Sunday, December 26, 2010

A Year End Review of Over 50 Blog Posts!

Greetings,

What a year we had with all the blog entries we wrote over the past year.  Here is a detailed list of all the articles.  All you have to do is click on the blue underline link and it will take you to that specific article.  If you click on the black underlined link for the month, it will take you to all posts published for that month.

November 2009
November 14, 2009: Welcome!
November 22, 2009: Power Point Resources - Free!
November 29, 2009: Making Professional Movies with Digital Pictures/Videos for Free!

December 2009
December 6, 2009: Valuable Writing and Brain Based Resources!
December 13, 2009: Express Your Next List of Words With Creativity!
December 20, 2009: Tell the Whole World!
December 27, 2009: $30,000,000 Deal for Sharing Video!

January 2010
January 3, 2010: The New Flip Camcord Camera by Pure Digital
January 10, 2010: How to Take Pictures of Your Computer Screen Using MS Office 2007
January 17, 2010: How to Take Pictures of Your Computer Screen Using MS Office 2003
January 24, 2010: How to Turn any Room into a Presentation Room with Your Computer Part 1
January 31, 2010: How to Turn any Room into a Presentation Room With Your Computer Part 2

February 2010
February 7, 2010: How to Copy and Paste
February 14, 2010: Free Resources You Can Download and Use in Your Classroom!
February 21, 2010: How to Create a Podcast or Vodcast Part 1 of 3
February 28, 2010: How to Create a Podcast or Vodcast Part 2 of 3

March 2010
March 7, 2010: How to Create a Podcast or Vodcast Part 3 of 3
March 14, 2010: 1 Week to 5,000,000 Hits!
March 21, 2010: Why You Need to Back Up Your Files and Data Every Week!
March 28, 2010: How to Find Free Microsoft Office Power Point, Word and Excel Templates

April 2010
April 11, 2010: The Flip Digital Video Camera Introduction: Part 1
April 18, 2010: Digital Video Cameras in the Classroom: Part 2
April 25, 2010: How to Use the Pocket Digital Video Camera: Part 3

May 2010
May 2, 2010: Working with Video Footage and the Software: Part 4
May 9, 2010: Using Video Footage with Other Compatible Software: Part 5
May 16, 2010: What is Scribd and SlideShare?
May 23, 2010: How to Download Videos From YouTube
May 30, 2010: The 21 Best Free Web Sites for Learning!

June 2010
June 6, 2010: Remembering Coach John Wooden
June 13, 2010: The 18 Best Subscription Based Web Sites for Learning
June 20, 2010: What Is IVC?
June 27, 2010: Part 2 of What is IVC?

July 2010
July 4, 2010: Happy 4th of July!
July 11, 2010: What is Cool Timer?
July 18, 2010: What is the Hat?
July 25, 2010: How to Search Google?

August 2010
August 1, 2010: How to Get a Free E-mail Account
August 8, 2010: How to Access Free Movies, Music, Books and Audiobooks!
August 15, 2010: How to be an Effective Teacher: Part 1 of 3
August 22, 2010: How to be an Effective Teacher: Part 2 of 3
August 29, 2010: How to be an Effective Teacher: Part 3 of 3

September 2010
September 5, 2010: 30 in 48 Days!
September 12, 2010: Teaching with Claymation: Part 1 of 3
September 19, 2010: Teaching with Claymation: Part 2 of 3
September 26, 2010: Teaching with Claymation: Part 3 of 3

October 2010
October 3, 2010: What is Scholastic Study Jams?
October 10, 2010: What is Storyline Online?
October 17, 2010: Free Quick References for You
October 24, 2010: What is a Pocket Projector?

November 2010
November 1, 2010: Power Point Keyboard Shortcuts
November 7, 2010: Creating Your Own Blog
November 15, 2010: Teaching Children Presentation Skills
November 22, 2010: What Are The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs?
November 28, 2010: What is Google Docs?

December 2010
December 7, 2010: What is Atomic Learning?
December 13, 2010: Free Multiplication Tables and Games!
December 19, 2010: Free Addition Tables and Games!
December 26, 2010: A Year End Review of over 50 Blog Posts!

We will see you next week with a new and exciting topic.  Happy Holidays!  See you next year.
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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Free Addition Tables and Games!

