Free Day!

To reward you for all the learning and creating you have done this semester, today you are free to work on any project you like! You are also free to explore these fun online applications:

Get munked: Create a chipmunk version of yourself, complete with a squeaky chipmunky voice!




This is Ms. Hernandez "munked"!

Happy Holidays from my talking camel: Send a holiday card to your friends and family, with a talking camel! This is my card for you!



Like patterns and fabric? Create a quilt!

A picture says a thousand words: Play 5 Card Flickr to write your own story with 5 images from the image hosting site. Ms. Hernandez's story: Warm Hands.




There are a whole world of free online applications out there for your to develop and exhibit your creativity! Sign up for the Technology course next semester to discover more of these applications.

Podcasting with Garage Band

Today we are going to explore the world of podcasts! A podcast is like someone's own radio show, with a number of different episodes, that you can download and listen to online on a computer or on an audio file player like an iPod. Today you are going to learn how to use Garage Band in order to create a podcast.

After listening to Ms. Hernandez' instructions on how to use Garage Band, you will be creating one of these projects. I have also provided examples to help you get started:

• An episode of your very own radio show

Type up the script for your radio show in a NeoOffice document. You could "interview" a person, asking questions about their life or their future plans. Use the voice effects to make yourself sound like you're the different person answering the questions.

Here's an example of a group of middle school girls asking about a project on her mom:

http://cranbrookcomposers.blogspot.com/2005/11/kingswood-podcast-3-aggy-alicia-and.html
Click on: "Kingswood Podcast #3 - Aggy, Alicia, and Stephanie"

• Narrate a story or chapter from a book.

lListen to some examples of audio stories and audiobooks below. Then, write your own short story and make a recording of yourself reading from it! Type up your story in a NeoOffice document, show it to Ms. Hernandez and use Garage Band to record yourself reading it. You could also choose to read from your favorite picture book or a chapter from your favorite book.

These are examples of websites with audio stories and audiobooks:

StoryNory: Free audio stories for kids!

LibriVox: Free AudioBooks

• Another audio project OK'ed by Ms. Hernandez!

If you have a good idea for a project for Garage Band, ask Ms. Hernandez about it! Make sure you are using your own voice in the project in some way.

For example, listen to these students from Emerson Elementary doing a "booktalk" or talking about how much they have enjoyed a book they have just read. Go to Listen to our booktalks on the right and choose one to listen to:

http://emersonlibrary.blogspot.com/

YOU MUST, YOU MUST, YOU MUST...have a NeoOffice word document that goes with your podcast. :-)

Happy Podcasting!

Share your SketchUp Model and Slideshows!

I am giving you the opportunity to share with your classmates all your hard work! I am going to upload a page from your slideshow and your dream room. Be sure to give feedback to your classmates' work by clicking on the "Comments" link below and typing in your comments. REMEMBER to...

1. BE SAFE. Never use your full name or share personal information. Sign your comments with your first name only.

2. BE RESPECTFUL. State your opinion without being mean or personal.

3. EVERYONE CAN READ YOUR COMMENT. Please use proper spelling and punctuation.

And now, introducing our slide show!

Build Your Own Dream Room with Sketch-Up!

SketchUp is a program that you can use to create 3D models. You can use Sketch-Up to design buildings, cities, cars, furniture, houses, sports stadiums, amusement parks--almost everything you can imagine! For this class, you will build your dream room. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Click here: Introduction to SketchUp tutorial You can click on the screenshots to see a larger version of them.

2. Click on the button "Download Model." Download the "Google SketchUp 6" version. Open with SketchUp.

3. Complete the tutorial.

Remember the tips Ms. Hernandez gave you and start designing your room!

Your room should have these elements:

1. At least two walls

2. At least one door

3. Use at least one material: carpet, hardwood, marble, or brick are examples, but you could choose others

4. At least 5 pre-made components, downloaded from Google 3D Warehouse: different pieces of furniture, for example

5. *Optional* If you are adventurous, build your own component and place it in your room.


Sketch-Up takes a little bit practice to get used to, so be patient and ask for help! You can also use the tools below to help you understand how to use Sketch-Up.

1. Start a Drawing, Part 1, Start a Drawing, Part 2 , Start a Drawing, Part 3 Download these tutorials in SketchUp and learn more tips on how to draw in SketchUp.

2. When you get yourself to an Internet connection off campus (at home or at the library, for example), you can watch the videos in the link below. These videos give you tips on how to use SketchUp.

Google Sketch-Up Video Tutorials Try watching the 4 videos in the "Google SketchUp New Users" series. They introduce you to SketchUp, teach you how to draw shapes, use tools, and even how to create a chair. There are other video tutorials you can watch as well that teach you different things.

If you find or use other websites that help you with SketchUp, post them in the comments so you can share them with everyone.

Flickr and Slideshows!

I noticed that some of you have been having some trouble finding images from Flickr that you can paste into your slideshows. Below are instructions on how to find images that can be copied and pasted into your slideshows.





If you are finished with your "All About Me" slideshow, show your neighbor and ask for suggestions on anything to add, change, or take-away. If you finish up your slideshow, you can do some typing lessons here:


http://www.freetypinggame.net/free-typing-lesson.asp

Welcome to Media Technology!

Welcome to the virtual classroom for Media Technology! This is our space teach and learn from each other the powerful applications of media technology.

To get started, fill out this questionnaire!

After you have completed your questionnaire, you are going to be creating a Slideshow Presentation about yourself.

Your slideshow should have these elements:

1. 5 or more slides
2. Have an attractive background for all slides
3. Include pictures (clip art or photos)
4. Include your photo
5. Have at least 3 paragraphs of text
6. Extra items: music or movie

Directions:

1. Open NeoOffice and click on the icon on the left hand corner, click on "Presentation" in the drop down menu.

2. The Presentation Wizard with open. Make sure "Empty Presentation" is selected and click on "Next."

3. Choose a presentation background. Click "Next."

4. Click on Create.

5. Begin creating your slides!

*Hints* Need some free images? Check out Google Images!

Below is an example of a slide show made by me!