4th Grade - Spring Break 2014 - Pinokio

We live in interesting times. Technology is all around us. Some technology is passive, meaning it only does what we make it do. Other technology works on it's own...



Can technology talk to you? Can technology play along? The robots of the movies, are they possible in today's technology filled world?



Watch this video and answer the questions below:

Pinokio from adambd on Vimeo.

Here is information about the Lamp from the creators of the video:

Pinokio is an exploration into the expressive and behavioural potentials of robotic computing. Customized computer code and electronic circuit design imbues Pinokio with the ability to be aware of its environment, especially people, and to expresses a dynamic range of behaviour. As it negotiates its world, we the human audience can see that Lamp shares many traits possessed by animals, generating a range of emotional sympathies. In the end we may ask: Is Pinokio only a lamp? – a useful machine? Perhaps we should put the book aside and meet a new friend.

Your assignment:

Watch the video and read the quote from the creators. Post a comment in paragraph form with your thoughts on what you saw and read. Keep these questions in mind:

• Did you ever think a robotic lamp was possible to make?
• Now that you've seen one are there other objects you think can be made to move and interact with people?
• Does this mean we'll have full robots soon?
• Over all, what are your thoughts & reactions to this video and the description from the creators?
• Can you think of any other every-day objects that have been changed or upgraded with technology?

Please post your comments in full and complete sentences with proper grammar, spelling & punctuation.

Have a great Spring Break!

Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment.

Grade 4 - Panorama

4th graders,
Since Mr. Casal is absent you will do the following assignment, answering the questions as comments.

Once you have successfully posted a comment you can finish work on your "Me2013" Google Presentation.

Have you ever wanted to look at something from above? Have you ever wanted to look at a monument of city from every angle?



A panorama is a wide-angle look at something. 360 degrees is a full circle...

There is a website that has taken 360 degree panoramic images of famous places and made them available for free on the internet. The company uses helicopters and a variety of cameras to make these 360 degree panoramic photos.

These photos are wide angle looks at various places, wide-angle views from every angle in all directions.

Your assignment:

• Go to the site http://www.airpano.com/
• Chose one or more of the 360 panoramas (you can select from their home page, from the World Map link, or from their full list)
• If you have any trouble loading a panorama click on the "iPad/Android" link to get a version that will load more quickly
• When you open the panorama, explore it, more the image around, look up & down, left & right. Use all the tools such as the ones I've circled in the picture below:

Post a comment with:

• The name/location of the panorama you looked at
• The things you observed
• What  the images made you think of
• Your thoughts & ideas about the website & pictures in general

Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment.

4th Grade - February 2/2014 - New Winter Olympic events

The Olympic Winter Games are currently happening. They started on February 7th and go until the closing ceremony on February 23rd.

Below is a video describing the new events at these Olympic Games. These are events that have never before been Olympic events.


Watch the video and answer the questions below...

Your questions:

• What did you think about the video?

• Which of the new events looks most interesting to you? Why?

• Have you watched any of the Winter Olympics this year?

• Have you seen any of these new events? 

• Do you currently do any winter sports? Ice skating, skiing, hockey, etc?

Please respond in full and complete sentences, paragraph form. Double check your work before posting your comment. Once you post your comment, Mr. Casal will be notified and he will grade and approve your post. Your comment will not appear on the blog until Mr. Casal has read and approved it.

Have a great week off, watch the Olympics, and have fun!

Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL). Please respond in full and complete sentences. Double check your work before posting your comment.

Grade 4 - Time Lapse: Earth

4th graders,

I am out of school at an educational technology conference. I am being a student, learning from other teachers new tools, ideas, and how I can be a better computer teacher. Learning never stops, even if you're a teacher.

You will watch the video below and answer a few questions...

For anyone that has difficulty commenting you can read this post and watch the video and if you still have questions, this post might be helpful too....

Time-Lapse | Earth from Bruce W. Berry Jr on Vimeo.


Your questions...

• What did you see, in your own words?
• What was one thing that stood out to you?
• Did you recognize any parts of the Earth, any continents or countries?
• When the night-time images came on, what did it make you think about?
• Did seeing the Earth from above during both day and night change your thinking about the world we live in?

