The Final Candidates

The deadline to declare a desire to become the NWAC Computer Clubhouse President and Vice President was March 24. I am excited that we have two candidates vying for each position. They are (in order of declaration): Tyler for VP; James for President; DeMario for President; and Shahnaz James for VP. The voting will start on Monday and end on Wednesday with the selection of the president and vice president with the highest votes. Remember: you can only vote once -- be mindful to select the persons you believe will best serve our computer clubhouse.

There are a lot of clubhouse activities that our clubhouse members can be part of each year. This year we have been selected to join the Adobe Youth Voices program. This program will give members an opportunity to produce meaningful video projects about living (and surviving) in Detroit. These videos will be posted on the AYV website and may be entered into contests. (See my blog post: AYV Training Requires Closing Clubhouse.) In addition to AYV, this is the year of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network Teen Summit event that takes place every other year in Boston. This event allows the best two - three clubhouse teenaged members to spend a week in Boston with clubhouse members from all over the world. It is a fun and creative week that leaves a lasting impression on everyone (kids and adults) that attends. This year Teen Summit is especially significant for me because it occurs during my birthday week (July 27 - August 1). My birthday is July 31. There is also the Clubhouse Scholarship applications for members who are high school seniors. We will announce when the application is available, but keep in mind that the projects you post to the Village are your portfolio. They should reflect your best works because members and clubhouse managers from around the Network can view your projects. We will also begin our Field Trip Fridays, where members who are interested in photography and videography will be able to sign up to go on community shoots. The clubhouse leaders are essential to helping with plans.

As you can see, there are lots of plans to work on. You can see why I am looking forward to the assistance of a clubhouse leadership group. I think that our candidates are all worthy of the tasks. If you didn't get a chance to meet the candidates, I will tell you a few things that I know about each of the them:

Tyler is the only girl in the race. She is running for vice president. She is ambitious, creative, intelligent and a fast learner. She has created projects using programs like The Print Shop, Bryce and Paint. Even if she doesn't win (this time) I am proud of the work she did on this campaign. Tyler created several posters, she had a campaign manager (her cousin, Miya), she had business cards and made a commercial featuring rapper extraordinare, Marcellous. Awesome job, Tyler!

James is a dedicated clubhouse member. He joined the clubhouse in 2008. This makes him the candidate with the longest membership. He is running for president. He has amazing music knowledge and skills. His Village projects display creative music talent, but his portfolio includes works in other programs, like Bryce, Word and even, 3ds Max. His poster states his intentions to help the computer clubhouse.

Demario is adventurous and explorative. He is running for president. He will certainly bring the spirit of "lets do something" to planning fun and creative activities for our clubhouse.

Shahnaz is the newest clubhouse member among the candidates. He has jumped into being an outstanding clubhouse member by posting several creative projects on the Village and expressing the desire to be our computer clubhouse vice president. For a while we thought that Tyler might be the only person running, so I'm glad that Shahnaz decided to run. His campaign poster shows his love for the wolf. My motto is "an animal lover is never a bad person".

Good luck to all the candidates. I hope that each of you will be in the clubhouse on Wednesday, March 31, when the final votes will be taken and tallied, and the winners will be announced.

Gearing Up for the Vote

I am excited that there are several candidates vying for the positions of clubhouse president and vice president. Right now they are: Miya, James and Demario for president and Tyler for vice president. You still have another week to declare your interest in one of the positions. I hope that you understand the importance of clubhouse members taking on leadership positions in the clubhouse. It makes a real difference for ideas and decisions to be implemented that are the desire of members. As we move forward to improve the overall clubhouse program I believe that our clubhouse will be better as we gain greater input from members. Remember, the last day to declare your candidacy is March 24, and voting will begin on Monday, March 29. All votes will be counted on Wednesday, March 31 and the winners will be announced. Please be sure to ask the candidates about their plans for improving the clubhouse. You want to be an informed voter who helps select the best people.

