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Tom R. Chambers is currently Teacher in Technology Applications forRaul Yzaguirre School For Success [charter] in Houston, Texas, U.S.A.He also teaches and advises after school programming ["PowerTime"] in Digital Photography, Digital/New Media Art and TVBroadcasting. Students' projects, and accomplishments follow:
2010-2011:
New Jersey/Texas LTP Collaboration: Sixth, seventh and eighth gradestudents are involved with an ongoing Literacy Through Photography blog, and itinvolves a collaboration with Eisenhower Middle School [Wyckoff, New Jersey,U.S.A.]. This blog, founded by Harold Olejarz and Tom R. Chambers continues to be asignificant tool to help students with their written expression.
NASA STEM Educational Outreach Program at Raul YzaguirreSchool For Success: Two core groups of students [8th Grade] participated inthis pilot program by setting up three Space Science experiments, or activities in theTechnology Applications classroom to explore, and learn Engineering, Science, andMath concepts. The program is related to the International Space Station (ISS) as aNational Laboratory.
Letters of Appreciation: Eighth grade students were asked to write letters ofappreciation to President Sebastian Pinera for his support during the rescue of theminers at the San Jose Mine in Chile. The students were tasked to write formal lettersas they became more aware of the Chilean mine disaster, and rescue. The 2010Copiapo mining accident occurred on 5 August 2010, when part of the San Josecopper-gold mine near Copiapo, Chile collapsed, leaving 33 men trapped deep belowground. The miners survived underground for a record 68 to 69 days. All 33 wererescued and brought to the surface on October 13, 2010.
DA_SS8_RYSS: Eighth grade students participated in a classroom assignmentinvolving GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent] photo software and Grade 8 Social Studiesresearch via the Internet to make Digital Art. Aspects of Early American History [FirstSemester] were searched and researched in combination with downloaded images tovisualize the information for greater retention. This project will be shown [slideshow] as a part of the 6th annual Carnival of e-Creativity & Change-agents Conclave[2011 CeC & CaC], Sattal Estate, Bhimtal, India, February 18 - 20, 2011.
Letters of Congratulations: Eighth grade students were asked to writeletters of congratulations to Mr. Raul Humberto Yzaguirre on becoming the U. S.Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Mr. Yzaguirre was nominated by PresidentObama, and confirmed by the U. S. Senate. This is a very special assignment since thestudents' school ... Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [Houston, Texas] ... is namedafter this prominent civil rights activist for Hispanics. And the assignment is inkeeping with Hispanic Heritage Month [September 15 - October 15]. The studentswere tasked to write formal letters as they became more aware of their school'snamesake, Hispanic rights, and the ambassadorship process.
2009-2010:
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Resumes For RYSS: Eighth grade students were asked to explore their past upto now via a resume to begin to prepare for entry into high school as Freshmen.During the process, there was a realization that came to the forefront that theirparticipation in and contributions to the educational process along with variousachievements and accomplishments over the past eight or nine years had merit andmeaning towards their futures as they continued through high school and on tocollege.
Early Texas History ... Field Trip to Somerville: Eighth gradestudents traveled to Somerville, Texas at the invitation of Mayor Don "Skipper"Murray II to see Texas Longhorn cattle, eat "Sloppy Joes" at Somerville Lake, andtour the Somerville Area Museum to experience Early Texas History. The trip wasarranged by Tom R. Chambers, Technology Applications Teacher at RYSS via Dr. PetePederson, Curator of the museum and Barbara Pederson, City Administrator.
Social Issues Documentaries: Eighth grade students used Movie Maker tocreate documentaries about social issues. The documentaries online are a selectionfrom the 8th grade class. The students were asked to do research on their specificissues via the Internet, then use the information with visuals to enhance their movieediting skills [sequencing, timing, transitions, titling (typography)] to tell theirstories. It was mentioned to the students that they were involved with a process thatis practiced worldwide in various industries that require movie editing.
Science PowerPoint Presentations: Eighth grade students usedPowerPoint 2007 to create presentations based on TEKS/TAKS Grade 8 Scienceconcepts. The PowerPoint presentations online are a selection from the 8th gradeclass. The students were challenged to take control of the teaching process to makeScience more exciting and interesting to study. They researched the concepts online,then used visuals, text and animation to bring them "to life". Several of these studentpresentations were used as a part of the teacher's [Tom R. Chambers] presentation ..."Technology and Creativity in the Classroom" ... at the Region 4 Science Conference,Houston, Texas, February 20, 2010. Note: editing in progress on additionalpresentations. It is hoped that some/all of these presentations will be used in Grade8 Science classes as supplementary teaching tools.
RYSS Brochures: Eighth grade students used Microsoft Publisher 2007 to create8 1/2" X 11", two-fold brochures to promote their school. They utilized the school'swebsite to collect information, then worked with this copy [text], their own wordsand pictures to put together these promotional publications. The brochures seenonline are a selection from the 8th grade class. They show the inside and outside,three panels per side. Printed samples will be shown to the Superintendent for him toconsider utilizing a student-generated publication to present the school to thecommunity [brochure production]
Big Thicket National Preserve: Sixth and eighth grade students connectedwith the Houston Audubon Society [HAS] to provide coverage of Big Thicket NationalPreserve, East Texas. The student photographs were displayed as a part of theFestival on the Bayou at Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston, Texas, May 8,2010 [11AM - 3PM] [view field trip].
