Posts Tagged "Fifth Grade Students"

Starting Your Own iPad iBand – Part 1

Posted by on Jan 1, 2013 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

#edtech #ipaded #mlearning

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August 20, 2012 – iBand Journal Entry No. 1

I met with three fifth grade students this week to see if they could even play a few chords on the iPad. So I downloaded some lyrics that showed the chords for Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, I know nothing about music so I hoped this going in the right direction.

I started up my iPad and launched GarageBand and selected the smart guitar, I set it to the correct key (F minor) and showed the kids how to strum the guitar on the iPad.

I was surprised at how fast they picked it up, especially John, he had no music experience but played the chords well. After 15 minutes it actually started to sound like the real song. There might be something to this after all so I went to www.specialistID.com and ordered some lanyards for our Band, you can't have a band without some '”All Access” lanyards.

Brad Flickinger, tech teacher, Bethke Elementary.

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Filmmaking with Kids and iPads

Posted by on Apr 27, 2012 in 21st century skills, Uncategorized | 4 comments

#edtech #mlearning #ipaded

Filmmaking with the new iPad.

Yesterday after school my fourth-quarter filmmaking group made up of fourth and fifth grade students, met for the first time to start filming “The Ghost of Bethke.” Although we have been writing the script and planning the movie for the past few weeks, this was the first time we met to start filming, but this time there is a twist. This time we are filming our movie exclusively on a new iPad (the iPad 3). I was impressed with the new camera on this iPad and I wanted to see if a movie could really be shot and edited on it.

There were a few things we added to the iPad to make filming with it easier. First, we added a wide-angle lens (magnetic) to the lens of the new iPad. Next, we added a Tascam iM2 directional microphone so that we would get better sound. And finally we added a tripod mount to keep the iPad steady.

I must admit, filming was easy on the new iPad, the big screen made it easy for me as the teacher to check to make sure our 10-year camera operator had a good shot. We could also easily review a shot to show our actors what needed to be fixed for the next take. It is nice to be able to gather 8 or 9 students around the iPad to explain something. At first I though the big screen of the iPad would make it awkward, but it turned out to be very helpful.

We should wrap up filming by the end of May, but I will keep you posted as we continue filming and editing on the new iPad.

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elementary

You can see the wide-angle lens that we added to the iPad.

Filming the "special effect" of a floating pencil.

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Teaching Young Students to use Technology Responsibly

Posted by on Feb 23, 2012 in school technology | 8 comments

#edtech #edchat #mlearning 
 

We need to prepare our students to act responsibly when the moment of stupidity arrives. We should not just hand students technology and expect them to use it responsibly. They are kids after all.

Here is a fictitious story to show my point: imagine three fifth grade students check out a Flip video camera to work on a class project during lunch recess. They want to show the principle of an arc by showing a student swinging on a swing. So here the three of them are out on the playground using their “21st Century Skills” to make an awesome little video that will help their classmates learn a new concept. The teacher back inside eating her lunch could not be prouder — she incorporates tech into her lessons.
 
The shots get made and the three budding filmmakers go back to their regular recess play, with the Flip video camera tucked safely into one of their pockets.
 
However, a few minutes later a classmate slips in some hidden mud on the playground and she is now covered down her side in mud and crying, her pretty new jeans and jacket wrecked.
 
Grasping at the moment of opportunity, the one student with the Flip video camera starts to film the misfortune of his classmate. The mud covered girl runs inside to her teacher sobbing and humiliated. Minutes later the boy with the camera has a crowd around him as he replays the scene over and over again of the muddy girl for those who might have missed it. All the while commenting how he can’t wait to get it on YouTube.
 
You can now imagine the scene over the next few hours: parents and students in the principal’s office. “What were you thinking?” being said by parents, teachers, and administrators. And a young girl who never wants to come back to school. I think you get the picture.
 
How could something like this happen? What would make normally good students do something so bad?
 
Conditioning.
 
For years our children have been conditioned that if you really want to be popular with video (most views) then you need to show something embarrassing or rude. YouTube is full of these types of videos and there are even TV shows dedicated to this genre. I believe that part of teaching students how to use technology is to teach them how to use it responsibly. This goes for everything from blogging to video sharing. Aren’t we all sick of people making rude comments on blogs and news stories? Don’t get me wrong, I like a funny video just like the next person, but as we teach our students at our school; something is only funny if everyone involved thinks it is funny. We need to teach students that quality work can be popular too.
 
Sure there are Hollywood movies that are funny and rude and make a killing at the box office. But the movies that really move us and change us for the better are the really great movies. Funny is easy, but quality is hard. Our students can do quality work, we just need to teach them how and then expect them to do it.
 
Now back to the story fo the three fifth grade filmmaker. What can be done to prevent things like this happening in your school?
 
Here at Bethke Elementary students can only use technology without direct supervision of their teacher if they have a BETHKE STUDENT TECH PERMIT. I know it sounds very formal, but it is an easy to use document that helps to remind students to use tech responsibly. Our staff is trained that if they see a student using tech away from their teacher, they are to ask to see their permit.
 
You can see from the copy of our permit that the student must initial the statements that help them remember to use technology responsibly…
 
click to make larger

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Three things I learned from Steve Jobs…

Posted by on Oct 6, 2011 in school technology | 0 comments

#edtech #edchat #elemchat

What an elementary teacher learned from the Titan of Tech.

Some would argue that an elementary tech teacher and one of the great innovators of Silicon Valley could not be further apart, but regardless of that distance I have learned a lot from the man who influenced much of the technology we use every day, whether or not is was made by Apple. So as my humble tribute to this man I offer the three things that I learned from Steve Jobs.

Simpler is always better. When I design my lessons for my students I always look for the simplest way to get things done. This past week I have been teaching digital photography to my fifth grade students and instead of a million different rules about what makes for great photography I only have three. Three rules that are easy for my students to remember, three rules that allow my students to take surprisingly good photos.

Always tell a story. When I get up to show my students a presentation I now go away from bullet points and use powerful images instead, images that help to move my story forward.  When I teach my students about the history of podcasting I have images behind me of a family gathered around an old radio listening to a radio-drama, and then I move to an image of students hanging out at a skate park and listening to the radio and the students draw the connections that a podcast is like a radio show that you can listen to anytime and anywhere. That is when an image of a person on a subway listening to a podcast comes up and the connection is solidified. Images make the story.

Never give up. Let’s face it we all get kicked around by the world we live in. Focus on what’s important and don’t let anyone stand in the way. For years I had these ideas of what an elementary news show could be like and time after time, it just wasn’t quite right. So I would make a few adjustments and slowly we began to move towards the show that I have imagined years ago. Now we have a great show, everything I ever wanted from my students.

So farewell Steve and thank you for making my world better place for those of us who like to “think different.”

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Bob the Puppet a Big Hit on Podcast

Posted by on Sep 30, 2011 in school technology | 0 comments

#edtech #elemchat

This school year I added Bob the Puppet to our morning news show. At first I didn’t really think that fourth or fifth grade students would be capable of operating a puppet — boy was I surprised. The student I have this quarter is fantastic at it and has raised the bar for the students that will be the puppeteer in the upcoming quarters.

Here’s the problem. Bob is such a celebrity in our school that students line up outside the our podcasting studio just to get a glimpse of Bob. Here are some photos of Bob and the rest of our podcasting crew.

The producer and sound tech.

Host with Bob the Puppet

Co-Host

- Brad Flickinger, Tech Teacher, Bethke Elmentary

Behind the Scenes Video  so you can see Bob and the podcasting crew in action.

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