2022 final social action project requirement!
So! As you know, the Tech Cafe is not an art class. It is not a jewelry, woodworking, pottery, or T-shirt making class either. It’s not a coding or music class. It is a SOCIAL ACTION class. Here, we talk about problems in the world and create projects to open people’s eyes to them. This year, we’ve spoken about:
LGBTQ+IA RIGHTS * VAPING * DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UKRAINE * ANIMAL TESTING * FACTORY FARMS * DISABILITIES/SUPER ABILITIES * PERSONAL STRENGTH SYMBOLS
To get an A+ in this class this semester, you need to choose one of the social issues on Techbrarian.com. Then, you must spend at least 3 class periods creating a project that opens people’s eyes to the problem you’ve chosen. You need to teach them something they didn’t know or showing your opinion on it.
Projects are due no later than June 17th. UPLOAD pictures of your project to Google Classroom.
Here are some examples from students this year:
June 21 2022
What a fantastic year of social activism we’ve had! I’ll be creating one of my signature highlight reels this summer, but take a quick look at our Instagram page, and you’ll get a sense of all the cool things we’ve done.
This week, we’re going to take a breather and learn some creative art and engineering techniques. Choose an idea below and make it your own!
Try one of these artistic techniques:
Create and improve upon a Lego Car so that it can climb harder and harder obstacles:
June 13 2022
Quick entry! I was reading about the new designer birdhouses at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and I thought of you! Some of you have already designed birdhouses– but how cool would it be to upgrade them so that they not only feed the birds in our neighborhood, but beautify The Lower East Side as well!
In other news, your final projects are due THIS FRIDAY! Here are a couple examples of final projects recently submitted.
June 1 2022
Last Tuesday 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas. The gunman killed at least 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.
This is not the first school shooting in the United States. Here’s a list since 2000:
Let’s take a moment to learn about the victims of this tragedy:
Mass shootings like this happen because there are too many guns in the United States. They are easy to get– no need to have a license. Even though most American want less guns, lawmakers are scared to pass laws to make them harder to get. This is because they get money from The National Rifle Association (NRA) and because they don’t want to lose the votes from the small– but noisy– voters who want no limits on guns. The NRA’s response is that to combat bad guys with guns, we need more good guys with guns. So let’s arm teachers 🙄!
So what can we do? Well, first of all, it’s important to recognize warning signs that someone you know is at-risk of becoming a school shooter:
Next, remember how I said that the voters who want to keep guns easy to get are noisy? We, the people who believe that guns should be harder to get, have to be louder! We did it 4 years ago:
Now you can do it on June 11th!
Also, show your support by wearing orange on June 3rd-June 5th.
Here in the Tech Cafe we can make shirts, art, and jewelry to support gun control like this:
A while back I featured an artist who paid tribute to victims of police violence by creating portraits of them.
What about paying tribute to one of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims by painting them?
MAY 27 2022
The second half of this year has seen some real musicians emerge. On the guitar, three students have been practicing hard each week– even taking them home on the weekends. Other students have recorded their own songs about relationships, domestic violence, and inspiring kids who might have lost their way. It took bravery to put themselves out there and speak their truth– respect that by finding what to like about it, not what to make fun of.
Here are these songs:
Paul telling his story of domestic violence:
Click below for the lyrics:
Darelys, about relationship struggles:
Joseph, about helping kids who’ve lost their way:
Another way to express your ideas about a social issue is through using Pixton to create a graphic novel.
The Code for 5th Grade is: https://join.pixton.com/2gaayn
The Code for 6th Grade is: https://join.pixton.com/hosr6q
The Code for 7th Grade is: https://join.pixton.com/akqn8
The Code for 8th Grade is: https://join.pixton.com/bs3n75
Click below to see an example that Jermaine is working on (not done yet)!
MAY 22 2022
This week, we’re going to focus on two types of projects that you can do for your final project– which is now due JUNE 17th: Poetry and Graphic Novels.
Poetry can, of course, be written and read silently by others. But poetry can also be created to be read aloud with spirit and emotion! This is called Spoken Word poetry. For your final project, you can choose a social issue and create a spoken word poem out of it like these:
Want to see more Spoken Word? Click on a video below:
MAY 16 2022
Last week was a FANTASTIC one for documentary filmmaking! Students asked tough questions about social issues. What they heard in response were stories about weed smoking and vaping, how to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights, red flags of unhealthy relationships they’ve witnessed, and opinions on animal abuse. For those who want to keep diving deeper into issues, click below for questions on the topics of:
Of course interviewing others is only one part of documentary filmmaking. Once you film, you have to edit it. Check out the difference between these two clips I edited:
Some things you might have noticed:
- I cut out everything except the answers and only chose the best ones.
- I used transitions– like fading in and out– when the news footage came in and out.
- I tried to get rid of background noise using iMovie’s “remove background noise” tool.
- I raised the audio levels.
- The interviewer was not mic’d, so I recorded myself asking the questions in iMovie
- I added quiet music in the background.
- I put video clips or images that I found on the Internet.
Anyhow, looking forward to seeing what you all film and edit!
