The Breathing Zone

This app really works!

The Breathing Zone

Lately I've been in 'discovery' mode with the new iPads. Sometimes I'm successful, but more often I fail miserably. Frustration levels can get high and sometimes I feel like I didn't accomplish anything.  I really like The Breathing Zone app because it helps you return back to a 'normal' state of mind and just calm down.

This app works for me and I discovered that it works well with my students too.   My student *Stacy came into the Library Media Center, fired up about the typical 'girl' drama.  I immediately grabbed my iPhone, instructed her to sit down, close her eyes and listen to the breathing instructions.  After three minutes, Stacy came back from the edge of teenage drama.

I was really fortunate to catch this app when it was posted free for 24 hours in the app store.   For those who are considering purchasing this app, it is well worth the $3.99 price.  You can set the time, music and male/female voice in the settings.  In addition, there is a nice log that can track your progress over a period of time.  The breathing analyzer provides a deeper monitoring of breathing activity and encourages the user to meet goals for optimal breathing patterns.

Just try it!

*For privacy purposes, the student's name has been changed.

Behind the Paws - S2, E2

Here's the latest episode of Behind the Paws....enjoy!

Behind the Paws S2 E2 from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Schoology @Phillips HS

Yes, my school is a Schoology school!

     Schoology is an online learning, classroom management, and social networking platform that improves learning through better communication, collaboration, and increased access to curriculum and supplemental content.   Teachers in my building use this website heavily and the students love it.  Many students have downloaded the app on their Android/iPhone devices and enjoy completing their classwork and homework assignments with greater ease.

     Below is a video highlighting how my co-worker, Ms Decker effectively integrates Schoology into her daily lessons.   Library Media Specialists:  This is another way you can support the curriculum at your school. Videotape your peers teaching lessons that successfully integrate technology and share it with other teachers.  Maybe just maybe, videos like this will inspire teachers to try integrating more technology in their classroom.

     Sorry for the shaky camera work.  I had the flu when I shot this video.

If you would like to learn more about Schoology, play the video below.

Bronzeville History

Students are viewing a clip from the award winning series, "Eyes On the Prize"

Wendell Phillips Academy High School is located in Chicago's historic Bronzeville south side neighborhood.   Bronzeville served as place of 'new opportunities' for millions of African-Americans when they left rural southern states to come 'north' for a new life.  Many stopped in Chicago, while other families continued on to Detroit, New York and California.

The Leadership Department at my school decided to create a unit for the entire student body about people in history who displayed admirable leadership/courage during trying times.  The topic they selected was The Murder of Emmett Till.  Through this lecture I've been giving this week, the students are learning about the leadership/courage of:
- Mamie Till Mobley (mother of Emmett Till),
- John H. Johnson (Publisher, Ebony/Jet Magazine),
- Ahmed Rayner (funeral home director)
- and Mose Wright (uncle of Emmett Till).

The goal of this lesson was to not only discuss their displays of leadership, but to also educate the students about the historical influence the key players had as it relates to their grassroots in Bronzeville.  So far, the students have really enjoyed the lecture/presentation.

I will like to add that I've taught this lesson off and on for over ten years.  Each time I teach this lesson, I learn something new.  The Keith Beauchamp documentary called, The Untold Story of Emmett Till, provides historians with a new and fresh perspective about the unsolved civil rights era murder.  I credit much of my lecture to the new research provided by Beauchamp's film.

The Emmett Till story is an important story that must be re-told to generations to come.  Below you will find the powerpoint presentation as well as a internet pathfinder.  The teachers that I am co-teaching with have plans to load this pathfinder into each classes Schoology pages for further discussion and study.

The Murder of Emmett Louis Till from K.C. Boyd

Emmett Till Internet Pathfinder

Compiled by KC Boyd, M.L.S., M.A., M.Ed.

Online Interactive Resources
PBS American Experience - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/index.html  
The Murder of Emmett Louis Till: The Spark that Started the Civil Rights
Movement - http://www.edwardmalone.com/Murder.htm Emmett Till Murder - http://www.emmetttillmurder.com/
Emmett Till – Biography Channel -
http://www.biography.com/people/emmett-till-507515

The Courage of Mamie Till Mobley and Jet Magazine Editor/Chief
Emmett’s Legacy: A Mother Keeps Her Son’s Name Alive
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-09- 05/features/9509050005_1_tallahatchie-river-mississippi-naacp-black-race
The Face of Emmett Till -
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/05/14/731205/-The-Face-of-Emmett- Till-UPDATED
Emmett Till – A Story With Lasting Power -
http://barrybradford.com/2013/08/29/guest-post-emmett-till-a-story-with- lasting-power/

Videos
Eyes On the Prize: Emmett Till -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxK8u58PqTE
The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvijYSJtkQk

