August, 2009

Anybody that has taught knows that certain well-known myths are just not true. For example, there is dinosaur living in a lake in Scotland (actually, I believe this one is true), woman are worse drivers than men and teachers do not work in August. Today I can dispel at least one of these myths: teachers DO work in August.

To prove the point, we invited the Innovative Teachers we have worked with over the past three years to attend a kind of ‘Summer Camp’. (Calling the event a conference or workshop  just didn’t seem the right thing to do.) The Summer Camp took place at Microsoft UK headquarters in Reading last week.

We wanted to gather all these teachers together to create a number of new resources to share through the Innovative Teachers Network. Kristen and I have been asked many times whether we have any short, instructional videos about the technology and activities we talk and blog about. The answer (until last week) was always 'No.' When we direct people to how-to resources on the internet, the major criticism has been that they do not have enough of an educational context.

So the starting point for the group last week was to think about what sort of video resources teachers might find useful. We decided that to develop some examples of how teachers could use Office 2007 in their teaching. In a brainstorming activity, we amazed ourselves at the number of features in Office 2007 that have a direct and relevant use in education. For example, do you know about the Maths Add-in for Word, conditional formatting in Excel or action triggers in PowerPoint?

Each teacher was tasked with producing a video, using Community Clips to record the screen actions of using the applications, and Windows Moviemaker to do the final editing and add titles. In two days, we managed to produce 10 videos, the first in what we hope will be a series of about 50 videos. They will not all be about Office 2007, but will include many of the applications we have mentioned in our blog posts, such as AutoCollage. The completed videos still need a little tweaking, but we will have them ready for release in the next two weeks or so, with more to follow as they are completed. We think the results so far are pretty impressive and offer something different than your usual ‘instructional videos’. I’ll take this opportunity to thank all the teachers who attended for the their hard work, their time and their great company.

As ever with Innovative Teacher events there is always a little time for some fun. We held an impromptu traditional British holiday camp ‘Knobbly Knees Contest’, (in which Kristen came third, by the way), and we also had a sneak preview of what delights we can expect from Office 2010.

If any of you have some great uses of Office 2007 in the curriculum that you think are worth sharing and that could be turned in to a 5-minute video, please let us know by contacting me at v-sball@microsoft.com. We would love to hear from you.

And check back in September for the first Office 2007 videos from our Innovative Teachers!

Our colleague Ray wrote a great blog detailing many of the videos and other resources from Microsoft that you can use in your INSET days next year. I’ve included most of the post below; you can read the full post on Ray’s award-winning Schools Blog.

It may be a little early to write this, but I’m aware that some of you will be starting to think (perhaps subconsciously) about starting next term well. And for many schools this will mean the day before the pupils arrive – the INSET day.(Or in-service day, for our US readers - Kristen.) Somebody in your school will be thinking about how to engage, enthuse and inform everybody in your school, and I thought that I’d share a few of the resources we have available.

Videos with a technology theme

1. Shift Happens UK Education Version (6 mins)
   It’s old, it’s been used at many education conferences, but there’ll be some people who will see this for the first time and be wowed.
   And as an alternative, there’s a version made by Sony, for a conference, which doesn’t have the UK Education content, but is much more interactive.
2. The Future of  Productivity (6 mins)
   This video is a look into the future of work, and it does provide an excellent way to introduce a discussion about the skills sets needed by pupils when they leave school – as it illustrates what their working lives might be like. Although it might seem very futuristic, a pupil starting in reception in September will enter the workforce in 2030!
   This is also a great conversation starter if you want to start a “What are we hear for?” debate!
3. The Future Vision Montage (2 mins)
   This video is a montage across a range of different scenarios – the banking, health, manufacturing and retail – looking at the future role of technology. It is another video which is great to start a discussion about the world students are going to be working in.