MAY 7 2022
I love how into making documentaries so many of you are. I wanted to remind you that after you’re done interviewing, you should add an introduction to tell what your documentary is about and why you’re making it. Go back to Techbrarian.com and watch videos about your social issue so you sound smart!
Here are some of my favorites from the year, what were yours?:
To supercharge your documentary, add footage from YouTube in between interviews. For example, if you’re talking about vaping, include video footage of people vaping.
Anyhow, keep up the good work! Here are a few more student documentaries from The Island School to inspire you:
APRIL 25 2022
📷 The Island School’s Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest #7
🏆 Third Place Winners:
🏆 Second Place Winners:
🏆 First Place Winner:
This week, we will be reviewing what we’ve learned about the dangers of marijuana to your mental and physical health. Hopefully, I’ve convinced some of you to be Above the Influence. If I have, try to convince other teens!
A few years ago, I did a unit on Straws– we talked about why we really don’t need them and where they go once they’re used. Anyhow, while I was researching straws, I came across this site called There is No Away. This idea really stuck to my brain: we throw things “away”, but they really don’t go “away”.
There are so many social issues surrounding garbage. This week we’ll be discussing Food Waste. Did you know that 40% of food produced in the U.S. is wasted— that equals 133 billion pounds! In fact, 20% of our landfills are filled with food waste. Every second, 3000 pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. Meanwhile, 1 in 6 Americans are hungry. 3000 pounds of food would feed 650 Americans for the entire day. The video below shows just how much food is thrown out in NYC: So what can you do?
Change your behavior: (1) Freeze food you’re not using. (2) Learn how to compost your uneaten food. (3) Don’t just throw away food because it’s passed the expiration date– smell it and look for mold. (4) Donate your uneaten food to the homeless.
Change others’ behavior: Create projects that show people how much food we waste on The Lower East Side and why it matters. For example (1) take photos of food waste in our school and in the community and create art with it. (2) Make a documentary investigating how much food we waste or how much other students know about food waste. (3) Create a Scratch game that shows people how to avoid food waste. (4) Create “reminder jewelry” that gives food waste tips like “freeze it”, “smell test”, or “compost king”.
Finally, a great way to reduce your waste is to “Upcycle”. Upcycling means taking things that are no longer useful to you and making them into something awesome! Here are a few examples:
APRIL 11 2022
📷 The Island School’s Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest #6
🏆 Third Place Winners:
🏆 Second Place Winners:
🏆 First Place Winner:
This week, we will be reviewing what we’ve learned about the dangers of marijuana to your mental and physical health. Hopefully, I’ve convinced some of you to be Above the Influence. If I have, try to convince other teens!
Anyhow, click below for a Kahoot!
APRIL 3 2022
📷 The Island School’s Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest #5
🏆 Third Place Winners:
🏆 Second Place Winner:
🏆 First Place Winner:
Last week we spoke about the effects of Marijuana on the development of your brain. When you smoke, eat, or drink it, there can be a huge impact on your ability to learn, make memories, feel healthy, and be happy. Here’s a deeper dive into the science of how Marijuana affects you:
We also discussed how Marijuana can affect your mental health– causing panic attacks and, in some cases, psychosis. Here’s a little more information on Psychosis:
To feel what it’s like to have psychosis, watch the video below:
So, how can we teach other tweens and teens about the dark side of marijuana? How can we give them the strength of going up against the music videos, the shops and vans, and even their friends?
One campaign is called ABOVE THE INFLUENCE. Being “Under the Influence” can mean two things. It can mean being on drugs and it can mean being influenced by your friends to do drugs and to let go of your dreams.
Above the Influence’s symbol is an arrow facing up. Here are some student versions. Can you make your own? What are your goals for the future that you don’t want to be influenced into dropping?
Let’s make crafts that remind ourselves and others to DREAM BIG and be ABOVE THE INFLUENCE. It’s easy to aim low and settle for a life that is just “OK”. To make your real dreams happen– whether it’s being a doctor, lawyer, scientist, filmmaker– your mind has to be sharp and focused. Marijuana won’t let that happen.
You can also wire wrapped rings with the letters DB (Dream Big) or AI (Above the Influence. Here’s how:
march 28 2022
📷 The Island School’s Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest #4
🏆 Third Place Winners:
🏆 Second Place Winner:
🏆 First Place Winner:
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
Ready for more? Click on SCAVENGER HUNT 13 and SCAVENGER HUNT 14
It’s time to talk about Marijuana, AKA cannabis, AKA pot, AKA weed, AKA 420, AKA a million other names. It used to be that weed was hard to get. Nowadays it’s easy– stores are popping up all over NYC, there are fun-colored ice cream trucks that have edible pot gummies, and some parks have stands that sell joints right in front of police officers.
So, why not do it? This week, I’m going to try to convince you. It’s not going to be easy, because you’re surrounded by music videos, friends, and laws that seem to be telling you DO IT.
OK, before we get started, let me point out that there’s two parts of marijuana: CBD and THC. CBD is safe and is used in things like creams for headaches or pills to help you sleep. There aren’t many side effects to CBD. THC is totally different. It’s a drug that deeply affects your brain and its ability to think clearly and to grow.
