How To: Creating a New Blog

Below are instructions for creating a blog on Blogger. There are important privacy settings to change when creating a classroom blog or blogs for your students. Or click here to view the document and instructions. 

Green Screening Made Easy (Video Production Resources)

Got a project coming up?  Want to spice up an old lesson?  Graland students of all ages love using the Digital Media Studio in the library to create pictures and videos.  Don't have a camera?  No problem.  We've got cameras, or you can use the camera on an iPad or cell phone for most videos.  The green screen is very simple to use, here are some tools to get you started:

Green Screen by Do Ink

• Students can create simple videos and images using an iPad app called "Green Screen" made by the company DoInk.  
• Pros: iPad app, kid and teacher friendly, simple to use.
• Cons: iPad app, low quality footage/low resolution images.
• Bonus: "Animation" is another app by DoInk that allows users to draw graphics on their Green Screened images and videos.
• Sample Project - Cate y Lauren Weather Report in 4th Spanish (Viseur), Staff Holiday Cards:

iMovie for Mac

• For slightly more advanced video production, iMovie is a great user-friendly option on mac computers.   Students can add transitions to videos, title pages, etc on iMovie.
• Pros: computer program on your school laptop, user-friendly, video transitions and title slides, easy to import from iPhoto, iTunes and other mac programs, great for longer videos.
• Cons: computer program, not all students have macs, only for basic editing.
• Sample Project - 5th Rick Roll (just for fun)

Adobe Premiere

• For the most advanced editing, we have Adobe Premiere on the computers in the Digital Media Studio.  
• Pros: If you can dream it, you can create it.  (Or pretty close.)  
• Cons: With so many video effects, Adobe Premiere can be overwhelming to try to use.  (Lindsay and Marty are great resources to help you learn, as is YouTube.)   Also, Premiere is an expensive program that you can access in the Digital Media Studio but you won't have it on your laptop.  
• Sample Project - First Day of Art for Lower School (Crane), Lauper Ladies (just for fun)

Navigating the Digital World

Common Sense is an organization that provides information and resources about technology and media. Parents, teachers and children can find information to help navigate the world of technology. There is a specific section of the website that provides excellent resources for education, including their K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. This curriculum "teaches students how to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions in the digital world" (Common).

Common Sense Media also has an app available so you can easily access recommended apps, books, games, movies and more for your students and children. 

"Media and Technology Resources for Educators | Common Sense Media." Media and Technology Resources for Educators. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2015.

The Kids' Guide to Google Search

This article from Common Sense Media shares some great tips for teaching students how to use Google search. Here are some of the tips, but check out the article for more details on teaching Google skills.

• Definitions
• Age-appropriate results
• Photo magic