Monthly Archives: December 2009

Christmas Dance Off

Woohoo! Can it be we are ready to share our dances with Mrs. Braidwood’s class? Well, some of us are, and more are on the way. Our finished Pivot stick figure dance animations are beginning to roll in. Find Mrs. Braidwood’s friendly challenge here. She also shared with us a great site for finding Creative Commons  music.

We were plagued by technical difficulties and slooooooow performance in Windows Movie Maker, but we persevered. We hope to have more videos posted on student blogs soon.

We developed criteria together to help us be successful in creating our animations:

  • Use a Creative C0mmons Christmas image, and give credit
  • Design realistic movements, not jerky or impossible movements
  • Include creative moves and transitions
  • Animation should fit with the background, and make use of it
  • Visibilty of dancer (if the background is dark make dancer light)
  • Pivot is dancing, not just moving
  • Music is Creative Commons, and give credit

Tyler, who happened to be the first done, was the great trouble-shooter and technical support guy to the whole class. Here’s his creation:

Christmas Pivot by Tyler from Jan Smith on Vimeo.

Guest Post: Blogging

(This guest post is by Greyson and Eric. The topic was their own choice.)

Why is blogging good?

Britian Going Blog Crazy - Metro Article by Annie Mole

blog: Pronounced blŏg. To write entries in, add material to, or to maintain a blog.

There are tons and tons of great things about blogging. So here are some of the things we really like about owning a blog.

We think blogging is a good thing because it is a teacher, really. It teaches you many things, about others and yourself. Since we started blogging our typing skills have really improved and it keeps growing from all the work we’ve been doing. Another thing is that you really start being more social, and you get to communicate with people around the world which is something you don’t get to do every day, that’s for sure.

We think an edublog is a very useful and exciting tool and every single classroom should have one. We think that communicating with people all over the world is the best part of blogging. We’re able to learn their cultures, entertainment, similarities and differences, reading other student’s posts, and being able to comment.

Another great thing about owning an blog is that you can express yourself in posts, or comment on other people’s posts.  You’re able to be nominated for a Edublog Award, or to nominate others. That is very exciting. Edublogs Award Logo

We like how you can change the theme, the header, and customize your blog to your liking. We really enjoy how when we see we have received a comment, we get really excited. Our minds ponder, what could it be about? Our fingers scroll the mouse down, and we finally see the comment.

Well, we have told what we really like about blogging. What about you? What do you really like about blogging? Please, if you could leave us a comment telling us!

Greyson and Eric.

Britain Going Blog Crazy – Metro Article” by Annie Mole
Edublog Awards Logo
” by cx1uk”

Hip Hop for Human Rights

On this important day…

December 10th is the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. To mark this significant day, Huzzahnians shared their creativity: they wrote hip hop routines that focus our attention on the importance of human rights, and what happens when human rights are not respected or protected.

Inspiration

We were inspired by the video below, created by young people in Kenya. Their message is about the environment, and they share it in a very effective way.

We have explored what human rights with the help of various resources and the amazing videos and PSAs at the Youth for Human Rights site.  Mr. Laurie, our student teacher, helped us create criteria using the video as our exemplar.

Lyrics

Writing lyrics collaboratively was hard, but having created our own criteria really helped. Here are are a few of the lines different groups came up with:

Abuse is a crime from all time/ It hurts–nobody should be treated like this/ They get banged they get bashed they get harassed

Everyone has the right to eat/ No more hungry people on the street/ No more hungry people/No more hungry people

Livin’ on the streets with disgusting feets/ Some of missing our heartbeats

Nothin’ to do ‘cept lick up the dew/ Welter with no shelter/ There’s no fun when your under the sun/Your gonna feel some pain if your out in the rain/ Ya …Ya… Ya… gonna wail when it starts to hail

The right of a human is the right of all humans: to live.

Performance

After writing, revising, choreographing, and practicing, we were ready to share. Mr. Laurie made a graffiti backdrop for us and we chose our clothes to suit the presentation. Sharing the hip hop routines was fun, and maybe a bit nerve-wracking. Here is just one:

Each group did a terrific job of getting its message out, and we looked pretty great, too.


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Huzzahnians, what was this experience like for you?