There were some great projects uploaded to the Village last week. A total of 21 projects were uploaded by the following 15 members:

Shai (1) - I always like pictures and I really like the black and red colors in this project.
James (2) - You continue to post great music and I'm glad you are running for Clubhouse President.
Breeya (1) - I like that you are working in PowerPoint, but you have to learn to add pictures and some of the creative touches available in the program. You should get with Mikayla or me to learn how to animate your text and add pictures.
Taryn (1) - This is a very creative idea for a Pivot project. I can see the cheerleading theme being used in a variety of ways. I like that you completed the interview section when you uploaded your project. Although you stated that you want to do a "softball" project next, I would encourage you to continue doing a few more cheerleading projects.
Donovan (2) - Please read my comment on the Village. I really like the work you are doing in Photoshop. When I see how outstanding your creativity is in Photoshop I cannot wait until the Adobe Youth Voices grant is awarded, because we will then have Adobe CS4 on all of our computers. Don't forget that you can get a lot of help using Photoshop from several websites, including adobe.com and youtube.com
Tyler (1) - This is a very cute Paint project.
Miya (2) - I hope your business class liked this as much as I did.
Demario (2) - Another candidate for president, I think you produced some great posters. Let's hope that they get you the votes you need.
Hailey (1) - I hope the Eagles are winning because they certainly have some terrific cheerleaders.
Kenyea (1) - Things that make you go hmmm!
India (1) - These are some nice family pictures. I think that you should put them on a card for you mom and dad.
Kevin (2) - We are going to figure out how to save a morph in a format that can be viewed in Media player. Maybe the programs website can shed some light. You should check it out at http://www.morpheussoftware.net/
Anthony (1) - Everybody should check out this basketball game done in Pivot. It takes patience and creativity to do Pivot well. You did a great job on this project, I really like it.
Mikayla (1) - I hope that this worked for your locker.
Deonte (1) - Another, thing that makes you go hmmm!

I am very pleased with most of the projects that are being uploaded. I hope that you will continue to share your "best" works on the Village.

Great Job!

I am very pleased with the variety of creative projects that have been done by clubhouse members. This past week there were 36 projects uploaded by 12 members. Marcus uploaded a total of 10 projects. Unfortunately, the general consensus is that all of his projects look like they were done by a pre-schooler and not a middle schooler. I have to say that the projects that you do and upload to the Village should not be about quantity, but rather, they should be about quality. You should use the Village as a place to display "your best work". Everything that you upload should be worthy of receiving a "cool ping". It does not please me to see projects that look like crap. Most of you do chose wisely and upload wonderful projects. Please take the time to read the comment I leave when I view your project. I may give you an idea on how to make your project better.

In addition to work uploaded by Marcus, the following members also uploaded at least one project:

Tyler
Mikayla
Miya
Breeya
Glynn
Donovan
James
Kenyae
Tiara
Martez
Jada

Next week I will begin listing those members who were in the clubhouse but did not upload any project. I have previously stated that when you put your projects on the Village, I can see the work that you do and be assured that you are not wasting our clubhouse space. I was pleased to see that members like Tiara and Jada worked on some very creative photo projects that really look great. I was surprised to not see the project that India was working on for two days. (What happened, India? Did it make it to Facebook, but not to the Village?). If you don't get your project uploaded, you need to make sure that I know what you are working on.

Plans are proceeding for a clubhouse election day on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The following members have proclaimed their desire to work towards the betterment of our clubhouse:

Miya for President
James for President
Tyler for Vice-President

There is still time for you to announce your interest in running. The final day to get your name on the ballot is Wednesday, March 24th. I'm hoping to see some great posters and commercials about why you would be the best person to choose. Remember, if you want to help make our clubhouse the best after-school program in Detroit, then you should run for president and let your ideas be known.

Until next week...design, create, invent, explore!

Clubhouse Leadership

Last week I spoke about holding an election for a clubhouse president and vice president. If you are interested in becoming a leader in the NWAC Intel Computer Clubhouse, it is time to start working on your campaign! Election Day is Wednesday, March 31, 2010. In order to run you must have been a member of the clubhouse for at least 6 months. It doesn't matter how old you are or whether you are male or female. If you want to make our clubhouse better and you have a vision for how to do this, then start creating your campaign posters, commercials and announcements!

There were a total of 16 projects uploaded to the Village last week. The following 11 members uploaded at least one project:

Martez - I wasn't sure if the two projects Martez uploaded were his own creations, but please keep in mind that they should be your own original works. The Village is your online portfolio. It should reflect your best works. I like Martez' pictures, although I am a little scared of Sasuke.

Marcus - My comment to Marcus on the Village said, "I know you can and should do better". When I look at the projects you upload to the Village, I expect to see your best work. I was disappointed with both projects that Marcus uploaded because I believe he can do better, and they did not reflect his "best" works. Everyone should know that they should post their best works. Marcus' "E" was pretty cool, but an "e" by itself is just an "e". Since this project was done using Pivot, my imagination saw the "e" walking to be joined by the letter "v" followed by "o" followed by "l". Spell something! That would be really cool!

