Machinima Class

I had the opportunity to teach a class on making machinima last week. We used SnapZ Pro to record avatars moving around in Second Life and edited the resulting Quicktime movies in iMovie. I enjoyed watching the students approach the programs and figure out the details of each one. Each student seemed excited to work with the content and about the products they came up with. I enjoyed the experience as well, but felt frustrated when I was unable to get the students to the same point from which we could work together. I quickly learned, however, that each would work at their own pace. It seemed best to give an overview of what to do then spend my time troubleshooting. Overall, I found the experience valuable in guiding my thoughts about the possibility of using this as a teaching tool.

Social Software

I believe social software has great potential for the future of education. Two of my favorite examples come in the form of YouTube and Second Life. YouTube gives a wonderful platform for amateur content makers to showcase their talents, get feedback, and view content that will stretch the limits of their own capabilities. It also allows students to quickly find video content that may illustrate some idea or concept they are working with. Second Life has similar potential but also can be used for teaching classes, finding experts who may also be online, and working out problems with peers. Both of these examples of social software can help break down feelings of isolation students may have in dealing with problems, and lead them towards a solution.

Get ready for machinima!

I'll be teaching a little bit of Snapz Pro and iMovie next week, so get prepared. Find a place to give a tour in Second Life an we'll start directing!

Speaking Public

Come watch my movie Speaking Public

Birthday!

It's my birthday and its been pretty fun. I did some reading early on, but I also got to enjoy some football. I've been working with the camera functions on Second Life, and its time, but its hard to do by yourself. I need some actors.

The future that wasn't

Check this site out, it's hilarious. It's what people used to think the future would look like.
http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/

Thinking about SL

I'm thinking about what skills a person should know to be able to shoot video and how I can translate that into making machinima. I'm going to look for articles on necessary video skills this week. I'm also trying to understand constructivist theory. I checked out a few books and will be delving deep into some Piaget this week.

Frustrated

No matter how much work I get done, I can't get ahead. Hopefully, I'll get used to this feeling soon. On a good note I gave my first big lecture last week on Reality TV and it went really well. The students thought I was really funny and I got all the info I wanted to talk about into the lecture. Woo-Hoo!

Second Life Machinima

I started making short Quicktime movies of some of my movements in Second Life, trying to figure out this machinima. It was even easier than I thought. I'm going to try and make a short piece with cinematic qualities to try test its possibility as a tool to teach things like composition and camera movement.

First SL Conversation

I had my first real conversation with someone on SL tonight. It was strange to have a conversation with someone and yet all I know about them is based on a virtual representation of how they see themselves. The guy I met was renting SL beachfront property and had a Ghostbuster's t-shirt on, but what is he like in real life?

Busy Week

My whole week has been spent on my paper for my Perspectives class. It seems like years since I've written a paper. Ohh, it has been years. I haven't had much time to explore second life, but I have been thinking about uses for it. I think it could be valuable in teaching film and video techniques. I am looking to further examine the making of "machinima" or SL video segments and figure some concrete possibilities for use in a media education environment.

Second Life

I'm looking forward to getting into Second Life with my Digital Learning class. There is so much to explore. I often feel overwhelmed by the amount of content. I'm hoping we can break it down to more digestible parts.

First Blog

Welcome to my first blog. Thanks for viewing. I hope you will continue to come by. I promise they will become more interesting.