The Last Day of School for Students and "The Wave"

It has been a tradition for a number of years to wave the buses, carrying all of our students off to summer vacation joys, out of the parking lot. We broke with tradition this year in a couple of ways. Instead of standing on the pavement outside the lower entrance to the school, we went over to the green underneath the gigantic tree. Also, other years I had simply taken a number of still shots to commemorate the event, but the iPad makes capturing video so easy that I decided to film the event. Sara Frank kindly took some still shots. You'll see her in the video. I chose a couple of the still shots to display on our web page, but I uploaded the video from the iPad to my YouTube account, and I will embed it in my blog. I really like having the video - the sound and the motion capture the exciting yet bittersweet event far better than the still shots ever could. In all, the school year 2010~2011 was a very successful year for students and staff alike, and I heard a number of 8th graders saying how much they would miss the middle school and all of their teachers. That speaks volumes. Enjoy - and have a great summer!

Some times paper and pencil, crayons, markers, etc. can be the technology of choice

The 7th grade English classes recently read Seed Folks by Paul Fleishman. Not only is the book a wonderful story of how a community garden enriches the lives of all its participants, but the book is also rich in imagery. Each year, the students are asked to pick out a favorite simile or metaphor to illustrate. I have wanted to capture some of these student creations for years, and I finally got a chance. Of course, the technology of the scanner and the blog are what enables these wonderful creations to be shared with a wider audience. Enjoy them.

and this last one is my favorite:

Perfection on Wheels - brought to Bethany MS by Character Ed Committee

I am backtracking a bit, but on Friday, May 13, our Character Ed Committee with sponsorship from Woodbridge Youth Services and the Town of Bethany secured Perfection on Wheels, a BMX stunt team to perform for our students. Besides putting on a terrific show, they also included a strong message about how important it is to build good character including qualities of being truthful, trustworthy, responsible, and caring for others.
This video was captured on the iPad2, edited in iMovie on the iPad, and uploaded to our YouTube channel from the iPad. It is truly a remarkable video machine. I will tell you that it did take me a number of hours to edit down over 20 minutes of video to around 12 minutes, but I think the result is worth it. Enjoy.

A Memorial Day Observance

In order to impress on students the real reason for the 3-day holiday besides the celebration of the coming of summer, an observance was planned during homeroom time. Students and staff met around the flagpole in the front of the school for a very fitting assembly. The video embedded here captured this nice moment.

The video was recorded and edited on the iPad and uploaded directly to our amsbchannel from the iPad.

Experimenting with iPad video, iMovie for iPad, and unlisted video for YouTube

I recently was given the opportunity by my district to test how useful an iPad might be for educational purposes. It is an iPad2 with the video camera and still camera - an essential component for education. It was my honor to be invited by Kevin Berean into his 8th grade tech ed elective class where he was examining the topic of medical technology with his students. After going thorough a great amount of preparation, he was ready to have the kids try out a simulation of laparoscopic surgery. The iPad did a great job of capturing video - easy to hold steady - great resolution even with some backlit situations. I then downloaded the iMovie app for the iPad and edited the video clips into a movie and then uploaded it directly to our amsbchannel on YouTube.
Currently, the video is marked as "unlisted" which means only those who have the link can view it. It does not show up in a general search on YouTube. However, it is not private because the link can be shared. Still, it's not as widely available as it would be if marked "public."
I was also able to get the embed code and should be able to insert in in my blog.
This then has become a multi-leveled experiment.


Here is a special clip of one of our students assisting Dr. Dellinger.I should have spelled it laparoscopic in the title - sorry.

Think That We Can Still Teach the Same Way?

It's here! It's now!
We do not have to throw out the baby with the bathwater, but we do have to incorporate new teaching tools into our everyday instruction. I took these two pictures this summer. One was at a restaurant in Southern Massachusetts. Not only was this child engaged and quiet while his parents enjoyed their meal, but so were his two siblings. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about this, but I am hoping that the parents only occasionally use this method of keeping kids "happy" while they eat in peace. You might equate this to sitting kids in front of the t.v. set and ignoring them. Does it make it better if the parents have the kids engaged in positive learning activities???????? I know I used that excuse for my kids watching Sesame Street.Many folks worry how being so engaged in these technologies takes away from interacting with family and friends. However, few object when a youngster  spends a number of hours reading.

The other picture was taken at a wedding reception held at a home in CT. I am sure that after a number of hours, keeping this young man entertained while his parents continued to enjoy the party and socialize might have been tough. He doesn't look bored,however, does he? And he's learning!

Getting back to my title. I believe the pictures above emphasize that we are working with kids who are learning 24/7 but who still need guidance in how to use these tools in a responsible manner. Our students need to be prepared for the 21st century workplace. Chief among these skills is learning "how to learn."


 I belong to a group called "Art Snacks" hosted by a fantastic educator by the name of Kevin Hunnicut. He invites folks to his site to add art work, photographs, instructional videos, etc - all with the intent of having folks learn from each other. Recently, he revised a song called "I Need My Teachers To Learn." While some may take issue with criticism of current teaching methods embedded therein, it's still important to watch and reflect on this video.

