming in the river, playing softball in a field with friends, learning how to quilt, reading, reading and reading some more. I can garden and can vegetables. I can cross stitch. I can change a flat tire. I know how to cook deer meat.

Every place as their own set of culture. A few weeks ago I was in Wisconsin and their way of life is different than New York and West Virginia. So was Texas when I lived there.

Not everyone can live in New York or Chicago or Dallas or Ellamore. Not everyone can learn what I did growing up. But the one thing that we call need to learn is to read, read, and read some more. Reading is power and can give us all a shared culture. Have you read lately?

Teachers blogging

2010-11-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

This morning I took several minutes to add myself as a follower to all of the educators' blogs in the Globaloria program. This was long overdue but I look forward to reading your thoughts about the program. That being said, it is important that you blog. Your thoughts and ideas are what help shape Globaloria. Your successes will be celebrated by us all and your frustrations may be overcome with advice you receive. So please continue to blog and share so that I have your imput.

Interns

2010-11-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about my new job is working with the interns. I am so exciting about the work they have been doing. They are doing a host of different jobs and doing them well. In the photo is Carl Nelson who went to Cameron High School to help the Globaloria class there. Corey Leef and E.J. Bennett have also went to other classes to help. What a great experience for them and what a great experience for me to be involved with this aspect of Globaloria.

Settling In

2010-08-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

As I switch roles in Globaloria I am learning as I am working. The past few weeks have had me working in an office with little contact, other than the phone and email, with others. That is a big difference from working with 10-25 students each block. It is a challenge to make this change. The challenge is I have no idea what I am doing. In many ways it is like being a beginning educator all over again. But like all the educators in this program I like challenges and I like seeing educators challenging their students. So challenge away and let me watch.

Getting Close

2010-08-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

There is a date on the calendar and it is growing closer. It seems to be moving in a much quicker pace the closer it gets. Sweat is starting to develop on my brow and my hands are shaking as this date approaches. Sleeping becomes impossible and binge eating to relieve the stress is the norm. My eyes are popping out of my head from looking at the screen so long. Thank goodness August 10 is close at hand or I might not survive.

I hope that is not how everyone feels because I am looking forward to seeing what the teachers have created. Be ready to impress us!

July Academy 2010

2010-07-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow starts the 3 day summer academy for Globaloria. I hope everyone comes ready to learn and have a little fun. It will be great to see everyone again and to meet new friends and fellow educators. This is a great program for West Virginia and it is excited to see it growing.

My second attempt

2010-06-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is my second attempt and I am excited to learn this new skill.

Still Learning

2010-06-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Someone sent me a message and asked me to check out this site. It would be a really cool thing to do with students. I love technology.

Presentations

2010-05-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

During the last few weeks, as much as I can put it in with my classes, I have been watching the presentations of my mentorees. More are yet to come. Boy am I impressed! There are some outstanding games, artwork, and blogs. I look forward to seeing the rest of the presentations!

Educator's Wiki

2010-05-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

Today I used the Educator's Wiki and I didn't have to bother anyone to answer a question. I wanted to watch some of the presentations today on Elluminate but I totally forgot how to get there. I knew it was in one of the old newsletters so I went to the Educator's Wiki and went to the Newsletter Archive and found the issue I needed. I have now bookmarked it on Delicious so that I have it on any computer. Yeah for the Educator's Wiki!

Spring Fever

2010-05-04T18:24:00.001-07:00

I am not feeling well. In fact I am having a hard time concentrating to teach, grade papers, clean my desk and a host of other things I need to do. I am sure I am coming down with Spring Fever. As I was leaving school today with my bag full of papers to grade I was positive I had caught the bug.

If I, as an adult, am feeling this way just think how our students are feeling. They have spring fever along with prom fever, graduation fever, college selection fever, find a job fever and a host of other fevers that I don't know the medical terms.

In light of this health problem we need to practice our best bedside manner. We need to remember to be firm but with a sense of understanding. We need to write prescriptions for lessons that can hold their attention and make them think.

I hope you and your students don't catch any of these fevers that are going around but if they do it will be OK. You are not alone. Working together we can develop a plan to cure these diseases.

Not Knowing

2010-04-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last week by student Valerie was working on her FBLA game for competition and was asking me questions. We got online and was IMing Meredith. Valerie was taking about it wasn't just a Flash file but code that was outside the fla file. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about. Since then she has shown me what she did and how it works. Even though I have been a teacher of Globaloria for three years there are so many things that I don't know. What I do know if that this program is great for students and super great for students like Valerie who want to go into game design. She has taken it upon herself to learn more and do more and I am just giving her the opportunity. As I go on there will be more things that I don't know and I will continue to learn. Check out her game at Valerie's Game

Favorite time

2010-04-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of year. The trees and flowers are starting to bloom and games are taking shape. It is a time when I mostly sit back and watch. I watch the trees and flowers bloom and I watch the my students put games together. I do almost no direct teaching but help coordinate tutorials and proofread. I am proud of what they have accomplished so far. Stellar Elkins Dudes Game Design Team

Valerie

2010-03-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

I just came back from the state FBLA competition in Charleston, WV. Valerie who is in Game Design II created a game for competition. I an really proud of her because she was the only one in the competition so she won first. Now I know that sounds weird but she had to score a certain level to qualify for nationals which she did. Because of Globaloria and the skills she has learned she was able to do this competition when no one else could. Also because of her skills she was able to score so she could attend nationals. Valerie wants to major in game design and this opportunity will look great in her portfolio.

Just an additional note Valerie borrowed my laptop from school so she could work on the game and came in during snow days to finish it. She did almost all of it on her own time. Great job Valerie. Check it out at
http://myglife.org/usa/wv/rtcwiki/index.php/Team:Exploding_Egg

Goals for Quarter 4

2010-03-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

In Dionne's Quarter 3 report she listed 4 goals she would like to achieve this quarter. I am going to set 3 goals that I want to accomplish.

1. Improve my students' civic blog posts. I have been having my students do the post but not encouraging real thought into the process.

2. Help manage time. I would like to be able to work with my students to manage their time and production to get a good game sample completed.

