Tracking Time with Toggle

We will be taking finals soon. My 5th period class completes MMVP on Friday, June 10th. My 4th period class finishes on Wednesday.

Therefore, students must complete their final projects the week of Monday June 6th.

To help students track how they spend their time, I have assigned daily time trackers using Microsoft Excel. If students wish, they can also use a new computer application called Toggl. (www.toggl.com) no "e" at the end.

Students are not required to use Toggl, but they are required to track their time while in class. Also, students are required to be accurate. If students decide to use their time to be "off task," students must document accurately. If a student only spends ten minutes playing video solitaire, I do not want them to document that they spent 15.

bf

Group Presentations - Treatments

(This message was posted after our group presentations, so that parents would know what happened in class today.)

Today, student groups presented in class.

Each group will "pitch" their movie ideas. Within two sentences, the group should present a clear concept of movie, either the title or the catch phrase will entice the audience to listen more carefully.

In class, students will be graded for presenting and participating.

BF

Welcome Back for the Stretch Run

Beginning today, students are going to track how much time they spend working on projects.

Students will also track how much time they spend on activities unrelated to this class.

Tracking time is a standard practice in many professions. For example, lawyers bill clients in six minutes increments. Accounting firms also bill clients in small increments. While a customer might hire someone at an hourly rate, many tasks rarely take an entire hour. A one minute phone call costs six minutes. 

Computer consultants bill clients too. Many visual artists track their time, even when the artist is not billing a client, so that the artist knows whether a project is potentially profitable.


You will begin using a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet to track your time each day. I have created a draft MS Excel Spreadsheet and placed it in my R drive. At the end of each class, you will send the me the attachment to my school email. Use the same spreadsheet for the rest of the year.

Your group may create the same template, but each student is responsible for maintaining their own spreadsheet. Each student is responsible for tracking their own time.  Each student is responsible for submitting their own email every day. Today, create a spreadsheet for the remainder of the year.


Consider the following questions so that you can include all activities that you perform in class, even those that are not assigned. What categories should be included? How do you spend your time when you are not following directions? How do you spend your time when you are relaxing? How long are classes? On what days will there be holidays? How should the form look? How can you calculate the amount of time? What are the obstacles about being honest?


BF

What is a Treatment?

Remember way back on yesterday when I said that I might add something to your list of final projects? Well, somehow I forgot an important part of screen writing. I forgot the treatment.


Read more at the following links.


1. How to Write a Movie Treatment


2. Treatment Examples from Simply Scripts


3. Movie Treatments dot com

Write your treatment before you begin your script and storyboards.

Notes about filming, recording, and learning

Now that students are using cameras and microphones and creating their own work, I want students to read two articles.


1. If you create something and put it online, whose work is it?


2. If you are recording and videotaping in California, err on the side of caution. This is one reason that I have insisted that you only include your group in your videos. This is why I also want to see your story boards before you go out and shoot. You only shoot your story boards, unless you make minor adjustment.


A further note: When you are recording... you are recording. For your projects, I have required that your projects will be appropriate enough so that you do not embarrass yourself, your friends or your family. Remember that your family will see the script, see your video and hear you audio. You may change your behavior after seeing your script. Sometimes, that is how people learn.

The Big Project Begins!

Starting today, our multimedia and video production class will begin working on our final project. (O.K. so we still have to wrap up some of the old projects, but we are moving onward!)

By the end of the year, your groups will finish a

1. "Feature Film" (4 minutes or less!)
2. Website for the film
3. Movie Poster
4. DVD Cover
5. Behind the scenes video
6. Screen Play
7. Story Boards
8. Cast Photos
9. Short IMDB type Description
10. Trailer

and maybe a few minor additions that I assign.

You will use a website to display your movie. You may look at the weebly site I created this morning. You will use something similar. Start investigating.

Before beginning the final project, you must complete the four short assignments and a project reflection.

Short Video and Short Audio Reflections

For your first two projects, write one reflection.

What did you do well?

What could you have done better?

What did you learn?

For each question, provide three answers. You can use bullet points or complete sentences.