All daily lessons will be posted on this website. Please check the site every day as I will update occasionally.

You will be working independently for these first few weeks- please use this time wisely.

You must have a 4 GB flash drive for this class. Please get one ASAP. You will be saving movie files and need to have a larger flash drive. Check sale adds. DO NOT SHARE FLASH DRIVES. If a project is due and the person you have shared a flash drive with is absent- you lose. No excuses!

If you have a digital camera with video capabilities please get into the habit of bringing it to class. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A CAMERA.

You are also encouraged to bring ear buds and may also bring an ipod or mp3 player as we will be using these in class.

As this is a senior elective, you must be able to manage your time wisely. Consider this an introduction to college life- your professors will assign a task and you must accomplish the task without constant reminding. I need you to be self-motivated and I need the final products that you will be graded on to be extremely well done.

We will starting out making smaller movies and using Powerpoint. We will also create larger films and, this year, I want to try a short documentary project. With that in mind, start thinking about some topics for possible documentary films you may wish to create.

We will also, as in year's past, enter various contests and create some comical videos too.

There are a few things that you need to accomplish in the next three weeks- work at your own pace, but get things accomplished! Don't fall into the habit of surfing the web while you are supposed to be working. Remember, we will view ALL finished projects as a class. Create something that you are proud of and that you can consider your best work. Things AlWAYS go wrong with the computers. Sometimes, you will lose an entire project if the computer crashes and you have not saved your work. Get into the habit of saving your work to your flash drive every few minutes. Consider yourself warned- a deadline is a deadline. Complete a project with time to spare- just in case things don't go as planned.

Project # 1- Due by Friday, September 17, 2010

• Your first project will coincide with "Banned Books Month".

• I would like you to visit the website: www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm for a list of the most challenged books from this decade.

• Look through the list and find ONE book that you have read or that interests you in some way. Then, do a little more web research on that book and about book banning in general. 

• You will be creating a movie about this book using One True Media.

• Go to www.onetruemedia.com and sign up for an account. Then, play around with the things One True Media has to offer.

• Try to figure things out for yourself- try different things and be OK with making some mistakes. It's all about trial and error.

• Make a "practice video" to see what this site is all about.

• Your challenge is to create a movie about your banned book.

• Search the ALA website for ideas on things to include in your movie.

• Make it original- and creative.

• Use various images from the book and think about images that relate to Freedom of Speech and Press and book banning (or burning).

• Your movie should be between 30 and 60 seconds long.

• Please- creativity and originality are ESSENTIAL with these movies.

• Completed movies should be sent by email (share right from the www.onetruemedia.com site) to kmonacohannon@buffaloschools.org on or before Friday, September 17, 2010 by 3:00 pm

• Late projects will not be accepted.

Email me with any questions or concerns!