3. Work on my own game. I started a game and I would like to get more of that game finished because as I work on it my Flash skills improve. This enables me to better help my students.

I have asked all my mentorees to set goals for this quarter. We have had snow days and holidays. Since it is progress report time now is a time to regroup and rethink where we are going and what we want to achieve. I encourage you to set goals for yourself also.

Getting excited

2010-03-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I can't help it but once students start the Drawing in Flash unit I get excited. That is where their work starts/begins to look like a game.
Elkins Dudes
is an example of a beginning. These two students have drawn their scenes and will draw more scenes. They will add navigation so that it is not just a flash of craziness. I can see and so can they the progress as their develop their game. Isn't is wonderful that at my age and years of teaching experience that I have things I still get excited about. How about you?

Hats Off To You

2010-03-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

I have the privilege to be a mentor to several schools. This is a fun and rewarding experience for me as I check out wikis, blogs, games, etc of the different schools. Being a mentor has helped me be a better teacher.

I just wanted to take a few minutes/words to express how proud I am of Donna, Shelia, and Melinda. They are the instructors at three schools that just started Globaloria.
Braxton County High School
Oak Glen High School
Woodrow Wilson High School

Picture in your mind starting Globaloria then having a snow day, then a few two hour delays, some more snow days. It was stressful to me as an experienced Globaloria teacher so I cannot image what it was like being a "newbie".

Their progress is visible on each of their wikis and it amazes me what they have completed. My hat is off to you three and anyone else who just started for being calm during the storm.

We'll see

2010-02-27T05:36:00.000-08:00

All the students that I have, have Internet so since we have snow days they have homework. They are to be drawing the scenes for the paper prototypes so that when we return to school we can record. They were to call each other if they were unsure what to draw or do. I am anxious to see if they do it. I have never done this as a homework assignment.

I also suggested if they were missing some assignments to downloaded the trail version of Flash and finish the assignments.

So we'll see.

My Dream Job

2010-02-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

One of my former students just sent me an IM was we were talking. She just graduated from college in December and has went to work. It is not the job that she really would like to have but it is a start.

This got me to thinking. What is my dream job? I have had the opportunty to teach different age groups and subjects because I can teach learning disabilities, mental retardation, business and journalism. I have taught from K thru adults. I have been a trainer for teachers through the Center for Professional Development and a mentor teacher for Gobaloria. I have also done a variety of other jobs and volunteer work. It is strange but I have learned from all my experiences.

So now that I am all grown up and have taught for over 20 years in all types of settings with all types of students, what would be my dream job. I would like to be a leader. I would love to be a trainer for my county and state to improve teachers' use of technology. I would love to work collaborative with teachers in their classrooms to help make them feel comfortable using technology. I would love to continue to be a mentor teacher helping other teachers as they use technology in their classrooms.

Will this dream job ever happen? I don't know but I do know that if it doesn't I am happy with what I have done which is prepare students to have a opportunity to get their dream job. After 20+ years that is alot of dream jobs! I hope you have a dream job!

Snow, snow go away!

2010-02-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

I know it sounds crazy but I don't want to have too many more snow days! I am looking forward to spring. It is hard to keep my students focused as they come and go. Because it is a computer class that requires Flash so homework is impossible. I can't assignment blogging because not every kid has internet at home.

Now if every student had a lab top and that lab top had all of their text books for every class with the software I could give homework. That is my dream!

On Our Way

2010-02-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

We are on our way! Yesterday and today my class is doing Choosing A Topic. I am going to have them add a special area that is just for civic brainstorming. I want them to think of as many different things as they can to do civic games and to add links to where they can get information to do that game.

Two Classes

2010-01-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

Over the last few years I have come to realize that I agree to things without thinking them through. That happened to me recently. I agreed to teach two different classes at the same time. Business Computer Applications I and Game Design I and II. All total there are 18 students in the two classes. I have to say the class flys by because I am so busy doing so many things that I don't have time to think. So far so good and I am anxious to see what happens.

Because Globaloria tutorials are so good I am hoping that my students can stay on task while I am working with my other students. Wish me luck!

Starting again

2010-01-24T19:24:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school all over again. With block scheduling we get two first days of school. Tomorrow is mine. It is still weird to me to do this. I love block scheduling but it is still strange to me to start all over in the middle of January. So as I begin again may I have knowledge, patience, and goodwill to be the best teacher I can be and allow my students to learn beyond their capabilities. Let it be a semester of achievements.

One class over

2010-01-21T14:53:00.001-08:00

We have had exams the last two days so I will not be seeing most of my Game Design I students. They did a good job but I am disappointed. Not with them but with the weather. We lost 7 days because of the snow and that hurt them in finishing their games. I am such a competitor that my disappoint is that they could have used that time to improve their games for the competition. One or two groups may work on theirs some more but most will not because their other classes will require their attention. I am proud of what they did do and what they learned. I think my days of coaching are still lingering with me.

Motivation

2010-01-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

I wish I had a magic wand. I could wave it to motivate students to do what I want. So that doesn't work so I need to do something else.

I asked David to have a conference call with two of my students to help motivate them to work harder and finish their project. It worked for a little while but didn't last.

Another thing I have thought about doing was having less motivated students to be partnered with more motivated students.

I need to give these students more time but that is hard where so many students need help. One thing I though of was to make their assignments shorter to achieve success.

I will be trying these things but if anyone comes across a magic wand please share it with me.

Response to Bill

2010-01-14T05:04:00.000-08:00

"I resolve to think about what I've done well and figure out how I can perpetuate my successes in the Spring semester. I will not feel defeated about the struggles I've faced. I will take on old challenges with new perspectives. I will commit to helping my students, my school and my community leap into the digital age. Finally, I resolve never to forget why I became a teacher in the first place--to make change."

Bill says how I feel in much better language. For a number of years I have been working and making changes in the curriculum at my school and at the state level. I want to continue to make change. One change I would LOVE to see is to get teachers as excited about using technology as students are. Working with the teachers in this program and their growth has me knowing what the use of technology and training could do for all teachers.

So as I join Bill in making changes.