Greetings,

This week I am sharing with you addition tables I created in PowerPoint that you can use with your students to help them with their addition facts.  The way it works is you match up the blue colored squares to where they intersect each other.  For example,  2 + 2 = 4.  If you line up the 2 from the top blue area with the 2 on the left blue area, the answer will intersect each other at 4.  Simply click on the picture below to download the free PowerPoint.


Here is the 4 cut addition tables that you can download and print out.  Once you print them out, you will need to cut them out four to a sheet, then laminate them and let your students practice their addition tables.  Simply click on the picture below to download.


Here is the newest addition game in Excel.  You will get a message when you download this game to enable macros.  Look at the picture below. 


Once you click on options you will see the following picture below.  Follow the steps to Enable Macros.


This is a code that will let you color all the cells back to yellow when you have filled the table up with blue squares.  Remember if you get the answer correct the cell will turn blue.  If the anwer is incorrect, it will turn red.  Simply click on the picture below to download the game.


Hope you enjoy these free addition resources for your students.  I am getting a lot of requests on how to find some of my most popular blogs.  Next week, I will have a tutorial on how to search the site and I will have a year end review of all 57 articles I have published since November of 2009.  See you next week.
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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Best Games - Free Blogger Template !

Best Games templateTitle: Best Games - Free Blogger Template !

Author: http://newwpthemes.com

Category: Blogger Template

Tags Cloud:

blogger template, blogger web 2.0, web 2.0 template, Best Games, professional blogger template, free web 2.0 templates, premium blogger template, red, 2 column, Game Blogger template, free game template
Descriptions:

Best Games Template is one of free blogger templates for us. And this template i recommended for blog that have a topic about game. Best Game blogger template have many features. i.e :
2 columns layout, Right Sidebar, Featured Posts, Two Navigation Menu, Top Navigation Menu, Ads Ready, Search Box Ready, Read More Post, Ready Social Widgets, RSS, Twitter Widgets, Gravatar on comments, fixed width, Widget Ready, Black background.

With this BestGames blogger template, your game-blog will looked like a professional blog. You must have this one on your game blog !!

Download:
< Live Demo | Download >
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Monday, December 13, 2010

Free Multiplication Tables and Games!

Greetings,

Updated: April 8, 2012: Just added Multiplying 1 to 10 on the Multiplication Chart Video.  Simply click on the video below.



Today I am blogging about sharing some valuable tools I have created to assist your students with multiplication and division.  A lot of students who have performed at a high level in math have memorized their multiplication tables all the way up to their twelves. 

You can start teaching these tables as early as second grade.  These tools will give your son or daughter a great advantage when it come to multiplication and division.  Ok, here are the resources.

Just click on the picture below to save this free Power Point. It also has a blank multiplication table so your students can practice filling out the tables.


The next PowerPoint allows you to print a pocket version of the multiplication table.  When you download this PowerPoint, you can make copies, cut them out and pass them out to your students.  Simply click on the picture below to download this one.


Now you can dowload and print a free Multiplication 12 X 12 Blank Table to practice filling in your multiplication facts with your child.  Simply click on the picture below to dowload the free PDF


The last activity was created in Excel.  When you download this activity, you will get a message to enable macros.  You will want to enable macros. It is a code that will clear all the green cells and turn them all orange, so you can play again.  Follow the steps below.

Step 1

Step 2


You will notice that all the cells are colored orange.  When you fill in the cell with the correct number, the cell will turn green. When you fill in the cell with the incorrect answer, the cell will turn red. Simply click on the picture below to download and save.  When you exit the program, do not save it again.


I hope you enjoy these free tools you can use with your students to learn their multiplication tables.  Next week I will be posting additional PowerPoints on addition tables for your K - 2 students.  See you next week!
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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

What is Atomic Learning?

Greetings,

Today I am blogging about one of the best subscription based web sites for teachers who want to improve their computer skills. Remember atomic learning (www.atomiclearning.com/)  is a subscription based web site.  They have over 600 three minute video and movie tutorials that you can access anytime from the comfort of your own home. For a detailed list of all the tutorials they have to offer, please visit: www.atomiclearning.com/k12/browse?page=tutorials

Atomic learning is for educators that teach in elementary school, middle school and high school. You can learn how to use a software program in about three hours. If you want a subscription, it is well worth the price of $129.99 a year.  To subscribe visit: https://store2.atomiclearning.com/  All you have to do is spend the time learning the software program you want. This is well worth what a computer learning center may charge you to take a computer class for $129 - $299.