Bryan I liked this Pivot project. When using Pivot you have to work on the details, the more frames you have, the better the final project.

Treymaine My favorite project this week is Pepe Le Pew. I love the colors, the background, the layering and the subjects. It was very well done. I'm definitely going to put it in my best pics folder. Great job, Trey!

Glynn - I'll say it again. If you want to learn a few things about Pivot, ask Glynn. He did a great job on this project! You have to have the patience to produce a great project. I can tell that he put time into making this project. Keep up the good work and I appreciate it when you share what you know.

Taryn - This was Taryn's first project. She and her sister, Jade, are new members. This is a very nice project. I learned about Taryn from this project, like she likes softwall and the color red. I hope she also likes doing projects and learning new software.

Kenyae - This is a really cool morph. Kenyae is getting pretty good at morphing. We're going to have to see how this skill can work in our video creations. The program Morpher is only on two of the clubhouse computers, so if you want to learn about morphing, you need to get with Kenyae for a training session.

Jade is Taryn's younger sister. I'm very please that she completed and uploaded two projects. I really like the birthday card she created for her friend. You are a good friend when you think enough to create a personal card. This was very well done, especially since she just learned to use The Print Shop. Great job, Jade! Keep up the good work!

Lewis combined doing a project in the clubhouse with completing a homework assignment when he wrote a paper about President James K. Polk. It was very interesting to read. It has a few typos, but overall it was good enough for a "B" from me. I can't wait to hear what grade his teacher gave him. Good job, Lewis, just remember to proofread your writings.

James - I really enjoyed listening to the music James created. It was not only good to me, he got a "cool ping" from Gail Breslow, the Director of the entire Intel Computer Clubhouse Network. Way to go, James! (I cool pinged it, too!)

Marcellous - I hope that Marcellous is comfortable uploading to the Village. I have seen him create great projects using Pivot and Legos, but I wasn't seeing anything uploaded. This portfolio cover is a great start. I hope it is an omen for money coming in his future. I also saw that he started working on the NXT Robot. I'm looking forward to the Lego robot being built. It would be a good idea to take pictures of your progress and upload them to the Village. You can use the Intel Create and Share camera that is attached to the old computer. After the robot is complete you can take all of your pictures and put them in Adobe Premiere and create a time-lapsed photography video. That would be cool! There are also some great robotic ideas on Youtube, do a search for nxt programs.

Clubhouse Village Usage

As all of you should now know, the use of the Computer Clubhouse Village is an essential part of your membership in the NWAC Intel Computer Clubhouse. Every weekend I review the projects done by members that are posted to the Village. I report information about the postings each week in this blog. I believe that every member that signed into the clubhouse during the week should have their name listed in this report. If your name is not listed, then that means you did no projects. Failure to do projects is a reason for your membership to be canceled.

There were 11 projects uploaded by six different members. They are:

• Deja with 2 projects, a twilight poster (because she's a big fan), and a poster paying homage to her true love (and mine), Michael Jackson. Great job, Deja! (Just note: the spelling of husband has no "o").
• Demarcus also completed two projects, after being informed of his teetering membership, he stepped up and completed a cool Nicky Minaj calendar. (I can credit him for giving it a creative name, by calling it "Nickalder" -- pretty cool!) A sure sign that your work is pretty good is when someone asks for a copy. Keep up the good work, Demarcus, because I really do hate to cancel any member!
• Demario may have only uploaded one project (which was more than most of you did), but he did the most exploration. His Bryce project is not only a beautiful picture, it is also an animation. Demario learned to create his own Youtube account; add videos to his playlist; and how to search for tutorials. He used a Bryce tutorial from youtube to help him create the animation. In addition to creating in the clubhouse, Demario volunteered to help organize and setup clubhouse equipment. We used our time wisely and we saw progress! We made a dramatic difference in the clubhouse. You ROCK, Demario!!! Thank you so much!
• Kevin also did one project. I wasn't able to view it because I don't have Morpheus on my home computer, but knowing that you did a morph project, I can't wait to see it when I get into the Clubhouse. I like it when clubhouse members try something new.
• Alethia uploaded two projects. Along with several other members, Alethia had informed me that she did not know how to upload her projects to the Village. We went over the process. She did a great job on creating an ice mountain using Bryce and successfully uploaded it. She also created a photo manipulation in Photoshop. She put herself in a picture at Cedar Point (her favorite amusement park). She uploaded this picture for her profile picture on the Village. I like it a lot! Great job on both of your projects, Alethia! I hope that you now feel assured that you can do this. Remember that I have made a how to sheet with step-by-step instruction, so you can use this to get your projects uploaded, or ask me for help.
  

