One Week Down...

Hi Everyone,

We now have one week finished and so far so good :)

3U - Our first unit is progressing very well!  The first two essays have been deconstructed very well and I'm extremely pleased with the symbolic analysis our class has uncovered in these particular essays.  Keep working on your personal essay and we will be conferencing this week.

2D - The short story is well underway and I hope that everyone is enjoying the multicultural aspect of the course!  Keep reading your novels and working on the news report for Just Lather, That's All.

Keep up the great work!

Ms. Weir

Welcome Back!

Hi Everyone,

The summer is quickly coming to an end and the back to school advertising is in full force so that can only mean school is about to begin! With our upcoming return to LDSS, my thoughts have turned to preparing for ENG 2D and ENG 3U and here is what I have been thinking thus far:

ENG 2D students - I have two classes this semester and am looking forward to teaching some familiar faces as well as some new ones :) Our class will have a multicultural focus this semester with a focus on literature written by authors from a variety of cultures. I really love learning about other cultures so I am very excited for this semester!

ENG 3U students - Like the 2D classes, I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces as well as new ones :) I am also really looking forward to exploring gothic literature through Frankenstein as well as the dark side of Shakespeare's brain with Macbeth.

As many of you know, I am a tree hugger so I would appreciate if all my students made an effort to be environmentally conscious. I am not planning on using very much paper so if you miss a handout, please check my website http://sites.google.com/site/msweirswebpage/ .

Have a great last week of holidays and I'll see you on Sept. 2!
Ms. Weir

Thanks Apple!

Hi Everyone,

Well, the laptops are officially gone now.  I am quite saddened as I think they were an absolutely amazing addition to our classroom and I think my students would agree!  Having access to such great technology on a daily basis was definitely an honour and I think the hands on learning that took place in our classroom was pretty awesome!

I am super impressed with the quality of the finished products created by all three classes!  The finished character trait movies created by the grade nines and the life skills classes are just fantastic!!  It's great to see the time, dedication and polished products that have come from their collaboration!  It will be such a privilege to show them to the group!

The OLC class did very well in finishing their podcasts!  I was really impressed with the creativity and variety of topics chosen for this product!  Some of the students used photos from the internet to create a visual podcast while others chose to download video clips from Youtube and create voice-overs.  Well done all round!

The Media class finished their presentations today and I am very impressed with the calibre of finished products!  The "Teenagers Helping Teenagers" group chose to discuss the issue of drunk driving and created a very impressive commercial that is to be used at tomorrow's OSAID assembly.  The "Sell It" group created some beautiful posters that Mr. Klassen liked so much that he is having them framed and put up around the school!  The "Promising Musician" groups also made three very different and very unique songs and music videos that all would appeal to their target audiences!  The "Michael Moore Wannabe" group created an excellent documentary profiling the Sex Slave Trade and demonstrated their creativity through a thought-provoking Keynote presentation.  Finally, the "Website Designer" group created a strong blog that profiled the progress of each of our groups and kept everyone up-to-date.

I am so very proud of all three classes and so humbled that you would work so hard to create these absolutely amazing, impressive, professional, and awesome products!

Well done!

I also would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Apple for giving us this incredible opportunity!  I don't think I could have seen the amazing creativity in my students if it wasn't for the laptop program!  

Ms. Weir

Stardust #4

Dragonsong Podcast #4

Dragonsong Podcast #3

Stardust Podcast #3

Earthsea Podcast #2

The Finish Line is Approaching...

Hi Everyone,

The end of the month is quickly approaching and unfortunately that means our beloved laptops will be moving on to another school.  I am a little sad about this reality as the laptops have really become a staple in our classroom.  It also means that our projects must be completed by Monday April 28th which is going to be a tight deadline for some groups.

The grade nines are really doing their best to finish editing the movies they have filmed.  We previewed one today and I was very happy with the results!  I especially enjoyed the song choices as well as the acting abilities :)

The OLC class should be finished their podcasts today which makes me very happy!  The last few students are recording their voices and just putting the finishing touches on their projects!  Great work!

Finally, the Media English class is finishing up their multimedia projects.  The documentary group has finished which is excellent and we have a couple other groups who are so close to being done!  Keep working hard and be ready for presentations next week!

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Weir

Thanks Casey!

Hi Everyone,

Last Friday we had a guest speaker in our Media Studies class.  Casey Lessard is a photojournalist from the Grand Bend area who put on an excellent demonstration in our classroom!  

