4/27 blog post

One thing that definitely surprised me about copyright laws for teachers is that a teacher may only use a copyrighted work in one class, and may not use the same work in another. This seems stupid to me, because if a teacher teaches more than one section of the same class, he or she will most likely have the same lessons for each class, which would incorporate the same copyrighted material. Also, showing copyrighted videos in a public space without a permit, even in a school auditorium or LGR, is forbidden. We watched a lot of copyrighted, non-educational films in my classes in high school and middle school- I had no idea you would have needed a permit.
I think it is our job to teach the copyright laws to students. I think by informing the students about fair use practices when handling copyrighted materials, they will begin to understand the policies associated. For instance, if a class wants to watch a movie of a book they're reading in class, explain to them why you would/would not be able to watch it under the fair use policy.

Examples of good and bad electronic portfolios

Good portfolio- http://keithschroeder.net/

Bad portfolio- http://www.cesa8.k12.wi.us/teares/math/it/samplePort/LAURIE/Laurie%27s%20index.htm

4/13 Blog Post

1. I think overall our video project was fairly easy. We did end up doing two takes of two scenes, but only because we found that the camera angle was not right for the scene. I would say that extra planning beforehand would have been helpful, such as going over the storyboard. I think our group did well with time management, and while we didn't put many effects into the video, I think the effects we did use look pretty spiffy. I don't see myself using video technology too much in my classroom, although giving the students an option to do a video book report would be an interesting option.

2.
Music video project. 10th grade English
Goals- Students will, in groups, select a song for which they will write and shoot a music video. After completion, the students will individually write papers explaining why their music video reflects the lyrics or mood of the song.
This project will allow for students to practice creating storyboards, explaining procedures through writing, and evaluating mood within a piece of written work (in this case, a song's lyrics).
Prep work- securing video recording equipment, scheduling different locales at which students may record their music videos, assigning groups.