Class 3-311 blogs

Class 3-311 blogs...

These blogs have been created in the computer lab under the direction of Mr. Casal.

The purpose of these blogs is to lay the foundation of a living portfolio, a place where students can post their work and publishing their writing, ongoing, during their time here at PS 10. The hope is as the begin the middle school application process in two years they will be able to show their blogs as timelines of their life as students, examples of the writing, and authentic demonstrations of their growth as students and people over the years.

Some posts are on specific topics with specific guidelines set forth by Mr. Casal. Some posts are entirely independent free writes, completely inspired by the students alone. The layout and design of the blogs is similarly guided, some layout elements are required, but for the most part the students are free to design as they see fit.

These blogs are intended to be student directed & controlled creative outlets to showcase their talents...



Ally: http://allyarportfolio.blogspot.com/
Kate A: http://kateaportfolio.blogspot.com/
Isis: http://isiscportfolio.blogspot.com/
Sophia: http://sophiaeportfolio.blogspot.com/
Phineas: http://phineasfportfolio.blogspot.com/
Helen: http://helenfportfolio.blogspot.com/
Bella: http://bellafportfolio.blogspot.com/
Mada: http://madagportfolio.blogspot.com/
Olivia: http://oliviagportfolio.blogspot.com/
Lena: http://lenagportfolio.blogspot.com/
Haley: http://haleyhportfolio.blogspot.com/
Jacob: http://jacobhbportfolio.blogspot.com/
Gus: http://gushportfolio.blogspot.com/
Ella: http://ellajportfolio.blogspot.com/
Nick: http://nickkportfolio.blogspot.com/
Brian: http://brianksportfort.blogspot.com/
Katie M: http://kateemportfolio.blogspot.com/
Camilo: http://camilomporfolio.blogspot.com/
Zenichi: http://zenmportfolio.blogspot.com/
Eshaan: http://eshaannportfolio.blogspot.com/
Knox: http://knoxoportfolio.blogspot.com/
Casey: http://caseypportfolio.blogspot.com/
Sequoia: http://sequoiarportfoloi.blogspot.com/
Banjo: http://banjosportfolio.blogspot.com/
Milo: http://milosportfolio.blogspot.com/
Naomi: http://naomifsportfolio.blogspot.com/
Josie: http://josiesportfolio.blogspot.com/
Gabriel: http://gabrieltportfolio.blogspot.com/
Katherine T: http://katherinetportfolio.blogspot.com/
Jaila: http://jailatportfolio.blogspot.com/
Theo: http://theoyportfolio.blogspot.com/

Perspective is an intersting thing

This post is not an assignment, just something I found I thought folks might find interesting.

In life we tend to get use to seeing things a certain way. We expect things we see to look & act the same, the way we're use too, all the time. Sometimes, however, it is possible to look at things differently. Looking at things differently, from different angles or with a different mindset, is called perspective.

I found this great video that I think demonstrates the importance of perspective....



When you look at a picture or even a statue, the head stays still. But sometimes, it's possible for a picture or statue to follow you are you walk around it...

Move videos on the Brusspup YouTube Channel

That, is perspective.

Yes, the video refers to it as an illusion, and it is an illusion. An illusion is something that tricks your mind into seeing something other than what is truly there.

But I think it's also a great way to demonstrate the importance of looking at things differently.

Sometimes what we see isn't always what we expect. And sometimes the unexpected is easier to explain than we think. An open mind is the key.

Enjoy the video, and always keep perspective...


------------------------------------------------------->

An explanation from the creator of the video:

This is based on the famous dragon illusion which was inspired by Jerry Andrus. I've always wanted to try this illusion with several of these at once. I wanted to use 20 or 30 but after I tried a test with only 12, I realized 20 or 30 was going to be too many. So another thing I've always wanted to try was to have a large version. The original file was about 9 feet X 9 feet. I had to split the image into 4 files so the printer as my local print shop could print it. I traced all of the pieces on cardboard which I used to build a support structure for the prints. I used small pieces of cardboard and hot glue to make the structure really solid. One problem that I had was that the paper for the large dragon was really shiny. So if you look closely you can see the reflection of the eyes on the "top" and side panels. I bought some matte spray to try and minimize the reflections. It worked a little. Over all I was happy with the results.
The t-rex design is an original design used with the Gathering for Garder 3D dragon template. The original 3D template design (dragon) was inspired by the work of Jerry Andrus to celebrate Gathering for Gardner 3. http://www.thinkfun.com

Links to print out your own T-Rex:

• GreenT-Rex image
• http://i.imgur.com/vBDV8o5.jpg
• Red T-rex
• http://i.imgur.com/80DDCYy.jpg
• Blue T-rex
• http://i.imgur.com/Z8lZnoK.jpg

3rd Grade - Christmas 12/2013 - Technology & You

3rd graders, please answer these 2 questions over the Christmas Vacation....


