Action Research Blog Archive 07

April 25, 2007

I was very pleased today to see that Beth opened a casting call for people who wanted to participate in her film. She initiated this meeting on her own. As you will see, she has stepped into a leadership position with this project.

Beth started by creating sign up sheets for the various roles that needed casting. She hung these sheets in her classroom, as pictured below, as well as in the other third grade classrooms.

Once she created the signs she visited each of the third grade classes to promote her film and to get people interested in auditioning for roles.

Today she held auditions in the library during recess. She developed a rubric by which she would assess peoples' performances. She was looking at different traits of the actors:

Facial expression
The speed at which the person performs her or his lines
Eye contact
The loudness of the person's voice
Body expression

She chose a line for the student to try to memorize quickly. Once the student was ready she performed the line and Beth assessed her according to the rubric. She marked on a sheet of paper, one for each student, the scores she gave each person for her performance. After she auditions everyone who wants a part, she will pick the student who will best fits each roll.

I complimented Beth on the excellent work she was doing. She had devised this system on her own and was leading the project with little assistance from me. I suggested to her that the students who were not picked to act could assist with filming, sound engineering, and other roles.

Beth and I brainstormed how we would construct the other parts of the dragon that we need for her movie. The dragon's hand, with a removable claw, can be constructed out of cardboard, like the head. Beth decided for the dragon's tail that we needed to take a different approach. There is a scene in her film where the protagonist has to untie a knot in the dragon's tail. Beth decided that she would use her sewing machine at home to sew some fabric into a tail shape, then stuff it with bunting. She can easily tie this tail into a knot. I made sure that she had fabric in mind that would like like dragon's skin, as that would inform our next activity, painting the dragon's head.

Beth brought along a few of her friends to help with the painting. One of her friends had been in Tech Club during the digital photography project but came to me during the podcasting project say she did not want to participate any more. Another friend was new to Tech Club and requested a web permission form and the research permission form. The other girls were all members of Tech Club. We decided to start with a base coat of black paint, over which we will add a layer of green paint. Beth decided what parts needed to stay unpainted at this point, and we started painting. Soon we were joined by Larry, a student on the Autism Spectrum who often spends his recess time in the library and who sang in a podcast episode. I invited him to join us and he helped us paint.

By the end of recess we completed the first coat of the dragon's head. We will resume tomorrow with the green coat.

After recess I joined Larry, Henry, and Larry's father in the Autism Spectrum classroom. We were there to record another of Larry's songs, "Dreams." Larry ran through the song once to practice. His father got him started by singing the first verse, then Larry repeated the first verse and continued with the rest of the song. Then we did a second take, this time recording.

Larry did an excellent job on this song, both with the lyrics and singing. He was more conscious of the volume of his voice this time and did not over-saturate the recording. He also sang melodic verses that Henry compared to jazz singing. Henry will work to add musical accompaniment to the song in GarageBand. Before the performance Henry's running monologue got Larry wound up and upset, so I spoke quietly to Henry, quite closely, and pointed out that he was making Larry upset. Henry then settled himself down, grabbed a copy of the lyrics, and followed along as Larry sang the song. We were able to capture the performance in one take.

I am extremely pleased that Larry is participating more and more in Tech Club activities. Between stopping by my office looking for his peers to joining in the painting fun today, Larry is becoming more involved in Tech Club. These projects reinforce Larry and Henry's friendship. They also allow Larry to interact with his peers in a small group setting that is comfortable and not overwhelming for him. Using his songs in podcasts is a wonderful way for Larry to communicate creatively and artistically. Part of my Action Research this year is to provide social opportunities for students on the Autism Spectrum, and my actions have helped to incorporate Larry into the Club and provide him social connections.

April 24, 2007

Although my Cycle Two report is written, I continue to have opportunities to promote the Tech Club's work. Last Friday our custodian went on vacation. The night custodian, Nham, is substituting for him. Nham asked me on his first day if I could download and burn to CD a copy of iTunes for the PC. I included a copy of the flier I created explaining how to subscribe to the podcasts. It turns out that this was the reason why Nham wanted iTunes: he had seen the fliers around school but he has a dialup connection at home, which would take a considerable amount of time to use to download iTunes. Additionally, I made him a CD of the podcast episodes, as they, too, are rather large files and would take a long time to download over dialup. I will check with him later in the week to see how he enjoyed the episodes.

