- I asked our critics, how I could get the word out to teachers about my blog. Marianne suggested Cited.org

- Don't make the blog a standalone feature....network it with existing sites that teachers use...Marianne suggested I check out ERIC (the educational resource information clearinghouse), askeric.org and thegateway.org

-More images in my slides would bring the presentation to life

-Showing footage of the claymation (other than my students work) would be exciting, it would emphasize how fun claymation really is. Some suggestions were: Mr. Bill and David and Goliath

-Incorporate a clay figure on my powerpoint template

-Stress that the site is for teachers!

-The graph I used did not display well on the projector, the graph needed a solid white background

-Talk to teachers and see what they like

-Check out Frederator, the animation site

-I also asked the critics which CMS to use. I was considering learning PHP, but all critics agreed that WordPress was the way to go.

-Keynote is the new black! I really liked everyone's presentations that used it. Mike Dory's was great!

-I liked slides that had key words in different colors.

This week I tried to get a lot done. I downloaded WordPress.org and setup my database. I also managed to find a child host that I can video demonstrating the claymation process with. Thanks to Neilson!!!

Recently I found myself going in a little bit of a different direction. After presenting, and hearing feedback that I should incorporate more claymation into my project, I realized that my project has so far been all about claymation, but not actually doing any. So, I think it would benefit my project, and also get me more interested in thesis, if I create another film. Since I am creating tutorials on how to film a movie, while I am at it, I will actually make one. I plan to make a quirky teacher armature, that will introduce the project to kids, and hopefully get them excited about doing it!

Tonight I drew sketches of an armature teacher, and did a rough, rough storyboard. I also make a quick prototype of the teacher's head, made out of sculpey. My idea is that the teacher will have a huge bun, and will pull random things (like a scroll of paper, a light bulb, a cupcake, etc. ) out of her hair/head as she is talking. The teacher goes on to explain that anything can happen in clay...and her apple turns into a cardinal, that then flies away. I did a quick flash movie as a reference.

-My blog could function as building blocks, there are two "levels": How Tos and Project examples
-There are areas other than academic that will be beneficial - children learn to work in teams, tell a story
-Another project example (ie another country) could help the blog

-Many schools today have eliminated the Arts
-I may want to look up:
Progressive Education
Discovery based learning
John Dewey
Learn by Doing and John Dewey - For Dewey, it was vitally important that education should not be the teaching of mere dead fact, but that the skills and knowledge which students learned be integrated fully into their lives as persons, citizens and human beings. This practical element—learning by doing—sprang from his subscription to the philosophical school of Pragmatism.
Jerome Bruner - "To perceive is to categorize, to conceptualize is to categorize, to learn is to form categories, to make decisions is to categorize." Bruner maintains people interpret the world in terms of its similarities and differences. (*I found in my research that Mr. Bruner is a current researcher at NYU's Law School, which could be a potential resource, although I have not reached out to him yet.) More Details on Jerome Bruner
Constructivist Learning
Project Based Learning In Gifted Classrooms
Interdisciplinary

Also Kathy mentioned it would be a good idea to find out units that are relevant across the US -for example, many fifth graders study an ancient culture like Egypt or the Maya.

The other night after class I was pretty stressed about learning PHP in the next few weeks, and I started talking to a friend at school about the "website" I wanted to build. After I explained all of the key features (a forum, file sharing, open source, members, etc.) he asked me how this website was different from a blog :) And it was then and there that I decided I am manipulating either WordPress or TextPattern for my project. I do not need to basically code a blog from scratch to get my point across.

Today I bought the Head First HTML book, to help with my blog.

I received some great feedback. One of the questions that I posed to the group was if they felt I needed to build a dynamic web based tool in order to get my ideas across and to make it the most beneficial to teachers? Kathy expressed that it would be nice for me to do (which I agree with) if its something that I can pick up in a few weeks. Some others expressed that if my material continues to be as rich as the claymation project that I previously did, than having a a dynamic website it not necessary. I also talked to Marianne Petit about this, and she mentioned the option of using either WordPress or TextPattern. I plan to attend her March 3rd class on this, to get a better understanding of what is out there. In the meantime, I am going to request a database on ITP's server from Nancy Lewis.

Some other great ideas and feedback I received from group:
-Investigate Progressive or Project based teaching, this is done at some schools in the area like Dalton and Little Red
-Consider doing video blogs on Blip, on how to make a claymation movie
-Have a child host the video blogs with me, to demonstrate that children have the aptitude to perform the project work
-Look at Charles Song's dynamic web site, all the research is there
-Scott sent me this great link for Vision Education and Media

-Creativity has become the new methodism - an ideology that perverts workers into embracing their own humiliation.

-Scheiderman (Ben Shneiderman, author of Leonardo's Laptop) does not seem aware that a huge portion of the world's population has never made a phone call, let alone use a computer or that the technology that he describes depends on the poverty wages and environmental squalor he'd never tolerate himself.

