A Story + A Green Wall = 1 Amazing Transformed Digital Story....

A Story + A Green Wall = 1 Amazing Transformed Digital Story....

Transforming learning through digital stories by building on creativity of a child's imagination and making them apart of their creation.




Creating a Digital Story in front of the Green-Screen is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
  1. Have a story. 
  2. Create illustrations either digitally or scan original artwork. You can even use photographs. 
  3. Record your story in front of a Green Wall. 
  4. Put it all together in iMovie. 
  5. Student Examples

Visit the K-12 Online Conference the week of Oct. 28th through Nov. 1st to view my presentation and demonstration on how to create 1 Amazing Transformed Digital Story.










App / Tool of the Week - Toontastic ....

App / Tool of the Week - Toontastic ....

To kick of the letter of the week for Pratt's Tiny Tadpoles I created this cute little story via Toontastic.  The app lets students create animated cartoons.  They learn about the setting, characters, climax, conflict, and resolution.  What I like is they also learn about mood by picking out pre-recorded music clips, which helps set the mood of the story.  What I love the most about this app is that it records in your child's voice.


I will also be offering this app as one of the tools this week for my 6th grade social studies students as they have to tell the story of the Iceman in their own words.

Toontastic has a safe place called Toontastic ToonTube where you can upload and share your digital stories.

The Magic Monkey


Using Green-Screen Effects in Your Classroom .....

Using Green-Screen Effects in Your Classroom .....

I am fascinated with the Green-Screen effect and the many projects you can do using this effect.  Students can be transported to foreign, magical, & exotic places without leaving your classroom.  They can bring stories to life and also be apart of their stories.  I've teamed up with TeacherCast Educational Online Learning to offer you a free online course on how to create amazing Green-Screen effect projects using your iPad.  The best part is you don't have to have a green screen or a green wall to create a Green-Screen Effect.

You will watch a few short video clips, answer a few questions, and receive a certificate of completion.

Using Green-Screen Effects in YOUR classroom! (by Katie Ann Wilson)
Click the above link.



Making an Ice Mummy ....

Making an Ice Mummy ....

Most days I joke around about having the pleasure of teaching 6th grade Social Studies since I am really a Technology Teacher.  What I really teach is skills and try to create memories along the way.  All week we have been doing research on Otzi the famous Iceman.  My students had to do a quick background research to find out what is Otzi and why is he called the Iceman.  The students were given the following information and had to pick out context clues to help them guide their background research.

You are to write a story about the life of Otzi the Iceman. You need to include how he lived, what kind of job he might have had, if you had a family, and why he was on the mountain. Don't forget to include how you think he died.
We will be using Toontastic or Sock Puppets apps on the iPad to create your story. 
 Once they figured out what he was we got together as a group and planned out a Science experiment to try to recreate this effect.  We talked about the items needed to make a mummy such as no light and no air.  We even talked about how people in Ancient Egypt made their mummies.

Students worked in small groups to collaborate the materials needed and their procedure.  My students were having trouble getting past that they needed a person like material to try to make into a mummy.  I of course being the prepared teacher had already had the experiment we needed to do.  After we discussed why their materials and procedure wouldn't work we got busy working on the experiment I already had ready for them.

Students got busy recording material needed and the procedure they were to follow.  They had to decided in their small groups who was responsible for which materials.  Knowing kids and their forgetfulness I made sure I had extra materials just in case.

Materials:

  • 4 - Hotdogs
  • 4 - Containers with Lids
  • 4 - Pieces of Paper
  • Tape
  • Baking Soda
  • Kitchen Scale


Procedure:

  • Place hotdogs #1 & #2 in a container and place the lid on them.
  • Place hotdogs #3 & #4 in a container and make sure they are covered with baking soda and place the lid on them.
  • Tape a piece of paper onto each lid and tape it into place.
  • Record each members name at the top of each paper.
  • Record on #1 Hotdog in the dark.
  • Record on #2 Hotdog in the freezer.
  • Record on #3 Hotdog with baking soda in the dark.
  • Record on #4 Hotdog with baking soda in the freezer.
  • Weigh each container on a kitchen scale and record its weight at the bottom of the piece of paper.

  • Place #1 Hotdog & #3 Hotdog place them in a dark place for 14 days.
  • Place #2 Hotdog & #4 Hotdog place them in the freezer for 14 days.


In 14 days we will know if we have mummies.  While we wait you know I just have to include a techie project to go along with our mummies.

App / Tool of the Week - Spacecraft 3D by NASA

App / Tool of the Week - Spacecraft 3D by NASA

Explore space with NASA's Spacecraft 3D app.  It is an augmented reality app (a.k.a AR app) that lets students learn about a variety of spacecraft that are used to explore and study our solar system, the Earth, and even the universe. With a printed AR Target it looks like a pile of rocks and the camera on your iPad, tablet or smartphone your students can get up close with the amazing spacecraft.  Students can see how the spacecrafts move and learn about the engineering feats.

The App - Spacecraft 3D by NASA

Once you have the app you will need to print the Target Image.  Place the Target Image on a flat surface and choose your spacecraft.  Then point your mobile device at the Target Image.  Once the spacecraft appears on your mobile device you can move around the Target Image exploring and learning about the spacecraft.