FileMaker = Flashback to the past

For a variety of reasons, I reached class in a rather frustrated state of mind. NOTHING like Sharon's day. Was just in a bad mood to begin with. Then FileMaker......

Trying to work FileMaker, was like working on my first computer, and HP 2000 mainframe in 1976. Error messages that were non helpful..... "Does not compute". People who were not 'helpful' (understood that the instructor was making a point) who said look it up in the manual. At least the manuals in 1976, unreadable as they were, tried to give some hint. And I did learn Benton Hardin Extended Basic. Heck, I still remember the commands for the line editor for writing programs. (shudder).

What was obvious from the presentation is that FileMaker is a very powerful program, and there is a distinct learning curve there. As to whether I would ever use it, I don't know. At this point, I rather doubt it. Except for the report card, I did not see anything that I couldn't get from either Excel or Access. Nothing I can think of needing today requires the fine font and layout control that the Sunnyvale report card requires. At $400.00 a pop, I can live without that fine control on a personal level. As an example of a program to avoid with my students, it was a wonderful program. Excel has a better online help manual then FileMaker does. And will serve as a database program, on top of Access. By the way, Access is usually bundled with MicroSoft Office (as is excel), which can usually be in included in the purchase of a new computer. Window's lacks the presentation software that AppleSoft apparently includes.

This makes me wonder about after market books for FileMaker. The reaction when I asked about it last night was luke warm to say the least, but when I've played with relational databases in the past, such books were very helpful. My experience with such programs is start small, learn how various parts work and then work your way up to a formal report card. Once you get the hang of how the programmers envisioned the program working, then it's much easier to deal with, the error messages start working, and the little help that the online manual gives actually turns into something useful, as you've learned what the online manual keeps leaving out.

As someone who has bought MUCH cheaper software from companies like Intuit, I would have to say that FileMaker has fallen down on the job. At $190.00, QuickBooks does a much better job of relaying what the program can or can't do with their online manual. At $400.00 I would expect an EXCELLENT manual, that matches the sophistication of the program, which is NOT what I got. gr........

Movie Works, digital stories....

Well the big thing was Movie works. Very impressive program. Looks like it can be anywhere from very simple to very complicated. Frankly, I think he has a replacement for power point. You can do the powerpoint type presentations in it, and you can do very complicated stuff with it. Haven't played with it yet, as am trying to do other homework before I get lost in that program. The one thing power point does that Movie Works doesn't do is allow notes. I suspect before opening the program that there are two ways around that. One is put in a button that will go to a screen with notes. Put the button in the "credits" section or on the last scene. If you don't hit it, you don't go there. Keeps the notes hidden. A second way is to put in a last scene and put notes there. My suspicion is when rendering, you can specify the scenes to render, just leave that one out, and the production movie has no notes, but the original production file has the notes.

The digital story telling looks great. Can have 1st graders put together a story board and then assist them in getting it on the computer. By 5th grade at the latest, can use movie works tutorial to teach them to do every thing from presentations, to reports, and even digital stories. This has GOT to be great for ESL students as they can use voice instead of text. Partner them up with someone and they can add their own text. Burn it all to individual CD's or DVD's and they can show/keep all the stuff for life. Heck, can do a class picture and have everyone add stuff and hand out at the end of the year - instant year book for the class!

The USB port for audio looks like it gets past Hollywood's encryption schema. Very legally too, as ultimately the AV output signal is what the consumer pays for. Where it lands is the consumer's choice. This puts things back in the hands of consumers where it belongs. As 10% of a work is usable for class presentations, I can record two scenes from Saving Private Ryan, and show a class what a "human wave infantry attack" looks like from both sides (Allied rushing the Germans, Germans trying to shoot the Allies), then record a scene from Enemy at the Gates for comparison. And yes, I'm sure I can come up with other side by side comparisons.

My wife and I have a number of documentaries, many of which would put a class to sleep. But with the Movie Works and the USB input, can cut any documentary down to key scenes. Not only that, but in effect can make one's own documentary, specifically tailored to class content and in a fashion to not put a class to sleep. With the possibilities for covering EVERY subject, I think my head is going to pop. Can use to come up with a direct instruction presentation, so if you come up with a great way to demonstrate a concept, can keep it from year to year. If there's a problem with it, can easily modify it and use it the next year.

As for marketing, hmm...... I think he's missing a major point NOT marketing it as a replacement to PowerPoint. If he added a notes section, I can't think of anything that anyone would have left to complain about. IF he added a PowerPoint to AVI or QuickTime converter, I think he would have a legacy component that would make PowerPoint devotee's willing to leave PowerPoint as they wouldn't lose the use of prior work. Additionally, with his Scene format, I can't but think that anyone who learned PowerPoint would be other then comfortable making the switch. I certainly am. I know Bryan is. And judging by the number of programs he sold, the rest of the class looks downright comfortable. I'm curious how many class presentations are going to use Movie Works instead of PowerPoint. I know I'm considering approaching other teachers and asking if I could do Movie Works instead.