Atomic learning also has software programs you can learn for your PC, Mac, iPod touch/iphone and even your iPad. If you would like to see a free tutorial on one of the programs on atomic learning, please visit www.atomiclearning.com/moviemaker2  Hope you enjoy this resource. I will see you next week.
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Sunday, November 28, 2010

What is Google Docs?

Greetings,

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Holiday this past week.  Today I am blogging about Google Docs.  According to Wikipedia, Google Docs has been around for since 2005, but was made available to the public in 2007.  If you are not using google docs, you are probably curious about all the buzz on this free application.

This application allows you to create ,edit and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, surveys and drawings.  It works with Microsoft Office products without requiring the user to have the program loaded onto their computer.  You can also upload your own documents to store online. 

The best way to tell you about this application is through videos.  Listed below are a collection of links that will educate you more on how you can use this application.  The 4 links below will show you videos from Youtube.  If you are unable to view these videos from your school.  You can always check them out at home.

1. Google Docs in Plain English (3 minute video) - If blocked, click here.


2. Teachers and Principals talk about Google Docs (4 minute video) - If blocked, click here.

3. Google Docs: A Love Letter (2 minute video) - If blocked, click here.


4. Learn More About Google Docs (step by step video tutorials)

To get started with this application, you can try it for free by visiting: http://www.docs.google.com/demo/ 
To start using Google Docs visit: http://www.docs.google.com/

Hope you enjoy the videos and tutorials above.  Remember, you want to spend time playing with the different applications that google docs has to offer.  I will see you next week with another topic.  Take care.
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

CSS template for golfers website


Free 2 column SEO friendly css template suitable for golfers blog or business website.

Template has main content in the left column, sidebar on the right tabbed navigation bar and footer.

This lightweight, fast loading free css template has fixed width and it is css and xhtml valid.

Download free css template.
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Monday, November 22, 2010

What Are The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs?

Greetings,

Last week, I discussed the importance of teaching children presentation skills.  This week I am blogging about resources you can use in your own presentations.  These secrets are from one of the greatest innovators of our time Steve Jobs.  In this new book: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs you will learn the following ideas:

1. Create an inspiring story.

2. Answer the one question that matters with your audience.

3. Paint a specific, memorable, and consistent vision of where you are going.

4. Deliver unforgettable moments.

5. Build visually engaging presentations.

6. Master stage presence.

7. Make it look effortless.

8. How to rehearse effectively.

9. Have a great time when presenting.

This is a great book: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo.  For a free preview of this book, you can download a free PowerPoint presentation on a few of these secrets.  Just click on the link or the picture above and it will take you to this valuable resource. 


Wow, another free resource. Here is his newest book.  The Innovative Secrets of Steve Jobs: "7 Insanely Different" Principles for Breakthrough Success by Carmine Gallo.  Just click on the link or the picture above to download this free PowerPoint resource. Hope you enjoy these free resources I have shared.  Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday.  See you next time.

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Monday, November 15, 2010

Teaching Children Presentation Skills

Greetings,

Today I am blogging about the importance of teaching children presentation skills at an early age. I recently noticed on YouTube and other video hosting web sites, children are featured with great presence and great presentation skills. They are adorable, cute and they know how to smile. They are taught how to speak, communicate and how to have a positive effect on people.  They entertain us, and soon the media finds out about them and turns them into overnight celebrities.

Recently I heard on the news about a five year old cook, who was talking about how to bake chocolate noodles. To hear more details about this story, I have posted a link to the video.  Simply click on the picture of Sophie above or you can click here.  Remember this child is only five years old. So always invest in our children and create memorable experiences for them.

In early January, I will be sharing with you an update on the wireless microphone system thatI have been using this year in the computer lab. I will share with you how the kids react to hearing their voice over our speakers.  I will share with you the impact I am making with the children I teach every day.  See you next week.
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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Contact Us

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Anonymous or incomplete messages will not be dealt with. Thank you for your understanding.

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to contact us please click Contact Us Or Image Below :




Enjoy Your Life :) Thank you.

Admin
Iizzy Chabibie

Creative Commons License
Free Games Download by Iizzy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at freegamestube.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://freegamestube.blogspot.com/2010/11/contact-us.html.
readmore »»  

Contact Us

If you have reason to believe that one of our content is violating your copyrights or some of Search Results references to illegal contents, please contact us using the contact menu we provide.

Please allow up to a 1-3 business days for an email response. Note that emailing your complaint to other parties such as our Internet Service Provider, Hosting Provider, and other third party will not expedite your request and may result in a delayed response due to the complaint not being filed properly.