-In the US economy, an average of $3,000 in hardware, software and related services is spent per citizen.

-The broad-brush definition of "a medium" is: anything that you can use to give somebody else an experience of some kind, in your absence.

-The urge to make something beautiful, impressive or just pretty is so ingrained that the 1930s Modernist idea of making things 'purely functional' came as a shock.

-Technology (graphics, animations, java applets) can sometimes: impair the job's effectiveness (long download time), become the tail that wags the dog (assets are sometimes not dumped because of the amount of money put into them, even though they are not effective) and considered as a tool (a computer's empowerment is surreptitiously selective, it doesn't actually make everything easy).

I am operating under the assumption that this site is geared towards preoperational kids (approx. 3-8 years old), so I decided to dive right in and not look at the instructions. Because what five year old has time for instructions!?!

Make a Picture – Easy to understand, wide selection of tools. All-around fun! At one point I placed an image behind one of the objects in the background. I am still not sure how I managed that, but it is a great option to have.

Make a Story – Fun to use, the animated clips are a nice touch. However, I am not sure if I am missing something…should the animated clips actually move anywhere? Or should all images be static like a classic storybook? If so, I am not sure I truly understand the point in making some images animated.

Make a Movie – I could not understand how to use this potion of the site at all. That being said, this could have a lot to do with my knowledge of Flash. I went into this project assuming that the movie “timeline” should operate as Flash does. It does not. And I am totally confused. However, I do like the basic idea of providing children with a movie making, Flash-like capabilities.

Suggestions:

-Tool tips would be nice to have for the action buttons. For instance, it would be nice to place your mouse over the dynamite button to read that it will delete, before you click on it and potentially loose your work that you wanted to keep.

-At one point I received this error: “TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference.
at kerpoof.studio::clear_tool/start()
at kerpoof.studio::clear_tool/handle_drop()
at kerpoof.display::ksprite_ui_manager/::handle_drop()TypeError:

I am not sure exactly what I did to generate this error, but I believe I was trying to drag the dynamite icon onto a story.

-Allow users to utilize all of the icons/movie clips for all scenes. There are so many fun images it is a shame to limit the user and only allow them to be used in certain places.

Our first step was to order magnets, and see if they had enough force to stay around our neck or wrist. They did.

Our next step was to head to the craft store and see what type of clay we would wrap around the magnets. We needed to find air-dry clay, because if we used baking clay, then the baking process would de-magnetize the magnets.

For our first trial run, we used air-dry, pottery clay.

However, the clay was dry and brittle, and did not pass our "Drop Test," which was basically us standing on the stairwell by the workshop, and dropping the beads on the cement floor.

We headed back to Pearl Paint, and got paper based, air dry clay. This time around came out looking much better.

We didn't even need to perform the "Drop Test" since we accidentally dropped the necklace on the ground. Half of the beads went on the floor (without cracking!) and the other half stuff to the bars on a chair (darn magnets!)

Technology does not have to only encompass ones and zeros, it can create an emotive context that engages and connects others. “Blowing Kisses” will do exactly that. We are taking a humanistic approach to sending a loved one a virtual kiss. Instead of sending a simple email or a text message, the user will have to actually exert physical energy to send a “kiss” to the receiver. And just like real kisses, the enjoyment of the act will depend on the level of effort set forth. Here is how it will work…

Two people will have “flowers.” The flowers will be a pinwheel-like structure, with tri-colored LEDs in the center. When one person wants to send the other a kiss, they will have to blow on the pinwheel (as hard or as light as they wish.) The intensity of the kiss will depend on how fast or slow the pinwheel moves. For instance, if the pinwheel only moves a little, the corresponding color will be a friendly yellow. If the pinwheel moves a little faster, the color will be pink. And if a lot of energy is exerted and the pinwheel moves quickly, the color will be red hot!

The flower that is receiving the kiss will pulse, in a similar fashion to the sleep mode LED on a Macbook. The pulse will be continuous until the receiver decides to reciprocate the kiss.

Just like in relationships, there will be no telling how well your kiss was received. The sender may think that they tried their best to send a kiss, but in actuality they were only able to muster up the energy required for a pale pink color. These types of misunderstandings happen in real life and are often serious topics of discussion. “Blowing Kisses” may invoke the conversation:

“Why did you only send a yellow kiss?”
“I am sorry, I will try harder next time.”

And we are totally OK with that.

Here is our proposed schematic:

***VISIT www.blowingakiss.blogspot.com***

We brainstormed in the conference room and wrote down anything that came to mind from trampolines to showing expressions...

From there...we finally came up with our final project idea!! Blowing Virtual Kisses!

