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Kathleen - Hi! Welcome to a session on Multi-Media presentations!
Kathleen - Lydia Laird a.k.a. "Click" will share with us her expertise with Multi-Media presentation formats and tools. Lydia, thank you for agreeing to do this session for Teachers.Net!
Kathleen - Let's begin :-). Lydia, tell us a bit about your background and experience with this multi-media stuff;-)
Lydia - I am a technology specialist -- fancy name for computer lab teacher and fix it girl. This is my 5th year in this position. This summer was our 3rd camp experience.
Lydia - We combin graphics and sounds to make a "movie". We actually take the presentation a step past the computer and record it on video tape.
Lydia - Why We Did It: Exposure to latest technology. Team building skills for cooperative learning. Build academic skills and just a fun summer activity! We had classes of 15 - 20 3rd -5th grade students, with three teachers and a student helper. Each student paid $25 for each camp session they attended. The sessions were three and a half hours long, five days a week, including a thirty minute snack and “game time” - which most opted to continue working
Lydia - The sessions were three and a half hours long, five days a week, including a thirty minute snack and “game time” - which most opted to continue working. How We Did It: Monday: After introductions, we showed previous camp productions to let them see what they were working toward and to avoid common mistakes -- font styles that were difficult to read or colors that just didn’t look great when transferred over to VCR tape. We divided the students into two groups. One group was taught how to make “slides” using presentation software called Multimedia Workshop, by Davidson. That includes putting in the graphics, background colors or designs and text portion of topic. The other group learned how to search for information using the Internet. We then swapped the groups. That took 2 hours, an hour for each lesson. While the students were at the computers the third teacher took a digital camera and took individual pictures of students. The pictures were used for “Internet licenses. They had to have their license with them daily, if we had any problems with a student we would punch a hole in the corner of it. After all corners were punched they were not allowed back on the Internet. We only had a couple of discipline problems who got two holes punched, and that was because they got too excited wanting to interrupt everyone and show them what they were doing. We gave students free time with various CD ROM games and fun Internet sites. End of day one
Lydia - The sessions were three and a half hours long, five days a week, including a thirty minute snack and “game time” - which most opted to continue working. How We Did It: We met as a large group and brainstormed ideas for presentation topics. They were allowed to pick any topic. After we had numerous ideas for a presentation, everything from “Where Chocolate Comes From” to How the Man Lives in Space! Lots of animal projects, also. We had the students write two topics on index cards along with their names. We, as teachers, put them into groups of 3 or 4 students. This was a trick we learned from last year to keep discipline problems separated. They then broke into groups and developed 5 - 8 questions they thought their audience would be interested in. The questions and information found were written on index cards, answers were found on encyclopedia cds and Internet. We had them show us the questions for approval before looking up the information. This way we could guide them for key word searches, we also initialed their cards to show approval.
Lydia - They continued researching their topic. The students were to bookmark sites and also write down the URL for sites they used on the index cards -- preparing them for bibliographies. They were also to note if it had any cool pictures to use in the presentation. If one member finished before the others they were to help those struggling. Wednesday: Continue researching topics. You have to check on students continuously to make sure they understand what they are reading. Space groups found some VERY scientific sites with great pictures, but written for scientist. They would copy information and we would have them clarify it to us, which most of the time they couldn’t. This helped us make sure that the sites were suitable, taught about plagiarism, and we were able to check for spelling and grammar problems.. Most of the groups completed their research and began making their scenes. TIP: Have students type in text first without changing font size or style. They like to play with that TOO much! LIMIT them to one to two sentences per card. This is very important for spacing on the screen
Lydia - Thursday: Completed research. Those finished continued creating their scenes. Those students who completed their scenes were taught the next step of the project -- sequencing and sound. Multimedia Workshop is great for sequencing and putting in sounds. The students are given a page with two “tracks” on it one for pictures, the other for sound. Tracks were divided into second length segments or squares. Here is where team work paid off. One student would read the information on their slide while another student would time them in seconds. The student would then drag a red box over a square for each second thus setting the time length of the slide. After the team had inserted and set time for all of their slides they were allowed to put in their sound effects or music clips. They could coordinate their slides and sounds very easily because they were laying on two tracks side by side. MW allows you to clip lengths of songs or repeat sounds where needed. Friday was used to finish up presentations. Finished projects were saved to the server. The size of the presentations are enormous, due to all of the graphics and sounds. This made it impossible to simply take a disk home with their project on it, besides the students most likely didn’t have MW at home anyway. We got around the problem of a take home project by purchasing a TV VCR converter called an AverKey3, for around $200. This allowed us to play the presentation on a computer and record it to video tape. Each student then walked away with a copy of their “MOVIE” to show at home or to send to Grandparents.