Required information

Please note that we deal only with messages that meet the following requirements:

Please Provide us with your name, address and telephone number. We reserve the right to verify this information.

Explain which copyrighted material is affected.

Please provide the exact and complete to the url link.

If it a case of files with illegal contents, please describe the contents briefly in two or three points.

Please ensure that you can receive further enquiries from us at the e-mail address you are writing from.

Please write to us only in English.

Notice:

Anonymous or incomplete messages will not be dealt with. Thank you for your understanding.

Disclaimer:

This site does not host any illegal content, files or software. We respect Copyright Laws. If You have found the link to an illegal content, please report it to us using the contact menu. We will remove it in 1-3 business days.

to contact us please click Contact Us Or Image Below :




Enjoy Your Life :) Thank you.

Admin
Iizzy Chabibie

Creative Commons License
Free Games Download by Iizzy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at freegamestube.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://freegamestube.blogspot.com/2010/11/contact-us.html.
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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Creating Your Own Blog

Greetings,

Today I will be sharing with you how to create your own blog.  That's right you can publish your own material.  How many times have you attended a great training and you wanted to share the handouts or resources from the training with other teachers?  Well here is how you can do it.  To get started you can download my free training tutorial: How to Create Your Own Blog - Tutorial.  Simply click on the blue link above and chose save as.  You will want to save it to your desktop. The tutorial will review the following key concepts and ideas:

1. Learn how to create a blog by following the detailed pictures in the tutorial. 


2. Learn how to edit, proofread, add links, pictures and videos to your new blog.


3. Learn free tips, hints, tutorials and great resources to use in the classroom.


4. Includes step by step screen shot pictures of how to create a blog.


Hope you enjoy the free resource and keep me posted on how your blog is going.  See you next week. 

This hand out is being edited, and revised to reflect current changes in blogger and soon will be posted.
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Monday, November 1, 2010

Power Point Keyboard Shortcuts

Greetings,

Hope you are doing well this week.  Today I will be blogging about Power Point Tips and Hints.  One of the main hints and tips I will be discussing has to do with shortcuts.  Power Point 2003, 2007 and 2010 shortcuts are enabled when you use the Control button, which is located on the bottom right and left side of your keyboard. 

You will see a key that says Ctrl.  You will get many choices when you hold down the the Ctrl button and a letter.  Listed below are a few keyboard shortcuts you can use in Power Point.  Also listed below those commands are keyboard shortcuts used with ALT.  The ALT button is located on each side of your space bar.  Simply click on the picture below to download the shorcuts document.



Hopefully you will try these shortcuts and they will help you out while using Power Point.  If you would like more shortcuts please google the following in quotes "Power Point Keyboard Shortcuts".  See you next week with another exciting topic.
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Sunday, October 24, 2010

What is a Pocket Projector?

Greetings,

Today I will be sharing with you one of the newest gadgets that is becoming very popular with people. I first heard about this projector last year. I have listed a review on this product that I would like to share with you.

This review was done by M. David Stone, a Lead Analyst for Printers, Scanners & Projectors. To read his review on the 3M Pocket Projector MPro150 visit the following site: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2361254,00.asp?tab=FullReview To find other reviews google the following information with quotes "The 3M Pocket Projector MPro150"

You can also visit 3M Web site which can be found by clicking on the picture below.


I will be planning on getting one of these gadgets soon. Hope this information helps you out. I will talk to you next week about another exciting topic in technology. Take care.
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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Free Quick References for You

Greetings
Today I will be sharing with you a web site where you can get access to quick references on various software programs for free. Once you download the quick reference guides, you can print the two pages out as a colorful pdf document. You can also glue them back to back and laminate them. You now have a quick reference guide for all the Microsoft Office and Adobe software titles listed above.

All you have to do is go to http://www.customguide.com/ and click on the Product Tour tab. Look on the right hand side of the screen and fill out the following information below to access the free quick reference guides.
These quick reference guides can assist you in your training needs. Hope you enjoy these free guides. We will see you next week with another exciting topic. Take care.


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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

GameVision - Free Blogger Template !