Answer these questions in full and complete detailed sentences (at least one full paragraph) as a comment below...

Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment.

4th Grade - Christmas 12/2013 - Into the Atmosphere

Have you ever looked at the sky and just watched the clouds go by?

Have you watched the stars imagined the earth spinning?

Have you ever wanted to watch a sunset but dind't have the time?

Time lapse photography is a great way to see things in a way you haven't.

Your assignment...



Watch the time lapse video below and answer the questions underneath it.

What is time lapse you ask?

So, what exactly is Time Lapse?

According to Wikipedia, “Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that which will be used to play the sequence back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing.”

Generally, a video comprises of 24-30 frames of photos per second (called fps). At this rate, our eye is not able to identify the individual frames and we perceive them as a continuous stream of images. So when we watch a 3-minute video on YouTube, technically we have seen 24fps x 180 secs = 4320 frames or images. So, if you set the time-lapse recording for 4 seconds and record a 40-second video, the resulting time-lapse video will be of 10 seconds and thus time flies by, super fast.

In other words, why wait for 12 hours from sunrise to sunset, by using time-lapse, watch the sun set it in a matter of minutes.

(courtesy of http://www.globaldelight.com/blog/2011/07/what-is-a-time-lapse-video/)

Here is the video:

Into The Atmosphere from Michael Shainblum on Vimeo.

Here are your questions

• What did you think about the video?
• What did you see in the video? Describe some things that stood out to you?
• Does time lapse give you a different perspective about what you were watching?
• Any thoughts or comments about the idea of time lapse video/photography in general?

Please post your answers to all 4 questions as a comment below. Remember, use full & complete sentences and check your spelling and grammar.

Enjoy the video and have a great vacation!


Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- Comments with last names will not be published! Please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment. 

4th Grade - Thanksgiving 11/2013 - How to Cook a Turkey

You are in charge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. You have to cook a turkey and 2 side dishes (a side dish is usually mashed potato, mac & cheese, stuffing, etc).

How are you going to cook the turkey? What side dishes are you going to make?

Imagine you have no help from your parents, what & how are you going to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner?

Your assignment:

• Describe your meal in one or two sentences
• List your ingredients for all aspects of your meal
• List the directions you will use for preparing your turkey and side dishes
• If you could have help cooking from one person, who would you choose to help you & why

Post your answers to these questions, in full and complete sentences, as a comment to this blog post. Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment.

Your comment will not appear right away. I, Mr Casal, will receive an email when you post a comment and I will publish it as soon as I see it. 

Thank you, and have a good Thanksgiving...

Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment.

4-404 - Twitter

Students of class 4-404,
Last week we did our first lesson about Twitter and how to post a tweet. Today we did a quick review.

I would like you to comment with answers to a few questions. This is a bit of a quiz on some of the terms we learned last week as well as a personal reflection.

Here are the questions (the first 6 are short answer, the last 2 are extended response)...

4-411 - Twitter

Students of class 4-411,
Last week we did our first lesson about Twitter and how to post a tweet. Today we did a quick review.

I would like you to comment with answers to a few questions. This is a bit of a quiz on some of the terms we learned last week as well as a personal reflection.

Here are the questions (the first 6 are short answer, the last 2 are extended response)...

4-407 - Twitter

Students of class 4-407,
Last week we did our first lesson about Twitter and how to post a tweet. Today we did a quick review.

I would like you to comment with answers to a few questions. This is a bit of a quiz on some of the terms we learned last week as well as a personal reflection.

Here are the questions (the first 6 are short answer, the last 2 are extended response)...

4th Grade - Spring Break 4/2012 - The Art of Ocean Currents

Below is a video made by NASA. It shows the currents of the worlds oceans.

Many people think it reminds them of the work of the famous artist Vincent van Gogh...

4th Grade - Christmas Break 12/2011 - Technology & You

4th graders, please answer these 2 questions over the Christmas Vacation....


(click "Read More" to see the questions)

Your first, and future, experience with technology (4th Grade)

What was the first piece of technology you remember using?

What do you think "technology" will look/be like in 5 years?


(please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment)


Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL)- please respond in full and complete sentences - double check your work before posting your comment.