Yesterday I also ran into the mother of a student who worked on a couple of podcast episodes. She explained that they were having trouble downloading the episodes, so I made a CD for her, too. Cycle Two of my Action Research challenged me to promote Tech Club's work. Like any action research, the promotion is cyclical and continuing.

Last Friday was exciting for Henry as he received the custodian's old Mac. Bob had recently upgraded to a new iMac and no longer needed his desktop G3. I showed Henry how to low-level format the hard drive then we restored OS 9.1 onto it. Henry wanted it to have some old edutainment applications on it, so we installed those as well as iCab so he can get it on the internet. He explained that he liked the old computers because they were a little more basic. I asked Henry to write a letter to Bob thanking him for the computer and he did. Over the weekend he worked in EasyBook Deluxe, playing with the stamps and background features which had stopped working in the Classic environment on the school computers. It was good to hear that he was making use of the machine.

Interestingly, one of the students on the Autism Spectrum who Henry and I recorded singing stopped by my office yesterday during one of his recesses. I think he was coming by to see if any students were working on the stop-motion film: none were. He hung out in my office for a bit, and when I checked in with him he wished me a happy birthday (my birthday is in March). I showed him a copy of the lyrics he wrote for a new song that we are going to record, and he was excited by that. I found it very interesting that he came by on his own, clearly looking to socialize. One of my goals with Tech Club this year was to provide students on the Autism Spectrum a place to socialize, so I was excited that this student came by looking for his peers.

Yesterday Beth also came by the lab to announce that she had completed her script. This was very big news, as I had loaned her a laptop so she could complete the work. Cycle Three of my Action Research is about actions that I make that empower students through technology use. Beth was able to take the laptop with her on a family trip to Portland and in doing so was able to complete her work. Yesterday she and a friend went to the three other third grade classrooms to promote her film and to get people interested in trying out for a role. She designed a sign-up poster for students to sign up for the different roles for which she will have them audition. Interestingly, Beth does not plan on acting in the movie. Instead, she explained to me, she will be directing and helping people who are having trouble with their lines as well as spending some time behind the camera.

Beth's film is set in a magical land and includes a dragon. Yesterday, after I read the script, we discussed the logistics of the dragon. I was interested in how Beth felt we could capture the dragon. I happened to have a Lego dragon and retrieved it from my office to show her. Here it is, starring in my film, "Assault on the Lair."

I suggested that we could build a small set and use stop-motion to capture the scenes with the dragon. Beth, however, felt that we might be able to construct a dragon, or at least the parts that we needed: a tail, a hand with claws, and a head. The gears in my head started turning as Beth headed back to class. I went out to the dumpsters and fished out a couple of cardboard boxes. With a roll of masking tape and the Lego as my guide, I crafted a dragon's head. This morning I finished the teeth and primered it. Beth and I will paint it tomorrow.

I found it hilarious when I brought it out to Beth's class to show her during recess that she and her friends all had a strange temptation to put their heads in the dragon's mouth! The jaws are connected with brass brads, so the mouth can open and close. The students took turns putting their heads in the dragon's mouth and pretending to be eaten.

I am extremely pleased with Beth's completion of the script. My Third Cycle actions to empower students through their use of technology is working as planned. Paul's film continues to progress, and he is running meetings with the cast on his own. These two students have emerged as leaders and are creating authentic, constructivist projects for their peers to engage in with them. The Third Cycle is shaping up wonderfully for me, as well as for these students.

April 20, 2007

The students have worked very hard on the "Mission to Earth" film this week. I helped to facilitate Paul's completion of the script by providing him a laptop to use during recess yesterday, when I was off campus at a meeting. He had been working on the script at home and brought it to school on a USB drive. Using the laptop, he was able to collaborate with his peers and finish the script. We will begin recording the dialogue for the movie next week.

I'm tracking participation in the film in an Excel spreadsheet. The film project has much less participation than the previous projects. I believe there are several factors contributing to this. First, the weather is getting better and students are more inclined to play outside during recess. Second, the stop-motion filming is highly meticulous and not for everyone. Third, the location where we are filming is not conducive to having a large crowd. Therefore, my actions to keep students participating are very calculated. By tracking participation I can assure that students who have expressed interest are able to participate. There are sets to be constructed, Lego to build, and music and dialogue to record, so taking notes of who has participated I might better see who has yet to participate and offer them a role in the production. Also, I continue to support Beth's efforts to get her script finished so we can begin working on her movie. I feel that her film will attract more girls to the project, though I do have a couple of girls who have been working on the stop-motion film as well.

