Bringing it back

I had discontinued this for a while... but I realize now that may be a mistake. I'm going to be bringing this back. My intent is to start creating a lot of video content and publish it through YouTube. All of this will be free to use as an individual or as content if you are an instructor or teacher. I would greatly appreciate thumbs ups for content you find useful. I'll probably start this back up at the start of the new year- and it'll probably get a face lift at that time as well.

Thanks for staying interested, and keep your eyes open around the end of December/start of January.

Yearbook

Finished with all your finals?
Have nothing to do?

Try out this Google Earth Puzzle from the Atlantic's In Focus.

Yearbook Final

Final instructions are live during the yearbook class.

Yearbook

For the final, you will be creating a composite video in iMovie. You'll be making a video with someone talking to the camera with b-roll. What is b-roll? Basically, you've got someone talking to the camera, and while they are still talking you begin to see other footage or images. Here's an example with some b-roll from CBS news. In case YouTube is still blocked, here's an non-youtube example. Notice how the footage goes from people talking to images of what they are talking about. That's use of b-roll, and that's what we are looking for on the QR content.

iMovie is pretty simple, and apple has very short tutorials on it if you need. Most the tutorial videos are only a couple of minutes long. Start getting familiar with iMovie if you've never used it. A tutorial on how to create b-roll in iMovie will be provided by one of your peers in the near future.

For the yearbook final, you will be creating a video composite in iMovie for the QR codes. The QR codes will make use of b-roll.

Instructions
Example of three
These are examples of good quality videos. Creating two good quality videos of this caliber took the creators less than half the period.

first, download video and photos

Second: Use the student created tutorial below to create b-roll

Learn how to do this in iMovie

Not sure if its good? Ask!

Part of grade is based on quality.

Finish 1 video = D
Finish 2 videos = C - B-
Finish 3 videos = B

Quality can increase these
A- = Three total, two of good Quality
A+ = Three of good quality

Third: In iMovie, in the "Share" Menu at the top of the screen, choose "Export using Quicktime..."


Forth: Upload the finished file into google.docs, dropbox, or etc and share it with me

Yearbook

For the yearbook final, as mentioned prior, you will be creating a video composite in iMovie for the QR codes. The QR codes will make use of b-roll.

Learn how to do this in iMovie:
link 1

Yearbook

Having trouble in Yearbook? Need some extra credit? or just want to try for a higher grade?
Interview someone. Capture video of them talking about one of the events for the QR codes. We're wanting video of people talking or reminiscing positively about an event. Ask for more information.

Continue working on current assignments. For the final, you will be creating a composite video in iMovie. You'll be making a video with someone talking to the camera with b-roll. What is b-roll? Basically, you've got someone talking to the camera, and while they are still talking you begin to see other footage or images. Here's an example with some b-roll from CBS news from the tornados in Texas last month.

iMovie is pretty simple, and apple has very short tutorials on it if you need. Most the tutorial videos are only a couple of minutes long. Start getting familiar with iMovie if you've never used it. A tutorial on how to create b-roll in iMovie will be provided by one of your peers in the near future.

Yearbook

Your Final:

Help with QR Codes

-Create composite video in iMovie (more info to come)

-Or other projects (needs approval)

Assignments for remainder of six weeks:

• 16 YB Specification Questions (see previous post)
• OoC
• 3 Week Report of event or happening
• checkpoint grade end of next week

Assignments from last three weeks:

• 10 examples of a photo-compositional technique
• Commercial or music track for QR Codes
• Self-determined Project that can help YB
• OoC
• 3 Week Report of event or happening
• checkpoint grade friday

Quiz Grade

I'm not here most of the day (wednesday- helping with field trip, thursday- helping with eoc's). That means today is a quiz grade. Forgot to do this last time we were testing as I didn't have an actual sub. Evidence that you show me (+ sub feed back) of what you got done today will count as a Quiz Grade!

Some of you are behind, and didn't turn stuff in last three weeks.You can still pass the six weeks, and you still hold around ~45% of your grade for the semester in your hands between the six weeks and the final. Be productive and you can succeed.

If you've finished everything else you can work on in here, something to work on:


Put the following on your blog. Locked out of your blog, or some other excuse? Google doc, Drop Box, or find some other way to get the work to me instead. Work needs to be turned in during class on the day of the sub, otherwise I don't know that you actually produced the work in class.

Sub Day Task One
You should know the answers to these questions.
1. When can I submit my yearbook order?
2. How do I get an order form?
3. Where do I take my order?
4. How much does the book cost?
5. Isn't that expensive for a yearbook?
6. How do I get my book personalized, like my name, on the front cover?

