All Boys, All Blogged: May 17, 2013

Focus: Presenting our mockumentaries!

1. A few final thoughts:

• Keep it on the quiet side...tests could be happening on the other side of the wall.
• No work will be accepted after class on Monday.
• Final grades for this class will be posted Tuesday by noon (and an 89.4% = B+).
• Watch each other's mockumentaries respectfully, and enjoy!

2. Setting up the presentation order (this will be done randomly)

3. Presenting our mockumentaries!

HW:

See you during the 1st hour MWF finals period on Monday (7:15-8:46 am).

All Boys, All Blogged: May 16, 2013

Focus: Performing final edits on your mockumentary film

1. Warm-up: Reminders about today and tomorrow:

• Mockumentaries are due tomorrow. No exceptions will be granted.

• Monday is the last day of class. No assignments will be accepted after class on Monday.

• Your final grade will be posted by Tuesday at noon. An 89.4 is a B+.  An 89.5 is rounded up to an A-.  Please do not contact me about rounding up your letter grade; it is what it is.

• Fines will be issued Monday morning for any missing F451 books. This will delay your scheduling, so please turn in your books ASAP.

2. Working on the final steps of creating your mockumentary

• If you are using Windows Movie Maker, you must take the final step of FINALIZING your film BEFORE you come to class on Friday. The icon will look different after the movie has been finalized.

• If you are using wevideo, make sure your video is finalized/published also.

• With either program, I highly recommend publishing your film to youtube to avoid any technical difficulties.  It is your responsibility to make sure that your film will play on the class computer before you show it in class.

• Quick audio tip: Make sure you have exported your narration as an MP3 before you attempt to add it to your film.

HW:
1.  Finish your mockumentary and SHARE THE URL WITH ME BEFORE CLASS TOMORROW. I highly recommend having your film in two different forms (ex: burn it to a DVD AND publish it to youtube).

2. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm tonight.

3. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class tomorrow.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason. It is your responsibility to make sure your film works properly before trying to show it to the class.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 15, 2013

Focus: Creating your mockumentary film

If you revised your synthesis essay, please turn it in now. Make sure you have followed the revision policy.

1. Warm-up: Assessing a sample student mockumentary using the rubric I handed out Monday

2. Working on the final steps of creating your mockumentary

• If you are using Windows Movie Maker, you must take the final step of FINALIZING your film BEFORE you come to class on Friday. The icon will look different after the movie has been finalized.

• If you are using wevideo, make sure your video is finalized/published also.

• With either program, I highly recommend publishing your film to youtube to avoid any technical difficulties.  It is your responsibility to make sure that your film will play on the class computer before you show it in class.

• Quick audio tip: Make sure you have exported your narration as an MP3 before you attempt to add it to your film.

HW:
1.  Continue working on your mockumentary (only one work day left after today). We do NOT have the computer lab tomorrow, but we will have a mockumentary work day in our regular classroom.

2. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

3. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 14, 2014

Focus: Synthesizing the book and the film

1. Warm-up: Perusing the book-film club website rubric (distributed in class)

2. Understanding the final task of your book clubs: Synthesizing the book and film

3. Finishing your theme activity and completing your book-film synthesis


HW:
1. Bring music, your recorded narration, and anything else you need to class on Wednesday to work on your mockumentary.

2. Synthesis essay revisions due TOMORROW, Wednesday, May 15.  Please highlight all changes on the new draft, type a brief explanation of the changes you made and why they strengthened your essay, and staple everything to your original draft and rubric with my comments.  Revisions will not be accepted unless you follow the revision policy.

3. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

4. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 13, 2013

Focus: Assembling and polishing your mockumentary

1. Warm-up: Grades, grades, grades...all you wanted to know and more

2. Working on your mockumentaries (only two work days left after today)


HW:
1. Bring music, your recorded narration, and anything else you need to class on Wednesday to work on your mockumentary.

2. Finish your book and watch the film version of your book by TOMORROW, which will be your final book club day.

3. Synthesis essay revisions due Wednesday, May 15.  Please highlight all changes on the new draft, type a brief explanation of the changes you made and why they strengthened your essay, and staple everything to your original draft and rubric with my comments.  Revisions will not be accepted unless you follow the revision policy.

4. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

5. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 10, 2013

Focus: Assembling your mockumentary film

1. Warm-up: A very important weekend reminder

2. Offering a few tips:

When recording your narration, try narrating into a program on your computer, such as Audacity, and then uploading this to wevideo.

When bringing music into your video, please keep in mind the following:

• iTunes will not share music with your film application...not now, not ever.

• The trick is to convert your music into MP3 form.

• Try burning your music onto a CD and bringing it to class.  When you insert the CD, a window will pop up asking what you want to do.  Select "Rip music using Windows Media Player," and this should save your selected music as MP3s in your music folder.