Playing

2010-01-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

My GameI have cabin fever really bad today and didn't want to do any more house work or so I decided to work on my game. I had not had the time to work on it for months. With the help of one of my former students I added the drag and drop coding to get Randolph and its surround counties to work. This is a big success for me. I have learned to proofread different types of code as the students work but I rarely code myself. For some of you this is simple and boring but this is a great learning experience for me.

Snow Days

2010-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

I know the kids are jumping for joy but the snow days are causing me some worry. Our semester will be ending and they may not be able to get their games completed. I checked in with David and we changed to date of the presentations but we have missed 4 days to snow. That is 6 hours of work time. I am doing special training on Saturday so, weather permitting, I am going to invite the students to come and work if they have a way. If any students are interested I may stay after school to give them time to work if we ever go back to school.

It would be nice if Globaloria could work out a deal with Adobe to have student versions of the software so they could work at home while they have the class. Not all of my students would but a few would. I would be interested to see which ones would actually do work at home. This would help for when we have snow days. Most, if not all, of my students have computers at home so this would help with this final craziness we always experience because of these crazy (wonderful) snow days.

Getting ready for 2010

2009-12-29T05:47:00.000-08:00

On this cold morning I am just sitting on the coach drinking a cup of coffee and watching it snow. I have been reflecting on what has happened in 2009 and planning the things that I know will be happening in 2010. I know when break is over that I will really have to moviate my students to finish their games and get ready for presentations. I will be starting new classes during the middle of January and I will also be a mentor for additional schools. My daughter is in the process of determining which school she wants to attend in the fall. Empty nest syndrone awaits but with technology they are at my fingertips. On the flip side of that so is "Mom can I have some money."

These are the things I know but there are many things that I do not know. How do I get ready for things that I don't even know are going to happen? The only thing that comes to mind is to keep learning and keep adapting. At times I wonder how much more this old brain of mine can handle but so far it keeps working. As long as it is working I can learn, adapt and handle what the future holds.

Globaloria helps in that process because I am always learning, adapting and facing the coding issues the students create. Many times my brain feels that it is working on overload but it hasn't quit yet. One of the reasons it hasn't failed is the support of Globaloria and the educators involved. When I listen and watch what educators across the state are doing I am inspired. Everyone of you forces me to keep going when my brain is fried. (Plus I was a basketball coach, there is a sense of competition in me. I want my students to win by producing some great work.) After reading the progress reports Globaloria doesn't always fit into some schools programs but I am sure they are also willing to change and adapt to meet the needs of those schools. Globaloria has already proven that in the last three years and the wiki has improved to meet the needs of the educators and students.

So as I prepare for this year of 2010 I am glad that Globaloria is part of the plan. I am honored to be a part of your group and more importantly I am honored to be a part of a group of outstanding West Virginia teachers who want to move our school systems into the future.

Now my coffee is cold and laundry awaits. It is time to start the work of 2010.

It is cold!

2009-12-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know about anyone else but where I live it is COLD tonight. We went to dinner and it was around 20 degrees with a wind chill of way less then that. While at dinner I had a heart warming experience. A parent of a former student was there. I do not have this student this semester but he is a senior this year. The parent is stressing because her son is trying to decide where to go to college and it may not be in the state of West Virginia.

Our classes and student experiences have made it possible for students to think beyond local. More and mor students are now think globally. This student is considering a school in Pittsburgh and in New York. He is determine which schools have the best programs for what he would like to major. He doesn't feel that he has state lines or boundaries. He just has school choices in which some are closer than another.

The parent was having a hard time thinking that her son would go all the way to New York to go to school. In the age of technology New York is a text message, phone call, web page, or a flight away. I think almost all of those things are in my back yard.

In the end I suggested to the parent that she let her son decide. He is a gifted student who needs to go where is best suited for his skills. This student will be successful if in goes to any school in West Virginia or any where else.

This brought a moment as teachers we hear so little of but the parent said, "You are right!" Wow on a cold night that warmed by heart. I was right!

Just rambling

2009-12-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

I love reading student blogs. They tend to be very honest and it is interesting to see their "side" of things. I have listed some links to a few that I found interesting while roaming through my mentoree schools.
Greenbrier East
Greenbrier East
West Liberty
West Liberty

In class today it was discussed that someone used something that they didn't create. They "borrowed" it. The teachers final opinion was that, "If you did not create it, you may NOT use it." Some students said that they traced items and made them their own. I told them that was fine.

There are free sites that provide graphics that can be used. However, creating graphics is a challenge that the students can solve if they work together. It is also important to remember using copyrighted material is illegal.

Happy Gaming

Nashville

2009-11-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

I am at the ACTE National Convention at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Sitting on the balcony of the room we have, I am enjoying the sites and sounds. It is giving me time to reflect on the school year so far as I actually have a moment to sit down and prop up my feet.

There are many things I would like to do differently but I am pleased with my students progress. Even as I gain more experience with Globaloria/Flash/Wiki/Blogs new challenges arise. My class is participating in the civics track and creating games for the competition. This is a new challenge for me and my students.

Many teachers in the school system stay away from challenges. Globaloria teachers are not in that group. Challenges come frequently and provide unexpected learning experiences. There are some days when I feel like I don't teach and other days when I don't think I know what to teach.

Recently I have serious thought about switching careers. However, when I see a student project on the wiki and realize that it is there because I am there. I am to the point in my life I am not sure what I want to do next but as long as I am teaching I want to be the teacher challenged.

Training

2009-11-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

I am helping with a training session. Did some homework last night to review what I have to present. This has been good for me because reviewing reminds me how far I have come. It also reminds me that I have lots more to learn. I enjoy learning and seeing/hearing what other teachers are doing. Yeah me.

Fort Hood

2009-11-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

The tradegy at Fort Hood has been in my thoughts today. We lived there for 2 years and my daughter and neice were born in the hospital at Fort Hood. I taught at the school on base for a year. I feel for those families and have them in my thoughts and prayers.

Still Learning From My Students

2009-11-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

Photo Cube
One of my students created a web page and included this cube. We all thought it was cool and he told us how he created it. I love learning from my students.

