If you've taken Media before, you know this is a lesson I revisit each semester. This time, let's try it through Khan Academy. Complete the exercise online and send a one-word Email to me when you're finished: DONE. I'll put it in Pinnacle.

Click here to watch the video, then take the four-question quiz. Need to take it more than once to get a one hundred? I'll never tell. 

One more look at Dramatic Conflict today, and I went with the big one: Man vs. Man. If you've never seen The Princess Bride, watch my video, then click the YouTube link below to see what I'm talking about.
​
Same as last time, pick a scene from a film that outlines one of the four types of conflict we've discussed.

• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Society
• Man vs. Self

Next, describe how your scene fits whatever type of conflict you've chosen? How do we know it fits? Write 8 sentences on that, then Email your writing to steven.hepler@fwcs.k12.in.us along with a YouTube clip so I can watch your movie.
Have a great Monday!

Today, let's look at conflict - the thing that makes books and movies fun. How do we fight, and who do we fight? Check the video below for four examples. Write a paragraph about your favorite scene that shows one of the four examples, then send that paragraph, along with a YouTube link to the scene, to steven.hepler@fwcs.k12.in.us so I can enjoy it, too.

​Miss you all.

Here's the assignment for today. Watch the video below to see my example, then check out the scene I describe from Inside Out.

Email your writing to steven.hepler@fwcs.k12.in.us, and include a YouTube link to your scene so I can watch it.

Our first Distance Learning exercise. Here's a post that explains it. Like Jefferson Multimedia on FB to see it, or visit @Steven Hepler on Twitter. Not many people are posting online, so send your poem and photo to steven.hepler@fwcs.k12.in.us for grading.

Add the slashes between lines so I can count syllables and make sure you're legit. 🤓

On Twitter, hit return at the end of each line. Break your tweet up into three lines.

Want to watch the video here? Okay. 

Watch the video. Read the instructions. Do the things. Can't wait to see what you send me. Let's get to work. 

Let's move on to a Frankenstein's Monster project. You'll need to create a jigsaw puzzle of a creation using at least six different layers. I don't think a handout will work with this lesson with me sniffling at home and you working in the classroom, so the secret for this one is to watch and rewatch the video step by step as you work. It will take time. Don't be frustrated. Start by watching the entire video with your headphones on, then follow the instructions and go from there. If all you do is gather the pieces until I come back, that's fine. Follow the classroom rules, and stay in your seat unless you're grading something from someone else.

Not sure where to start? How about creating your own parody of an image that already exists? I've played guitar since I was 16, and John Mayer is my hero. I could create a self portrait with my own head on a body and a background that mimics the cover of his album Heavier Things. My layers would include an upper body and a lower body from two different images, a guitar with a strap, my head, shoes, a background image of a concert hall, and maybe more.

If this is too complicated to finish without help, complete another City Postcard and we'll check it when I return. Instructions and tutorials are below. Watch them with your headphones on if you need it, and have fun.

If you're confused about the Quick Selection tool, watch the tutorial below. Informative, but strange. Just the way we like it.

Not sure how I'm going to grade this yet, but from a design standpoint, here are things that jump out at me. 

• Symmetry is important. Are things equal on all sides? If they aren't, things can look lopsided.  If you have text in the corner, the border on the side should be the same size as the border on the bottom.  Here's a good example.

This one? Not so much. The bottom of the picture cuts off the bottom of the letters, and the space after the final A in America is way too big. Put your text far enough in the image that we can read all of it, and make the bottom (or top) border even with the side border.

We haven't done Quizlet this semester. It's a game where you drag and drop the answers on top the questions that match. Click here to take it.

Pass the mouse around. Let each person in the group take it at least once. We'll start class in ten minutes or so.

My hometown! Represent!

With your postcard, use two lines of text. One is the name of the city. The second can be a nickname or the city's slogan, in my case. Perfect example: if you're using a certain city in Nevada, the top line would be "What happens in Vegas." The bottom line would say "Stays in Vegas." What do you think of when you think of that city? That might work, too. 

Keep your images graphically neat. Pay attention to your line breaks. Keep it clean and keep it minimal. 

Also consider balance. Notice that my text is in my top left and bottom right corners.