The first thing we did to brainstorm was compile a list of words that were of interest to us. We had:
Laughing, Wearable, Sound, Video, Touch

Our initial area of interest was Laughing. And we started to formulate an idea that we call The Laugh Box. The Laugh Box would be a box with an LCD screen inside, and wireless video. The screen would display live video that is capturing from the another Laugh Box, and vice versa. In summary, we wanted people to interaction and laugh from different rooms. But our big question was: What makes people laugh? So on Wednesday night we set out on a field study, and started to ask strangers, Tisch students and ITP students what makes them laugh.

*Footage to follow soon*

Here is the original, The Babysitter

Here is the start of the macaroni process. I used the "Found Object" influence of DuChamp, and bought a light fixture holder from Home Depot. The lined ridges provided support for my macaroni foundation.

Once I saw how light could shine through the macaroni, I immediately wanted to create my won rendition of Lászlo Moholy-Nagy's Light-Space Modulator.

To make even more of a contrast between light and dark, I spray painted The New Babysitter, brown.

I enjoyed the glazed finish that the brown paint gave the piece. It made me think about perceptions, and how those perceptions change based upon your proximity to the piece. Kara Walker's pieces exquisitely take on this idea.

The Final Project!

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Chapter ten was insightful, but I think it all comes down to the common sense that you use when dieting: monitor (how much you eat/how much screen time you have), evaluate (are you eating healthy foods/are these good programs) and participate (do some physical exercise with a buddy/have a parent intervene or follow-up when appropriate.)

Here are some facts that I found intriguing:

-Warren Buckleitner is quoted several times throughout the chapter for his work with the "Children's Technology Review"

-"If you've got an under 2 1/2 year old, get a cat" -Warren (I could not agree more by the way, although I would pick a dog)

-Children can have a hard time understanding cause and effect, particularly if the response is not immediate and if the effect is not in a close proximity

-Game Designers will use "Click Attach" instead of "Click and Drag" for young users

-Research is just beginning on whether interactive media is showing positive, long term effects

-The benefits or drawbacks of interactive media rely on: CONTEXT, CONTENT and the INDIVIDUAL CHILD

-When children are constantly clicking around on a screen, a narrative that once existed may be interrupted

-Interactive programming is not always better than straight video, it depends on the DESIGN

-A problem with interactive media is that it is usually programmed to guide a child down a particular path, which does not allow them to explore and let loose

-Research has found (by our very own professor) that the more control you give a child, the more they respond

-"Alone time" has been shown to have positive effects in regard to ebooks. (Parents are not saying "click here" or "don't click there.")

-Vygotsky believed that children learn best in their "zone of proximal development." Where children have nearly mastered one skill ad are within stretching distance of something a little more advanced.

-"Proximal development" is used in the development of interactive media. Bill Shribman creates games with "self-leveling" which allows the game to calibrate the level based on the number of correct answers.

-Lisa Guernsey's resolutions on interactive media:
~never touch websites that are laden with advertisements
~select games that sense abilities and challenge
~avoid "inconsiderate hotspots" (which are bells and whistles that do nothing to promote a level of understanding
~give kids the mouse to steer
~being on the computer must jibe with her attempts to provide them with a healthy, fulfilling day

-The Noggin is emulating it programming after a well-run pre-school. (Shows are created with specific learning-based goals in mind, there is an animated host (Moose) that is very much like a teacher, etc.)

-Successful pre-school shows should: be linear, be repetitive, be easy to follow, refrain from excessive cuts between scenes and be slow and steady.

-At 2 1/2 years old a child can understand a storyline: beg., middle and end.

-Children 2 1/2 and younger (0r possibly older) can experience Video Deficit - a term used to explain how video demonstration is simply lost in translation, versus a live-demo

-Under the right conditions, research has shown that 2 year olds can take information offered on the screen and apply it to the world around them

-For participatory media, "The Pause" is used, which allows time for children to respond to a question. The pause is somewhere between 2 and 3 seconds.

-Amy B. Jordon, a senior researcher at the Annenberg School for Communication, says "To be truly educational, you have to have a very narrow audience."

-Sesame was once criticized for being "too frenetic." So Sesame changed its programming layout and started: routine formats, participatory games and full, uninterrupted story lines at beg. of shows.

-Sesame is targets for 2-4 year olds

-Capacity Model - a theory that states to keep things simply stated, so kids can process the material

-When shows are evaluated, Yale psychologists evaluate under the following developmental criteria: cognitive, emotional, social, physical, music and cultural awareness.

-Person to person contact could be the most important thing when learning a language

-Kids will not understand that saying please and thank you is a way of showing respect, until the ages of 4 or 5.

-Having play time can help make a difference in helping a child act pro-socially

-Make believe world is where a child can privately practice how to be a good person

-Experts point to these shows for positive impact on social behavior: Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, Barney and Dragon Tales

-Research has concluded that watching aggressive programming can lead to aggressive behavior. (ie watching Superman and Batman)

-Psychologists have concluded that the best way to ensure children learn good lessons from a tv program, is to follow up with related activities and conversations.

-Its seems that children benefit most from a proper mix of appropriate screen time and imaginative play