Sunday, January 6, 2013

The Teacher In Me


The teacher in me is excited to teach the student in you.
The teacher in me wants you to find out what you can do.
The teacher in me knows what it's like to have dreams come true and wants yours to come true too.

The teacher in me is afraid you won't do what you need to do - but the teacher in me is still rooting for you.

The teacher in me lives through your triumphs.
The teacher in me knows you will fail again and again but prays you won't quit.

The teacher in me can't wait to see the teacher in you.
The teacher in me wants to be taught by the teacher in you.

Classes begin for me again today at UVU and I love it! I get so much out of teaching. Last semester in my children's book class I gave my students the option to work on story apps. A hand full went in that direction and it was really fun to see what they came up with. We didn't have time to work on their stories since it is an illustration class so they lack some of the polish that taking a children's writing class would provide - but they learned by doing and are that much further along.

Here are a few of the apps they created last semester...but one is missing :(   Alicia VanNoy Call had her (TOTALLY AMAZING) app rejected by Apple twice because it didn't have enough animation/interactivity. They wanted her to publish it as an iBook but she doesn't want to do that for various reasons - so it's in limbo at the moment.

I will really miss this group of kids - we really had a lot of fun!

Kitty Wants by Ginny Tilby (pink sweater) - check it out! 


Ricky the Fortune Cookie by Jared Salmond (second goof from the right) - check it out!


Jumping Jackie by Kari & Von Brimhall - check it out!


Jumping Jackie is from my long time college friends Kari & Von Brimhall - They did an amazing job animating their app using Talespring.com ...if you want to see what's possible at Talespring you should check out their app! I love their enthusiasim for creating ebooks and story apps. Kari is a homeschooler who's kids are flying the coop and doing very well at college and now she and Von are living out their dreams creating for the pure love of it. They are one step ahead of me in that they already created a website to showcase their titles called instant sunshine.

10 comments:

  1. After 30 years in the third grade classroom, the teacher in ME loves your teacher in me sentiments. I know exactly how that feels...

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  2. Just so you know Katherine - you are remembered all the time by the people you helped shape and from time to time they think about you...you don't know it because they don't let you know and you're busy shaping more lives. I have a reverence for teachers who give more than they are required. I'll thank you on their behalf :)

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  3. I didn't know you could get rejected for not having enough animation. Guess I better go back in and add some more to mine just to be safe. Thanks for the heads up on that one.

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    1. Yeah - I think Apple is saying that if it CAN be done in iBooks Author - it needs to be done in iBooks Author.... :(

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  4. Thanks Will, was wondering how your Talespring app is doing? Mine will be done in the next month or so and wanted to know what to expect. Thanks :)

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    1. You ask the question that's on everyone's mind - "yeah, but how much are you making?" The answer on "I Eat You!" - is not that much. At the present rate I will recoup my time in a year or two. I know that's probably not what you want to hear but I'm good with it for a few reasons.

      1. I made that app for the love of storytelling and creativity - not money. Do I want it to sell a bunch? of course but I'm in learning mode right now - I can't expect to spin gold right from the outset. I'm learning things I never knew I would want or need to learn.

      2. "I Eat You!" is NOT an amazing story or app. In my own estimation it's decent. Decent isn't good enough. If you want to compete in a global market place your product(s) have to be amazingly X. Mine is sort of funny.

      I'm working on an app now that I believe will be much more appealing - might not be but in the end I'm working on these in my spare time for the love of it...and I'm too stupid to quit :)

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  5. OH, man you just brought my head down out of the clouds.......lol, thanks Will being my first one I'd just like to eventually recoup my cost and get my stuff out there a little more:)

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    1. Good goal - do it for the love of it and if you're committed you'll get better and better giving yourself better chances at finding an audience with each app.

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  6. Hi Will- those titles that your students made look familiar as I have been frequenting talespring a lot these days to tweak my own app. They look absolutely wonderful and have that polished look that comes from trained eyes in terms of palette, layout/composition etc.(I need to train my eyes) Talespring should be excited because I think your app along with there's is going to make everyone involved very profitable over time!

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  7. "theirs" I mean, my goodness I needs to go back to school or proof read a little better, before I push the send button! Thought I'd pass this along to you...My son 6 is home on a snow day and was sitting on my lap while I was reading your blog entry...he saw the I Eat You app image on the side bar and said "Mommy there's I Eat You! I love that app"

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