We incorporated a new visual effect, morphing, into the film this year. I used an application called Norrkoss MorphX to produce the effect. The software is easy to use and I explained and demonstrated the process to the students. The same effect will be used later in the movie so the students will be able to create the effect. I am excited about this special effect and give you a preview below.

I also stopped by Beth's classroom to inquire about her progress on the script since I let her take the laptop home. She told me that she had made a little progress and was planning on taking the laptop with her to Portland this weekend, where she will have plenty of time to work on the script. Hopefully she can complete it soon so we can start filming.

I am pleased with how I have been able to empower these two particular students and how their work in turn influences and educates their peers. It is exciting to see them step up to the leadership roles that I am offering them.

April 17, 2007

The students and I returned yesterday from spring break and got right back to work on the "Mission to Earth" movie. I located a good helmet to use with one the characters, and we continued shooting footage.

Paul continues to be an excellent director. He has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve with this film and he is doing a great job sharing that vision with the students who are working with him to animate and film the movie. Hopefully his script will be completed soon and we will begin to concurrently work on the soundtrack and the dialogue.

Interestingly, Henry chose yesterday to continue working with Paul and the other students on the filming rather than working independently on a different project. He claims to have many ideas for the film and is contributing to the project. One of my goals this year is to increase participation in Tech Club by students on the Autism Spectrum, and to use Tech Club as a point of social contact between students. In this regard I think that my actions have been extremely successful. Henry is much more willing to collaborate with his peers and to work on projects that other people devised.

Students continued to bump into the tripod and move it, which affects trying to make a stop-motion film. Today I borrowed some bean bags from the P.E. department and secured them to the tripod. You can see the colorful bags in the photo above. This makes this tripod a little less susceptible to being bumped. We also use a heavier tripod but it is quite bulky in my small office where we are filming and does not lower enough to get some of the close-up shots we need.

I met with Beth yesterday briefly to find out whether she was able to finish her script for her movie over spring break. She had not. I asked her whether she thought having a computer that she could use to work on the script while at home might be helpful. I had provided Beth with a laptop she could use in her classroom. Now I suggested she could take the laptop home. Beth was very excited by this possibility. I asked her whether she had a computer she could use at home. She said her brother tended to dominate the use of the home computer. I told her I would check with her mother and try to make it happen. I called her mother, who was receptive to the idea. I located a laptop bag then met with Beth during her recess to show her how to secure the laptop in the bag. I also explained to her again the purpose for giving her the laptop: my Cycle 3 action research question asks how I might be able to empower students through their use of technology. By allowing Beth to bring home the computer I hope that she is able to finish her script.

I am pleased with my efforts towards empowering students in Tech Club. The OMET program seems to be coming to a rapid conclusion, so it is heartening to see everything coming together with such great results.

April 7, 2007

Students started filming "Mission to Earth" this week. Paul, the student director, is still finishing the script but he finished the storyboard the first week of school so we have a good guide to what we need to film. My Cycle Three Action Research is about actions that empower students through technology. This project is entirely student-driven, unlike past films where I took a much more central role. This year Paul is in charge and he is already doing a fantastic job.

On Monday I took apart my office and built the "soundstage" where the students could animate the Lego.

The back panel can be removed as needed. Different colored butcher paper can be added to transform the table to the surface of Mars or Pluto as needed.

Once the set was built the students were ready to start filming. I created a spreadsheet to track who was participating during each recess. This helped me to make sure that everyone who wanted to work on the film was given a chance, as well as to track how much time each individual student spent working on the film. It also allowed me to schedule fifth graders to work on the film during lunch recess, for example, when they have a twenty-five minute block of time.

The students are working on every aspect of the film, from the animation to the filming. However, I do have technical suggestions for them. I built a rig to complete a shot in the movie that would diversify some of the footage.

A student could use the ruler as a guide and move the rig to create a panning shot across Mission Control.

Paul noticed during the first segment that the students animated and filmed that light was a little irregular because of the students' proximity to the table. He decided that when they took the shot that everyone needed to step back from the table to prevent their shadows from falling across the scene.