Videos with an education technology theme

1. Innovative School case study videos (37x4 mins)
   This series of videos, from September last year, features staff, students and parents from four schools from around England, talking about the strategic use of ICT in their schools. There are chapters about change management, the student experience, learning outcomes, parents’ experiences, school administration, the view of their local authority, how ICT fits into their strategy, and the schools’ future aspirations.
   There are case studies from one primary school (Broadclyst) and three secondary schools (New Line learning, Bowring and Shireland).
   In total there are 37 videos to choose from.
2. Surface in the classroom (5 mins)
   This video, filmed at Churchend Primary School in the UK, shows how new technologies like Surface, might be used in the classroom – and the reaction of teachers and pupils.
   I’m not suggesting this because you might be considering a Surface for your school, but to use to open teachers thinking to other ways of using technology in the their lessons.
   (We were quite chuffed to see this video make it to one of only two videos featured on the worldwide  www.microsoft.com/surface homepage)
   There is also a “behind the scenes” video about the production of this.
3. Vision for technology in schools (4 mins)
   This video was produced by the American Microsoft team to demonstrate how today’s technology might be integrated together to deliver a future learning experience.
4. Marsh Academy’s 1:1 story (5 mins)
   If you’re starting a 1:1 laptop scheme for your students this autumn OR are wanting to get a head start on thinking about how you benefit from next spring’s Home Access programme. There are two videos – an overview and the main story. There is also a written case study on Marsh Academy too

I have had a number of requests of how to make the the Deep Zoom mosaics I featured in my first workshop post . It's a question I have been asked before, so I have undertaken a little research and this is what I have discovered. Using the information in this post you could easily create these Deep Zoom Mosaics in your classroom with your students and pupils. (click the image on the right to see an example). But I am no expert, so if you have any better ideas, then please share them.

You are going to need a number of tools and resources to construct your own Deep Zoom Mosaic.

Firstly, if you have not already got it, the free application from Microsoft, Deep Zoom Composer . You will also need an application to create the mosaic, I am using AndreaMosaic , which has the advantage it can be run from a usb flash drive and is free. There are many others available  and these can be found across the internet. Essential, to this project is large number of images. These can be taken by yourself and students or downloaded from the web or an image library such as Flickr.

You first task is to collect all your images. Remember the more images you have, the greater impact of your mosaic. You can do this is in a number of ways, the easiest is to collect your own. This is a relatively simple activity for your students to undertake, especially if they are on a field trip. They could use their mobile phones, as well as digital cameras to capture images. When back in the classroom all you need to do is collect all the images and store them in one place. Making a mosaic is a great way of recording an experience or event. Alternatively, images can  be collected from the web. This can be a time consuming process as each image needs to be downloaded and saved. Thankfully , there are some tools that can make this process less time demanding. I searched and downloaded a simple tool from the web , that automatically downloads and saves images from Flickr . You can find one that suits your needs through a simple web search.

We have had Cats and Dogs, so I thought would make a mosaic based on my favourite animal, Spiders, so arachnophobics beware. After collecting about 200 images. I used Andrea Mosaic Creator to create the mosaic. This mosaic will use 2000 images, if you haven’t got this many images , don’t worry , the application will automatically duplicate images. I chose a main image and left all the settings as their default. Next , I clicked the select tiles button and added the folder with the images. I then saved this as an archive. You are now ready to go and create your mosaic, by clicking the Create Mosaic button. It takes a few moments to create. When the process is complete, save your work.

Close, your mosaic application and open Deep zoom Composer. Create a new project, then add the mosaic image you have just created. Click , Compose and drag your image in to the work area. Resize your image then click Export.  Choose whether you want to upload your composition or save it locally to your hard drive. I would do both. A detailed description of how to create a deep zoom composition can be found here.

You will now be able to view your Deep Zoom Mosaic. Click here to see my spider creation.

But, some of you have been busy already, here is a great example from one of blog readers, for all you motorbike fans. http://www.valentinorossi.fr/mosaic.htm Thanks BlackLabrador.

In my previous post I described how I see Deep zoom as a resource for the classroom, rather than just as image design tool for web sites. In this post, I am going to explore how easy it is to create your own Deep Zooms and use them as a medium for visual story telling.

To take part in this workshop, you will need to download and install the following:

• Silverlight plug-in. You should already have this installed if you have been exploring the Hard Rock Cafe Memorabilia site.
• Deep Zoom Composer. This is a free application and can be downloaded from this site.

