October 25

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Year 8 - It's almost half-term! Hold on just a bit longer and you will have your hard earned break!



1)I would like you to finish the Investigation Portion of your Project by the end of class today.



Show me your work and I will help you to be successful:-)



2)After completing the Investigation, please continue with "building" your presentation. You will WRITE a script (an essay) and NARRATE (to read outloud) your PhotoStory.

We should finish the essay today (you have a double period) so we can begin the Design when we return in November. We will need time to complete the storyboard.



This is going to be so COOL!



Let's enjoy our tasks BUT please keep the noise level down!

October 22

Good Morning Year 8

We have lots to do today - so let's get going;-)

Finally I finished your Unit of Work and it is now online. You can find it in 2 places.

• On the Year 8 IT blog the link for the UNIT OF WORK is located in the sidebar (it's the first link).
• It is also located in the Year 8 Folder on the School's Server

We need to start our Documentation Folder so:

1) Open a new document in Word 2oo7. Click on the "Insert" tab. On the left you select "Cover Page". This is a new feature of Word 2007. You can select a Cover Page Template and produce a professional looking document. Do that now. Select a cover page and include your name, and the "Year 8 Unit of Work - PhotoStory 3".

2). Type INVESTIGATION at the top of a blank page. Answer the following questions:

a) What is digital storytelling? (Do research and find out what digital storytelling is. Include 2 different programs that could be used. Are either of these programs "open source" (that means FREE).
b) What is "image hosting"? Where can one store (put) a finished PhotoStory online? (Name 2 sites) Why would someone want to do that? Are any of these services "open source" (free)?
c) What is storyboarding? Give details. When is it appropriate (in other words - When would someone produce a storyboard and why?)?

3). When you finish this you may continue with your project.

Thanks Year 8!

Year 8

This morning we will continue with our gathering of images to be used in the creation process.

After you have finished that you should begin building your text. You will write a "script" that will be used in the storyboarding process.

This is the last class period that we will devote to images. Work hard!

October 15 - 2 Tasks

Good Morning Year 8


1-This morning we will continue gathering images (photos, illustrations, clip art) and information in regard to your PhotoStory topic.

2-Read this document regarding 7 steps to creating a digital story
http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/storytelling/sevensteps.html

Remember to continue documents all your research - record all URL's and the name of the site you visit.

On Thursday, we will begin building our Design Folder.

October 11

The Age of Discovery

Year 8 this is a fascinating time period. So much was going on! The technology needed to build a ship that could carry men around the world was available so change was "in the air".

Each of us is going to build a photostory focusing on one aspect/person/event during this time period. (This is going to be so much fun!)

Imagine that you are doing research for a future television documentary entitled "The Age of Discovery" that you want to sell to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). The pilot episode is to focus on your topic and it is extremely important that you gather enough data to convince BBC executives in an upcoming meeting to support your project.

1) Choose your topic. Be specific.
2) Begin to gather photos and do research regarding your topic.

Here are some links to help get you started:

Manuel I of Portugal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_I_of_Portugal
http://www.oldnewspublishing.com/dagamma.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0831634.html
The Explorers
http://www.mariner.org/exploration/index.php?page=theexplorers
Manueline Architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manueline
Vasco da Gama 1460-1524
http://www.oldnewspublishing.com/dagamma.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/d/dagama.shtml
http://www.prominentpeople.co.za/people/35.php
Portuguese Ships
http://www.mariner.org/educationalalad/ageofex/portuguese_ships.php
http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/vasco.html
http://vsax.com/wiki/index.php?title=Carrack


But when you need to take a break check out the link to these games ;-)
Merchants of the Great Exchange and Whose Lunch Is It Anyway?

October 8 (Today is Columbus Day in the US)

Year 8

1) If you haven't uploaded your Practice PhotoStory - do it today.

2) View your work online :-) The PhotoStories are fabulous!

3) Reflect on your PhotoStory. What do you like? What don't you like? What would you do differently? How can it be improved?

4) View 4 of your classmates PhotoStories. Leave comments on their blogs offering encouragement and saying what you liked about their photostory.

Write your comments on your blog. Write in complete sentences and give lots of detail and information (be thorough).

Remember we are following the Design Cycle and will have to complete a Design Folder for Assessment.

October 4

Year 8 - We have troubles!?!?!? I can't determine the problem for uploading our photostories onto Photo Bucket. It should work.

Let's backtrack.

I. Open your Practice PhotoStory
1) Click on Start
2) Click on Photo Story 3 for Windows
3) Select "Edit a Project" then hit next
4) Keep hitting next until you get to the "Save Your Story" screen
5) "What do you want to do with your Photo Story?" - Select "Save your story for playback on your computer."
6) File Name - Specify the location and file name for your story - Click "Browse" and save.

The file should be saved as a "wmv" file.

Now
II. Open your PhotoBucket account
1) Upload your photostory to your Photo Bucket album

III. Now you can embed your photostory into your blog
1) Open your blog
2) Click on New Post
3) Make sure that you click on the "Edit Html tag" so you can easily embed your photostory code from Photo Bucket
4) In Photo Bucket select and copy the HTML code for your photostory
5) Paste this code into your blog post
6) Click on Publish Post
That was easy!

Now, let's make sure that everyone has done that correctly and has been successful in uploading his/her photostory.

Wow, that concludes the practice portion of our program (hahaha).

Now it's time to talk about our "real" project and begin the investigation phase.