Henry and Rachel are working concurrently on the soundtrack for the film using GarageBand. Henry is very proficient at GarageBand and Rachel has used it a little at home. Sometimes it is a challenge to get Henry to "share" the work with Beth, as he has in his mind a clear idea of how he wants the music to sound. I check frequently with them to make sure that Rachel is giving input. The students' dialog will also be recorded in GarageBand, and Rachel, who has worked on a few podcast segments, can be responsible for this part of the sound engineering, giving her a more prominent role. Rachel also helped to put together the opening credits, timing them to the music she and Henry produced.

On Friday I was surprised by Henry's actions. Typically he more readily engages in projects that he creates and works on alone. It is more difficult to get him to work in a small group. My work in Tech Club this year attempts to help Henry work with his peers on technology-related projects. The technology acts as a "middle-man" through which Henry can interact with his peers. I asked him when he arrived if he wanted to work on the soundtrack more, and he said he did. However, he ended up working with his peers to film. He attempted a couple of times to talk a little too technically about the video cameras. He was also very excited and had a little trouble focusing. I asked him what he was excited about, and remarked that the work they were doing was exciting. This helped him to focus and calm down. I was very encouraged to see him want to work with his peers and to contribute his skills to the project.

I am very pleased with my ability to step back on this project. Paul has three years experience working on stop-motion animated films, so the project is under good leadership. He is doing an excellent job as a director. The other students are also doing a wonderful job animating. When we return from spring break the voice actors will begin recording the dialogue and the soundtrack will be composed for the scenes the students finish filming. We are assembling the film as we create it, unlike in the past, since we have less time this year to complete the work. Judging from the students' work this week we will be able to produce a very fine film in the shortened time.

April 2, 2007

From Thursday until Saturday evening I attended the Washington Education Association's annual Representative Assembly in Tacoma, Washington. We use this meeting as an opportunity to bring the locals from across the state together in order to discuss and debate new business items, educational issues, and to define the WEA's priorities for the year. This year's Assembly was also important because we voted to elect a new WEA president and vice president. Mary Lindquist, who is the president of the Mercer Island Education Association, to which I belong, and a partner at the bargaining table ran for president of WEA this year.

I took and posted notes on an interesting Adequacy Funding Study that the WEA commissioned. Washington State ranks 42nd in the nation in per-student spending, and this study examined what it would cost to get Washington to the 7th place nationally.

The big news of the weekend was Mary Lindquist's victory and election as the WEA president. MIEA members had worked hard with other members of the Sammamish Uniserv Council to promote Mary's qualifications, experience, dedication to the cause. We campaigned tirelessly over the last year, so it was excellent to see the hard work and dedication pay off with Mary's election. It was also her birthday on Saturday, so being elected was probably the best birthday present she could have received.

March 29, 2007

Challenged by Paul Sparks to find my next mentor, I immediately thought of Ralph Allen, who I had "followed" as my local leader for another of Paul's assignments. I've been very busy this week, so I finally managed to catch up with Ralph yesterday. He was in a blue mood. He explained that it was the time of year when some of the parents come out of the woodwork with an axe to grind, and he feels the duty, as principal, to stand between the teacher and the parent and act as a mediator. Parents in this district had a history of high, sometimes unrealistic, expectations for teachers, but the district and the PTA has done much to educate and inform parents as well as to change the climate. However, these rough days do happen.

I explained to Ralph that my next assignment was to find a mentor. After watching him "in action," I was very impressed with his leadership and the balance between power and authority that he strikes. I proposed to him that we have a series of conversations about my leadership potential and things that I could work on. He was very pleased by this idea.

I am hoping that next week, perhaps, we will both have the time to start our conversations. I feel like I have much to learn from Ralph. As I seek to move into a leadership position post-OMET, I think the lessons Ralph has to teach me, both through example and explicit direction, will help me to achieve this goal.

March 28, 2007

Students started building sets and models for "Mission to Earth" today at Tech Club. We already had Mission Control built from last year. It looks like this:

Today's model building session was dedicated to recreating the launchpad from last year. I printed a color copy of the launchpad that we used last year. The launchpad looked like this:

I went and borrowed the big bucket of Lego from a first grade teacher and the students worked to reconstruct the model. They did an excellent job matching the design from last year.

Finally, we also worked on building some mountains for the backdrop of the Martian landscape. I used a boxcutter to cut out the original forms, then the students covered them in construction paper to give them that authentic Martian look.

I am going to be gone from work for the rest of the week while I attend the Washington Education Association Representative Assembly. I believe that when I return next week we will start shooting the first scenes. This is going to be an exciting movie!

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