The spirit of Schumann the shoeman?

My bizarre Book Week story:

Shoe mystery

When I spotted these shoes on a recent foggy winter morning, I was originally convinced I was seeing two birds on the rail. Trying to work out why one bird was seemingly hanging upside down, I approached slowly. Was it a bat? As I took out my iPhone to snap a quick shot, I was also bewildered as to why the other bird hadn’t yet flown away.

What remains unexplained is that these beautiful shoes aren’t even a matched pair! If you’ve read and enjoyed the poignant CBCA shortlisted picture book, “Schumann the shoeman” by John & Stella Danalis, you’ll understand why this local example of urban art gave me a few chills.

BER – the first tour

Library - external

Yesterday, as I informed an outdoor assembly of the students of the results of the 2010 CBCA Awards for Book Week, work continued on our new BER (Building the Education Revolution) school library here at Penrith Public School. They are now starting to prepare the grounds for paths and covered walkways.

Last Thursday, I had my first tour through the site, and was able to get the inside scoop! It’s really coming together in there!

Library - main doorway

These wooden boards are protecting the new glass double doors of the main entrance. Behind me, an external vestibule area – complete with a toilet (luxury!) and a staff/grade/”special programs” room – is taking shape. This meeting room has very generous storerooms, and will have a sink and an interactive whiteboard. We are getting this room because there was no way to use BER funding to overhaul the existing staffroom. Adding this area onto the library plan has given the building some character, especially when compared to the long, rickety tin box of a demountable library – which the school was so used to having around, for over two decades.

Library circulation
This will become the spacious library office and circulation areas.

An IWB (the second one in the building) shall be installed on the far wall, about where that ladder is standing.

Library office
I venture into my office for the first time!

Library - internal
Circulation, as viewed from the location of the library’s IWB.

Library exit
Yes, we will still have a second door for faster exits.

Down the other end of the school, a matching building, comprising a modern double classroom, with wet areas, storerooms and a glassed-in, shared withdrawal teaching space, is almost complete!

Hand-over of the new buildings may be only about six weeks away, but I’m not holding my breath. I know that many school libraries are ordering shelving and furniture at the same time and I guess some delays will be inevitable. But the new library is really coming. We can almost smell it!

UPDATE: The second walk-through!

Cool Creative Commons!

I’m really getting the hang of converting students’ collaborative Keynote presentations into video podcasts – and I’m *really* loving adding “Creative Commons” music as soundtracks!

I started to investigate “Creative Commons” sites last year, and found a few pieces of music that would have worked (the Stage 2 students wanted copyright free music that you could cha cha or belly dance to, and we did find one example of each!) but it all seemed too tricky last year, so our PowerPoints stayed mute. However, the ccmixter.org website is well laid out and it is quite simple to search for “Creative Commons” music by theme, musician or style. (I’ve found “scary”, “happy” and “circus” style pieces via the search engine – but beware of possible unsavoury lyrics. Stick with instrumentals only, unless you’ve previewed all the songs you will “listen to” with students). The site tells you the exact wording to place in the credits of the video podcast, movie or whatever media. After you’ve uploaded the podcast, you can relay the URL to ccmixter.org and they’ll add the online link to their searchable database.

So, just in time for Book Week, you might like to use my students’ “Mr Chicken” book trailer, and/or our “Across the Story Bridge” video podcast, and/or a revamped (from two Flickr slideshows) “Bear & Chook Adventures”. Click HERE!

Penrith PS podcasts

According to feedback, these video podcasts may require installing the latest version of Quicktime or, at least, clicking that you agree to MIME being associated with Quicktime on your computer. I’ve had the video podcasts working on Mac and PC, and they look really great on an interactive whiteboard (IWB). One teacher colleague had an earlier version of Quicktime on her IWB to enable her to run Kid Pix, and the podcasts did refuse to run on her machine.

Meanwhile, Happy Book Week!

Across the story bridge – a video podcast!

Here is Stage 2’s latest “Book Week” video podcast, which works best with the latest version of Quicktime. Click HERE to view the podcast.

Billy goats

I was able to play this new trailer to a group of students who were contributors to a brainstorm, only a week earlier, for many of the sequences, character suggestions, dialogue snippets. But the final shot list and script had been developed by a different group. It was such fun watching individual faces light up when “their” suggestion was suddenly up on the screen, as part of the cohesive whole. The power of collaborative writing, producing a final work which is greater than the sum of all the already-great smaller parts.

Penrith PS podcasts

If you have trouble viewing Quicktime podcasts, please try the Flickr slideshow instead. When the slideshow opens, click “Show info” to read the captions.

Bonjour, Monsieur Poulet!

Mr Chicken closeup on the Eiffel Tower

whiteMr Chicken on the Eiffel TowerwhiteMr Chicken's ascent

Leigh Hobbs’ infamous Monsieur Poulet, of “Mr Chicken goes to Paris”, climbs the Eiffel Tower and then (below, in my version of the story) seemingly meets an appreciative, time-travelling artist. (I’m actually working on a book trailer for this CBCA Awards nominated picture book. I hope. I have to produce something exciting for Tristan Bancks‘ final class on Monday night.)

Mr Chicken meets Leonardo

Monsieur Poulet was crafted from yellow, black and white FIMO Soft oven-hardening modelling material. Background artwork is from “Mr Chicken goes to Paris” by Leigh Hobbs (Allen & Unwin, 2009).

Mr Chicken and the Mona Lisa

I bought my copy of “Mr Chicken goes to Paris” the day it came out. It was one of those books you just couldn’t leave behind in the shop. Earlier this year, when the CBCA shortlist came out, I grabbed a copy for school. At first, I thought I’d have to forfeit mine. Mai non!

By the way, the French chair (below) is an actual miniature prop from the 2001 Australian movie, “Moulin Rouge!”

Mr Chicken in Paris

white"Mr Chicken goes to Paris" cover

I must explain, too: I was reading “Mr Chicken goes to Paris” today to a group of K-2 students, one of who just *could not* cope with me calling the main character “Mr Chicken” – especially since we read “Kip” (about a rooster) and “Bear & Chook by the sea” yesterday. Every page, the poor kid kept putting his hands over his ears and yelling, “There. Are. No. Chickens. In. That. Book!”

His young colleagues were telling me, “We all have to just ignore him.” We kept reading, of course, but I had to avoid saying those magic words, “Mr Chicken”, hence the main character was “Monsieur Poulet” throughout!

UPDATE: Okay, I think I’ve just managed to upload my book trailer as a VIDEO PODCAST! Music: “Parks On Fire (California Burning Mix)” by DJ Rkod (feat. Trifonic). http://ccmixter.org/files/DJ_Rkod/14745 is licensed under a Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/nc-sampling+/1.0/.

Pakled at the Pedlars’ Fair

Pakled at Pedlars' Fair

Today was our school’s annual Pedlars’ Fair. Glorious winter sunshine, amazing costumes from the younger students, all dressed as pedlars to parade with trays full of edible and collectible wares (to sell for just 1 Pedlars’ Penny each ( =50 cents), and the older students running fairground games, activities and competitions, again for just 1 Pedlars’ Penny each. There was also an exhibition of students’ model making skills (bridges and buildings) in the hall.

Pakled with a fairy and Mini Minnie Mouse

How great is it that all I have to do is open my “Star Trek” wardrobe and select an alien costume to wear on the day?