GameVision BLogger Template
Title: GameVision - Free Blogger Template

Author: http://www.bloggertheme.net

Category: Blogger Template

Tags Cloud:

blogger template, blogger web 2.0, web 2.0 template, Game Vision, professional blogger template, free web 2.0 templates, premium blogger template, red, 2 column, Game Blogger template,

Descriptions:

GameVision is a blogger template with Search Box Ready, Ready Social Widgets, RSS, Twitter Widgets, Gravatar on comments, Read More Post, fixed width, Widget Ready and Black background. Designed by bloggertheme.net. This template has some features: 2 columns layout, Right Sidebar, Featured Posts, Two Navigation Menu, Top Navigation Menu, Ads Ready. GameVision is really a cool game template !

Link: < Preview | Download >
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Sunday, October 10, 2010

What is Storyline Online?


Greetings
Storyline online is a great web site that has Hollywood stars read to you. You will find the following stars reading to you: Betty White, James Earl James, Tia & Tamera Mowry, Amanda Bynes, Sean Astin, Al Gore, Esai Morales, Hector Elizondo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Elijah Wood, Jason Alexander, Haylie Duff, Amber Rose Tamblyn and Camryn Manheim. This web site keeps growing. As of today, they have 23 stories all read by the Hollywood stars above. Storyline online is funded through The Screen Actors Guild Foundation.

The books that are read by the stars have related activity questions, ideas and concepts to help your child learn even more. You can also download activities guide that have the story and ideas in a pdf format. They also have a newsletter you can subscribe to where you can get updated information on their web site. You can also purchase the book for a nominal fee. All stories read, last between 5 – 10 minutes. You and your child will enjoy this free web site to improve your child’s reading skills.

When you decide to let the video play, it will stream the video at speeds of 56K for dial up, small; 150K for broadband, medium; 300K broadband, large and 512K broadband, best quality. When the video plays, you can also choose the option to show the captions. The captions allow you to see the words and sentences being read to you. You can also pause it, rewind, fast forward it to your favorite part of the story.
You will also notice as the person reads it to you via video you will see pictures that zoom in and out from the book. This unique video concept will make it a memorable experience. Try it out today at http://www.storylineonline.net/ Hope you enjoy the site. I will see you next week about another exciting topic in technology.
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Sunday, October 3, 2010

What is Scholastic Study Jams?

Greetings,

I Hope you had a great week. Today I will be blogging about Study Jams. Study Jams is a web site that has streaming video and slide shows on math and science concepts/ideas for grades 3 - 5. This web site use to require a monthly subscription. Due to its popularity and use, it is now free.
On the web site you will also find key vocabulary words, songs and assessments. To access the site simply click on the picture above. You will find over 200 topics ranging from the following topics in Math and Science:
Math Categories
Numbers
Addition and Subtraction
Multiplication and Division
Fractions
Decimals and Percentages
Algebra
Geometry
Measurement
Data Analysis
Probability
Problem Solving

Click here to download a list of over 100 Math Topics
Science Categories
Plants
Animals

The Human Body
Ecosystems
Landforms, Rocks and Minerals
Weather and Climate
Solar System
Matter
Force and Motion
Energy, Light and Sound
Scientific Enquiry

Click here to download a list of over 100 Science Topics.
Hope you enjoy this free resource. These resources will help reinforce key concepts and ideas for your students. Your students will enjoy relating to the characters in the short videos. We will see you next week with another topic.
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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Teaching with Claymation: Part 3 of 3

Hello

Today I will be discussing animation tips when working with claymation. One of the most important tips I can tell you is to be careful with your background and remember to keep it simple. Here are 10 animation tips.

1. You can simply use construction paper and different color cut outs as well as clay to make scenic items such as clouds, rain, flowers, trees, etc.

2. When you are planning your claymation video, you may want to shoot the scenes backwards with your digital camera.

3. Take 8 - 15 frames per second of finished video (approximately 450 pictures = 30 seconds of video!)

4. Move your character in small amounts at a time.

5. Have handy some wet wipes to keep your hands clean.

6. Avoid moving items in the scene that are not suppose to move.

7. Change the camera view or zoom occasionally.

8. Make sure you set your camera on a tripod and use fresh batteries.

9 Your digital camera needs to be cleared of all pictures before you start taking pictures.

10. Make sure your students have all their materials and supplies before taking the pictures.

Here are 7 video tips you want to be aware of.

1. Take out any pictures where you can see hands.

2. Add background music, sounds and voices. It can be very challenging to use voices to lip movements in stop motion animation; voice-overs are much easier.

