Digital Story Rubric

Here is a screenshot of the rubric that I created for Digital Stories:

For a copy of the document that you can download and modify, use this link: 

AHanson Digital Story Rubric

Resources:

Digital storytelling rubric. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://its.ksbe.edu/dst/PDFs/Rubrics/digitalstory.pdf 

Little, J. (2012). Rubric for digital personal tales. Retrieved from     https://umonline.mrooms3.net/mod/hsuforum/discuss.php?d=70842

Matthews-DeNatale, G. (2008). Digital storytelling tips and resources.  Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI08167B.pdf

Public Service Announcement

For my public service announcement, I chose to discuss something near and dear to my heart - blinkers!  I used Garageband to create my recording, and added music and sound effects that were already built into the program.  After creating my soundtrack, I went to Flickr's Creative Commons and found photographs that fit my subject; then, I inserted the photos into to my recording.  Finally, I published my podcast and posted it here. 

I found that once I published the podcast to my blog, the pictures were off by just a bit.  This resulted in a little empty video space at the end which was not originally part of my design.  No matter how I tweaked my original recording and the timing of the pictures, I could quite get it "just so."  My husband (who knows much more about these kinds of things than I do) suspects this is because the file sizes of the pictures are different and the final video is influenced by picture size.  I'm not sure, but that sounds plausible to me.  Anyway, enjoy!

SMARTboard Lesson

SMART Exchange
For my lesson, I used a resource called SMART Exchange.  This free site allows registered users to share lessons for their SMARTboards.  I found a template for a lesson that looked interactive and fun for students: SMARTboard Kooshball.  This template allows teachers to add their own questions to a series of pages.  Students "select" their question by throwing a soft ball (like a kooshball) at buttons on the screen. I thought this template had vast possibilities.  Teachers could use it for review, math equations, vocabulary, literature or science questions... the possibilities seemed endless!

Not quite what I expected...
So I prepared my lesson and went into school to film. And then what sometimes happens with technology happened: the lesson didn't work!  The balls didn't trigger the board to switch screens.  Kooshballs, beanie babies, soft sport balls - nothing worked!  Sure the buttons functioned when you clicked on them with the pen, but not with the balls.  Needless to say, this really takes the fun out of the lesson for the students.

I was caught in a tough spot for my project: after contacting a friend with a SMARTboard, and setting a time to meet him and use his classroom, this was my one opportunity to film!  So I went ahead and filmed the lesson as if the template had actually worked.  But here is my official disclaimer: SMARTboard kooshball didn't really work at all.  In the end, it is a good lesson for us all to remember - actually try out new technology outside of class before you get up in front of your eager students.

Google Earth Tour - San Francisco

For my Google Earth Tour, I would like to share my ultimate day in San Francisco.  This tour will take you through some of my personal highlights of the city - places I go every time I visit including museums, parks, good food, and finishing up with a SF Giants baseball game.  If you like Indian food, pay special attention to the location of Naan 'N' Curry... this restaurant is fabulous!

On a tech note - I found that Google Earth crashed whenever I tried to record audio to go with my tour, so it is a silent tour (unfortunately).

So...what is a digital footprint?

Have you ever wondered why the ads on the internet seem to match your interests? Or why they advertise the gear you were just looking for yesterday?  For my assignment, I would like to share a video by called Network by Michael Rigley. This video explains how the data is stored and profiles created about each internet user/IP address.  It discusses how that data is used to create a unique and personal web experience.

Though the content is not strictly related to technology and education, I think the content of this video is an excellent place to start a discussion of "digital footprints" with our students.  It is important for students to understand that everything we do on the web is tracked and monitored - every email we write or read, every facebook and blog post, every video we watch or image we look at.  Simply, we are NOT anonymous users; we must be aware of what we do on the web, and conscientious of the digital footprint we create.



Network from Michael Rigley on Vimeo.

Tech Note: This video is available on Vimeo, which is a video sharing site much like YouTube. Users create accounts, share videos, get imbed codes, etc.  One major benefit of Vimeo is many times it is left unblocked even when YouTube is blocked. Teachers can use it to have students create and share videos even if YouTube is blocked in their district.

A digital story...

At the risk of being an overly predictable new mom, I decided to make my digital story about the birth of my son.  Really, it was the only compelling story that I could think of at this time in my life.  My husband was a great help to me, providing technical expertise when I found my own skills to be lacking.  In all, I am quite proud of this keepsake that I created about a monumental occasion in my life. Check it out below:

Google Docs, Tech Surveys, and a New Baby!

On Monday, my husband and I welcomed our son, Charles Edison Hanson, into the world. As I am sure some of you know, this week has been full of learning for all of us!  I've checked in here and there with the class, and I am excited that our topic of discussion this week is Google Docs.  I think that Google Docs is a powerful platform for use in education today.  It hones the skills of collaboration that 21st century learners must have, and takes place in digital space, enabling our students to develop important technological skills.  Take a moment to complete my survey about the role of technology in public schools today: