There are so many opportunities available for teachers to explore in order to ‘value add’ to the quality and scope of the education they provide students. So why is it we constantly hear people lament, ‘Oh I’m so far behind with all this computer stuff’?
People… you don’t get left behind in this field, you choose to stay where you are!!!
What are you doing to improve your skills?
Over the last few years I have found myself more and more in tune with the concept of ’slow knowing’. I tend to take a long time to make up my mind about some things. I find I might experiment with an idea for a week and then think about it on and off for a few months and in some cases, even years.
Machinima (machine cinema) is one of those concepts. When @mizminh I were working together in Byron Bay five years ago we started our initial experiments with the genre. We started discussing and exploring the emerging artform with the kids. We also started looking into some of the tools that were around at the time but found our hardware sadly lacking the power to use the software effectively.
In the last month or so I’ve discovered Fraps99. It’s a piece of software that allows you to take screenshots and video captures from within video games. Fraps is free to download and use but if you want added features you can upgrade for a fee. So far I’m very happy with the free version.
So now when Mr 10 and I are playing our latest favourite RTS game we take captures while gaming. When we are finished the game we crop the images in Paint.Net and then drop them into Photostory 3 or Comic Life to see what creative storytelling options we can come up with.
Over lunch yesterday a second year uni student asked me why I’d want to do this ’stuff’ with students. Instantly a heap of half formed ideas came flooding forth…
1. Attitude development – It is worthwhile to tinker. It is worthwhile to experiment with using things in new and different ways. How do we celebrate creativity, innovation and alternate forms of thinking?
2. Forced Creativity – by supplying alternative stimulus different narratives will be created i.e. moving beyond ponies, rainbows and what I did on the weekend 
3. Demonstrating how to rise above the defaults of software?
4. Educational outcomes are the floor not the ceiling. Do we really need to continue being apologist when it comes to exploring the possibilities of ICTs?
5. Teaching organisational strategies and problem solving – How can we get more captures to work with? Where can we store these captures so everyone can access them? Many real problems will need to be solved and this is worthwhile.
6. ICTs can be integrated but often the rigid insistence on integration is stifling on so many levels. Insistence on integration often eliminates the possibilities of celebrating advances in technologies.
7. The tools for making the stories are free (or cheap) and the students already have the games at home.
8. Transference of skills – cliche I know, but the software people will use in five years doesn’t exist yet. Activities such as this teach how to view software in new ways & celebrate innovation.
9. Get the students to narrate a video trailer with the voice of that guy that does the cinema previews. They know the guy and they love it. Use a very deep voice and pause in all the wrong places to make the trailer sound like you must see this film.
10. I like the notion of irreverent humour that is often added to machinima films eg narrate the above film from the point of view of forgetting to put out the bin or spacesuits that do not have adequate zippers 
I was cleaning up some files today and came across this gem. Shame to leave it on my hard drive. Well done lads it still brings a chuckle!!!
Here is a rather open ended task that you are welcome to have a go at.
‘In groups of three you must create a 2 minute video to showcase to the world how intelligent, articulate and creative you are. The video must not be contrary to school ethos and you are only able to use puppets. What will you do?’
NB This is a repost of an earlier article as I’ve been experiencing some difficulty streaming from Teacher Tube.
Fractals is an aspect of maths that can inspire awe and wonder in the students. This is a piece of ecphrastic poetry (where you ask questions of artwork) based on fractal geometry. The students had to ‘combine’ Fractalus, Photostory 3, Ejay and poetry. See what you think.
Adrian
PS My Twitter Network sent me a collection of ideas for using Photostory 3. See if any of these ideas work for you and your class.
Where in our classrooms do we celebrate genius? Where do we demonstrate genius? Where do we question what constitutes genius? Where do we demonstrate that there is sooooooooo much more to doing ‘well’ than completing a standardised test? Where do we encourage our students to rise above the mundane? Where do we encourage our students to practise their passions? Where do we question the status quo?
Outcomes are the floor people! They are not the ceiling!!!
Over the last few years I’ve become very interested in creative process. What is it that enables some people to have an amazing output of creative ideas? How can we teach ‘creativity’? Can we truly teach creativity? Am I creative or am I doing what creative people do?
One of my favourite creativity tools is the SCAMPER Process. I particularly like to play around with the ‘Substitute’ & ‘Combine’ part of the process to produce ‘creative’ pieces of work.
In my ‘Dora Meets Sigmund’ comic I’ve ‘Substituted’: Comic Life for paper, digital photographs for drawings as well as ‘Combining’ Dora from my daughter’s doll house & Freud from my workspace. The dialog comes from ‘Combining’ aspects of a joke my cousin and I had via email. Thanks cuz!!!
Try a little SCAMPER yourself, you’ll be amazed with what you come up with.
One of the great things about working in so many schools is that I get to meet some really talented teachers. Sometimes I can convince them to make their resources available to the world. Tonight’s reading comprehension resource comes from a particularly talented STLD (Support Teacher Learning Difficulties) who works tirelessly to bring the joy of reading to her students.
Thanks a heap sister!!!
Ever since Chris Betcher let me know Comic Life had a PC version I’ve been a fan. It is one of the few pieces of propriatory software I use in my workshops. It is a wonderful tool for digital storytelling that has so many uses in the classroom and beyond!!!
I am planning a Comic Life section for my website… I’m sure I’ll get started on it one day soon. Just as soon as I finish all the other unfinished bits. hehehehe
The Fail Whale
Let’s just say I’m embracing my procrastination. As a result I’ve created a fail whale with an environmental activist’s bent. Feel free to give the image a little social media love!
