Continuing to share information gained from various sessions at the recent KySTE Spring Conference, this week I want to highlight sessions on Paper Prototyping, OneNote, Photostory, Machinima, and Broadcasting.  I'll start off with a quote from Keith Barnes of Bullitt County who said, "You give away the durable and you charge an arm and a leg for the consumable."  Examples he gave were: give away the razor, but charge a lot for the razor blades and give away the cell phone, but charge a lot for the data plan.  This made a lot of sense to me.

Barnes led a session on Machinima, the dominant video entertainment network for gamers around the world.  Machinima uses real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create cinematic productions.  The basic steps to creating a film are writing (the script), preparing, rehearsing, capturing, editing, and publishing.  There is a Machinima Toolkit 4 Teachers which can give you a lot of ideas, what you will need, general information, examples, and much more.  For every expensive piece, Barnes had a free or very low cost solution.  He suggested the book, Machinima for Dummies.  There is so much to Machinima and the making of characters and such I cannot possibly cover it here, nor do I have enough knowledge or expertise in it to be very helpful since this session was my first exposure to it.  However, it looks fun and would be very engaging for students, especially those interested in animation, graphics and film types of careers.  Machine + Cinema = Machinima! 

Amy Johns led a session called Paper Prototyping 101.  Thinking about the game design process, Johns explained four ways to engage students in the creation of their own game - explore, discover, create and share.  In the explore phase, students should talk about the different types of games that exist.  (Board, video, card, etc.).  Discuss what they like or dislike about the different games.  Next, have the students discover different types by bringing in samples of appropriate games or pictures of people playing the games.  Allow them to think about a topic for a game of their own.  Third is the creation part.  Students should make a paper prototype to put in front of others to "play test".  This will help them identify holes in their design.  Last is to share - each student or group should be given a few minutes to present their idea and design.  This would mimic the actual sales pitch to an investor group or design company.  It was very interesting to work in a small group of four attendees and come up with a game concept and paper prototype in just a few minutes.  We developed a game for young children to help them identify words that rhyme.  Our idea was to have it published as an app for the iPad or Android device.  What a neat idea!  This incorporates all sorts of skills - critical thinking, creativity, presenting to an audience, etc.

Sharon Sheets gave a short demonstration of OneNote.  This program is fairly standard with Windows-based computers and is part of the Microsoft Office suite in most cases.  (Note: It may not come pre-loaded on the computer and may have to be downloaded from the original install CD.)  Also, OneNote is available for Web access and for mobile devices.  OneNote is basically taking the idea of a binder with sections and putting it into digital format.  OneNote is searchable so you can easily find something you have documented.  It has a drag and drop feature, can record video and audio, works with Outlook, can be shared using SkyDrive, etc.  OneNote is great for teachers who can't make a meeting - simply record the meeting and the notes and then share the notebook with them at a later time.  This is a very visual program - you can create a cell anywhere on a page to type and it has flexible formatting.  You have the basic tools that come with most Microsoft Office products, so it is familiar and you don't have to teach new skills.  Sheets suggested you start with something small, but to start right away.  The more you use OneNote, the more comfortable you will be.

Microsoft Photostory is another product used by several schools.  In this session, two teachers/media specialists gave some great ideas on how this could be used, even with young students.  The one project which caught my attention was to write your own fairy tale.  After discussing fairy tales, students create pictures in PowerPoint to use in Photostory later.  Individual slides in PowerPoint can be saved as .jpg files.  (You can also use pictures from the Web, but make sure you cover copyright and documenting resources with the students.)  If it is easier, you can always get some pictures or drawings and have them in a centralized location for students to quickly grab and download.  Once Photostory is opened, it's basically as simple as importing the pictures, putting captions on the pictures (if desired) and adding audio.  (Note - the presenters suggested you use a headset with a microphone because the computer mic may pick up too much background noise, especially if you are in a computer lab setting working as individuals.)  You can add music if you want, using the pre-loaded music of Photostory or by importing your own.  (Again, watch copyright laws and documenting.)  The end product results in a .wmv file which can then be shared and shown.  An idea for cross-curricular collaboration is to have students get ideas and facts from their social studies class, write the script (story) in their language arts class, and then create their Photostory in their technology or media class. 

Getting a broadcast going at a school is not easy, but the rewards are great!  John Paul II Academy has been in existence for six years and as the school came together from three other schools, they had lots of equipment to piece together for a studio.  The presenters gave various ideas on low or no cost equipment as well as information on making the broadcast work successfully.  For example, there should be cue cards made for slowing down, speaking up, smiling, etc.; having the principal speak every Monday or Friday; have special guests come on Tuesdays or Thursdays (including both school staff and students and outside guests); using props for certain occasions or seasons (i.e. Mickey Mouse's birthday? Use a stuffed Mickey Mouse on the anchor desk).  For their school, the broadcast is mainly an 8th grade effort and all 8th graders participate in some way throughout the year so everyone is on camera at least once.  Another idea to get excitement for the next year is to take the 7th graders on a field trip to a nearby television station.  If that won't work, see if someone from the television studio will visit your school to talk to the students.  Also try to involve students who aren't normally involved in some other organization like band, sports teams, etc.  Find students who might need this outlet of expression.  One suggestion was to have a training day over the summer to prepare the next group for the next year.  One of the attendees mentioned the Student Television Network which is a nationwide organization.  They offer week-long camps in Springfield, Missouri, every summer.  It takes more than one adult to run the broadcast.  Make sure you cover everything in case someone is out due to illness, professional development, etc.  Planning ahead saves a lot of time and effort. 

Next week I'll return to Jim McKinney and continue my "series" on the KySTE Spring Conference sessions.  Have a great week!