"The Yellow Wallpaper" is Coming to a Theatre Near You!

A couple of my ninth graders who have a passion for the digital video field decided to create a movie trailer for the short story we are reading in class: “The Yellow Wallpaper”.
Awesome job!

CHS New Media Class (MP2) Book Podcast

This year, we're trying something different in New Media.  At the start of the marking period, pairs of students selected a book from a list provided by the instructor, read the book, then participated in a podcast recording in front of the entire class.  Students presented the subject matter and their opinion of the book and answered questions from their peers.  A number of books inspired some lively discussion!

The podcast is 2.5 hours long (good books generate great conversation); below are the show notes with the approximate time each podcast starts.  Enjoy!

Ellipses, the CHS New Media Podcast (Download the file via right click + Save Link As)

Episode 1

Introductory song: Twitter Tweetin’ by Carrie Dahlby (courtesy of Music Alley)

Announcers: Chris Napoleon and Francesca Resnick

1 minute: No Safety in Numbers by : Podcast by Ms. Gesin and Francesca

• Summary of the Book
• Personal opinions on the book and its characters
• How the book relates to the The Breakfast Club
• Criticism of the book
• Closing Summary

28 minutes: The Dinner by Herman Koch: Podcast by Ashley and Shannon

• Summary of the Book
• Thoughts and predictions of how the book will end
• Analysis of the characters
• Comparison between the United States and the Netherlands, where the book takes place.
• Personal opinions of the book
• Closing Summary

41 minutes: Free by Chris Anderson: Podcast by Megan and Jake

• Discussion about how companies make money from free services.
• Story about the Monty Python Youtube channel and marketing plan.
• Four separate Free Marketing Plans discussed in book
• Direct Cross
• The Three Party Market
• Freemium
• Non-monetary Markets
• Overall opinions of book
• Closing Summary

1 hour: Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie: Podcast by Jackie and Margaret

• Summary of the Book
• Personal opinions of the book and of the TOMS business plan  
• Personal experiences that relate to the topics discussed in the book
• Discussion about the future of the business world  
• Closing Summary

1 hour 15 minutes: What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis: Podcast by Ailsa and Chris

• Summary of Book’s main points
• Analyzing Google’s philosophy
• Customer Service Discussion
• Discussion about the openness of the web
• Overall Opinions of the book followed by class debate and discussion
• Closing Summary

1 hour 40 minutes: The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick: Podcast by Andrew and Ronak

• Purpose and importance of the actual Facebook Effect
• Comparing/Contrasting “The Facebook Effect” and “The Social Network”
• How Mark Zuckerberg really started Facebook from his dorm room
• Exchange of opinions on David Kirkpatrick’s writing and questionable objectivity as author.
• Discussion of Mark Zuckerberg’s character and personality
• Analysis of David Kirkpatrick’s predictions about Facebook in the future
• The Importance of Facebook in modern society
• Closing Summary

1 hour 59 minutes Monkey Wrench by PJ Tracy: Podcast by Evan and Jake

• Summary of the Book
• Opinions of the Book
• Class-wide discussion regarding violent video games and mass shootings.
• Observations of the actual reality of the book
• Audience questions and answers about which video games they wish were real
• Are violent video games and weak gun laws the cause of these shootings?
• Closing Summary

Closing song: Facebook Me by Jeff Kornberg (courtesy of Music Alley)

New Media: Yelp, Instagram & 4Square

CHS Junior Ashley Chu shot this video to explain her social media plan for the NY Knicks that incorporates Yelp, Foursquare, and Instagram.

CHS Radio Club - The Film Strip for 12-20-13

CHS's own movie review radio show gathers to discuss the new Hobbit movie "Desolation of Smaug"...check it out!!!

Communications High School radio on SoundCloud.com

LIKE...SHARE...LISTEN...COMMENT...DOWNLOAD...EMBED... https://soundcloud.com/wchsradio

YOU ARE INVITED!!! To a WCHS LISTENING PARTY!!!

Hi Everyone, You are all invited to join the WCHS Radio Club as we broadcast "THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS" as read by Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, The Mummy, Fu Manchu, etc.). We will play this feature in its entirety on WEDNESDAY Dec. 18th beginning at 10:45 am!! If you are able, please come down to the WCHS studios in room 148 at Communications High School. We'll have food, and beverage, and a fun time for all. What's that? You can't make it to room 148? No worries! You can always tune in to WCHS through your classroom TV sets...put on Channel 63 and join in the listening party! But wait...you AREN'T at CHS you say? Still NO PROBLEM! WCHS is available any-time, anywhere, on-line! You can listen live using any computer, snart phone, iPad, or other handheld device (as long as it has Quicktime Player installed!). That's right if you want to listen to "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" with us all you have to do is point your browser here: http://wchsradioclub.blogspot.com/p/wchs-listen-live.html Viola!! Crystal Clear streaming audio in blazing 128kbs!!!!!!!! Once again, that's "The Grinch who Stole Christmas" streaming at 10:45am on Wednesday Dec. 18th!! BONUS: WCHS will also feature Holiday Music ALL WEEK LONG! We've hand picked a fine selection of Christmas and Hanukkha songs, both new and old, and will be playing those all week between Mon. Dec 16th and Friday Dec. 20th...plus, we'll keep that playlist streaming all over winter break. So, if you have a fever for some Christmastime flavors just tune in on Channel 63 or online at http://wchsradioclub.blogspot.com/p/wchs-listen-live.html.

Poemas sobre la naturaleza

The assignment:  Students in my IB Spanish class at Biotech were told to write an original poem about the beauty of nature.  The only requirement was to include 5 vocabulary words from our nature and ecology unit.   I gave them about 20 minutes in class to begin, and then they finished for homework.  I decided to join them in writing a poem, and I was very proud of mine until the students began sharing theirs, and I realized they are far better poets than I!  Still, it was a very fun experience to write alongside the students and share my work with them.

Below is my poem, and please take the time to read my four favorites from my extremely talented students, which are linked here.

• Zachary A.
• Elizabeth D.
• Erika S.
• Ali C. 

La belleza de la naturaleza

por Sra. Olsen

  

Estoy triste porque creo que mucha gente

No se dedica a cuidar el medio ambiente.

La única manera de aliviar mi tristeza

Es escribir un poema sobre la naturaleza.

Las montañas, los árboles, los ríos, las flores,

Todos hermosos, llenos de colores.

El cielo azul, en un día soleado,

O un gris muy profundo en un día nublado

Los animales se apoyan en una red delicada,

Crean un coro de música a lo largo de la jornada.

Nosotros y ellos merecemos un brillante futuro

Con agua cristalina y aire muy puro.

Pero desgraciadamente, la situación es muy grave

Para cada planta, animal, insecto y ave.

Tú y yo podemos hacer este mundo mejor

Antes de que todo se ponga peor.

Muchos animales están en peligro de extinción.

Ésto nos debe servir como gran motivación.

Son majestuosos:  el búho, el pingüino, el oso polar,

El elefante, el leopardo, la gran tortuga del mar.

Estamos destruyendo sus árboles con la deforestación,

Llenando los ríos y su mundo con la contaminación.

Tenemos que empezar a respetar los animales -

No hacerlo es ser egoístas y crueles.

Los contaminantes en el planeta son venenosos.

Les dan a los animales problemas dolorosos.

A todas las criaturas del mundo hay que cuidar;

La naturaleza es algo que todos podemos disfrutar.