Lydia - Friday was also Open House. Students presented projects to parents, showed educational software and Internet sites used. Parents were very impressed and had lots of questions on how to obtain software and computers to purchase. Student were presented with their tape copy, a camp T-shirt and certificate for attending the camp.
Addie k/mo - what types of occasions have you used these productions for?
Lydia - We have created projects for summer camps, multicultural events and history projects.
REI - Are you using a digital editing system? Or a mulit media box?
Lydia - We use a converter box called an AverKey3. This converts from computer to VCR.
Mary K&1 - How does this differ from other programs? and Is it available for all platforms?
Lydia - It is simplier than Powerpoint and Mpower.
Lydia - I like it because we use alot of Microsoft products and this is run very similiar. Same pull down menus and hot key options.
REI - How does it compare to Hyperstudio or Adobe Premeir?
Lydia - One of my team members uses Hyperstudio, I haven't, but she likes it better. She still uses both though. Hyperstudio lets you manuver around to different points. MW doesn't. Straight video.
Addie k/mo - what age are the students that have completed these projects and what kind of time is involved?
Lydia - I work with 3rd - 5ht grade students, groups of 15 -20 per session.
Jules/GA - I have two computers in my room, one has to used for AR most of the day, How easy is it to teach the children to use the programs for their own work? I teach 3rd grade
Lydia - It is very easy Jules! You have to have a minimum of two hours for learning presentation software and Internet instruction. Brainstorm ideas and research topics using Internet and encyclopedia cd roms. If you are doing this as a lab project, you must set aside at least 45 minutes in a lab, a week for at least 3 weeks to construct the “movie”. If you have one or two computers in your classroom set up a schedule for teams so that they can work on it in their spare time. I highly recommend that research be done outside the class, especially for advanced students.
Mary K&1 - Is MW available for all platforms?
Lydia - Mary -- MW works on Mac, Win 3.1 and '95.
Mary K&1 - Do the kids create their own graphics and sound files or do they use things that they find elsewhere?
Lydia - MW comes with thousands of graphics and video clips. It also has a paint program to allow drawing.
Lydia - MW also comes with TONS of sound clips -- special effects and songs.
Addie k/mo - my son's enrichment class is using hyperstudio to make a video from photos on a disk for another teacher and i to use in a presentation. we will be talking and explaining what is going on in the photos. how many seconds per photo should be allowed?
Lydia - Here is where team work paid off. One student would read the information on their slide while another student would time them in seconds. The student would then drag a red box over a square for each second thus setting the time length of the slide.
Lydia - It really depends on how much text.
Valerie S. - I just did my first PowerPoint presentation. How does MW compare in cost and performance?
Lydia - MW cost $60 a copy through regular channels. I purchase through a partnership program with Educational Resources for $20 a copy, but you must by 5 copies to get the discount.
Addie k/mo - so we should come up with a script to help the kids time the pix?
Lydia - The kids research a topic and type in the text they want their audience to know.
Lydia - They then can time how long to leave up the picture.
Mary K&1 - In a project like Addie's, could they include the voice script as part of the video?
Lydia - Yes! All you need is a microphone - about $20.
Lydia - The kids love hearing their voice on TV>
REI - What kind of quality does the video end up with using this program? Are you able to add transitions, etc....
Lydia - MW has tons of transitions, but the words and pictures cannot fly in like in Powerpoint.
Lydia - Quality is great on the computer -- loses resolution when transferred to VCR tape.
Mary K&1 - What's the average length of a finished project?
Lydia - They last anywhere 5 - 25 minutes -- average about 15.
Lydia - Multimedia Workshop is GREAT! There are differences between it and Hypercard -- straight video, can't jump around by buttons for one.
Mary K&1 - Who trained the teachers?
Lydia - ME!
Lydia - I have about 4 teachers in district right now who are using it. All of our technical support staff about to be trained. That is one per campus for about 15 campuses.
Lydia - The TSS will then train and hold camps for their own campuses. done
Lydia - Much more kid friendly! They can actually see how long a clip will be on the screen instead estimating with powerpoint if it is long enough.
