Presenter:  Matt Monjan – Discovery Education

Presentation is at http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/matt.monjan/the-bird-house-your-source-for-geekybird-stuff/ (have to log in to DE Streaming to get to – see IT Webpage for access code and instructions on how to create an account)

There’s WAY more to Discovery Education than just the videos! – there are more tools that you can add to your package (but they cost additional $$)

Content can be assigned to students – We DO have all students imported into the system – but the kids don’t know about it, yet – still very new – I need to provide info/training

Use it for videos (what we are all most familiar with)

• Can stream or download
• Different types – windows media, flash, and quicktime – works with all – default is flash because that’s the smallest file
• You can also download clips and modify to meet your instructional needs

Audio

• Nice resources – songs can help teach the English language(!)

Images

• Tons of images out there – don’t need to worry about copyright – we have rights to use since we own the package
• Show portion of an image and have kids guess what it is – attention-grabber – used shark as an example (shout out to Cathy L!) and lesson about shark teeth

Multimedia Presentations

• They don’t have to be linear – for self-directed student learning
• And also can embed media players into powerpoint – for video – use Control Toolbox in PowerPoint – Hammer and Wrench Icon – different from how I’ve done it in the past – interesting – for detailed instructions, see Monjan’s presentation at Geekybird – this way gives you the controls on the player – NICE

Calendar

• In teacher center
• What happened this day in history….for multiple subjects – again, another interesting way to grab attention
• Get kids to class on time – show it only at the beginning of class
• Can also correlate with student birthdays – nice way to personalize instruction

My Builder Tools

• Writing Prompt Builder – lots of chatter about the potential for this tool, especially for Lang. Arts

Using Closed Captions

• Nice for ESOL kids
• Also improves reading comprehension
• Can use freeze frame to draw attention to certain vocabulary
• Search by “Closed Captioning” on left
• To download for PC – Save Target As – then also download the “CC” file, too – have to download, too – and best if you put both files into the same folder (Ginette C. – this might answer the question you had for me regarding cc for these videos)
• In Windows Media Player – have to set some rules to play cc – Tools/Options/Security and “check” run script commands and show local captions (1st and 4th) – need to be checked for cc to work
• Play/Captions and Subtitles – make sure it’s on
• Windows Media Player will remember these settings from here on out
• To change font size of cc – right-click cc file and open with notepad – change code – change font size from 10 to 20 and change color from white to yellow (statistically proven to be easier to read)
• AND can change cc text to another language – using the open in notepad, again – this could be a project for World Language kids

Digital Storytelling

• Use DE content to tell a story

Quiz Builder

• My Builder Tools

Green Screen Possibilities

• Put yourself, or your students (!), into the videos – adobe premier

Assignment Builder

• My Builder Tools

Atlas Interactive Map

• In Teacher Center – nice resource!
• Very powerful
• Great for Social Studies and World Language classes

Discovery Student Adventures – http://discoverystudentadventures.com/

Share button on all Discovery materials, now, can share links to all resources

There are many Professional Development opportunities through Discovery – can become a DEN STAR educator!

Christopher Walken does Fat Boy Slim!

Fat Boy Slim – Weapon of Choice_1

With that in mind, for those of you having trouble accessing this great resource, here are the steps:

1. Go to http://tech.hylton.groupfusion.net and log in.
2. Under Links, click Discovery Education/United Streaming. If this is your first time using Discovery Education Streaming, be sure to write down the access code located just below the link.
3. To sign up, use the access code and complete the registration form. If you already have a username and password for Discovery Education, log in.
4. Once you are logged in, click “Streaming” in the upper left corner and have fun searching!

Be sure to crank up  the volume on your speakers!

Oprah’s Kickoff Party Dance

During The Oprah Show’s 24th season kickoff party, Harpo staff and more than 20,000 people pulled off a massive surprise for an unsuspecting Oprah. The entire crowd performed a choreographed piece to the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling,” and Oprah was not only shocked, she was thrilled! Award-winning director Michael Gracey says the interaction between the Black Eyed Peas and the crowd is what made the flash mob so extraordinary. “There’s something really special when you take an audience and instead of just being passive and watching, you invite them to participate,” he says. “That’s why it was so magical for both parties. Two groups of people came together to create something that neither of them could have done alone.”

Click here to check out the flash mob that took over Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

This video is for any one who may be, like me, finding themselves wondering “who’s on first, what’s on second, etc.”

The whirlwind of the kickoff to a new school year has me spinning!

Enjoy!

And for the final post of the year, I give you a classic song about summer!

grease-summer-nights

See you next year!