Photoshop

For the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with several photos in Photoshop Elements 6. Though I haven't finalized my photo choices for my projects, I have imported photos, added text, and used the magic brush and magnetic lasso tools. I've also tried adding a variety of filters to my file of project photos and would like to create a collage or merge photos for my movie. The auto enhance tool is handy, and it seems like I almost always need to sharpen my digital photos. Because I only have about 8 days left on my trial version, I need to finalize my project plans this week to avoid having to use my clunker 2.o version.

Podcast Subscription

I've found the Grammar Girl podcast to be very worthwhile. As a matter of fact, the latest episode is about the compound-complex sentence, exactly what I've been working on with my students. I like Grammar Girl's matter-of-fact attitude as she tackles a new grammar issue each week. Not only do I plan on sharing the episodes with my students, but I also intend to have my students create and share their own podcasts explaining various grammar rules (lay vs. lie, comparatives & superlatives, affect/effect, etc.). Hopefully this is another activity I can incorporate to help my students transition from information consumers to information producers!

Podcast

I've subscribed to Grammar Girl and listened to several podcasts. I'm hoping to use these as openers in class a few times a week.

Favorite TeacherTube Video

My favorite TeacherTube video this week is "11 Yr Old Power Teaching! Amazing!" Whenever I mention using revision strategies, groans abound. Too many of my students write, hand it in, and never want to see it again. The topic of this video is writing a strong-verb paragraph, something I've been working on with my high school students. As we began evaluating weak-verb paragraphs in class last week, I was met with silence. I've never tried the Power Teaching approach nor have I had students lead the discussion. I'll be trying both this week! : )

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=1f8137e7f4a306aefe69

Final iMovie Article Review (week 2)

Final 2 Minute iMovie (week 2)