3. When adding music use free sources for educators like http://www.freeplaymusic.com/

4. When filming, set the camera on a tripod close to the background. Make sure the background is in the frame.

5. Once filming begins, make sure the camera does not move.

6. Take many pictures. You can always delete excess pictures later.

7. Move characters approximately 1/4 of an inch between shots.

Check out these examples.
Mario's Pizzaria.



Stop, Drop, and Roll!



The Butterfly Cycle


Transformations

After you have all your pictures, audio, and sound bytes, create one folder on your desktop and place all the items in it. To produce your move you want to use a free movie editing program on your computer called Movie Maker 2.
To find Movie Maker on your computer go to "Start" and the program is either in the accessories folder or in your programs file. Look for the little color film real with a tailing filmstrip icon. You want to be familiar with this program. For a free video tutorial please visit: www.atomiclearning.com/moviemaker2 To put the finishing touches on the movie you will add titles, credits, narration and music in Movie Maker 2.
Free Resources
Royalty Free Music Sites
http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/
www.beatmode.com/free-loops/
www.mfwp101.com/freemusic.htm
www.flashkit.com/loops/
www.hooverwebdesign.com/sounds/index.html
http://www.freeplaymusic.com/
Sound Effects
www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html
Hope you enjoyed the 3 part series on claymation. We will see you next week with another exciting topic in technology. Take care.
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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Teaching with Claymation: Part 2 of 3

Greetings,

Today I will be discussing how to build characters and props. I will also talk about how to build your backdrop or background. Let's get started, you will need the following items to build your characters.

* Armature for the Skeleton, which will provide strength and flexibility.



* To create the bulk and shape of the character you will need to cover the wire with foil folded into strips. You can also use styrofoam as well.
* Colored nonhardening modeling clay
* You also might want to visit an art and craft store to get plastic eyes, mouths and noses for your character.
To mold the clay on your character you can use your fingers ore plastic spoons to shape the clay. If parts of the character will move, it may be easier to make two or more clay pieces of that part such as a winking eye or moving mouth. You can also use the clay to build props like clouds, lakes, rivers, trees, etc. on to colored construction paper for your backdrop or background. You can also use sand, grass, dirt, rocks, twigs, marbles and confetti etc.
After you have all the supplies you are ready to set your stage.
1. When students are working with claymation there should be no more than 4 to a group.
2. Students will need to create a flowmap of step by step of the movement of the story.
3. Make the characters.
4. Make the backdrops or background - The backdrops can be done in a shoebox, shad.ow box, on a chair, in a cubby hole, base of a chair, on colored construction paper or poster board (Remember to keep it simple).
5. Work on lighting - Do you want the characters to stand out more?
6. Think about the camera view, taking the photos and making the movie.
Next week I will be discussing animation tips, video tips, filming tips, producing the movie, adjusting timing, adding titles, credits, narration and music. I will be sharing free tutorials and additional web sites for more ideas. I will also be posting more examples of claymation projects. See you next week.
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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Teaching with Claymation: Part 1 of 3

Greetings,

Hope you are doing well this week. What is Claymation? Claymation is short for Clay Animation, which includes the following:

1. Any animation using clay, materials and props.

2. Traditionally time - consuming technique of stop motion video.

3. Using a digital cameras and computers provide accessibility in the classroom.

4. Using Movie Maker 2 or a video editing program.

Claymation can be used for:

* Content on a website

* A prop for a speech

* A multimedia story

* A concept or objective demonstration

* A public service announcement

Why do you want to use Claymation?

1. Motivates, engages and challenges students to be creative.

2. Can be applied to any subject level and area.

3. Perfect for exploring concepts and objectives.

4. Requires planning, organizing and teamwork.

More Ideas for Using Claymation in the Classroom.

* Storytelling

* Creative writing

* Explanations of the Scientific processes

* Human body functions

* Visualizing math concepts

* Recreating historical events & time periods

* Demonstrating physical activities - proper exercise

Please play the video below to see how I have used claymation with a PE Objective in the past.

How do I start making a claymation video?

1. Select your idea or objective you want to communicate to your audience.

2. Plan and build a flow map of your idea.

3. Start building your character and background or back drop for your movie.

4. Take photos of movement of the character.

5. Make the Movie.

In the next 2 weeks, I will be sharing with you the following ideas:

How to build your character with clay, armature, foil, styrofoam, construction paper, small eyes, mouths, etc. and props (rocks and sticks). How to set your stage, claymation tips, animation tips, video tips, filming, editing and producing the film. I will also be sharing with you more claymation videos. To produce one video, your students may want to work in groups and it may take 3 -5 days for the project to finish. See you next week.
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Sunday, September 5, 2010

30 in 48 Days!