Very short account of the Murder of Emmett Till -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7Dn5fw0cY
The Emmett Tlll Case Re-Opened: 60 Minutes (Ed Bradley) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQC5WJMYaug

Books
Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America by Mamie Till-Mobley and Christopher Benson http://www.amazon.com/Death-Innocence-Story-Changed- America/dp/0812970470/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223151&sr=8- 3&keywords=emmett+till
Simeon’s Story: An Eyewitness Account of the Kidnapping of Emmett Till By Simeon Wright and Herb Boyd http://www.amazon.com/Simeons-Story-Eyewitness-Account- Kidnapping/dp/1569768196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223046&sr=8- 1&keywords=emmett+till
Getting Away With Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case By Chris Crowe
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Away-Murder-Story- Emmett/dp/0803728042/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223151&sr=8- 2&keywords=emmett+till
A Wreath for Emmett Till
By Marilyn Nelson http://www.amazon.com/Wreath-Emmett-Till-Marilyn- Nelson/dp/0547076363/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1380223151&sr=8- 5&keywords=emmett+till

Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin Comparison
A Longer Look at the Emmett Till- Trayon Martin Comparison
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicolaus-mills/emmett-till-trayvon- martin_b_3606636.html
NAACP Compares Trayvon Martin Death To Emmett Till Lynching
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/07/16/NAACP-Compares- Trayvon-Martin-Death-to-Emmett-Till-Lynching
Justice Denied: Is Trayvon Martin Post-Racial America’s Emmett Till?
http://www.nationofchange.org/justice-denied-trayvon-martin-post-racial- america-s-emmett-till-1374329793

Picture of Ahmed Rayner
Courtesy of Pamela Rayner, October 2013 

Screen Chomp App

Mi Comida Favorita - Desiree and Janel from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Here's a cool lesson that may be of interest to you.  Earlier this year, I collaborated with Mrs. Vinluan, who teaches Spanish I at my school.  The goal was to extend the classroom lesson into a digital project where the students could record their voices.  When this was first presented to me, I immediately thought about Screen Chomp.  It's free, very easy to use and can post completed projects to the internet, video hosting channel or the camera roll.  Plus, with various levels of iPad experience in her classes, we both decided that it would be easier to use the very basic screen annotating app.

The students were assigned a simple project which was to identify their favorite family member and describe one of the following:
- why this person(s) is special to them
- characteristics of this person (relationship, age etc.)
- something unique about this person


Mi Familiar Spanish Project - Erianna from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.
The challenge for this project was to use the Screen Chomp iPad app and record their narrative in Spanish correctly.  Students created their narrative and used Avancemos online as a reference tool to check their work. The students also had to select one picture of their choice that they would use for their project.  Annotating the screen was optional for the completion of this project.  The students presented their final projects in class using the classroom Promethean Board.

A couple of students completed their project early and were encouraged to record an additional  project.  Students selected their favorite food of their choice and identified an English to Spanish matching game online to annotate.  The worksheet used in the video was converted to a pdf and imported into Screen Chomp for use.

The overall goal of these projects was to demonstrate the growth of students who have been introduced to the Spanish language.

Mi Familiar Spanish Project - Yakerria from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

iPad App Ratings

*Please note:  To protect the privacy of my student in this article, he will be called Marcus..  

Product Description from the App Store - Stardom: The A-List

Cost:  Free

- From getting off the bus as a nobody to accepting an award as an international - superstar, get rich and famous by starring in movies and TV shows and winning over fans.

- Work on-set to earn a 5-star performance, rave reviews, and more fans

- Invite friends to exclusive parties, have them co-star in your projects, or check the Top 100 to see who’s more famous.

Stardom:  The A-List

My student *Marcus enjoys the app called, "Stardom:  The A-List."  This app cleverly takes the user through a series of similations describing what is it like to be a popular entertainer.   The player can experience movie/television show auditions, learn how to connect to the movers and shakers in the industry and develop a image or brand that will attract fans.  

Marcus Tablet and iPod

Marcus enjoys this app because it gives him just a little taste of what is would be like to work in the entertainment business.   Why is this app so appealing to Marcus?  Well, he is a member of the Phillips School Choir, Glee Club and is an aspiring singer/actor.   He's one of many favorite performers at the all school assemblies.  I call him, 'Lil Michael Jackson'  because of the quality and range of his voice.   In addition, Marcus is one of my library regulars who visits before/after school and during the lunch periods.   If he's not checking out the library iPad to access Stardom, then he's playing the game on his personal tablet and iPod.

While this app may not be on the top of the list for educators, this is an app that is valued by my student.  For this reason, Stardom is a app that appears on my library iPads.

iPad App Rating on a scale of 1 to 5:  Five Phillips Paw Prints