Susie St. Louis - So they don't learn how to do the beginning programming? and they don't use a scanner--but do they learn to integrate text and graphics?
Lydia - Susie, beginning programing?
Lydia - We can use a scanner if needed, but MW comes with hundreds of pictures and others are found on Internet and encyclopedia cds. Text, graphics and audio.
Susie St. Louis - Yes, the buttons you referred to are the transitions from page to page and the studetns must learn a tiny bit of computer programming language to make the leap from one screen to the next
Lydia - No, MW doesn't use buttons for transitions. It makes a straight video, no jumping around.
Susie St. Louis - How much equipment does one need to get started, and how does one structure a class around the research and lab?
Lydia - You need a minimum of one computer 5 works great though for a class -- lab even better, one per team.
Lydia - You have to have a minimum of two hours for learning presentation software and Internet instruction. Brainstorm ideas and research topics using Internet and encyclopedia cd roms. If you are doing this as a lab project, you must set aside at least 45 minutes in a lab, a week for at least 3 weeks to construct the “movie”. If you have one or two computers in your classroom set up a schedule for teams so that they can work on it in their spare time. I highly recommend that research be done outside the class, especially for advanced students.
Lydia - To copy to video you need some kind of converter. I use an AverKey3 -- $200.
Lydia - Also a $5 audio cable that doesn't come with the Averkey3 for some strange reason.
REI - Do you cover copyright issues with the kids? Also, does MW operate with tracks (Video A/B and Sound A/B) like Adobe Premier?
Lydia - Yes we do cover copy right laws and plagiarism.
Susie St. Louis - How much memory is required and can it be saved to a disk for, say, a student to use as part of a portfolio?
Lydia - Slides can be saved to disk but not final product because of size. We save projects to server and then copy to VCR tapes so students can take a copy home with them.
Mr.C - I was wondering if we couldn't create a site where presentations are stored in Hypercard, Hyperstudio, and Powerpoint... sorted by subject matter and grade level... to make available for others as both models and ready made lessons (with lecture notes). If every teacher took their best lesson and put it online... what a world that would be!
Indy - What is MW? and what is an Educational MOO
REI - We save our projects to a zip disk.
Indy - What does MW stand for
Lydia - MW = Multimedia Workshop, by Davidson.
Indy - Lydia do you have any recommendations for the classroom? Like should teacher just take a week out and spend 2 hours a day on these projects...or try to fit it in the normal daily schedule? IE the 45 minutes of Soc. Studies. time?
Lydia - I really recommend a lab setting, but understand time constaint. Classroom, I would set up a schedule and allow students to rotate with groups. The other groups could be working on research from textbook or encyclopedias.
Indy - I want to invest in an external read/write cdrom to save projects on.
Indy - Labs are O-U-T of fashion in my district. heh
Lydia - That would fit into 45 minutes a dayfor about 2 weeks. You would still need a way to present software to class, maybe a projector or in lab.
Lydia - OUT of fashion?!
Lydia - CD burner would be GREAT for this!
Indy - Grin. All new technology goes to the classrooms
Indy - Our pta is trying to keep the lab going though
Indy - Yeah I think a CDburner is going to be more handy than a zip drive in the end.
Lydia - Must be nice. We are putting 3 computers per classroom and are loving it! 50 minute lab time a week per class.
Indy - Well that's cool, Lydia. I enjoyed hearing about your project.
Lydia - Thanks Indy. I hope it helped a little.
Indy - I have trouble organizing so students have time to make their project on the computers, and do their research on the computers too. I guess I could just schedule research times, and work times.
Lydia - I had 2 fifth grade classes do their research for a history project in their text books and regular encyclopedias. Worked fine.
Indy - Sounds good, Lydia.
al-IA - Yeah, sometimes we get so carried away with puters we forget there are books
Lydia - Too true!
Indy - grin. well we haven't used our CDRoms at ALL this year... encyclopedia or databases
al-IA - Have you guys done simple scavenger hunts. that way you control what and where the studnets go.
Indy - we don't get the internet at my school till next year. :-( Last school on the list
al-IA - Makes things go quicker too.
Lydia - Yes, scavenger hunts are great to get students use to using the Internet.
Lydia - Have you tried just doing a search for scavenger hunts?
al-IA - I would rather set them up myself. more customized that way
Lydia - You get all sorts of hits. Try it with children as a key word.
Lydia - That is true al-IA
Lydia - Night :-)