THC can help people with cancer to reduce their pain and nausea (feeling like you have to throw up). But besides that, there are very few reasons why THC is “good for you”.
The truth is, that tweens and teens like you have growing brains that are like complex video games in the middle of being programmed. You are programming it! But when you get high you are messing up the programming language and the computer itself. This video explains it:
Marijuana can also trigger panic attacks:
It can also lead to a mental illness called Psychosis. Psychosis is when you cannot stop being paranoid, hearing voices, or seeing things that are not there (hallucinations). When you eat Marijuana, it actually becomes more powerful leading to unexpectedly bad experiences.
What art, songs, T-shirts, documentaries, and podcasts can you create to help?
march 21 2022
I was speaking with a student on Friday. He and his friends are ridiculously skilled at rapping. Period. They ride the beat perfectly and their vocals ring clear and strong.
That said, I feel there’s a way to take it to the next level. I’ll call it telling the “Ugly Truth”. When you are telling a story about your life, it doesn’t always have to be what you want it to be like or how you want people to see you. Talking about all your money, how much you smoke or pop pills, and what will happen to people who mess with you can sound good!
BUT sometimes the most powerful art comes from The Ugly Truth about what life is really like for you. Your real struggles– roaches on the floor, sirens at night waking you up, nasty cafeteria food, the person you like dissing you. Life isn’t always what you want it to be and others can relate! I’m not saying, don’t talk about the other stuff, but think about adding some REALness— some of that Ugly Truth to your music and poetry. Be brave and tell your story! Here’s an example:
[Verse 1] It's probably been 12 years since my father left Left me fatherless And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest When honestly, I miss this &%#, like when I was six And every time I got the chance to say it, I would swallow it Sixteen, I'm hollow, intolerant, skip shots I storm that whole bottle, I'll show you a role model I'm drunk, pissy, pissing on somebody front lawn Trying to figure out how and when the &%# I missed moderate Momma often was offering peace offerings Think, wheeze, cough, scoffing and he's off again Searching for a big brother, Tyler was that And plus he liked how I rap, the blunted mice in the trap Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks From honor roll to cracking locks up off them bicycle racks I'm indecisive, I'm scatterbrained, and I'm frightened It's evident in them eyes, where he hiding all them icicles at
But like I said, Island Schoolers can rap and I would never in a million years stop them (in fact, I rap). All I’m saying is that Drill Music is full of drugs, violence, and money– and sometimes forgets to also talk about other parts of life– like family, goofy friends, heroes, and the Ugly Truths that you see in your house or shelters. By the way, if I’m wrong, tell me why?
Rapping is an amazing way to tell your story. Here’s Raegan to bring that point home:
📷 The Island School’s Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest #3
🏆 Third Place Winners:
🏆 Second Place Winner:
🏆 First Place Winner:
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
Ready for more scavenging? click here for photo scavenger hunt #12
march 14 2022
Its been two weeks since our first Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest. Since then, even more students have picked up cameras and went looking for everyday people and objects– figuring out how to make the ordinary look extraordinary. Without further ado, here are the winners of Contest #2
📷 The Island School’s Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest #2
🏆 Third Place Winners:
🏆 Second Place Winner:
🏆 First Place Winner:
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
Ready for another hunt! Click HERE for Photo Scavenger Hunt #10
Now that you’ve gotten some experience taking photos, it’s time to share your work with the world using Wakelet. Here’s how:
Friday night I went to a film festival and learned about 15-year-old inventor JayJay Patton. I was incredibly impressed with how JayJay and her father took a real-world problem– kids not being able to easily write to their family in prison– and create a solution using technology. I hope it inspires you to think of a problem in your life that you’d like to solve.
JayJay used coding to create an app for getting letters more easily to prisoners. We haven’t spent much time learning to code. My favorite way to do this is through Scratch. Below are two books that walk you through games you can create. Please click on one, find the game you want to create, and follow the directions.
march 7 2022
It’s impossible to turn on the TV without hearing news of Russia’s evil war on Ukraine. Why is it happening and what can we do to help the Ukrainians? Here’s the best explainer I could find:
Ordinary citizens– bakers, bankers, grandmas, and grandpas– are taking up arms to fight against the Russians:
For more examples of how brave Ukrainians are standing up to Russians click HERE.
How can we help? Here’s where you can donate supplies:
My daughter Ruby and her friends set up a bake sale to raise money to help Ukrainians. Maybe we can set up our own on Houston Street and put out some jewelry to sell too? Then we can give funds to Veselka Restaurant that will send it to Ukraine…
In other news, I’ve been so blown away by your photography that I want to add another type of scavenger hunt to see what you come up with! You can continue to do photography, but we will now be doing video as well. Here’s the link to Video Scavenger Hunt #1.
While you’re shooting photos and videos, keep in mind that there are different types of shots. Try them out!
POV (Point of View) Shot:
Low-angle Shot:
High-Angle Shot:
Over-the-Shoulder Shot:
Close-up:
Extreme Close-up:
For more shot examples click HERE and HERE. To see camera movements click HERE.