Photo Cube

If you click on a side of the cube it will display that photo. Click again and it goes back to spinning. Simple things really make me happy.

Making changes

2009-10-26T09:28:00.001-07:00

Ok tomorrow is 9 weeks tests for us and some major changes are taking place. My class is starting all over. The students convinced me that they did not want to include civics into their game. They want to make all new games and pick different teams and start all over. They convinced me that the earlier teams and assignments were practice but now could do a better job if they started again. Many of students need to become salesmen because they convinced me. We are going back to square one--new groups, game ideas, prototypes, etc. As strange as it may sound there is lots of excitement in the room. They are brainstorming new ideas. Now I just have to help them pull this off.

Getting to the heart of the matter

2009-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Next week are 9 weeks test and we have finished most of the lessons. Now starts the real work for both me and my students. I have to make sure that students are not wasting time. Sometimes they think they can waste a day here and there then end up not getting things completed. I also want my students to do a better job of posting each version of their game as they make changes. I want them to be able to document their progress. Writing it here makes it sound all so easy but I know that is not true.

The Civics Track

2009-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ok I vote and I occasionally check out politic news but mostly if it is related to areas of interest to me such as education funding. So as we start this civic's track working on civic games I am more nervous then when I didn't know any coding.

I had no problem with that because it was set up for the student and teacher to be learning together. However, I should know civics and I know some basic information. My concern is that I don't know enough to proof student games for mistakes. Yes, I know I will learn but my head only holds so much. I just hope I can make room for everything I need to know.

Visitor

2009-10-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Monday while my class was working I had someone just walk in my classroom and ask if she could observe for a few minutes. It was Monica Beane, Assistant Director, Office of Instruction. She was on her way to Grant County and took a side tour to visit my classroom. If she has not been to your classroom--be prepared she hopes to visit all the Globaloria classrooms.

Now, I don't know about you but rarely does someone come from the state department to just "see". Generally they are looking for problems. It is a great feeling to having something positive happening in my classroom for her to see.

While Monica was here my students were Adding Navigation. She got to see them working together to figure out coding mistakes. Students were doing different activities but were actively engaged. Of course, they were using technology.

I hope when she left that her thoughts were, "Now that is a 21st century classroom."

Adding Navigation

2009-10-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

My students have been doing adding navigation. Some took to it like fish in water while others felt like they were learning a foreign language. We had a three day weekend and so today many of them had to receive because they had forgotten some of the steps. What amazes me is that everyone is working. They want to have their work completed and it work correctly. They help each other and ask me tons of questions. Wow--they are learning.

Drawing in Flash

2009-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

My class start Drawing in Flash. Yesterday I just lectured and showed them some basics of Flash by having them create a ball bouncing and then doing a shape tweening. They upload both to the wiki then started the Globaloria lesson.

As I look around the room I am totally amazed at what the are doing. They are drawing samples of what certain scenes of their games are going to look like. I told them they could scan in their paper protypes or free draw. All choose to free draw. They divided the different sheets/levels of the paper protype. Each team member was to draw their thoughts on their assigned level. There was tons of discuss about who was going to what, how, why, not enough color, no we should do this, does it need to have animation, how to I make a mirror image of what I just drew, and comments and questions continue. This is my kind of day. I am doing very little and the students are monitoring and working together and answering each others questions and showing each other how to do things and saying that is not exactly what we need. . . I HOPE this excitement continues.

Soap Box

2009-09-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

I am on my soap box today and I am venting where ever I can. I submitted a proposal to a national organization to a presentation at a conference in Nashville and was excitied when I was selected. The session was titled "Do the Quicky Wiki" and was about how I just wikis in my classroom. I was going to show participates how to set up a wiki. I got an email yesterday confirming that I was coming and letting me know they were providing a projector, mic, stand but no internet. (Remember it is a national conference) Now I don't know how many training sessions who have been to but here lately I have been to tons. At each one I have been "preached" to about using 21st century skills in my classroom but at a national conference for teachers there is no internet. What is wrong with this picture?

In addition I had to pay to attend the conference but was offered the opportunity to pay for the internet service myself which runs $500-1250 depending on the banwidth. For me to do the presentation I would either I would pay the money or take screen shots of everything and put together into something like PowerPoint.

I kindly withdrew myself from presenting with encouragement from my principal and fellow teachers. I don't know who will read this but if you are in a position to offer teacher training do handson training or at least offer internet services so that 21st century skills can be demonostrated.

I have taught too many years and have went through too many programs where things are expected of teachers but "higher ups" don't practice what they preach. Two years ago I sat through a three day state conference that encouraged and explained why we should use 21st century skills. We were told to use cell phones and iPods but not one single example was given, nor did we touch a computer or have computer presentations. Wait, we did have presentations for three days--we watched PowerPoint presentations.

If someone has money to have a conference rent computers or tell participates to bring laptops. Ask teachers who use 21st century skills to present and show samples. Have as many teachers as possible touching, using, etc. different technology devices in an educational setting. We will use what we learn.

Ok I feel better. Thanks for listening. I am now stepping down from my soap box.

Creating teams

2009-09-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

1. Go to your User page
2. Click on “My Social Profile”
3. The next to Teams click “Edit this”
4. Fill in the form under “Create Team”
5. Unselect “Join Team”, or else you will be a member of the team.

Above are the steps to have students create their teams. Many of you have already done this but some may not have. For some reason I missed how to do this and had to ask. This is different than last year and SO MUCH easier. I just wanted everyone to know in case they have the same brain freeze that I did and didn't know how to do it.

I helped one of my mentees

2009-09-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

One of my menees sent me this message, "I can't get the bunny to go up and down, do I have to use a key frame or something before I write the code." I responded, "Make sure the code is in with the code above but above the last } If that doesn't work let me know." They responded, "Thanks it worked."

I share this because one I love when I actually know something that works. There is so much about Flash and other elements that I don't know that I feel good when I do know.

I also share this because it was a problem in my classroom and may be a problem for your students also and you will look really smart when you know the answer.

I also share this because I didn't know this until we did the bunny lesson this summer with Brian and I remember things as I was helping the students proof their code.