The only other thing that PowerPoint has that Movie Works doesn't have is the ability to print up the slides. Though considering what you get, I'm not sure that is necessarily a minus. I've never been that enamored with what PowerPoint prints up. And without further examination of Movieworks, I could be wrong about that. Ah, more to look for.....

On the home front, my father is very much into genealogy, and he has family photos going back to about 1870. I have most of them scanned and sitting on a CD. It would be easy and interesting to go from scan to movie with music. Making one's own family history movie would be interesting. Hmm, have photo's from when Sandra and I went to England for 10 days. Could turn that into a movie rather easily. See, I got to get the rest of my homework done before I load up the program and turn troglodyte...........

This Bloggers TLC

Phase 1: Awareness

The biggest thing that has come to my awareness is the time spent on using technology in the classroom setting. Especially PowerPoint (tm). Every week we see one or more PowerPoint presentations, projected onto a screen for the whole class to see. What I have been aware of is the great disparity of technology available to teachers in the school setting. I do not know of any teacher who has access to a projector unless they personally have paid for and bought one themselves. Some classes have computers, some do not. Some have only ONE in the class.

Phase 2: Exploration and Filtration

The technologies I want to explore cycle around the notion of how to take powerful learning tools such as PowerPoint and find ways to use them in a lower technology setting. This can include the use of something like the Movie making program that was demonstrated in our classroom, or it could be how to get a video card with a VIDEO in connector set and transfering stuff to a VHS tape. OR the the otherway around. Given the lower cost of DVD players today, I would like to use a DVD burner as the final tool to getting stuff back into the classroom as a starter. I'll start my exploration with the easy make a movie program. Out there somewhere are also programs that will convert a PowerPoint to a movie format. Will need to explore that after playing with the movie making program, as an earlier email from the instructor pointed out that the PowerPoint converters may be highly technical, and not supported by every DVD player.

Phase 3: Learning

My favorite way of learning is to have a project in mind. I would learn to use the product by putting together a presentation. I could either do a new presentation, or I could take a previously made one and see what it takes to convert it to the new format. As a 143 B student next semester, I would have plenty of opportunities to come up with lesson plans, hence, lots of opportunities to have something to make a presentation for. This would also give me a circumstance for getting feedback on the usefulness of such presentations from observing teachers. Another thought about making the movies, is could give a copy to a master teacher ahead for time for comment, and then use the feed back to fine tune the presentation.

Phase 4: Personal and Professional Application

The personal and professional application to me would be the use of the above technology to set up classroom presentations at home and show them in the class on a regular basis. Further application would include finding ways to incorporate movies and movie clips so that I could then use them as part of the presentation. The need here is the use of audio visual projects that fullfil the needs I have in instructing my students in a meaningful and engaging way. Another application would be to allow students to make movies as part of project, which would a) get the students involved in learning in new and interesting ways and b) teach them about technology - killing two standards with one eraser so to speak.

Phase 5: Sharing and Reflection

Reflection to me is a standard task. Did I make the best use of the technology? Have I gotten the time factor down so that it is economical for me to use the technology in class? It will do me little good if it takes me 200 hours to make a 20 minute presentation. Was the presentation engaging? Did it in fact help students learn anything, or were they too busy paying attention to other parts of the presentation that were in fact NOT what I wanted them to pay attention to (Neat graphics Mr. Saidak! Do that again!). Or were the presentations so boring that I cured 30 cases of insomnia before it began?

Sharing is not something I have previously given alot of thought to. I'd be happy to share anything I developed with other people. I suppose I could look for a website where I could upload things to, and share that way. THis would also possibly lead to more feedback for improving things. I know I would let other teachers in my school know what I was doing and how easy it was.

As for adding more technology, that would depend on a number of things. IT is not so much would I add more technology to my "bag of tricks", so much as where and when I finish on the presentations technology, what was emerging then, and what the needs of my students were. It would also depend on who I was sharing with. If I was in a school with a bunch of technophobic teachers, I would have to find someway of finding a pool of teachers who were NOT technophobic. This could be anything from starting a blog to develop my own community, to finding a ready made community such as a "Technology for the Classroom" Association and magazine. Associations and magazines each have their own agenda's, and that agenda would end up influencing my next choice, I'm sure.

I think both my approach in class and work to date has demonstrated that I am not a luddite, and that I can quickly pick up on any technology when I see a need to do so (want an A? or it actively helps me do what I need to do...).

Website and Distance Learning

The distance learning stuff was rather interesting. Have yet to personally try it. Sort of like my reading list - my to do list is a bit long. Did some searches and found online tutorials for Java. May try that or html sites to learn. I have already learned to program in Benton Hardon Basic and played a little bit with C. Not to mention I started on Wordstar 3.3, so I know about imbedded commands.