Creating your first Deep Zoom

When thinking about using Deep Zoom in the classroom, it's a good idea to think about the context in which it will be used. This helps with the planning of stories and what images need to be collected. An ideal starting point is a trip to a museum, historical site or building.

Deep Zoom Composer divides the creation of a Deep Zoom into three sections:

• Import - where the images that are going to be used are selected.
• Create - where images can be positioned, resized, zoomed in and out and embedded. 
• Export - where you are able to view your Deep Zoom and publish it in a number of different formats, including to your local hard drive.

To begin, make sure that your students have planned an outline for their stories. This will guide them on the photos they need to  capture. Their ideas will obviously evolve and develop as they find out more during the activity. My simple story will focus on the activities that people performed in their houses in the past.

The images you use don’t have be taken with a digital camera. They be sourced from photo sharing web sites, screen captures, image scans or created in a paint package. But they must be in JPEG format.

So let's begin. Open Deep Zoom composer and choose New Project. Give the project a relevant name, in this case cheesehouse. This will create a file with the extension .dzprj. Click OK to begin constructing your composition.
Your added images will appear in a column on the right hand side of the window. Right clicking on an image will allow you remove an image. Clicking the Add Image button again will allow you to add further images.	Now you need to add the images that you are going to use in your Deep Zoom. Click Import and then the Add Image button, situated in the top right corner. You will be presented with the usual Windows file navigation window. Navigate to the folder where the your photos are saved. You can use the usual shortcuts to select the photos, such as Ctrl+A to select all or Ctrl+Click to select multiple images of your choice. These are the photos I am using, taken at the Welsh National History Museum.  Right-click to download these images if you want to use them in this workshop.
Once you have added all images you are going to need, click Compose. Now you will see your added images along the bottom of the screen. On the lefthand side you will see a toolbar. The majority of the buttons are alignment tools that can be used to arrange a collection of images, as with the Hard Rock Cafe site. The main tools  you will need for this project are the Select and Pan tools.	Select Tool Pan Tool
	Select the image that will be your starting point. Click and drag it from the bottom row in to the central work area. Use the Select tool to resize the image to the size of the work area. Now decide where you are going to embed the next image. Zoom in using your mouse scroll wheel or select the Zoom tool and click. Press the ALT key and click to zoom out.
	I am going to place my next image of the dairy in the window frame, as it shows the inside of the house. Click and drag it into the work area. Use the Select tool to resize the image. (I wonder what those two ladies are talking about? I might use them in my story). At this point if you wanted to embed more photos, you need to move around the image to find other areas.  Remember to use Pan tool to do this, not the Select tool, as the image will move and all your carefully-positioned photos will be misaligned. (Thankfully there is an Undo function in the Edit menu.)
	In the same way, I am now going to zoom into this photo of the room and place an image of people making cheese in the wooden bowl. This image has been taken from the web, and illustrates how you can combine images from various sources. You will also notice the stunning details of the wood that this technology allows you to to show. Select the Pan tool (so you don’t inadvertently change the image positions) and zoom out to the original image. You will notice a number of pushpins have appeared. These show where you have placed an image. Its a good idea to Save your project at regular intervals, so click Save on the File menu. At this point you can continue adding and embedding images until you are happy with your composition. For the purposes of the workshop, we are stopping at three.
Next click Export. You will now be able to preview your Deep Zoom in the Preview area. Take the time to zoom in and out and explore the images you have embedded. If you wish to make any changes, click Compose and edit your composition. On the righthand side, you will see two tabs that offer options of where to publish your Deep Zoom. Let’s start with the online option.
If you have a Windows Live account (if not, why not sign up for one), you can upload your work to the DeepZoomPix web site. This site allows you to display your finished deep zoom compositions. The site is currently only a demonstration and expires at the end of the year. But it does allow you to quickly publish and share your deep zooms without the need for a specific web site. Click the image below to see the completed Deep Zoom project.	Here you will get the option to create a new album or add your Deep Zoom to an existing album. In this example, we are creating a new album by typing its name in the dialogue box blog examples. Take the time to choose an album cover; clicking Select Album Cover will allow you to choose one of the images you have used as a cover for your album. Next click Publish and your Deep Zoom composition will uploaded to the DeepZoomPix web site.
	It may not always be practical or desirable to upload the work of students to a web site. If that is the case, choose Custom Option. You will be presented with a number of options. First under the Output type, select Silverlight Deep Zoom. Now give it a name (it's easier to use the same as the project). Next choose a location where you want the Deep Zoom to be stored (in this case, my Desktop). Select Export As A Collection (Multiple Images). From the drop-down menu, select Deep Zoom Classic + Source. Finally, click Export.
A folder wish the name you chose will be created in the stated location. To view the file, you need to follow this pathway. <name of deep zoom folder>\ DeepZoomProjectWeb Folder\ClientBin Folder\DeepZoomProjectTestPage.html Your Deep Zoom will automatically open in your browser. It's a good idea to add this URL to your Favourites for later reference and use.  If students want to use this Deep Zoom in a presentation then they can create a simple hyperlink from this.

