The Media Spot

TAOTS is a brand new school in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, that is building an innovative curriculum from scratch, based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model of education.  Starting with K-1, our focus during their first year will be to help their "digital natives" develop age-appropriate technology skills as they develop the ability to communicate using a variety of media. 

Mr. Tandarich, a 5th Grade teacher at PS 124, in Brooklyn, NY is a comic book lover. I have worked with Mr. T to integrate technology into his curriculum since 2005 -- his preference is normally to work within his literacy curriculum around student reading of classic novels. We've always looked for ways of incorporating Mr. T and his students' familiarity and interest in the comic book genre along with 21st century forms of storytelling, and this year, it came together in 5-501's Classic Production of The Invisible Man!

Super Battery Fairy, a PSA on recycling rechargeable batteries by Class 4-302 at PS 124 will be showing at the Thirteen/WNET, WLIW21 Celebration of Teaching and Learning as a winner of the 2010 Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards Competition.

An instant classic, the students at GSS at PS 32 in Gowanus, Brooklyn worked with TMS collaborators, Brian Smith, Jacqueline Arias, and myself, to produce this spoof of reality TV, and corresponding PSA, during our genre study afterschool video production workshop series.

After researching hazards related to the improper disposal of rechargeable batteries, students wrote a script with Mr. Marsano keeping them focused on the problem, and what the students wanted their audience to do about it. To "hook" their audience, students decided to take a serious tone with elements of humor.  Come on in and have a look at their PSA, the "making-of" process-based documentary, and our production notes. 

In June of 2009, 4 teachers at PS 334, The Anderson School (one of my AUSSIE schools) traveled to the Galapagos Islands to cap off the development of a school-wide multi-discipline curriculum-building initiative. To expand the potential value of this trip, we used a variety of technology-based resources including digital video and photos, collaborative online digital presentation software (Voicethread.com), an integrated online curriculum map, and a project blog to create and share re-useable custom resources, and to enable teachers to interact with students from the islands.