Putting up the website was interesting. Got most of it working. Sorry to hear that moving icons irritates the instructor. I like them! Limited myself to one.... Just had to have the flying envelope. The biggest problem I had was getting my biography online WITH the photo. Found a page style that allowed me to upload my original Word document, including the photo's. So, got my biography up with photo's, but it works by downloading to a viewers computer. Not sure what format I should use for that stunt. Emailed Sharon, but have yet to get answer. Personally wonder if I should have used another format. I don't know how pervasive Word format is. I don't have access to an Apple type, so I have no way to test. I know that any Windows based machine should be able to handle the format. There are also Linux machines out there, but they get what they deserve!! Seriously, I have no idea what Linux machines are like, and again, no way of testing the website. So one thought for the future, I need to find access to someone with an Apple to doublecheck any website I set up using this or similar service as TeacherWeb.com. I like this particular site's long list of services. I especially like being able to set up a notice list and a gradebook online. To me that would represent a labor saver in terms of notifying parents that Johnny/Julie missed homework and their grade was suffering. I also like that it looks like I can either do straight HTML, or if ignorant, I can come up with a way to get around it, but renaming pages, etc. I even managed to upload my Pastel Portrait and used it as a button on the homepage. I didn't take the time, but in the future, would like to find artwork that is expressive of who I am and put on the website. After I get over the ego trip, could then work on graphics that are thematic and still get across what is on the website. Assuming I had a projector or smartboard I like that could also put alot of work on the website and call it up during class as needed, like the homework list. I got the format I used from current master teacher at Washington Open.

Actually, navigating the site was easy. Biggest problem was around matching Class requirements for photo. If I didn't need to do that, took about 2 hours or so to set up, with most of that just learning how to navigate the site setup menus. Next time, figure it will take about 30 minutes or less to do. To me that makes this website effective and cost effective timewise. With auto communications done by email, I can then concentrate on the few families that have no internet access.

Virtual Tour

I am interested in teaching Middle School grades. I chose the topic of Rome as I have numerous personal connections. I lived in Italy for 18 months, and visited Pompeii, Hercolano and Paestrum. Also I am a history re-enactor. Like you couldn’t tell that from my blog picture! Anyway, locally, there is a Roman Legion’s re-enactor’s group. I have talked to them, and I know for a fact that they like to visit schools and show off.

In trying to pick a site for 6th graders (who cover the Roman Empire as per the 2001 Social Science Framework), I ran into websites that were either too complicated or too simple. There is an excellent site at Bowdoin college for covering Roman Aqueducts. Way too technical for 6th graders. Some would be absolutely fascinated, but I don’t think they could all quite follow how or why a castellum would work or be used.

I chose the BBC site for a number of reasons that just all came together while I was playing with it myself. First off, it seamed a wonderful Introduction. It had eleven sections that covered religion, the military, Roman engineering, family life a taste of Roman culture. It even has a timeline, and a website that names ALL the Roman Emperors. Instead of having to listen to the Teacher (me) drone on and on about this, I felt that the website conveyed this on it’s own without being overwhelming. There is more I would want my students to know, but I believe this website is a wonderful jumping off point.

I also just loved the notion of using a foreign website. At 6th grade, I find many students are ready to start understanding that history is often about perspective, and that there can be slants to history depending on who wrote it. In turn, this can lead to connecting kids to BBC news as a means of getting alternate news, information that is not Americancentric. One of the points to the Internet is the easy access to viewpoints that are different from that of the US, but one problem is that many of these viewpoints are written in languages other then English. BBC by it’s very nature is available in English.

I did attempt to use MOOs, but the principle list given was either leading to sites that have shut down, or there is a technical problem of some sort involving my computer. Very frustrating. The one I found that looked like it might function would have required registration and a lot more work then I was willing to put in at the time. It also looked like it would have had me identified as a teenage student. That made me distinctly uncomfortable. That’s another letter I will have to write- to whoever runs the wireless network at school. In the spring, I could get out to the internet. Now I can’t. Grrr…….. Heck, as late as the last week in June I could get out. But not sure how to clear up the technical problem, unless our professor wants to come out to my house!

Another reason I chose this site is that with it’s links to other sites, the glossary and the time line, it seems like a wonderful website to return too, and have the students do more exploring on their own. This led me to another conclusion.

In writing directions for this, I didn’t like the notion of having to take time out to cover computer literacy as well as the topic (Rome). When I find myself in a position to use computers as an adjunct for the class, I intend to take time out just to cover the computer skills required. That way I can just focus on the topic. Not both computer and topic. I would also think that would force me to make sure I know how the school computers do or don’t function. This is another reason that I chose to put the guide on paper, as that seemed simpler then trying to rely on prior computer literacy. I know for a fact that some students in the even the Moreland district only experience computers at school – there are no computers and/or internet access at home.

Grouping in this case would be to aid in computer literacy, and to take care of the fact that I have yet to see 25 or 30 computers in one school room. I have seen 12 in the same room.

As for Virtual Tours, it seems a nice way to get students onto the Internet and make sense of what they are doing. In my experience, even college students don’t know what all is out there, and it’s a fun way to get one’s mind stretched. The biggest problem with setting up such tours is the time function. I don’t see that I could set up too many of these my first year teaching. I can see setting up a portfolio of these as time goes on.