PE_5_VoiceThread

What came first, the tooth or the thread?

We started showing the films of our outdoor provocations to our students this week. I have recorded some responses and they will be shown as prompt clips for our future voice threads.

All hope is not lost since the district shut me down.

Today I learned that my iPhone can record mp3's of children talking and that VoiceThread will allow the upload of those if one has the "pro" version.

No-brainer = I'm going PRO. Cost 60 dollars; parental involvement, priceless.

Here is a short VoiceThread of one of my students. His name is Kentaro. His father is Canadian and his mother is Japanese. I posted his image and as they were the first to respond to connecting via VoiceThread, I asked that their family record both a video response and an audio response to the thread.

The photo is an image I made right after Kentaro lost his first tooth. Unfortunately, he lost it on the playground and as our playground is covered in sand (this is Saudi Arabia after all) well, there was no hope of ever finding his tooth. We tried though.

Two weeks later Kentaro lost another tooth and then misplaced it as well. Before our December holiday, Ken was convinced that the tooth fairy and Santa were going to discuss how he'd carelessly lost the tooth and that Santa wouldn't be bringing any presents for him. I can't make this stuff up. Don't you love 5 year olds?

Shortly after our return from holiday, Ken had nearly forgotten that he'd lost any teeth at all. The following VoiceThread offers a gentle reminder of the event, which was something to be celebrated and not to be fretted over. The continued return to the thread will solidify the memory via a rehearsal loop. Really, how many of us can remember loosing our first tooth?

When I showed the VoiceThread to our two classes of Kindergarten students they all began to discuss lost teeth, teeth not lost yet, trips to the dentist and the joys and perils of eating candy. Had we been able to record all these discussions (see PE_4_VoiceThread) this thread would have several more postings. Still, we're working a way around that and as more parents sign on, there will be some valuable webcam postings from home!

I send out a personal word of thanks to the Barnes' family for letting me share this screen capture of our first VoiceThread conversation.

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As is often the case in these days of wine and jet-lag, my eyes flew open an hour ago despite the fact that NO indicators were present at the time of their untimely interruption to my slumber (i.e. dawn light or frequent feral cat visitor who often stalks my kitten in the wee hours.)  

So, I got up and glanced at the clock on the stove to see the time, "What? Already?" I said to myself as I scrambled over the baggage from trip.  Two days and I've still only managed to unpack two of the three cases and have yet to manage to remove them from path to toilet, does it ever end?  Ouch! My shin is going to curse me tomorrow.  I'm stressed, it is nearly time for school and I've yet to turn in today's screen shots because I fell into a coma after yesterday's 24 plus hours of sleeplessness compounded by birthday celebration with my favorite..."home brew."  Have I extolled the virtues of living in a DRY country?  I don't mean the desert. 

I grind some beans and hobble to the  loo, the smell of Amungme Gold (coffee) slaps some sense into my crippled self. As I reach back to grab a mug I focus on the clock on the stove again.  It's 9:45PM (same day I went to bed at 7PM)...not 5:45AM next day. 

I've got to call that Doctor who performed my Lasik surgery.  So here at last...my screen shots.  I'm still struggling with two of the required apps (suspecting Saudi cyber-cops) but hey, this too shall pass.

Any suggestions for how to go back to sleep when you've pounded three cups of coffee at 10PM?