(click "Read More" to see the questions)

1. What was the first piece of technology you remember using?
2. What do you think "technology" will look/be like in 5 years?

Please respond in full and complete sentences, paragraph form - 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)- 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 - 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. 

5th Grade - Christmas 12/2013 - The possibilities of technology

Technology provides a wide range of possibility and opportunity.

There is possibility to create in ways previously unavailable. Opportunity to see & experience things previously out of reach. Possibility and opportunity to discover and question all the things in your world.

The greatest power of technology is that possibility and opportunity to question what you see & find answers for yourself.

Your assignment...

Watch this video:

Impressive, right?

Question 1:

• Do you think it is truly possible to create that drawing with only an iPad?

Now, watch this video:

Questions 2 & 3:

• Does it change your thinking now that you can see his hands on the iPad?
• Does your idea of possibility change seeing another example?

Read this short article...
Why the Morgan Freeman Finger Painting is Probably Not Fake


Final Question

• Having watched those 2 videos, and read the article, What do you think? If is possible to create something so realistic with just a finger and an iPad? 

Please explain your answer with detail and examples from what you saw and read.

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. 

"Why isn't my comment posted?"

That is a questions I get a lot.

Students will do the homework assignment, maybe even re-post a comment multiple times, and never see it published.

Before I get into why a comment isn't published let me remind students of the only appropriate way to sign a comment:

• In the "Choose an Identity" field select the "Name/URL" option
• Enter first name and last initial ONLY
• Leave the URL field empty
• An example of a properly signed comment is: JohnS or MikeT

It will look like this:

Once you "Publish Your Comment" if you have done it correctly you will see this at the top of the page:

Please allow 24 hours for me to see review the comment. There is no need to re-post a comment within those first 24 hours. 

Why isn't your comment published? Here are a few reasons...

• You used your full name, including first & last, in your post
• I will not publish any comments that include full first & last names
• You posted as "Anonymous"
• I can't publish a comment if I don't know who wrote it
• You were logged in as your parent or another Google Account
• I will not publish comments that have any name other than a student's first name & last initial
• You put something into the URL field, turning your name into a link
• I will not publish a comment with a linked name - leave the URL field empty

Remember, only use first name & last initial to get your comment published!

Please review the video tutorial here & feel free to post comments here with questions or send me an email.

Thanks!

PS 10 Computer Lab has a new home!

If you are looking for the "Mr. Casal's Computer Lab" assignments for students of PS 10, the blog assignments are in a new place!

The new home of all things technology at PS 10 is located at:

http://ps10tech.blogspot.com

http://ps10tech.blogspot.com

Thanks!

5th Grade - Thanksgiving 11/2013 - Who's Coming to Dinner?

Imagine you are hosting Thanksgiving. You can invite one person to eat with. That one person can be anyone at all. It must be a living person, but other than that you can choose anyone in the world to share Thanksgiving dinner....

Who would you choose? Why them?

Your assignment:

• Name the person you'd choose to eat with
• Explain your rational for choosing this person. Why them?
• Describe what you would want to talk about with this person during dinner

Post your response, 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.

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.

3rd Grade - Thanksgiving 11/2013 - What is Thanksgiving?

What is Thanksgiving? Do you know where the holiday came from? Do you know some of the myths of thanksgiving?

For me Thanksgiving is about remembering how we got to where we are. Remembering those who came before us to help us get where we are. It is a chance to get together with family and friends and think about our history as well as look to the future. And honestly, for me, it's also a little bit about football. Eating and watching football has always been a big part of Thanksgiving in my family. We have a football tradition, every year we play the "Turkey Bowl". The Turkey Bowl is a 1 hour touch-football game where we split the family into 2 teams and play before we eat. It's all in fun, and it works up an appetite.

Your assignment:

• What does Thanksgiving mean to you? 
• Why do you think we celebrate it? 
• How do you celebrate it? 
• What are your family's traditions?

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.