The K12Online Conference has started today with its opening keynote by Kim Cofino.
The K12 Conference is entirely free and online. You don’t need to register to “attend” and once presentations go live they are available forever. You can never “miss” a presentation because you can always [...]
My blogging output has certainly suffered as I’ve been finishing up my last semester of graduate school. I’ll be all done December 5th when I take the comprehensive exam to receive a masters degree in Education Policy and a California Administrative Credential.
I thought I might combine my [...]
If you’ve never heard of the K12 Online Conference, all you need to know is that it’s a free online conference with presentations from some of the greatest minds in educational technology (they’ve also asked me to present). All presentations are accessible from the web site. You can even [...]
My blog has been having technical trouble since my web host has updated their software after being taken over by another company.
At first they wiped out my last few posts, then they wiped out my sidebar. I got tired of waiting and decided to take the problem into my own [...]
It happens to everyone and it happened to me last year…my laptop hard drive died. The Apple Store replaced it, of course, but along with it I lost all of my data. I do regularly back up my data but if I back up every month or [...]
It happens to everyone and it happened to me last year…my laptop hard drive died. The Apple Store replaced it, of course, but along with it I lost all of my data. I do regularly back up my data but if I back up every month or [...]
My blog is having technical troubles due to my hosting service. They’ve got it back up and running but I’ve apparently lost all my posts from November. I’m refraining from posting until this is all sorted out.
[...]
With approximately 30,000 combined views from a variety of video sharing sites, Mr. Winkle Wakes, has had the largest audience of any movie I’ve made. What’s cool about having a mini-viral video is that from time to time, the movie is rediscovered and its popularity spontaneously increases.
Recently, [...]
For those teachers in the Los Angeles area, you may wish to attend the CUELA
(Computer Using Educators: Los Angeles) Tech Fair which is being held on
November 14th at Mulholland Middle School.
I am not presenting this year, but I am on the board of directors for [...]
One of Google’s less popular and most useful tools is Google Alerts.
Google Alerts allows you sign-up for e-mail notifications related to any search term. I use it, for example, to track any mentions of “Mathew Needleman” (my name) or “Matthew Needleman” (the popular mispelling of my [...]
One of Google’s less popular and most useful tools is Google Alerts.
Google Alerts allows you sign-up for e-mail notifications related to any search term. I use it, for example, to track any mentions of “Mathew Needleman” (my name) or “Matthew Needleman” (the popular mispelling of my name). [...]
Sorry for the short notice but if you have 30 minutes to spare today I’ll be a guest on Ed Tech Talk to promote the upcoming free K12 Online Conference 2009.
They will be showing a selection of some of the best previous K12 Conference presentations (but they’ve also included mine [...]
Here are a few tools to use when assessing students at the beginning of the year:
The Basic Phonics Skills Test (BPST)
This is helpful in identifying specific areas of phonics need (short vowels, long vowels, digraphs, etc.)
San Diego Quick Assessment
It’s also important to know students’ knowledge [...]
Independent Work Time, a time when students are working on their own while the teacher works with small groups. It’s an official part of our reading curriculum but should really be a part of every teacher’s day in some form or other since it is one of the few times [...]
As you are getting ready to meet your new students, remember that getting to know them is more than just silly ice breakers and bingo games. I’m not disparaging those activities, I’ve even posted several of them. However, know that the process of getting to know [...]
Here are some resources I’ve compiled to assist you in planning for your return to school:
Need something to do? Want to get to know your students?
Activities for the First Day of School
Want to beef up on classroom management? Here’s everything you need from job charts [...]
In preparation for going to back to school, e-mail delivery of Creating Lifelong Learners resumes today.
I hope my readers have had a restful summer. As a reminder, this is the official blog of Open Court Resources.com (not the publisher of Open Court Reading but a teacher created [...]
Article on differences between Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express.
Complete keyboard shortcuts.
Also see iMovie Bootcamp Links for recommended links and inspiration.
Articles
Better Color Correction in Final Cut Express
Videos
Using Chroma Key in FCX (Green Screen)
Youtube Downloaders
Here are the links for my latest iMovie workshop at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. These page will likely be updated at the end of day two of the workshop.
In this workshop participants learn the basic and advanced features of iMovie ‘09 and create [...]
Updated: Handouts from workshop and updated links.
Handouts
Technical Resources
iWork Tutorials
free movies you can watch on Apple’s web site which show you step by step how to complete tasks [...]
I had a conversation with a friend about the possiblity of the L.A. Times eliminating their printed editions and becoming an exclusively online newspaper.
I visit the L.A. Times web site every day but I still find that there are articles in the printed edition that I somehow [...]
The comments to the iSchool video I posted give some insight into some of the challenges involved in implementing one to one technology of any kind:
Chelsea asks, “Won’t students tune out if we use iPod Touches in the classroom?”
I say…The distraction argument has been made in [...]
Wrapping up this music themed mini-week on Creating Lifelong Learners, here are three music related podcasts I subscribe to:
Sound Opinions
from National Public Radio (home of This American Life) comes what they call the world’s only rock ‘n’ roll talk show. Based in Chicago, they’re the [...]