This morning was a morning when I thought I am not sure how much longer I want to work in the classroom but the simple words--Thanks it worked--did wonders. I can still make a difference--I hope!

Exciting

2009-09-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today my students at RTC and Ingrida's students at SRMS started communicating on each others wikis. It was fun to hear them discussing what they should say and discussing each others partners. Ingrida and I were IM as some of the students were reading so it was fun to share. Ingrida said that her students were excited as they came to class and found out that they had friend requests from our school and they were asking her quesitons about responding and following their blogs, etc.

WOW students getting excited about school. Students discussing and caring about what they say. I love what technology allows us to do and I love that there are other teachers like me out there who want students to be exposed to this type of learning.

To let you know how we did this, Ingrida sent me the list of her students and their user names then I assigned a student from my class to them. My students were they to go to SRMS and find their partner on the User Gallery and leave a message on their Talk section. Since then Ingrida and I have decided that the Board under the Social Profile is a much better place to communicate. (Recommended by students who say they don't have to edit that way.) So we will be sharing in that area.

Ok Ok Ok I know simple things make me happy but this was an exciting opportunity to be part of.

Nobody does it better

2009-09-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Just got to see GEHS preform at the band competition in Elkins. Tell your kids they did a great job. All of us need to take the time to see what kids can do. Most high school students do a variety of activities. Ask around see what activities your students do and if no body does it better than them.

Advice

2009-09-12T07:42:00.001-07:00

Looking through the different wikis I have some advice. Cheri at SHHS is using the Course News table to keep track of the lessons.

This is a great idea and the information is then available to help prepare your school's progress report. It is also a guide if a students is absent and needs makeup work. You can tell them to look on the wiki.

It can also be a guide for next year. If things work well try to keep the schedule or if they don't then looked at what took place and make changes.

My piece of advice for the day.

My Daughter

2009-09-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

My daughter has an iPhone. (Yes, she has a wonderful mother who provides it.) With all the attention cell phones receive in school good and bad, I have a good story to tell. Her health occuptations class was doing internet research and didn't have enough computers for everyone. She told her teacher she would be happy to use her iPhone to do the same research. The teacher let her and another student then offered also. The teacher agreed and it allowed everyone to do the same activity at the same time.

We may not always want to allow cell phones to be used in our classrooms but like her teacher we need to remain open minded. If it is a planned activity or an imprompt situtation we must remember to use the free tools that are available to us and that they students use so freely and effectively. (PS--this same child yelled at her mother to turn her phone and type with both thumbs and stop peeking with one finger.)

Getting started

2009-09-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

We have started. Some of the features are a little different and take a few minutes to figure out. The improvements are great. Students have been doing schedule changes so I gave gained and lost students. This is confusing but we are coping.

Learning From My Students

2009-08-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

Ok I know that we do this--learn from our students--but it because very real for me last night. I ran into one of my former students who added me as a friend on Facebook. We were talking about where previous students were now at and what they were doing.

I did not start Facebook until this July and since then I have had several former students send me friend requests. They let me know what they are doing and where they are at. It is a joy to touch base with them again.

I know that this sounds crazy but seeing my student last night reminded me that I go with them once they leave my classroom. They remember how I teach them and how I treated them.

Another thing that I remembered as we were walking and talking was that I frequently ask questions of former students. One is a recruiter for a college and I ask him questions when present students are interested in attending. One former student has completed art work for me. Another student has been a mentor for some of my students.

So I am still learning from my students. Taking the knowledge that they have gained and hopefully adding it to my present classroom. I hope that as long as I am teaching that I continue to learn from my students both past and present.

Additional note--for the first time I have a deaf student and downloaded an ap on my iPhone to learn basic sign language. Before the semester is over I hope to be able to a least say a few basic things to him in sign language. The learning continues.

First Day

2009-08-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

It is the first day of the 2009-10 school year. I am excited to get started but nervous. I am always nervous the first day--as bad as the kids. I have high expectations of what my students will be able to accomplish and I am looking forward to what they will develop. Expect great things of your students and great things will happen!

Juggling

2009-08-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

As I sat in training today I learned so much from other teachers who use different aspects of the Globaloria program. I loved the things Bill and Jim are doing with their blogs. Ingrida's plan for the first week was great and will be very helpful to us as we start our new classes. The presentations let me see the different ways that teams can work together and complete a project.

Globaloria is a program in which you juggle different web tools. As we continue in this process it is amazing to watch all of us learn to juggle then increase the number and speed of the items we can juggle. We juggle our learning with the learning of the students and hope we don't drop everything else in the process.

Soon

2009-08-03T06:34:00.001-07:00

School is going to be starting soon so my brain is starting the--what am I going to do this year. I am teaching a new class--Digital Imaging II. So many things to do to get ready. All my classes will use wikis so I need to set those up. We have new CSOs so I need to get copies of all of those and post to the wiki. I need to plan the projects that each course are going to complete and plan instruction accordingly. We are using a new grading software package and I missed the training so I need to learn how to use it. I ran out of time at the end of the year so I need to "clean" up the computers and remove the old files and install new software. We are upgrading to Adobe CS4--Yeah. Let me know what else you think I need to think about before school starts.

Learning

2009-07-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

I am working for the WVCPD this week. It is interesting because I am working but learning at the same time. No matter what I still have tons to learn and being here causes me to do that. This week is Infusing Technology and I learned about ePals which I am going to use this school year. I am improving my Audicity, Photoshop and Premier skills. There are tons of other things that I am learning. I feel good. WVCPD and Globaloria are two organizations that are pushing for appropriate computer usage be included in classroom instruction. It is exciting for me to be part of it.

Applying What I Learn

2009-07-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

At our last training Rachel had us look for blog sites to follow and add them to our own blog to make it easier to follow. Today when I looked at those blogs I discovered something that will be fun for my students and define. http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/2626 discusses the uses of Wordle. I had never heard of it but I think it is so cool. Check it out and see what you think. Does it have a place in your classroom?