Casey began his presentation with a slideshow of some of his best photographs.  He emphasized the importance of proper lighting before taking a photo as well as how to accurately focus a picture.  He also critiqued one of my photos by showing the flaws found in my original photo. 

At the end of the class he had a volunteer model and another student in the class as the photographer.  He had our model sit with the proper lighting on his face and the student photographer had to properly position the photo to get a great shot.  Check out the results posted on this page.

If you want more information about Casey, feel free to access his websites:

The Grand Bend Strip Online Newspaper: www.grandbendstrip.com

Casey Lessard Photography: caseylessard.com

Thanks again Casey!

ENG 1D Task #2

Today's Tasks Are:

1. Discuss all the questions and answers for section two and add to your personal answers if necessary.

2. If you have not already done so, please discuss journal topic two in your group.

-> think about how the characters must be feeling at this point in the novel.

-> also, think about how you would feel or act if you were in their shoes.

3. Using your discussion of the feelings and emotions of the characters as your inspiration, try to think of a song or songs to express these sentiments.  The song(s) can be from any genre of music, but need to contain lyrics that evoke empathy and compassion from the listener.

4. When you think of the song(s), download the lyrics then record each of your group members saying a line that really demonstrates the feelings of the character from your journal topic.

5. In iMovie, edit all your clips together complete with a screen that gives the title of your novel as well as the character and song names that evoke this feeling.

Thanks Ben!

Yesterday was a super productive day in our classroom!

In the grade nine class, the Honesty group videotaped their mini movie and uploaded it to their computer.  We also had the Integrity group print their storyboard made using Comic Life and it looks great!  I have been showing it off and received rave reviews from everyone!  Excellent work group!  We are printing more today so I'm excited to see the finished products!

The OLC class is still working hard at creating their podcasts.  We had some students uploading videos to do voice overs and others creating audio-visual podcasts using their voices and images from the internet.  I think they will turn out really well!

Finally, the Media class had the privilege of having another guest speaker.  My brother, Ben, made the trek from Toronto to give a talk about Garageband.  He showed the class how to play your own instruments and record it into Garageband.  He also showed the group how the internet is changing the face of the music industry by providing a medium for artists to display their work.  A big thank you to Ben for giving up his time to visit us!

Ms. Weir

Stardust #2

A Wizard of Earthsea Podcast

Dragonsong Podcast #2

Dragonsong Podcast #1

Monday Again

Hi Everyone,

Today was a day full of hard work in our classroom! The grade nines worked diligently on their podcasts for their novels and you will be able to watch their finished products here on my blog. One is already posted based on the novel Stardust and more follow shortly.

The OLC's are continuing to work on their podcasts and the creativity is just pouring out! We will have podcasts based on cats, hairstyling, soccer, martial arts, diesel trucks, boxing, and four-wheeling so it will be quite a collection!

The Media class took the day to get caught up on some outstanding assignments as report cards are coming out soon ;) I'm sure they are glad to get that work out of the way!

Tomorrow should be an exciting day for the Media class as we will be having another guest speaker. My brother, Ben, is coming to answer any and all questions about Garageband as well as give a demonstration of how to record yourself playing an instrument such as an electric guitar. I'm really looking forward to my brother's visit and I hope everyone else is too!

See you all in class on Tuesday!
Ms. Weir

Stardust Podcast #1

Thanks Mr. Moore!

Friday's Media English had the pleasure of a guest speaker.  Mr. Moore, a teacher from South Huron and an Apple Distinguished Educator, made the trip up to Listowel and worked with our class.  He focussed on podcasting using the Apple program Garageband.  He also gave our class a great demonstration of the capabilities of the program which sparked some inspiration for the various projects being completed in this class.

The Media English class would like to thank Mr. Moore for visiting our class! 

ENG 1D Task

Hi ENG 1D,

Your task for today is centered around the fantasy novel you are reading.  In your respective groups, you are going to complete the following activities:

1. Discuss the answers to all the questions for section one.

* For numbers two and three you are going to come to a consensus as a group and either record an audio file or a video file of your group's opinions on the setting and protagonist of your novel. 

2. Complete a Setting Analysis.  You need to discuss:

-> where the story is taking place (name)

-> the time period(s)

-> the weather conditions/season(s)

-> the mood/atmosphere you as a reader feel as well as what the protagonist feels

-> the social conditions (social standing of the protagonist, discuss the hierarchy of the culture, identify who is in power, etc.)