• You can also capture a Youtube music video and then use just the music without the video, but I'm not sure yet how this works with wevideo.

• Other ideas?  Matt?

3. Working on assembling our mockumentary films


HW:
1. Bring music, your recorded narration, and anything else you need to class on Monday to work on your mockumentary.

2. Finish your book and watch the film version of your book by TUESDAY, which will be your final book club day.

3. Synthesis essay revisions due Wednesday, May 15.  Please highlight all changes on the new draft, type a brief explanation of the changes you made and why they strengthened your essay, and staple everything to your original draft and rubric with my comments.  Revisions will not be accepted unless you follow the revision policy.

4. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

5. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 9, 2013

Focus: Analyzing motifs and themes in your book club books

1. Warm-up: Taking the single gender survey! Please click HERE to access the survey.

2. Reading your book club books (you should be close to finished at this point)--20 minutes

3. Meeting with your book clubs to finish and publish your motif activity

4. Starting on your theme activity if time; click HERE for directions

HW:
1. Bring music, your recorded narration, and anything else you need to class tomorrow to work on your mockumentary.

2. Finish your book and watch the film version of your book by TUESDAY, which will be your final book club day.


3. Synthesis essay revisions due Wednesday, May 15.  Please highlight all changes on the new draft, type a brief explanation of the changes you made and why they strengthened your essay, and staple everything to your original draft and rubric with my comments.  Revisions will not be accepted unless you follow the revision policy.

4. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

5. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 7, 2013

Focus: Analyzing motifs in your book-film clubs

1. Warm-up: Human minesweeper: Brainstorming concrete motifs vs. abstract motifs

2. Finishing your setting activities from last week if you have not done so (make sure it's published on your website)

3. Developing your motif activity (this one might take you a little longer) and publishing it on your website

HW:
1. Remember that MAP testing is tomorrow in the library computer lab.

2. Assigned book club reading for Thursday.


3. Synthesis essay revisions due Wednesday, May 15.  Please highlight all changes on the new draft, type a brief explanation of the changes you made and why they strengthened your essay, and staple everything to your original draft and rubric with my comments.  Revisions will not be accepted unless you follow the revision policy.

4. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

5. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 6, 2013

Focus: Developing your mockumentaries

Please meet in our normal classroom today.

1. Warm-up: Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a sample student mockumentary

2. Enjoying a quick mini-lesson on one of the tricky technical aspects of the mockumentary: Music

• iTunes will not share music with your film application...not now, not ever.

• The trick is to convert your music into MP3 form.

• Try burning your music onto a CD and bringing it to class.  When you insert the CD, a window will pop up asking what you want to do.  Select "Rip music using Windows Media Player," and this should save your selected music as MP3s in your music folder.

• You can also capture a Youtube music video and then use just the music without the video, but I'm not sure yet how this works with wevideo.

• Other ideas?  Matt?

3. Developing our mockumentary films

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading for tomorrow.

2. Continue working on your mockumentary, particularly the music and narration (only three in-class work days left).

3. Synthesis essay revisions due Wednesday, May 15.  Please highlight all changes on the new draft, type a brief explanation of the changes you made and why they strengthened your essay, and staple everything to your original draft and rubric with my comments.  Revisions will not be accepted unless you follow the revision policy.

4. Book club websites (including all daily activities) due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 16.

5. Final mockumentaries due at the beginning of class Friday, May 17.  NO extensions will be granted for any reason.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 3, 2013

Focus: Creating your mockumentary

1. Warm-up: Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a student mockumentary

2. Trying out www.wevideo.com

3. Creating your film (script, narration, and images)

NOTE: If you want to capture video today, please let me know right away so I can help you.

HW:
1. Assigned book club reading for Tuesday.
2. Only one and a half more weeks of mockumentary work time--get that script narrated if you haven't done so yet!

All Boys, All Blogged: May 2, 2013

Focus: Analyzing settings and motifs in your book-film club books

1. Warm-up: Offering you a few sample book-club sites to peruse

2. Finishing your website (if needed)

3. Working on and finishing your SETTING activity from yesterday; click HERE for directions.  Please publish your work on your website when you finish.

4. If time allows, starting your MOTIF activity; click HERE for directions

HW:
1. Finish your script and get it narrated (recorded).
2. Assigned book club reading for Tuesday.

All Boys, All Blogged: May 1, 2013

Focus: Analyzing SETTING with your book-film clubs

1. Warm-up: Wrapping up loose ends

Is your website finished, and have you published your expectations and your characterization activity?

2. Interpreting and discussing setting with your book-film clubs: Please click HERE for instructions.

3. Publishing your setting activity on your website

HW: 
1. Assigned book club reading for TOMORROW.
2. Complete your script and narrate it by the end of the week.