Yes, all of them. Many of us try to do the work without learning how. You memorize the facts by taking the notes, then quizzing over them multiple times. You have actively learn the material. Step one is writing it down. 

Click the video below, then click to watch it on YouTube. Click the three dots, and turn on the transcript. Take your notes from there.

I like this one. We're not necessarily stuck with city flags. Sports fans, what about logos of your favorite teams? Los Angeles? How about the Lakers or the Clippers logo in the background? Chicago? Take your pick. Cubs. White Sox. Blackhawks. Bears. You name it.  

Start off by finding a good city photograph and determining which "flag" you want for your background. My example will be Indy, because it's my hometown. A handout with notes is coming tomorrow. Have fun.

I'm hearing this a lot recently because of two things:

We aren't taking our notes each day.
We do nothing instead of writing a pink slip assignment after a behavior problem.

You can borrow a pencil from anyone in the room other than me. My smallest class has 17 students. My largest has 35. When the only person who loans out pencils is the teacher, it puts the stress on me and me alone to help so many students do their work every day, when they have plenty of classmates who could do it instead, and decrease my mental load. Students should depend on each other for help, and work independently.

If you come in and see a handout on the bookcase, you'll need a pencil. Ask a classmate before we begin. Don't sit and do nothing. Does your partner have a pencil? Share it as you write. Lean on each other. You can do this. 💪

I've had two groups tell me that the sync is off on their movie, which means the lips move, but we hear the actor say the words three seconds later, like a bad Godzilla movie. I'll figure out how to fix this, but each day, a new problem pops up that I have to fix, and it keeps me from making new lessons.

If there's a roadblock you can't get around, do another Head Swap or Freaky Fruit. Stay busy any way that's fun. Media Work Only is a rule that never goes away, and I've written six referrals this week for playing video games, wasting class time and deleting your web history to hide what you're doing in this room. Don't be that guy.

​Use what you know if what I've asked you to do doesn't work. Teaching, grading and managing behaviors is tough right now, so I know how frustrating it can be. Keep it classy, Jefferson. 👍

We watched this video on January 8, but many of us still have the factory settings on our Safari browser. Make sure yours is set up properly.

Need the bookmarks again? Here they are:

YouTube
VideoBlocks
​AudioBlocks
​SoundBible
​Quizizz
Socrative
Kahoot
Classcraft
​Pinnacle

As we import Shut Up and Eat Your Garbage, keep the cable attached to the camera. In this video, they're in the cabinet, but right now, they're on my desk. Come and get one to import our movie. One of the cameras has LOTS of videos on it. Scroll down to the bottom and find the pictures of two people talking in the classroom. That's what you want.

Take your notes and watch this video an extra time or two, and you'll do great. Next week, we'll go learn how to edit, plus have a bonus lesson in Photoshop. Have a great weekend. 😀

Today's tutorial is the biggest I've ever made. There's so much to learn. I don't expect us to get it all in one try, or even two or three. I'll work on a lesson specifically for Shut Up and Eat Your Garbage. Play around with Premiere Pro, keeping in mind that you'll have more time to use it than I will since I'm creating lessons, managing student behavior, serving on our PTSA, being a dad, and putting grades in Pinnacle. My life is FULL right now.

When all of your curriculum becomes useless because Apple changes iMovie so thousands of people like us can't use it anymore, you are forced to make changes. That's where I am right now. I'll learn how to use Premiere by seeing what mistakes you make, then helping you fix them.

Want to edit City Volleyball instead of Shut Up and Eat Your Garbage? Go for it. Be strong, and be patient. We'll learn this together.

If you're using a JVC Camera, follow the directions here. If you have a Sony, look for the camera called Untitled or Unnamed in Media Encoder, then follow the same instructions.

You will have problems. Don't be nervous. Unplug the camera and start again. Let's make it Five Before Me so we don't all depend on the teacher to save us from being uncomfortable when things go wrong. Get out of your seat, ask a friend for help, then check with four others before running to me.

If you have a question, don't call my name. Get up and come see me. It's fine to be confused, but you have to be active at the same time. You can do this.

Tomorrow, we'll start importing Shut Up and Eat Your Garbage. Today, just create your Video folder. Here's how.