3. Complete a Protagonist Analysis.  You will need to discuss:

-> the name of the main character

-> the physical appearance of the main character

-> the character's personality (e.g. sense of humour, opinionated, etc)

-> the way the character speaks (e.g. is it normal? fast or slow pace? good listener? etc)

-> the different roles the character plays in the lives of people around him/her  (e.g. son/daughter, husband/wife, best friend, policeman, teacher, etc)

4. Using the internet, please search for a picture of how you think the main character in your novel would look physically.  Please do not use photos from the movies or anyone else's interpretation, but rather try to find a photo or picture that represents how you and your group picture the protagonist.  When you have found a photo or picture, please post it to my blog.

Thanks and good luck!

Ms. Weir

April 10th Update

ENG 1D Response

Hi 1D,

Please respond to the following ideas by making a comment on this topic in my blog.

* how are you enjoying having the laptops?

* what is something interesting or cool you have done/created with the laptops?

* please give a tip about something you have discovered 

* give a suggestion of something else we could do/create/make

Thanks!

Ms. Weir

April 8th

Hi Everyone,

Things seem to be progressing very well these past two days!  I'm very happy with the story boarding I'm seeing from the grade nines.    You've done an excellent job of taking action based photos and adding captions!  We will begin videotaping your mini movies later this week.

The podcasts in the OLC class are in progress.  I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about your selected topics!  If you need to see more examples of podcasts, feel free to search for examples online!

Finally, after seeing how the media class worked on the first with their assignments, I am very pleased!  Everyone was so involved in yesterday's class that it made me very proud :)  I really can't wait to see the finished products at the end of this month!

Keep working hard!

Ms. Weir

Ms. Weir's First Video Blog

I hope this works!   :)

April 2nd Update

Yesterday was an excellent day with the laptops!

My grade nines demonstrated their great teaching abilities by showing Ms. Bruggemann's class how to use the various programs on the laptops.  The students worked really well together and I was very pleased with the cooperation between both classes :)

The grade twelves showed their informational skills and personal interests through a mini presentation of their favourite websites.  They also were the first class to access this blog and offer their comments.  Great work on the day!

Finally, the Media class worked on filming their Mini Character Education movie for the grade nines.  We have enough footage now so that today's class will be one of creating, editing, and adding music.  I'm very excited to see the creativity of my students :)

EMS 30 Responses

Hi Media Students,

Please post your first response to the discussion question in this forum.

Thanks!

Ms. Weir

OLC 40 Responses

Hi OLC

Please write your response to the laptops in this blog category.  I would like to see you use complete sentences and the proper spelling of words (i.e. no short forms).

Here are the topics:

For your first discussion topic, I would like you to give me some feedback about your first time using the laptops.  Think of posting on my blog as the same as posting on someone's wall on Facebook.

I would like to hear:

* what you liked 

* what you didn't like

* any questions you might have 

* any ideas of things you would like to try with them.  

Ms. Weir

First Day

Hello Everyone,

Today was our first day with the laptops and I think it went quite well!  I was pleased to see that everyone was unafraid to try new things and work on the mini projects Rob the Apple guy and I assigned.  April the second will be our first full day of work on the laptops so please remember that in the last fifteen to twenty minutes of class you should be posting a comment on my blog page telling me how you felt about working with the MacBooks.  

I have also posted some photos from today's grade nine class.  Enjoy!

Ms. Weir

Tips, Questions, and Any Other Queries

Hi Everyone,

To go along with you responding to how you are enjoying the laptops, I would like you to use this section of my blog to post any tips, questions or other queries.  If you figure something out that you think might be useful to others, please post it here.  If you have a question about how something works, check here to see if someone else has posted a similar issue or feel free to offer your help to others if you know the answer to their question.

Ms. Weir

First Discussion Topic

Hi 1D, OLC, and EMS,

For your first discussion topic, I would like you to give me some feedback about your first time using the laptops.  Think of posting on my blog as the same as posting on someone's wall on Facebook.

I would like to hear:

* what you liked 

* what you didn't like

* any questions you might have 

* any ideas of things you would like to try with them.  

Do your best to answer all four topics.  :)

Thanks!

An Experiment

Hi Everyone,

Technology is a major aspect to all of our lives so I thought I would try something new with our classes.  In each of my three classes, I am going to ask you to post comments to my blog discussing various topics.  For the month of April they will be related to the laptop program and how you feel things are going with your various projects.  I hope you are willing to participate in my little experiment :)

Thanks!