So far I have only come across one error message in the creation of Deep Zooms. This occurs when the number of pixels in your composition exceeds 4 billion. To solve this, use lower resolution images (this may need a change of digital camera settings -- see this post) or resize the images in your composition.

I hoped you enjoyed this workshop and have been able to create your own Deep Zooms. If you have any questions or require any help with this workshop please email me at v-sball@microsoft.com. If any of you would like to send me links to your own creations, I would be more than happy to share them in my next post.

In the next post, I will look at some advanced features of Deep Zoom, such as creating hyperlinks from your composition and looking at the relationship between Deep Zoom and Seadragon.

But, what about my story? Well, in the1800s you couldn’t just visit a shop to buy some cheese. People often made it in their own houses, and women would stand outside and gossip while it was being made. Have a look for yourself by zooming in through the window. This room is the dairy. You can see some of the equipment where the people who lived in the house made their own cheese. It must have been very hard work, as you can see by zooming into the plate. The end.

Stuart and I often talk to you about Microsoft web sites where you can find resources to use in your teaching. However, I don’t think that we’ve ever – in the history of this blog – mentioned our own Microsoft UK Education web site. Corporate web sites in general can often be boring and…well…corporate looking, and it’s not always easy for a teacher to find what he or she is looking for (this is part of the reason we designed the Innovative Teachers Network in the first place).

But I’m pleased to announce that our UK Education site has undergone a makeover that has made it friendlier and easier to access everything Microsoft has to offer to teachers (including this blog!).

This is what the site looked like before last Friday:

And since Friday morning, it has looked like this:

Whilst the new look and feel is nice (and has had some good feedback in its first few days) there are some much more important changes to the navigation and design that are important to me.

• We’ve added specific sections for Schools, Further Education, Higher Education, Teachers and Students
  The previous design did indeed have a colourful tab bar for sections, they only got you to a single page. None of the rest of the content (for example the products section) was separated. Which means that Schools were seeing products only suitable for Higher Education, or vice versa. We’ve got further improvements planned for each of these sections – but obviously content changes had to wait until they existed!
  
• There is better linking between this blog and the website
  For example, you can now click on a blog story in the website, and read it right there, without having to jump across to the blog (on a different website)
  
• We have tags to help find relevant information
  The whole www.microsoft.com website is enormous, and sometimes impenetrable to navigate. And even the little bit sitting under the UK Education site was becoming unwieldy – with over 140 pages of content to navigate. So now we have added tags to the home page, allowing you to jump straight to key content, without having to search through the menu structure. “Licensing” is a good example – it is one of the most often-read sections, but was previously buried in the menus.
  
• We have updated some of the content
  But, to be honest, we have plenty of content updates to do still. Most of our focus has been moving to the new site structure, and now we hope to get lots of content updates between now and the start of term.
  
  Go and visit the site – and then let us know what you think – either by adding comments here, or drop an email to our marketing team, including any thoughts about what you’d like to see, based on how you use the site.

In May, I blogged about The Climate Mystery, an online game and alternate reality universe where students learn about climate change and issues while they try to save the world from certain disaster. If you want to use this curriculum with your students in September, Microsoft and Congin (the game creators) have published new resources to help teachers use it in your classroom.

