Keynote – Apple’s Answer to PowerPoint

If you are familiar with PowerPoint, then you already have a good idea how to create a Keynote presentation using the Keynote app.  They are similar in many ways.  Here is a video showing the basic steps involved in creating and sharing a Keynote.<p>

R U Ready to Tweet?

I’ve seen many presentations about Twitter, but this one by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, is one of my favorites. She gives a clear explanation of why and how to use Twitter for professional development.

R U Ready 4TwitterII from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano

Crazy Paper Things

I am fascinated by the magical ways paper can be transformed by simply cutting and folding.

Look here for some more ideas.

Color Picker Pen

I love the idea of this pen by Natalie Lam. It would solve the problem of mixing paints or inks to find just the right hue. Could it really be manufactured? How many times would you have to scan in a new color when drawing? Most things we see have many variations of color due to lit and shadowed areas.

Interactive Greeting Cards

These cards were created using a kit from BareConductive.com. For one card I used a CircuitWriter Pen from Radio Shack. I prefer this conductive ink to the Bare Paint because it is silver and two dimensional. The Bare Paint is black, 3-D, and rather hard to “paint” with.

MaKey MaKey Some Music

I am learning how to use a MaKey MaKey circuit board in conjunction with Scratch to create simple music. These videos track my progress.
Iteration One

Iteration Two

Videolicious Workflow

Several classes have worked with the iPad app Videolicious to produce reports on various topics. Vidolicious makes it simple to create a newscast type video. I encourage the students to draw their own pictures, but they can also find and use pictures from the InternetThis would be the perfect app to document a fieldtrip.

Videolicious Work Flow

1. Take photos, draw pictures, or capture photos from a source. Be sure to cite your source. These will be save to the Photo Roll.
2. Open Videolicious.
3. Choose Shots from camera roll. Be sure to select them in the order you want them to appear.
4. Press Save.
5. Record your “story.” This is your narration. Press the red button to start recording and to stop recording. You will determine what is on the screen during your narration by tapping on each small picture thumbnail or on the main screen which is recording your face.
6. Preview you recording. If you want to record again press Delete and start over. If you like the recording, press Save.
7. Press Save.
8. Choose your music from the Theme Music folder. Set the volume so that it doesn’t overpower your voice. Press Save.
9. DO NOT use a filter.
10. Preview your work again. Press Back to change the music. Press Save to continue.
11. Save in SD format.
12. Give your file a name.
13. Press the green Save button.
14. Your video is now in the Camera Roll.

Leah Buechley – Sketching Electronics

Leah Buechley is my new rock star. Working in the MIT Media Lab, she is exploring ways we can combine electronics and computer programming with art, music, and fabrics. Leah is an assistant professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab, where she directs the High-Low Tech research group. For more video on the amazing work her group is exploring click here.

Prototype a Puppet Play

Reblogged from MAKE:

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Gal Sasson from ITP entered this "Make a Play" video and project in Engadget's Insert Coin: New Challengers competition. It gets my vote for its combination of craft and electronics to create fun and engaging puppets, simple box theater construction complete with a spooky backdrop and lighting effects, and of course that laser-etched wooden control box.

Read more… 3 more words

Gal Sasson has put together an amazing puppet theater by combining art, music, theater, electronics, and computer programming. My mind is boggled by how far we have come from cardboard shoeboxes and sock puppets. I am guessing that Gal spent many hours designing, problem solving, iterating, and tinkering. Her passion and persistence have resulted in a truly spectacular product. Is there a way to measure her learning? Does it matter?

Making the Cat Walk

This is the first lesson I give to classes learning Scratch.  After giving a tour of the Scratch interface, I ask them to start building this script with me.  In doing so, they get a quick demonstration of creating new costumes, the importance of positive and negative variables, the existence of the x/y grid, and timing.  After building the first part of the script, I ask them to complete it by making the cat turn in the opposite direction and “walk” back across the stage.

Copy this script.

How can you make the Sprite turn around and walk back across the screen?    Write your thoughts about this below.  Then try to accomplish the task.  Write about your results, even if you were not successful.  We learn from trying.  Each version of the task is called an iteration.

Experiment with the blocks below.

Write what you learned about making Sprite move.

Write what you learned about changing the way a Sprite looks.