Michael and Branding
How Michael Became a Brand Icon
What we should do to brand ourselves, our schools, our businesses
Death by an Overdose of Showbusiness
What we should not to to ourselves, our schools, our businesses
Humanizing Michael
Robert Hilburn Remembers
Long time L.A. Times critic reflects
Like many people, the iPod has drastically changed my music listening habits. When I got my first iPod (five years ago and free via freeipods.com) my mission was to make it so that hitting shuffle would never bring up a bad tune. Finally, I was able to [...]
I am suspending e-mail delivery of the blog for the summer. As always, you can visit the blog directly by going to:
[www.creatinglifelonglearners.com]
E-mail delivery will resume in the fall.
[...]
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, please join me this summer for one of two movie making classes I’m teaching using iMovie ‘09 and Final Cut Express. Both classes are two day “boot camps” that are both about learning to use the particular software programs AND [...]
Here are some terrific finds for the end of the school year.
1. A fabulous listing of fake web sites, hoax photos, etc. The best being a site warning of the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide (also known as water).
2. Snag Films
Can’t remember where I found this but you [...]
Here’s a great film that makes the case for using the iPod Touch in the classroom. Hat tip to Cheryl Lee.
[...]Kevin Hodgson lays out what he considers to be an ideal language arts curriculum. Please read the entire post. However, the tenets he puts forth are:
Writing to Learn
Including listening and speaking (as well as reading and writing)
A “Stakes Approach” (Moving from low-stakes like journal writing to high stakes like [...]
Scott McLeod suggests that we might be the problem with education. Blaming the problem of low-level “kill and drill” education on the test is no excuse:
Our prevalent instructional model that emphasizes low-level, decontextualized, factual recall was dominant long before ‘the tests.’ Our challenges of providing higher-order [...]
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. My thinking has been shaped by a number of sources, mostly notably the Barely Legal Radio Podcast.
Our Rights
Fair Use allows us to use portions of copyrighted work for educational purposes in our [...]
How do you decide who to befriend on a social network? I was planning on writing this even before my mother befriended me on Facebook.
This is not a how-to guide for students using social networks. This is about how I use them as a teacher. I preface [...]
Video in the Classroom Carnival #4 comes a month early. There were just too many good tips and examples to hold off another month.
Video Production Examples from the Trenches
Mr. Moses’s middle schoolers’ productions. I particularly enjoyed The Clumsy Ninja for its dry sense of humor and [...]
So Long Teachertube
I’ve been a loyal user of Teachertube for the last 2+ years. I’ve been hosting the movies from Video in the Classroom on their site.
Unfortunately, I have received several complaints over the past year about the movies not playing all the way through and/or not [...]
It’s that time of year again for Open House in my district.
I’ve always taught at schools where parent engagement is a “problem.” Getting parents to come to school is often difficult and it’s not unusual for some classrooms to have only one or two parents. Here are [...]
Here are handouts and resources for the iMovie ‘09 class at LACOE. This post is a work in progess. I will add additional resources as I find them.
Technical Resources
12 Page Handout (iMovie Basics by Luis Perez)
When teaching writing it’s important to show students how to do it and show them good examples of that genre of writing.
Our fifth graders recently had to write a multi-paragraph essay on whether or not to support the Revolutionary War from the point of view of the [...]
Background
L.A. Youth is a teen newspaper that goes out for free to all the high schools and middle schools in the Los Angeles area. It was founded to counteract censorship in high school newspapers and includes articles from teens all across L.A. including students in foster care [...]
For teachers of the Open Court Reading Program, OpenCourtResources.com now has its own page on Facebook. Please show your support by becoming a fan. Click on “Become a Fan.” It’s very cool to see and hear from web site visitors and if there are any [...]
Every year or so I run a post about what this blog is about. Here’s one from around this time in 2008.
This is as much for me to clarify and rethink my purpose for writing here as well as for readers.
Who Am I?
My name is Mathew [...]
Myth #7: Where’s the beef?
I’ve written about this before as well. Focusing on structure before starting to write can lead to bland, generic paragraphs and reduce writing to formula instead of communication. Instead, I recommend just writing and then molding that writing into a structure through [...]
Myth #4: Drawing is for babies.
I wrote about this already. Drawing is a valid form of prewriting and writing (see cave paintings). By allowing students to transition from drawings to labels and then sentences, you make writing relevant. Bringing visuals into the writing process also sparks [...]
Before teaching a writing lesson, I introduce myself to students as a writer. I tell students that I like to write. I tell them I write outside of school just because I want to. (Insert audible gasps here).
Since I have a sense of myself as a writer [...]
Frank Guttler lets us into his planning for his class at Poly High in A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words and reports on his journey to Doha to see How Flat the World Is.
Christina shares her classroom holiday movies.
Joe Brennan presents the best [...]
In honor of financial literacy month, here are my business and money links:
General Money Links:
Kidsbank.com
Help you and your children explore some of the fundamentals of banking.
Kid’s Making Money
Students can find ideas for making money and suggest [...]
My K12 Online Conference Presentation, Film School for Video Podcasters, is now available through Youtube. I’ve separated the segments into chapters so you can call up section you’re looking for or watch the whole thing. Also scroll down for bonus material and some information on my inspiration for [...]
About once a month I get the question from web site visitors who’ve seen my class movies, “How do I get started making movies in the classroom?”
This is a difficult question to answer because I really want to say, “Just Do It!” but I know people [...]