Tinkering

2009-07-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

I can say I tinker all the time. I teach a lot of different software programs in my class which include Adobe Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Elements, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, MovieMaker, iMovie, GarageBand. In addition I have my grades online, do online lesson plan software, all my classes are on a wiki, and I am blogging just to name a few of the things. I have to tinker all the time to figure out how to do certain things in certain programs. I just go in and start clicking options and try things. If it is not what I want I hit the undo button. I have learned alot of what I know but doing this. I hope I never stop tinkering because when I do I have stopped learning.

Relaxing

2009-07-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Work and no play makes for a very dull girl. I love to travel but one of my favorite places to go is Camp Losh. It is a cabin on the Buckhannon River in Upshur County, West Virginia and is so relaxing. The cabin was built in the 70s by Roger's dad, family and friends. Last summer Roger and his dad built a bunk house. It is a place for all the kids to sleep and store all of their junk. Some visits to the camp include 4 people but other visits with kids and friends include 20+ people.

I tend to get up earlier then everyone else so I take a book and a cup of coffee to the swing on the porch that faces the river. While reading I get to hear all the morning sounds and see many of the wild animals that come to visit. While we are there we sometimes take walks down many of the dirt roads near the camp. Other activities include swimming, volleyball, soccer, boating, fishing, sitting around the camp fire, 4-wheel riding, setting off fireworks and a host of other things that come along.

In the fall the leaves are so pretty there but it also a somewhat sad time. In late October or early November they winterize the camp so after that no one stays until spring.

In this fast pace world it is still nice to go to a place and relax, enjoy nature, visit family, and think or not think. I hope I can go there soon.

June Academy

2009-06-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

The June Academy was an extremely beneficial stressful three days that has me excited to start a new game design class. I just wanted to blog and hope that everyone there will see this blog. It is very motivating for me to be in a room with a group of West Virginia teachers who care and are willing to give up your summer time to take training that is so intense. You are willing to learn new curriculum and go out on a limb to offer a new class that you think will benefit your students.

It makes me proud to watch everyone work and learn. It inspires me to be a better teacher because I want to keep up with everyone else and what they are doing. In fact I wish my own children could of had all of you as teachers because they would have learned so much.

I guess in this confused, tired mind of mine, what I am trying to say is THANK YOU. Thank you for caring. Thank you for being great teachers. Thank you for improving the educational system in West Virginia. Thank you for being fun to work with. Thank you for encouraging and inspiring me. Thank you to the Globaloria team who works us so hard but teaches us so much.

This Fall I will be a better teacher because of my involvement with all of you!! Thank you.

My Ah Ha Moment of Learning

2009-06-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today's video of John Seely Brown gave me the word I was looking for to understand my "ah ha" moment of learning. It was the day that I learned to "tinker" on the computer. I LOVE tinkering on the computer whether I am creating something in Photoshop or communicating with a friend. In fact that LOVE of tinkering on my own enabled me to learn computer skills to teach more advanced classes--even write the content standards and create new classes for the state.

An even greater LOVE is for me to give the power of tinkering to my students. There are many reasons for me to LOVE what I do but words cannot always express their accomplishments. So on this blog are photos and links to work that were created by my students. My LOVING to tinker has put me in a position to give students the opportunity to master 21st Century Learning Skills and have fun while they are doing it.

RTC Student Public Service Announcements
RTC/SRMS Flash Video
Digital Imaging Student's Flash

As my students catch a totally awesome photo, get coding to work in Flash or publish a book I get to live my "ah ha" moment again and again. Isn't tinkering wonderful!

For Jeremy

2009-06-25T06:37:00.001-07:00

Jeremy this is definitely not my best work but the picture of you was of such poor quality this was the best I could do. I hope you enjoy.

My Two Blogs

2009-06-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

The two blogs that I found to get me started Adobe Education Leaders and Clif's Notes on Education and Technology. I use most of the Adobe Suite of Projects in my classroom so I think it is important to follow what other teachers are doing with the products. The other blog is Clif's Notes and it discusses technology used in the classroom.

I want to keep up with what is being used in other places and well as push myself so that my students have the most advanced skills possible. I do not want to settle with "this is good enough." I think for too many years West Virginia has had this repetition of "dumb hillbillies." I want to help change that image.

Advice for New Teachers

2009-06-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

We are in training for teaching game design through the program Globaloria. This program is important to my students and I would like to see more students involved in the program. Students are put in more "real life situations" then any other program I have been involved. Students have to work in groups, problem solve, do online learning, and much more.

My advice to new teachers to the program would be to take a deep breath and relax.You must let go and give the students control. Let the students teach and share and teach you. This is against everything we have ever been taught in education. The next thing I would encourage is to ASK! questions. There are so many help features to this program that will keep you from pulling your hair out. It is important to note--all of us-even those of us who have done the program. I know I will ask for help this year and this will be my third year. One way is to use the Help Desk

Getting Behind

2009-04-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

I have been forgetting to blog--I check on other people's blogs but forget to do my own. I have two girls who are doing very well in game design this semester. They are working together and have made great progress. As we were talking they were in groups last semester that forced them to do most of the work and not as much got accomplished. This semester they worked together and have been able to get so much more done. I am trying to brainstorm ways to improve total group production. I know that was a factor in several groups. One way I know would be to have each student do a game but then they miss out on the teamwork. Another way was to have each student do a level and they were responsible for that level. Does anyone have additional suggestions?

5 students

2009-03-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

This semester I have only 5 Game Design II students and they are in class while I am teaching another class. I am not as comfortable with this but it seems to be going ok. Two of the students are from last year so they had to go back and review some concepts which has been helpful to both them and me. Because they are in while I am teaching another class they get very little attention. This does not seem to be a problem because they just work and ask questions when I am not busy. It just feels like I am not giving them enough attention.

Pen Tool

2009-02-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have two Game Design II students who have improved the quality of their work by using the pen tool to trace objects. Even doing simple assignments the students are taking the time to make them look nice. I am having them do some of the assignments over just for practice and that has worked well. Check them out!
Courtney's Work
Emily's Work

Blogging

2009-02-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

I want to let all the instructors know how important I think blogging is. I have learned more from my students about how they learn and what I may need to reteach but reading their blogs. In fact I think it is so important that all my classes now do blog entries.