The new teacher materials for The Climate Mystery can be found on The Teachers Toolbox Skydrive. Here you’ll find the following documentation:

• A teachers’ guide that introduces you to all of the available materials and gives you an idea of the time you’ll need to allocate to run the programme as well as technical requirements, classroom setup, suggested discussion topics and assessments and loads of other useful information.
• The Climate Mystery Manual, a user guide for students that helps them work through the web site and navigate the different episodes of the mystery.
• A curriculum mapping document that helps you map The Climate Mystery to your own national curriculum and standards.
• Episode guides for all 16 episodes.

In addition, the new global web site for The Climate Mystery is available at www.climatemystery.com. Here you can sign up for email alerts and find more information about the game, which officially launches all around the world on 14 September.

This is a great opportunity for your students to learn about relevant environmental issues in a fun and motivational way, and we hope that the teacher materials will make participating in The Climate Mystery even easier for you and your students.

I leave Kristen alone for 5 minutes and she has had a blogging frenzy,now I need to catch up after my summer break. This is the first of a series of posts in what I hope will be an informative and constructive workshop, that you would be able to recreate with student and colleagues. As well learn how to use Deep Zoom Composer to create ideas and activities across the curriculum. I have based this post on the workshop activities I run at Innovative Teacher Events, so if you have invited us to your school, this is an idea you will be getting.

What is Deep Zoom?

Firstly, I must explain, this is not a technical demonstration of Deep Zoom, its just how I have adapted the technology to use quickly and efficiently in the classroom and present it to teachers and students. This is how I would have done it as a classroom teacher. You will need to install the Silverlight plug-in to be able to use Deep Zoom. If you have any suggestions of what I should add or how I can improve this workshop please let me know at v-sball@microsoft.com

So what is Deep Zoom? This site describes Deep Zoom as “  provides the ability to interactively view high-resolution images. You can zoom in and out of images rapidly without affecting the performance of your application. “ For me, Deep Zoom is a great way for students and teachers to present and create visual stories. But, the easiest way to illustrate what Deep Zoom is about, is to show it in action.

Firstly, navigate to the Hard Rock Cafe Memorabilia site at http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/

You will see a collection of images of all the memorabilia that has been collected by the Hard rock Cafe company. To zoom in and see the detail , either use the scroll wheel of your mouse to zoom in and out or double click to zoom in and Shift-double click to zoom out. To pan , click and drag.
	From the list of famous rock stars on the left hand side menu, choose ‘The Beatles’. Next, look for a written letter and an envelope. (I found it in the left hand corner). Zoom into the envelope until you can see the postage stamp at top left hand corner.
This postage stamp is made up of a 4 x 4 grid of images. Zoom in on the  image in row 3 column 2. You will see an image of a Hard Rock Cafe on Broadway, New York.
	Zoom in until you can see an image of the infamous Beatles suits. This is to the left of the  main Hard Rock Cafe neon sign and underneath the Hard Rock sign on the left hand side.
Zoom in until you can see 4 models of the fab four. Zoom in on the second Beatle from the left. That’s Paul, Kristen’s favourite Beatle.
Pan down and zoom in on Paul McCartney’s autograph. This should be the starting point for any demo that you give.

Now, from this starting point in your demo of this autograph,which you can see in stunning detail, begin to zoom out, stopping at each section described above i.e. the models, the suits , the hard rock cafe, the stamp and the letter.  You are able to explore in high detail each of these areas. As they are not just details in an image, but images embedded within one another. At this point you audience will be in awe. Especially when you explain that they are able to recreate the same effect in their own classrooms, with pupils and students. This they can do using a free application called Deep Zoom Composer. In my next workshop post, I will describe how to create your own Deep Zooms and highlight some curriculum activities around its use.

Here are some links of further examples of Deep Zooms. These have combined Deep Zoom with a Photo Mosaic creator, I will explain how to do this in my final post on this workshop.

For fans of cute dogs - LINK

For fans of cute cats – LINK

For fans of Michael Jackson - LINK

Deep Zoom Blog