• The person with the most projects uploaded for the week is Trevon. Trevon worked on the same image in Photoshop and produced three different results. I like the third version, best. I am not only proud of your diligent work on this project; I also appreciate that you work on projects at home. I love it! Keep up the good work, Trevon.
  

There was over 20 clubhouse members in the clubhouse last week, some of you did projects that were not uploaded to the Village (Donovan!). Please make sure you upload your projects. If you are working on a project that is not complete, or if you are doing a project that cannot be uploaded (such as robotics or sewing), you should write about what you are working on, take pictures and video and upload them for your project. I need to know that you are using the clubhouse for clubhouse-related activities. We want our clubhouse to be the best!~!~!

Our Clubhouse is a New AYV Site

Jeff Arthur sent me an email announcement that the NWAC Intel Computer Clubhouse has been selected to participate in the Adobe Youth Voices project. Yeah! I am so happy for this news! Basically, Adobe Youth Voices is the Adobe Foundation's signature philanthropy initiative empowering young people to Create with Purpose. Youth use digital tools to express themselves about issues important to them. I am excited for this opportunity. I have wanted our clubhouse to become part of this project for over two years. It is a wonderful platform to focus our video projects towards meaningful messages to and about our community.

Remember, Adobe is the company that makes Photoshop, Flash, Acrobat, Illustrator, Premiere and many other amazingly creative software programs. With our new equipment we were only able to afford to purchase the Adobe Creative Suite software for three of our computers. The Adobe Youth Voices award provides the CS4 software for all of our computers! It will also provide the funds to purchase some additional cameras and video equipment.

I will have to go to Atlanta for training in April, but we can start now to brainstorm on ideas for AYV projects. What are things that concern you about your neighborhood? What do you think can be done to make youth smarter? kinder? healthier? better? How would you show yourself to the world? What would you want people in China to know about you? There are hundreds of ideas that we can explore through video projects. Check out the Adobe Youth Voices Gallery to see what other participants have created.

So, your ideas are needed! Let's get ready to make outstanding (award-winning) vidoes!

Your Clubhouse Membership

Yes, I'm back! I am going to speak to clubhouse members via this blog. Clubhouse members are required to read blog posts every time they visit the clubhouse. As many of you know, last week I started speaking with each of you about your interest in and knowledge of the clubhouse mission. I gained a great deal of insight about those of you who really want to be a part of the NWAC Intel Computer Clubhouse. I had to cancel some memberships; I put some memberships on hold; and I expressed my pride and appreciation to outstanding clubhouse members who do creative projects in the clubhouse.

I am especially pleased with the works of Kenyae. If you have not seen Kenyae's creations, click here to see his profile on the Village. (You will have to sign in to the Village to view any Village links). Kenyae's projects depict exploration in the use of Bryce, Paint, Pivot, Morpher, and more. The fact that Kenyae has uploaded over 20 projects created in the Clubhouse is a testiment to what I know can be done by every clubhouse member. I cannot allow "space wasters" to "hang out" in the NWAC Intel Computer Clubhouse. I want to see more creative projects on the Village.

I have listened to comments from each of you and discovered that some of you who have only posted 1 item to the Village, had the item uploaded by me and you didn't learn how to repeat the process. I have now created an instruction sheet with step-by-step guides to how to upload a project to the Village. Please take the time to link to this information whenever needed. Or be sure to ask for help getting your projects uploaded. There are several members, in addition to Kenyae, that can help you. If I am not available, then ask James, Donovan, Kevin, Mikayla, Martez, Glynn or Marcus for help. If you have been told that your membership is on hold you need to be sure to learn to upload your projects.

You should use the Internet to look for helpful tutorials on how to use programs like Bryce, Photoshop, Flash, PowerPoint and the others available on clubhouse computers. I want to thank Martez for giving me the idea to setup a playlist of training videos on youtube. I will be using this blog to link to some good videos as I find them. When I look at your Village profile, I want to see that your projects show improvement and better skills over time. I know that everyone of you can get better and better and better if you practice, practice, practice.