7. How many pages is the book?

8. How much of it is in color?

9. What's a QR Code?
10. Why do I care about a QR code?
11. How many QR codes will there be?
12. What are the different categories of stuff for the QR codes?
13. How long will the QR codes last?
14. When will I get my yearbook?
15. How can I find out if I already bought one?
All of the above have correct and incorrect answers. Don't know the answers? Ask around.
Add a few ideas on how we could use the QR codes:

Sub Day Task Two

Research different famous photographers or photojournalists. Find one that you like or appreciate and tell me about them.

Provide at least two examples of work by them you like, and tell me why you think the photographs are good photographs.

Finish Line in Sight

The end is near and our work is almost complete. The last big thing to complete are the QR Codes to sell the books. We're trying to keep order forms available and ready for students and staff. If you notice an office is out, let us know so we can take some more down.

The QR Codes will be linking to videos. We have two people working on the Year at a Glance QR Code, and four+ people working on the others. We are using pictures from the event you take pictures of currently.

Some of you guys still owe assignments from before the progress report. Get them in if you're progress report grade isn't quite where you want it to be. You still have time to change things for the six weeks, but not enough time to be apathetic about it.

If you're planning on ordering, order soon. We ordered the same number of books as last year, and we sold out last year. This year's book is brighter, nicer, and in higher demand. You'll miss out if you wait too long.

Yearbook

Blog Assignment:
We've talked about the compositional styles quite a lot this year. Aesthetics are always the first thing a person notices, and they are definitely important with our QR code content as well. Choose one compositional technique (we've talked about 11 of them), find and post ten strong photos that make use of that one technique. Great sites for high quality photography include Boston Globe's Big Picture and The Atlantic's In Focus.

Continue working on current assignments. Additional things due this three weeks:

• Commercial or music track for QR Codes
• Self-determined Project that can help YB
• OoC
• 3 Week Report of event or happening
• checkpoint grade friday

Final 6 Weeks

Things to do this 3 Weeks:
-OoC Photography
-3 Week Report
-QR Code music or Commercial (due this 3 weeks)
-Additional Yearbook Project (pitch an idea that would be beneficial to YB)

Due Dates are Extremely Nigh!

This is your final week to work on your projects and assignments. Anything not turned in Friday won't be graded. Late isn't an option, as grades are due over the weekend. That's just how things fall this six weeks.

Yearbook

Things to work on Post Yearbook:
QR Codes Content:
 - advertisements for the yearbook (video that'll be linked up until book is released)
or - background music for QR code content

 - 3 weeks reports (8-10 good photos with description of who's in it and what happening)
 - OoC Photos

Examples of QR content
 - Intro
 - Cypress Falls QR Content

Example of a Report
Your report 8-10 photos with description of whats going on and who's in it is due March 23rd.

Needs to be of something happening around the school currently. 

One Year Later

We are nearing the anniversary of last year's terrible natural disaster in Japan.

Japan Challenge on StudentsRebuild.org

- Journey of Two Million Cranes

- Paper Cranes for Japan

Info from the USGS

Huffington Post Content

New York Times Content

CBC's Japan Rebuilds

Before and After Galleries

Destruction:

NPR's Before and After

ABC's Before and After

NBC's Before and After

Reconstruction:

NBC's Before and After

Boston Globe's Before and After

(click the image to see before/after)

InFocus Before and After

(click the image to see before/after)

Google's Memories for the Future

Image's from Professional Photojournalists

Atlantic's In Focus:

Earthquake in Japan, Aftermath, Rescue Recovery Reaction,

Two Weeks Later, Two Months Later, Six Months Later, One Year Later

Boston Globe's Big Picture

March 11, March 12, March 14, March 15, March 16,

March 17, March 18, April 13, June 15, Dec 28, March 9

Yearbook

Current Assignments:

Report on a Current Event (with a club, organization, or just campus event)
With photos (use good composition) and text
Due: March 23rd

OoC Photos
50 Mediocre photos or 20 good ones
Due: Progress Report Deadline

Choice:
Do a Report on a Photojournalist
or
Spend your time creating App Icons for Clubs/Organizations
Quality matters, (both for you grade and the book)
Only the best ones will be used. Remember, they have to be BIG for printing, around 2 by 2 inches at 300 resolution. Use the same background color as these. Don't try to match the background color, use the dropper tool to take the EXACT same color.
If you can't or wont make one of good quality,
do the report on a photojournalist instead.
Due: March 8th/9th

Why is can't crossed out? The staff icon in the examples below was created by a ninth grader who isn't in yearbook and had only used photoshop for limited photo tough-ups. The programming club was created by an eighth grader who had never used photoshop before.

