Press Play

It's great to be back at College Bound today for a day full of recording.

Today's Schedule for each group:
15 Minute Free Surf
50 Minute Recording Intensive

More pics to come...for now, check out the College Bound Techies Dream Gift Poll to vote for your favorite Techies Dream bundle.

All Hands on Deck

Today we're going to go through sound demos for the Sound Design and On-Air teams. Each group will take turns with sample recordings, adding FX, mixing, EQing, and mastering the final mixdown. It should be a great day of hands on learning in Tech class.

Battle of the Groups: Who's the best???

Ah decisions, decisions.
The latest buzz around campus is that there is a group that REIGNS SUPREME. While I know our groups pretty well, there's no way I can make this determination...without further research. Each group brings something unique and interesting to the table. And the entire College Bound team is poised and ready to take the world by storm with their academic, artistic, and technological endeavors. So the way I see it, (see below)



Yes, everyone here is on top of their game...but, to settle the score once and for all, let's make this a physical challenge. That's right ladies and gentlemen, on the last day we're going to put this to rest. I'm thinking good ol fashioned tug of war. 2 teams (AB v. CD), then the semifinalist will battle it out for the crown...a crown they can keep ONLY if they...

(drum roll please)

BEAT THE STAFF!

So get ready. And don't sleep on us. We may be old(er), but Ms. Wosu is one heck of an anchor. Take a look at this pic.



Start doing those situps :)

FYI

Groups D and A
Group leaders should bring their blue sheet in on Monday. Ms. Rosario will assist you in shaping the content for your show during the double period. This is a great opportunity for you to work with a teacher skilled in creative writing and scriptwriting. Do your best and I know it will come out amazing. Be ready to record on Tuesday.

Groups B and C
I'm traveling with you guys to Hackensack Riverkeeper on Monday. Dress comfortably for a day on the water. Take a few moments this weekend to fill in the blue sheet as best you can, and we will pick up where we left off on Tuesday.

Everyone
Have a fun and safe weekend! I look forward to seeing you all next week :)

In the spirit of all things audio and technical....

Today we started brainstorming ideas for College Bound Radio. Each group has its own sound design team, graphic design team, and on-air personalities backed by a team of writers.

Programming ideas so far look great. While browsing the net I came across this video on CreateDigitalMusic.com.

It's pretty cool to see what you can do with an old Sony Walkman (cassette tape player). Past, meet the Future.

WalkSX from Gijs on Vimeo.

Field Trip!!!

Today, I went out on the Hackensack River with Groups A & D, and it was pretty fun. We split up and went on a boat where we learned about how wildlife has returned to the Meadowlands (our own saltwater marsh) since the Clean Water Act was passed. The trip was super informative and relevant since the Hackensack River is practically right in our backyard.

Some memorable moments include finded Mr. Crabs' old blue shell floating in the river and making our own watershed art (on display in the Science classroom)




Here's some video footage too!





Where's the fish??? lol :)

Careers, Careers, and...Movie Trailers!

Yesterday and today my students did lots of career exploration online. Through the use of sites like www.collegebound.com and www.princetonreview.com, they were able to take a career interest assement and research careers of interest to them.

Interests varied everywhere from vetrinarian, hospital administrator, and public interest lawyer to architect, photographer, and pastry chef. I enjoyed helping out with the exploration process, particularly the lively discussions about social work, the best schools for media arts and gaming design, and the process of securing adequate financial aid.

It was a busy first week, even with only 3 days and missing our flash drives. But these guys really put in work, and for that they're rewarded with Free Surf, a time to surf the net for extracurricular purposes.

Next week, I'll be with the groups going on the Environmental Science Field Trip where we'll capture images for our multimedia project.

It's been a great first week, and I'm excited for the weeks to come.

Oh, check out this video clip that surfaced last period during Free Surf.

First Day of Summer @ College Bound

First, I have to say that Jose Marti Academy is a great facility with an awesome and helpful staff. I couldn't ask for a better first day. The students in College Bound blew me away with their enthusiasm. My first period group was a little groggy, understandably, but perked up about midway through so that was cool.

A group of classy fashionistas have agreed to help me out with my business casual style selections. Our motto "work clothes don't have to be boring". Also, the metal heads (fans of death metal, etc) are ready to take on the hip hop/reggaeton heads in a face off to see "what's really good".

After getting to know each other, we moved on to specifics about future projects: collaborating with Language Arts on a Screenwriting/Video Production piece, College Bound Radio, the All About Me Powerpoint Presentation, and more.

Overall, it was a great day, and I am excited to work with such a great group of students. These guys are really going places.