Greetings,

Hopefully you are having a great Labor Day today. This week I will be sharing with you the exciting trainings I have been involved in over the summer. Yes, it is true that I had the opportunity to take over $11,000 of advanced technology training classes and received 25 software books with lessons, exercises and online files.

Our technology department was so kind and gracious to purchase Summer PassPort Passes from New Horizons Computer Learning Center for a few of our Computer Lab Teachers. New Horizons is a technology learning center where you can take classes for a nominal fee. I participated in almost 30 advance technology classes. Some of the classes included Adobe CS4 software like Photoshop (web and print), Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver and Acrobat. Other classes included, Web Design with XHTML, HTML, CSS and SharePoint Designer 2007.

I can not forget the MS Office 2007 classes I took, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher and Visual Basics Application (VBA) Programming. VBA is a class where you learn how to create macros or type code in MS Office programs. Out of all these classes I participated in, I had the chance to take Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced classes. Most of the classes were anywhere from 7 hours to 14 hour classes and daily classes would be from 8AM - 4PM, Mon. - Fri.

I knew a lot of the MS Office software programs, but this gave me a chance to brush up and review key concepts, tasks and ideas. I did not realize the value of these classes. If you were to take these classes on average it would cost you around $300 and if you were to take the Adobe classes it could run you nearly $700. What an investment! If I had to add the total instructional hours it would total over 200 hours!

I am sharing this information with you not to impress you, but to impress upon you to really achieve, and reach your goals and to continue to learn in whatever field you are in. I now have build up my technology library and created a reference library. These are invaluable resources and references that will assist me to create additional tasks and exercises for all my teachers and students.

I also met some great instructors and students at New Horizons. I hope to continue my education and attend New Horizons next year to take MS Office 2010 classes and Adobe CS5 classes. For additional resources for your training needs, please visit http://www.newhorizons.com/ or you can get a subscription for online learning video classes at www.atomiclearning.com Hope to see you next week. Have a great week!
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Sunday, August 29, 2010

How to be an Effective Teacher: Part 3 of 3

Greetings,

Hope you had a great week. I know we had a great first week of school at our school. This is the final part on how to be an effective teacher from Dr. Harry K. Wong's keynote speech. I have been receiving a lot of feedback on my First Day of School PowerPoint I shared last week. Today I will be sharing all the different types of procedures and routines that you need to teach your children throughout the year. These can also be found in Dr. Harry K. Wong's Book: The First Days of School in Chapter 19.

Entering the classroom
Getting to work immediately
Listening to and responding to questions
Participating in class discussions
Keeping your desk orderly
Checking out classroom materials
Indicating whether or not you understand
Coming to attention
Working cooperatively
Changing groups
Working in centers
Keeping your notebook
Going to the office
Knowing the schedule for the day or class
Keeping a progress report
Finding directions for each assignment
Passing in papers
Exchanging papers
Returning student work
Getting materials without disturbing others
Handing out playground materials
Moving about the room
Going to the library or tech center
How to head your paper
Returning to a task after an interruption
Asking a question
Walking in the hall during class time
Which side of the hall to walk on
Responding to the following: fire drill, tornado drill, lock down (when a stranger is in the building)
Saying "thank you"
When you are late or tardy
End of period class dismissal
When you need a pencil or paper
When you are absent
When you need help or conferencing
When you finish early
When visitors are in the classroom
If the teacher is out of the classroom
If you are suddenly ill

Remember there is a procedure for teaching a procedure.

The Three-Steps Approach to Teaching Classroom Procedures (Ch. 20 in First Days of School)

1. Teach -State, explain, model, and demonstrate the procedure.

2. Rehearse - Rehearse and practice the procedures under your supervision.

3. Reinforce - Reteach, rehearse, practice, and reinforce the procedure until it becomes student habit of routine.

The last concept on how to be a very effective teacher is to have very high expectations for you and your students. You want to create an effect on you and then on your students. Positive expectations is the key. Believe in your students and when they say "I can't" point out to your students it means they are not trying.
Hope these ideas on procedures and routines help you out during the school year. Next week I will be sharing with you the exciting trainings I have been involved in over this past summer. I had the opportunity to take over $11,000 of advanced technology training classes and receive 25 books for free. Find out how next week. See you next week.
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Sunday, August 22, 2010

How to be an Effective Teacher: Part 2 of 3

Greetings,

I know a lot of you are excited as the students return to school on Monday. I know you have all been patiently waiting for me to share my PowerPoint on procedures and routines on the first day of school. Remember this was featured in Dr. Harry K. Wong's keynote presentation all around the United States.