Lindsey and Justin are students in Business Computer Applications II and had to blog about harassment. Leah and Patrick are in Web Page Design and had to blog about their personal computer skills. Leah added the extra boy blog on her own--that was definitely not an assignment but look at what she thought and how much she wrote. The last two entries are from Digital Imaging and they had to answer certain questions they were given.

http://lindseylumx3.blogspot.com/
http://jsnyder-justin.blogspot.com/
http://www.leahxknicely.blogspot.com/
http://patricksthoughtsoncomputers.blogspot.com/
http://www.amylee18.blogspot.com/
http://idk-shasta.blogspot.com/

Sometimes I have the students to read and make comments on other students'blogs. I give the students a grade for blogging. Generally the requirement is that they answered the question(s).

I have found that the students are very honest and insightful. I have learned things about my students that I would not have known otherwise. Believe it or not they actually like doing it. They are writing and they actually like it.

If you are not blogging--I strongly encourage you to blog and have your students to blog. Let's see what you can learn.

Two Day Conference

2009-01-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed the two day conference. It was fun seeing everyone again but I also learned several things. I have so little time to learn on my own so the coding sessions really helped me. I understand coding better and I am better prepared to share it with my students. I have installed the Globaloria tool bar on all the computers that I use. This program continues to improve and I am happy to be part of it.

Over

2009-01-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

The semester started so well--however the weather made sure we did not have the ending I desired. My students missed so many days they were not able to finish their games. The presentations were scheduled twice and the weather cancelled both days. I am in Florida and someone back at school is recording the presentations of the students who could make it today. It is not the same as having a formal presentation but there is nothing else I can do at this point except be disappointed. All well it will make me plan different next school year.

In School

2009-01-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it. We are actually in school today. We have had snow/flood days 4 of the last 6 days of school. If the weather report holds true we may have 1 or 2 more snow days this week. This has changed what I expect of my students at the end of this course. Given more time they could have completed their games but I don't think they are going to have the time now to do so. That is disappointing because they have worked so hard. However I am pleased with what they have and excited to see their presentations on Thursday.

Back to School

2009-01-02T05:14:00.000-08:00

It is January 2 and we are back to school. This game design class has two weeks to get their games ready for presentation. Coding is still the major problem at this point so we are planning WebEx for next week to try to get through some of those problems.

I am proud of what the students have created and accomplished so far and I hope their final presentations reflect their true learning.

Coding

2008-12-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

My students are to the point they are putting coding in their game to make it work. It is a foreign language to me. I am learning basic things as I try to help them but WOW. It is nice to have help. They have emailed Brian and they have Skyped New York and Jeff has helped them. It is a strange feeling not to know what your students are doing but at this point they are doing so many different things that takes different coding that there is no way I can keep up. I just have to turn it over to someone else. If you haven't got to that point--get ready it will come. Good part of it is that the kids with help will figure it out.

Putting things together

2008-12-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

YesterdayI moved all of my students so that the game teams are now sitting together. As I moved around the room today I was excited to see that many of the games are starting to come together. All groups divided tasks but now some groups are getting together to work to develop or start the coding while other groups one individual is doing the coding. It gives me a different insite that I did not have before and I am enjoying watching them work.

Some students

2008-11-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

I have two to three students who I think have given up. They do a good job of looking busy but don't seem to achieve much. I have tried to encourage them. Two of the students have Fs and that doesn't seem to matter. Any suggestions? I have one young man that this class is a real struggle for him but he stills asks questions or ask the girl beside his for help. His ability is far below the ability of the two who are not working. I have had this problem before and try different things with the students but I think I am getting old and can not think of anything to try. Please help the old lady in need.

Coding

2008-11-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

We had a live WebEx session on different coding. I have learned so much. It is interesting to see the students who understand and those who struggle. I had a few surprises. We have a long way to go but they seem to be gaining the skills they need to continue.

Making Games

2008-11-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

My students are to the point that are going to be using their time to create their games. I am having the students create on Monday the plan for each student for the week and have them post on their personal pages what they worked on creating. They are then to upload work to the group project page. I am also telling them if they are off task I will cut their grade. If a student is absent they do not get credit for that day. Thus is they work all five days their weekly grade is 100--if they are absent a day their grade is 80. They can stay after school if they want to make up that time. The reports have to have details--they can't say I created a button. There are other grades that they will have but the weekly reports are worth the most points. This is a hard time for me to grade. If you have other ideas please let me know.

End of the 9 Weeks

2008-10-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

We had 9 weeks tests and are getting ready to start the new 9 weeks on Monday. I had the students create a Flash that demonstrated and/or explained 5 things that they had learned in this class. It was interesting to see what they did.

It was also a time for me to look back and think what I would do different next time. One I would spend a longer time discussing and developing global issues. Most of my students choose education games because I think that is in their comfort zone. I want them to move outside that comfort zone because they will have to research more thus learn more as they develop their game.

The progress of my students is so much greater than last year because of the new structure of the wiki. My students have already completed the lesson on interaction and sound. Sound was tough on the ears and I had to frequently say turn down your volume but they were laughing and watching each others. They were learning and having fun at the same time. Of course we have a little blood and but all well.

I am not totally please with how a couple of the groups are managing and want to make changes. I am just not sure how to make changes or moviate certain students at this point in the game making process.

Over all I am extremely please with the abilities and achievement of my students thus far. I look forward to their final games.

Global World--why we are doing this

2008-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Recently our family had a German exchange student. My brother teased him saying, "You are the funniest looking German I have ever seen." My brother is not a mean person and here is the reason for the joke. Yihan was born in Germany to parents who were both Chinese. His main language is German but he also speaks Chinese (he says he can write very little Chinese). So as you can image he did not have what we would call the "typical" German appearence. We enjoyed his visit and learned a tremendous amount about his country and home town. I just wanted to use this as an example that our students need to be prepared for this world that is no longer "typical."