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Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS] - Crespo Fine ArtsAcademy Mentorship Workshop: Thirteen middle school students[seventh grade] from RYSS traveled to the Crespo Fine Arts Academy to mentor 26fifth grade students in the use of graphics software. This mentorship process involvedan intensive morning session of learning and practicing, and an afternoon session ofproject application to make digital art. The workshop has set a precedent, and there isdiscussion of it being implemented at other schools. Chambers states, "I'm alwaysproud of all of my students, but I am particularly proud of these 13 seventh graderswho eagerly took on the challenge of doing more for themselves, their school andtheir community."
Point Bolivar and Galveston Bay: Sixth, seventh and eighth gradestudents connected with the Houston Audubon Society [HAS] to provide coverage ofPoint Bolivar and Galveston Bay. The student photographs were displayed as a part ofthe Festival on the Bayou at Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston, Texas, May 8,2010 [11AM - 3PM] [view field trip].
The Banner Ad: Advertising on the Internet: Seventh grade studentsparticipated in a classroom assignment involving GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent]photo software to create a banner ad/Web banner to begin to understand this form ofadvertising on the World Wide Web. This form of online advertising involvesembedding an advertisement into a web page. Its purpose is to attract traffic to awebsite by linking to the website of the advertiser. One standard size used by thestudents: 728X90 pixels [view slide show].
Paul Revere: Seventh grade students participated in a classroom assignmentinvolving the Internet and GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent] photo software toresearch/study Paul Revere/The American Revolution and make Digital Art. Thisproject is currently featured in the School Spotlight section of The Paul Revere HouseMuseum website [view slide show; download slide show; school spotlight PDF].
Writing Of Web-based Children's Stories Through Acquisitionof HTML Skills: This story writing focuses on children's books that target 2-, 3-,4-year olds to teach this age group morals and values. The students were tasked towrite original stories that have a message, then move their stories into Web pageformat [via source code writing ... HTML] in combination with visuals/artwork andthrough linkage [page to page]. Writing these kinds of stories ... based on morals andvalues ... for young children should also have an effect on the writers ... theseseventh grade students ... to evaluate who they are and how they behave.
Gulf Coast/East Coast Digital Art Collaboration: Sixth, seventh andeighth grade students are exchanging images with students at Eisenhower MiddleSchool [Wyckoff, New Jersey, U.S.A.] for manipulation to generate Digital Art.
New Jersey/Texas LTP Collaboration: Sixth, seventh and eighth gradestudents connected with FotoFest International [Houston] to participate in theorganization's Literacy Through Photography [LTP] program as a pilot project via aphoto blog. It's ongoing, and it involves a collaboration with Eisenhower MiddleSchool [Wyckoff, New Jersey, U.S.A.]. The LTP blog was showcased at the FotoFestFotoFence 2010 LTP exhibition [Houston, Texas, U.S.A.], May 9 - 19, 2010
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[PowerPoint presentation] [PDF presentation].
"I am What I Learn": A core group of seventh grade students put togethertheir movies [script audio/photos] using XP Movie Maker ... first time for hands-onthis software ... to participate in this contest sponsored by the ObamaAdministration/Department of Education and YouTube.
DA_SCI7_RYSS: Seventh grade students participated in a classroom assignmentinvolving GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent] photo software and vocabulary buildingthrough Grade 7 Science word identification/meaning via the Internet to make DigitalArt. This project was shown as a part of the 5th annual Carnival of e-Creativity &Change-agents Conclave [2010 CeC & CaC], February 19 - 21, 2010, Sattal Estate,Bhimtal, India.
2008-2009:
Computers and History: Seventh grade students participated in a classroomassignment involving Microsoft Word to write compositions based on the theme,"Computers and History". They submitted their compositions in the contest tocelebrate "Children's Day/Dia del Nino". This year [2009] is the XVIII edition. Since1990, the vision of the organizers of the contest has been: "With computerknowledge, you can be free and independent." This is a cooperation between private,community and public sectors to help in the development of children in the HoustonIndependent School District.
PANTHER TV: Seventh and eighth grade students as a part of Power Time wereinvolved in TV broadcasting ... field reporting, interviews, surveys, feature stories [infront of and behind the video camera] and video editing.
The Banner Ad: Advertising on the Internet: Seventh grade studentsparticipated in a classroom assignment involving GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent]photo software to create a banner ad/Web banner to begin to understand this form ofadvertising on the World Wide Web. This form of online advertising involvesembedding an advertisement into a web page. Its purpose is to attract traffic to awebsite by linking to the website of the advertiser. One standard size used by thestudents: 728X90 pixels.