First let me share with you the 7 questions that student will have when they enter your classroom. The following information below was from my notes from the Keynote Address. You can find more information in the book: The First Days of School.

1. Am I in the right room?
This gives them a sense of security to know they are in the right place.

2. Where am I suppose to sit?
This lets them know I want you here and I am inviting you into my classroom and I have planned for you.

3. What are the rules in this classroom?
This helps the classroom run more smoothly.

4. What will I be doing this year?
This is your chance to sell what it is they will be learning this year. Create excitement for your classroom for the upcoming school year.

5. How will I be graded?
What is your grading policy? Let them know what it is they need to do to earn a grade in your classroom.

6. Who is my teacher as a person?
Let the students know something about you and they will have a better time relating to you. Tell them what you like, collect or any hobbies or interests you have. Tell them about yourself. If you do not do this, then they will be inventing things about you.

7. Will my teacher treat me fairly?
Yes I will treat you fair, but your definition of fair may not be the same as mine.

My PowerPoint on classroom procedures and routines is located below. All you have to do is click on the picture below and you can download it and save it. I hope these ideas help you be the best teacher you can be.



Once again, I hope these ideas I have shared with you help you out. I hope you have a great first day of school and I will see you next week. For more PowerPoints from other successful teachers please visit http://www.teachers.net/
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Sunday, August 15, 2010

How to be an Effective Teacher: Part 1 of 3

Hello,

Today I will be sharing with you some key concepts and ideas on How to be an Effective and Successful Teacher. I recently had the opportunity to attend Dr. Harry K. Wong's and Dr. Rosemary Wong's keynote presentation on How to be an Effective and Successful Teacher. I have also been collaborating with him over the summer on a few ideas. To see his latest article for August 2010, please double click on the picture below.

Harry K. Wong is possible the most motivating, exciting and dynamic speaker in education today. His presentations result in a positive behavioral effect on his audiences world wide. he leaves his audiences with practical and useful techniques on how to be a successful teacher. He has given more than 3,000 presentations to nearly a half million people in America and Canadian provinces and in South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Dr. Wong's expertise is in classroom management and student motivation. He has been an excellent teacher who has shared his success wit thousands of teacher worldwide. Dr. Wong has won numerous awards and was also featured in a story by Reader's Digest.

During more than 33 years in the classroom, He has developed methods that resulted in having a zero dropout rate, no discipline problems a 95% homework turn-in record, and the ability to demonstrate master level learning by each of his students.

Instructor Magazine (March 2006) announced a reader's poll of the most admired people in the world of education. Harry Wong was on the list along with Maya Angelou, Laura Bush, Bill Cosby, Hillary Clinton, Ron Clark, Marva Collins, Howard Gardner, Mel Levine, and Oprah Winfrey.

Dr. Wong has over 30 publications including the best selling book in the world in Education. He has sold over 3.5 Million books as of 2010. Soon there will be a Chinese and an Arabic Edition; possible a French addition. What's the name of his best selling book? It is called The First Days of School. He also has an award-winning video series, a CD set and an e-Learning course in classroom management. He also writes a monthly column on http://www.teachers.net/wong

What is the secret to be an effective teacher? Here it is get you pen and paper ready. According to Dr. Wong, you steal. Well it's not really called stealing. It's called research. You walk into teachers rooms and you look around and look around for great ideas that you can use in your classroom. It's also called sharing and collaborating with effective teachers.

There is only one way to improve student learning and it is by having an effective teacher. You want to have a positive effect or produce a result with your students. According to Dr. Wong, you need the mastery of the following as a teacher:

1. Excellent Classroom Management Skills (Unit C in book)

2. Lesson Mastery (Unit D in book)

3. Positive Expectations (Unit B in book)

For more information on these key ideas, please refer to the newest edition of The First Days of School, which was published in 2009.

I hope these resources assist you in becoming a great teacher, role model and leader in your school or community. Next week I will be sharing with you parts of my PowerPoint on procedures and routines on the first day of school that was featured in his keynote presentation. I will also be sharing with you the 7 questions students want to know when they walk in your room on the first day of school. Now if you can't wait untill next week, you can always refer to the book. See you next week.
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