A Great Find!

I have lot of things to do on this lovely Saturday morning, but I made the mistake of sitting down at my laptop.
I read an email from Greg Limperis of Technology Integration in Education asking me to support Glogster on the DEN March Madness Mashup, where educators from all over are voting for their favorite Web 2.0 applications. In the video presenting Glogster, I followed a link to the Digital Toolbelt Wiki.
http://toolbelt.wikispaces.com/Home
and in that wiki on their resources page, I found this Google Presentation started by Mark Clarkson on "25 Techy Tips for not so Techy Teachers" and even for those who are. The links to the applications are embedded in the presentation and clickable. I copied the embed code from the presentation and hope to share it with you here. There are really terrific resources here. I intend to play with blockposters.com soon.



Now I am going to go do something else - really - at least until noon when I intend to join the Classroom 2.0 webinar. This week the hosts are interviewing Colt Briner and Caitlin Tucker of Collaborize Classroom. I contacted Peggy George, one of the moderators a couple of weeks ago and told her I'd seen a SimpleK12 presentation with these folks and suggested she might want to get them for a webinar on her show. Lo and Behold - she did. Now she probably already had them in her radar, but it excited me to think that I might have had some small influence in this show being scheduled so soon.

An April's Fool Joke that I Can Endorse!

Today is April Fool's Day. Thankfully, we got through the day without any destructive pranks being pulled. I have never really liked April Fool's Day, for I am not in favor of anything that hurts someone else's esteem. Thankfully, for the most part, April Fool's jokes are pretty harmless.
Today, however, I must admit I was fooled - royally!
One of the students brought in a beautifully frosted cake for our secretary, whose name just happens to be April. Later in the morning, I stopped by the office and commented on what a beautiful cake she had on her desk. I wondered if it was her birthday. She even invited me to have a piece, and I said, "Oh, no. I'm trying to be good -but maybe a scrid later." When she burst out laughing, I knew something was up. I'd been fooled, and so had she. When the student first presented her with the cake, she had been so pleased, and she'd thanked him profusely. He had even brought in plates and forks. However, when she went to cut into  it, she got the surprise! It was a beautifully frosted roll of toilet paper! It was really a clever and harmless way to acknowledge April Fool's Day! Enjoy! (the creative prank, if not the cake).

Sometimes all you have to do is ask!

I subscribe to eSchool News on-line newsletter, and they do a great job of keeping educators aware of new resources to help us engage students. They also report out on how other schools -model schools - are implementing programs to align their curriculum with the needs of their 21st Century connected students. I came across this video from a superintendent of schools in the Onslow District in North Carolina, but I could not find an embed code needed to include the video in a blog post. So I wrote to eSchool news, and received a prompt answer. Meris Standsbury, an eSchool news rep informed me that they do not include embed codes on the site for security and privacy reasons, but they usually will provide them upon request. So, let's give it a try and see if it works. This school district is certainly striving to provide the technology resources and training needed for a 21st Century Education.



Well, in the preview, the video seems to have embedded properly.
I also asked for the embed code for a video from David Pogue, who writes a technology column for the NYTimes. I've been a fan of David's for many years going back to the late 1990's when he used to speak at our MAC Users group when we met in both Norwalk and Stanford, CT. He was amazing then and still is. The way he mixes humor with good solid technology advice is pretty unique. I used to show his short video "I want an iPhone" to my encore tech classes. That video was filmed and edited by Zach Brass, when he interned for David Pogue during the summer of his junior year at Amity High School.
Here is more up-to-date take by David on how technology is impacting the culture of the next generation.



I hope you enjoy the videos and would be appreciative if you'd take the time to leave a short comment.

Hoops For Heart Fundraiser Collects $1,400 for the American Heart Association

On January 14, 2011, the Life Arts Team at Bethany Middle School, along with a representative from the American Heart Association, kicked off a Hoops for Heart fundraiser. The students were encouraged to collect donations for the cause which included logging onto a website from the American Heart Association to track the donations they collected.

The actual celebration was scheduled for later in February, but due to all of the snow days, the culminating activity took place on Friday, March 4. The 8th grade assembly took place during periods 3 and 4 in the morning, and the 7th grade assembly during periods 6 and 7 in the afternoon. At the beginning of each assembly, Life Arts teachers stressed the importance for students to adopt good nutrition and adequate exercise practices in their lives. After viewing short videos on healthy heart practices, the fun began. Cheered on by the Bethany Middle School Spirit Squad, students participated in Knock Out. Every student got a chance to shoot a basket. Those who made the most baskets went into an elimination round to win prizes. Teachers also took turns trying to sink a basket - even me -

After the games, there was an additional activity. Students who were top fund raisers also got to give a "pie in the face" to faculty and administrator volunteers. Dr. Dellinger looks truly alarmed.

Oh, we cannot forget Mr. Orie's sacrifice. He was shorn and prepped for shaving (didn't happen) as his contribution to the cause.