DA_7_8_RYSS: Seventh and eighth grade students participated in a classroomassignment involving GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent] photo software and vocabularybuilding through word identification/meaning via the Internet to make Digital Art.Exhibitions: East End Gallery, Houston Institute For Culture, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.,January 7 - February 16, 2009 [PARENTS TOUR]; 4th annual Carnival of e-Creativity& Change-agents Conclave [2009 CeC & CaC], Sattal Estate, Bhimtal, India, February27 to March 1, 2009; Talento Bilingue de Houston, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., August 3 -October 29, 2009; Lobby Gallery, Bob Lanier Public Works Building, Houston, Texas,U.S.A., November 6, 2009 - April 25, 2010; City Council Lobby Gallery, City Hall[Cultural Affairs, Mayor's Office], Houston, Texas, U.S.A., April 26 - May 17, 2010.
New Jersey/Texas LTP Collaboration: Seventh and eighth gradestudents connected with FotoFest International [Houston] to participate in the
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organization's Literacy Through Photography [LTP] program as a pilot project via aphoto blog. It involved a collaboration with Eisenhower Middle School [Wyckoff, NewJersey, U.S.A.]. The LTP blog was showcased at the FotoFest FotoFence 2009 LTPexhibition [Houston, Texas, U.S.A.], May 17, 2009 [PowerPoint presentation] [PDFpresentation].
Gulf Coast/East Coast Digital Art Collaboration: Seventh and eighthgrade students exchanged images with students at Eisenhower Middle School[Wyckoff, New Jersey, U.S.A.] for manipulation to generate Digital Art [The DigitalPhoto Age, The Wyckoff Journal, Bergen County, New Jersey, U.S.A., January, 2009].
Post Ike: Seventh and eighth grade students connected with the Houston AudubonSociety [HAS] to provide coverage of High Island and Galveston Bay after HurricaneIke damaged these areas in 2008. The student photographs were displayed as a partof the HAS Gala, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. [March5, 2009] [GALA].
New Digital Age: Young Photographers: Seventh and eighth gradestudents connected with the Novosibirsk State Art Museum in Novosibirsk, Russia toexhibit their photographs in a student group show [March, 2009].
Obama Letters of Support: Seventh and eighth grade students participatedin a classroom assignment involving Microsoft Word to write letters of support forDemocratic candidate, Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential Election. Copies ofthe letters were sent to Obama's campaign headquarters in Chicago, Illinois andseveral days later, the students received a letter from the candidate thanking themfor their support and encouraging them to be better citizens.
President Obama's Agenda: Seventh grade students participated in aclassroom assignment involving Internet research at www.whitehouse.gov andPowerPoint software to create presentations based on the various categories ofPresident Obama's Agenda to follow up his letter of thanks and encouragement andindicate interest in his plans for America ... and the world ... during the next fouryears. The presentations were sent to the White House hoping this would precipitatea Presidential visit to Raul Yzaguirre School For Success to meet these students andothers.
9-11 Tribute: A core group of eighth grade students participated in a classroomassignment involving Internet research [image] and Microsoft Word to express theirfeelings about the terrorist attack on America, September 11, 2001 and pay tribute tothose individuals who lost their lives. They presented ... read aloud ... theircompositions at the Junior Academy Tribute Assembly, 9-11-2008.
2007-2008:
The Banner Ad: Advertising on the Internet: Seventh grade studentsparticipated in a classroom assignment involving GIMP 2 [Photoshop equivalent]photo software to create a banner ad to begin to understand this form of advertisingon the World Wide Web. This form of online advertising involves embedding anadvertisement into a web page. Its purpose is to attract traffic to a website by linking
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to the website of the advertiser. One standard size used by the students: 728X90pixels.
New Jersey/Texas LTP Collaboration: Sixth, seventh and eighth gradestudents connected with FotoFest International [Houston] to participate in theorganization's Literacy Through Photography [LTP] program as a pilot project via aphoto blog. It involved a collaboration with Eisenhower Middle School [Wyckoff, NewJersey, U.S.A.]. The LTP blog was showcased at the FotoFest FotoFence 2008 LTPexhibition [Houston, Texas, U.S.A.], May, 2008 [FotoFence 2008 Exhibition[movie/24MB]] [PowerPoint presentation] [PDF presentation].
Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center: Seventh and eighth grade studentsconnected with the Houston Audubon Society [HAS] to provide coverage of the SimsBayou Urban Nature Center [Field Trip (movie/20MB)]. The student photographswere displayed as a part of the HAS Gala, Houston Museum of Natural Science,Houston, Texas, U.S.A. [November, 2008].
Web Page Building: Seventh and eighth grade students participated in aclassroom assignment involving Notepad and the web browser, Internet Explorer [IE]to begin to understand the process of building or constructing web pages via basicHTML [Hyper Text Markup Language]. The students learned how to use this form oftags, surrounded by angle brackets, to place text, links, tables, headings, paragraphs,lists, embedded images, and other objects onto the page.
Creative Excel: Texas City Populations: Seventh and eighth gradestudents participated in a classroom assignment involving Internet research [dataand image] and Microsoft Excel to generate databases about Texas city populationsand their respective charts to extend this spreadsheet program as a creative tool.
