What I did at school today: Uploaded our green screen projects

Reporting from TES, fourth grade hall: Ms. Phillips and I completed her class's green screen projects.  Each group of 4-6 students researched one of the regions of VA, as outlined in the VA Studies SOL.  They compiled information about their regions, including local industries and geographic features.


To share their findings, they planned, created, and edited their own news programs.  One student took the role of news anchor.  Sitting in front of the green screen with an image from a real news program superimposed behind them, the anchor introduced the region, gave some background info, and then sent the audience to one of the reporters in the field.


Depending on the length of the report, they would go from anchor to reporter, back to anchor, back to reporter, and repeat this until they returned to the anchor for the wrap-up.


I was impressed by the quality of the students' final products and their ingenuity, creativity, and independence.  Here are links to their projects.


Coastal Plain News: https://youtu.be/GlvLSwq-Hdc
Piedmont News: https://youtu.be/uXI8OuwDGDc
Blue Ridge Mountain News: https://youtu.be/GbQP80o4Dag
Valley and Ridge News: https://youtu.be/5iovNwVK4gI
Appalachian Plateau News: https://youtu.be/NyV5EiDSJIc

What I did at School Today: Playing with PVC

I try to write about what I did at school today, but this is more about what I did yesterday. My story actually begins Saturday night and won't be finished until tomorrow, but we won't quibble with that.  On the way home from dinner, we stopped at Lowe's to make a small purchase: 4 ten-foot, half-inch PVC pipes and a bag of 3-way connectors. I knew what I needed, so was a quick visit, and thanks to self checkout, we were in and out within 15 minutes.  

The next part of my story is a bit of a digression, but it involves a reality of modern life.  When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from my credit card company. After a bit of investigation, I discovered that right after I made my purchase at the Lowe's in Newport News, another purchase was made using my account number from a Lowe's somewhere in Pennsylvania.  This is at least the third time there was fraudulent activity on my account, and now I'm patiently awaiting for my new credit card to arrive. It's fortunate for all of us that banks are so quick to recognize when crimes like this occur, but it's such an inconvenience when they close down your account.  I've gotten smart, and now I have a list of all the accounts which have to be updated with the new card number.

Anyway, back to my story.  So, yesterday I sorted the PVC pipes and cut them into 10 pieces, threw them into a box, and cleaned up.  Sliding the miter saw back in place turned out to be a mistake, as I threw my back out yet again.  I was in quite a lot of pain for the rest of the day, but thanks to pain relievers, muscle relaxers, ice, heat, and electrical stimulation, I'm slowly feeling better.  

That brings me to this morning.  I dropped off my box of pipe pieces and connectors at TES on my way to MVES.  I was looking forward to putting my masterpiece together, but it would have to wait until after lunch.  Finally, at about 1:30, I brought everything down to the computer lab and began connecting it all together.  This is not a photograph of my own work, but it will give you an idea of what this project is all about: a portable green screen frame.  

It was an easy project, as I had made one during the summer.  That one required finding a design and using trial and error to get it right.  This one was a breeze.  I was disappointed when I realized that there was one piece I forgot to cut, which is why my story won't be finished until tomorrow.

The inspiration for this project came after years of securing green fabric to bulletin boards and magnetic white boards.  Hanging fabric this way leaves places where the shadows prevent the green from being monochromatic.  This frame solves that problem.  Last week it became a priority so I could help out one of my fourth grade colleagues. She wants to do a green screen project with her students next week, so although I had already planned to make this, the time for action had arrived. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

What I did at school today: Weathering the Storm

It takes the near miss of a hurricane to make weather conditions like we're seeing today a relief.  The heavy rains and flooding make it a serious situation, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that it could be worse.  However...

My day started with a 6:00 AM visit to the Y.  It was raining steadily, but no worse than a dozen other times drizzly mornings.  I had an 8:00 appointment with my doctor, which put me on the road during rush hour.  The rain was still nothing more than an annoying nuisance.  Even when I arrived at school around 9:00, I was able to move from my car to the school door at no more than a slow trot.

Tick, tock, the morning proceeded as many mornings do.  Then, it was time to switch schools.  I had a prescription to pick up, so I thought this would be a good time to make a quick stop.  By then, the skies had opened up.  The rain fell in sheets, traffic moved at a snail's pace, and a walk from the car to just about anywhere was akin to swimming upstream.  I toyed with the idea of picking up a hot lunch somewhere, but that idea was quickly washed away.  I crossed a small bridge that almost swallowed up my car, and decided it was best to go directly to my afternoon school.

Luck was on my side . . . sort of.  When I arrived, there was a parking space up front.  I did have to get out of my car to move a small, fallen branch, but at least I wasn't walking from the back forty.  Still, I arrived soaked to the bone, but glad I was settled in for a while.  There was a cabin fever feeling throughout the afternoon, but we were all safe and dry.

Oh, I was busy before I left for my midday transfer and busy after I arrived, but when I think back on today, all I think about is rain.  TGIF!

What I did at school yesterday: Colonial Chicken Nuggets

The York County School Division was awarded a very large grant from the DOD a few years ago.  Some of this grant money was spent on supplying schools with sets of iPads and providing training to teachers.  Several groups of teachers were known as "DE Cohorts" because we partnered with Discovery Education to provide a large portion of our training.  The final cohort was interrupted last year by mother nature and her snowy sense of humor, and some of their training had to be postponed.  The grant ended at the end of the school year, leaving those teachers hanging. 

Before the new school year began, we were given permission to extend the cohort into the first quarter of this year.  Four days were set aside for additional training, two this week and two at the end of October.  No longer the DE Cohort, as that partnership was not extended, half the group met on Tuesday with half of the ETFs.  I was one of the ETFs who met with the other half yesterday.

We began at Bruton High School with a light breakfast and an Alan November video.  (I don't know who makes his videos, but this one was pretty slick.)  Then, we broke into smaller groups for more focused training.  Every member created a Skype in the Classroom account in preparation for the afternoon's work. 

After lunch we moved, en masse, to the Finney House in Colonial Williamsburg.  Teachers were grouped into 5 or 6 member teams, and they were tasked with developing a lesson that would be taught remotely in late October from a predetermined location somewhere in the restored village.

I worked with six teachers, two from TES, two from MVES, and two from my old stomping grounds, Magruder Elementary.  They ranged from first grade to fifth grade, so coming up with an idea that was relevant to all grades was a challenge.  One member of my team suggested we walk over to the Governor's Palace kitchen.  There was a wonderful interpreter there, and my group spent about 20 minutes listening and videotaping her.  During her presentation, she made a comparison between chicken nuggets and what the colonists ate, and that became the hook for my group's lesson.  Go on Skype in the Classroom and search for "colonial chicken".  It was great day, and it made me hungry for . . . pulled pork!  Go figure.