We already have good icons for Talent Show, Life Skills, Robotics, Student Council, Programming Club, Environment Club, Anime Club, Collegiate Challenge, Comedy Sportz, Interact, Model UN, Newspaper, Choir, Art Club, International Festival, Knitting Club, National Junior Honor Society, Dance, and grade levels and staff.

Examples of Good Icons:

Writing Samples and Photojournalism

Photo Journalism and Reportage
Due to the nearing deadline of the yearbook, regular staff is no longer working on the yearbook. Editors may call on students they need to help them. So, is your job complete?

... Not really.
As you should be aware, this year's book will feature QR codes.

Why? As you know, there is still a lot of the year left, yet we have to send in the book quite a ways before the end of the year. This will allow us to add additional content after we have to send the final pages in. So, its time to begin gathering material for it.  As we already have most the regular aspects of the school and clubs, we'll need to focus on new things. If you get something really cool, before the books submitted, we can discuss squeezing it into the book.

You'll need to choose a club/organization/special event thats doing something new or different from normal (field trips, special events, whatever beyond just what they normally do). You'll need to create a report on what the club/organization/event is doing, photograph it (use compositional techniques!), and write captions for it. You'll use the apple program Pages for this.

What to do today? Start learning how Pages works. Look into Photojournalism and Reportage to see these sorts of works done by professionals (often done on current events, new around the world, life in other countries).


Writing Samples
It's that time of the year.

If you're in yearbook, you have the option including discussion over one of four photographs from the Boston Globe's Big Picture. The photos on paper are xeroxed in black and white, they've been posted here so you may see them in higher quality and color.

from BostonGlobe: Students of the Academy for Peace and Justice attend class in Port-au-Prince Jan. 9, 2012. (Swoan Parker/Reuters)

from BostonGlobe: A man dressed in a folk costume jumps during the traditional Czech Masopust Carnival on February 4, 2012, near the east Bohemian city of Pardubice. Every year in mid-winter, villages throughout the Czech Republic celebrate Masopust. The festival marks the beginning of Lent. (Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty Images)

from BostonGlobe: Makeup is applied backstage before the Rebecca Taylor Fall/Winter 2012 show during New York Fashion Week, Feb. 10, 2012. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

from BostonGlobe: In this photo shot with a fisheye lens, the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke celebrates his goal past Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas during Pittsburgh's 2-1 win in an NHL hockey game in Boston on February 4, 2012. (Winslow Townson/Associated Press)

Yearbook

Sub Day = Quiz Grade

Whenever I am out, what you get done that day (judged by how much evidence your provide for me on your blog alongside feedback from today's guest teacher) counts as a Quiz Grade. Show me how productive you were and keep your teacher happy and you'll be fine. If you choose otherwise, then... not so happy :(

I won't be here today or next class. Each day counts as a separate quiz grade.

What should you be working on? Your page of course!
This is the last week to work on your page. You've already received a one week extension, there will not be another. Get your page finished.

Tell me about what you got done today. If working on an app icon, show me how far you got on it. I'll also be checking studio works, both before today and after. I hope to see some improvement, information on your blog for both days, and a completed page by the end of the week! Both days are quiz grades!

Yearbook

You have until the end of next week to finish your current pages. That's not a whole lot of time. Today is the last class for this week, so I'll be coming around for another checkpoint grade.

I won't be here for part of next week, so don't expect to rely on yearbook cameras. By this point, you've already had weeks to work on your page, and this had been the last week to work on it until the extension two days ago. If you haven't taken photos by now, you're sabotaging yourself.

Don't forget, you have photos due every 3 weeks, and sells at the end of the six weeks. If you haven't already, the get moving on these.

Quiz Grade Today

Sub Day = Quiz Grade

Whenever I am out, what you get done that day (judged by how much evidence your provide for me on your blog alongside Sub Feedback) counts as a Quiz Grade. Show me how productive you were and keep you sub happy and you'll be fine. If you choose otherwise, then... not so much :(

Being the end of the week, I would be going around at the end of today's class to find out what each of you has accomplished this week. Since I'm not here, this will be at the START of next class (Tuesday).

What should you be working on? Your page of course!
Keep in mind, your page is suppose to be finished by the end of January. That's next week! However, instead of ending half way through the week, we'll give you the full week. That's not a lot of time. Get that page going!

If you don't have photos yet, then at least create the App Icon for it! All clubs, events, etc in the book will have an app icon on their page. Start working on yours if nothing else. (show me what you get done even if it isn't finished)

Tell me about what you got done today. If working on an app icon, show me how far you got on it. Today is a quiz grade!