Presentations

2008-10-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Last week I had my students go back and redo or add information to their game plans. I wanted them to be a little more discriptive. I had the students create a presentation and we discussed presentation skills. On Friday the students did presentations but I was not here. The sub had students video tape them but I have decided not to watch them yet. I am going to have the groups download their video and then create a mini movie and upload it to viddler and then the wiki. I will watch the finished product. I told them the presentation was for a test grade. I am anxious to see how well they did.

Students have gotten the concept of buttons and naviagating. I want them to work a little more on adding animation so I am going to add an extra assignment here. I am having each member of the group take a different section of the game and draw and animate it. In the end they may not use it but I want all students to have a good understanding of animating and how hard it is.

Also so check out the work of one of the second year students. Selena's Work

More game

2008-10-09T17:22:00.001-07:00

My night school students were taking a test so I decided to take the quiet time to work on my game. If you click on the Play button it now plays an intro to the main character. My Projects Take a look at my character and see if you can help me name it. I will take all APPROPRIATE suggestions. I created this from a picture that I took last fall. It took me a LONG time to cut the little guy out. I then imported him into Flash and converted him to a vector. I have a jpg and a psd saved of the original cutout so that I need to make changes throughout the game HOPEFULLY I will be able to do that.

Adding Navigation

2008-10-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my students started Adding Navigation. Some students were ready and some were not so I did small group demonstrations at my desk. I then had them work together to do a sample one with two buttons to practice. They then had to upload the practice to their project page. The most in any group was four. Some needed additional help as they worked on the practice. Josh thought it was pretty easy but a couple of other students are still confused. We are going to do some additional practice before moving on because there is confusion. Also some students did not finish their drawings so did not start Navigation. I think this will be the hardest part and once they understand this concept the sky is the limit.

Beginning Flash--Take 2

2008-10-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

My students have started their first lessons in Flash. I had a good group last year but this year the art ability of my students is something else. I wish I could draw they way some of them do. One students even asked to bring in her drawing tablet from home because she was used to using it. I told her no problem and she has been using it. It also lets the other students see other items that are available that we do not have. Paper prototyping really helped them establish strong game ideas and I think the students are more focus and organized then they were last year. There are a few students that I am having trouble moviating to keep on task and that is the only problem for now.

Below are links to a copy of pieces of work--more are coming
Brandon
Jesse
Clarissa
Alex
Sharle

Pen Tool

2008-09-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

I used the pen tool this weekend to trace a map of West Virginia. I did not "totally" use it the way instructed but it worked better than the pencil. I tried both ways. It is the first thing in Flash that I have created using the pen tool. Yeah Me.
http://myglife.org/usa/wv/rtcwiki/index.php/User:Dstalnaker/Projects is a link to the image I created. I could not get the insert link to work but if you copy and paste you can go to the image.

Paper Prototype

2008-09-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

My students have been working on and completing paper protyping. It is interesting to see their games come to life and you can tell they feel that excitement. Having students do the video to upload, I think, encouraged the students to put more thought into their games. If interested check out the User Gallery--team project pages on the RTC site. There should be a link for most of the videos now.

Starting Flash

2008-09-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Wow

We finally got Flash installed and my students have started drawing. What talent!! I am amazed at what they can do already. We have covered the drawing tools, layers, motion tweening, tracing bitmap, saving, and uploading to the wiki. I am so excited to see what they will do next.

Software

2008-09-11T05:18:00.000-07:00

I am really excited because we got the new Adobe Web Premium package for Game Design and the other classes I teach. Problem is that installing takes a LONGGGGGGGGGG time. So far it is on 4 machines and going. After the training last night I am anxious for my students to actually take working in Flash. I have each student fill out a form with drawing, music, programing, basic computer operation and management. Beside each was rating from 1-5 and the students were to rate their skills with 1 being strong in that area and 5 weak. I looked at the rating sheets and put students in groups with a variety of strengths. The first thing I looked at was drawing and put each student who thought they were strong in drawing in separate groups then program/music etc.

I had each group select a name and create a profile for that group. They were to put a picture of the group on the page. I told them to take the chart and other information off the page and put just general information about the group. Under the projects page they were to brainstorm different game ideas in each of the areas. This worked well and it is one of my favorite things to listen to. They were discussing and reason yes or no or that is no appropriate for school. I basicly sat, pretended that I was doing something else, and listened. What fun!!!!

Week 2

2008-09-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

Week 2 is going well. The students created their own blogs and were to place the link on their page. As a class we discussed the Participation Guidelines and the students did not want to make changes. We will be starting Learning Game Design today and I am sure they will enjoy the opportunity to play games. I have been observing the students and I am still trying to figure out how to group students. I think I am going to have the rate their skills for drawing, coding, managing, music, etc and use that to determine groups but I haven't decided for sure yet. Most of them want to pick their own groups but I really want to have groups who have a diverse set of skills. Any other ideas let me know.

Starting

2008-08-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

So far game design has started out great. I have 20 first year students and 2 second/third year students. There are a variety of levels but they have completed the surveys, set up their email accounts, and are now working on their profile pages. Mac has a program called Photobooth and I had the students take a "normal" picture and a special effect to upload to their pages. They had a blast playing with the program. They also explored some of the games and are excited to try to make "better" games. Also the students enjoyed using the wiki as a teaching tool last year so I created wikis for my other classes. It has been a great way to start them because the students seem excited. They are also blogging. I am going to try as much as possible to have a paperless classroom. I hope everyone is have a great start.

August Training

2008-08-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Seeing the new wiki makes me START to get excited about school starting. I love the new changes. Since everthing is in place to start the new year I think my students will be better prepared then last year.

2nd Day

2008-07-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of Globaloria training at Bridgeport, West Virginia. I taught Game Design last year but I am still learning and this has been so helpful. Many of the things that we went through is review but there are features added to the wiki and to Flash that I am learning.

One it is wonderful to see so many teachers excited about the program. I am a firm believer in technology use in the classroom. It is also enjoyable to listen to teachers and their ideas and skills.

I lLOVE using the wiki and will be using pbwiki for other classes.

Starting

2008-07-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have created this blog for my assignments for Globaloria. If you have any teaching suggestons please leave a post.