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See, Hear, and Speak No Evil by Kyle R.

Yesterday I wrote about the spike in visitors that was directly attributable to this comment on Abduzeedo. Here’s a short video explaining the even more amazing day two results.

And speaking of amazing, I love that so many kids finally put everything together and create a winning composition that puts them in the spotlight (and the best of video, blog, and/or Wall of Fame™) just before time runs out. Yesterday, Carlos was featured and I sure hope he reads some of the nice comments made about his work. How many more of you will emerge from the shadows in the final two weeks?

New Visitors: Barbados, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Kuwait, Mauritius, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (96 countries) Maine (48 states + D.C.)

ROP (Per 3, 5, 6, 7): Click this, use the code on the board, and fill out the survery today.

Something interesting happened yesterday. Look at this. That’s where our visitors came from: 680 624 visits (Google’s numbers have changed since this morning) from 46 countries and 30 states. Our average isn’t plotted on GA but it seems to be in the teens most days. Unique visitors jumped from our high of 295 to 556 511 (see Visitors right here for a UV explanation). Our bounce rate (visitors who leave after viewing one page) went up to 53 47.6% from an average of 35% but that’s not too bad considering the unique visitor spike. We may have picked up a few new readers in those 2,371 2,443 page views. (Why did those change?)

So, you might ask, Why/how did it happen? Before I answer, I want to remind you about the opportunities the Mac Lab presents for you. The old 1.0 site still has loads of fans due to these. The blog is too new to have such a following but it’s taken off far faster than I ever imagined. When I fold in hundreds of new video tutorials, as I will in the fall, our readership will begin to expand. The larger our base, the greater the opportunity for you to make your mark. Yes, this is about you! One day a student project will go viral. On that day, a career will be launched, a life will be changed, and a dream will come true. I’ve explained all this in class as well as right here but, if you’ll excuse the pun, it’s the after-effects that’ll blow our lab right into another dimension.

If you want to understand, you really do have to read this first. Do you see what I’m getting at? Doing anything the first time is hard. Repeating the feat is always easier. Every year I raise the bar in here. I can get away with that — raising expectations each and every year — because of the fantastic work you do. You see, it’s not really me raising the bar, it’s you. And once a kid or group of kids hits one WAY outta the park, it’ll be easier for the next person/group to do so. Once that first viral project happens, we can expect it to happen again. Kids will believe that careers can be made in the Mac Lab because it’s happened before.* As Virgil said: They can because they think they can. With a small but growing audience, we have a built-in advantage for you to make your mark. Solitude, as good as it is, will have company next year. When we talk about the best projects ever, there’s going to be debate rather than consensus.

*FYI: Many students have gone on to careers in media arts after their Mac Lab days. It’s the “instant sensation” phenomena I’m referring to.

This blog is a grain of sand on Internet Beach. Yesterday we had our 10,000th visitor (since we began using GA on April 3). Oh, and the reason for our spike in visitors yesterday? I posted a comment about Jeff P’s Dark Knight Poster on Abduzeedo and 231 people clicked the link I left behind. I didn’t post the comment to drive traffic; I did it simply because it was relevant. Fishing for traffic leads to short-term gains and long-term losses in credibility. You build traffic with content. That’s how the Internet works. The better our content, the higher the traffic. Since you, the artists in the Mac Lab, keep providing exciting work (like Carlos A’s alternate self portrait), I can keep posting new content each day. Together, we’re building a world-class resource for the classroom of the future.

New Visitors: Cyprus, El Salvador, Ireland, Luxembourg (86 countries) Montana (47 states + D.C.)

Sarah S has a world of options open to her as she approaches the transition from high school to college. She’s got a terrific work ethic. She listens, thinks, and acts with a focus that’s to be admired. When she set about to create a poster for our Theatre’s latest production, she approached the task with her atypical attention to detail. Rather than trying to explain it myself, I’m going to let her tell the story behind the the poster’s design. Sarah, who just walked in (at 6:05 – late for her), just informed me that Nicole C was a partner in the poster’s concept. Again, I’ll let her tell the story.

When my wife and I discuss the future with our twelve-year-old daughter, Noël, we always remind her that school is the key. Those who embrace the learning experience have an enormous advantage over those who squander the wonder years. My wife took the straight and narrow path that led directly to a successful career. I took the long and winding road that could have easily led to an unhappy ending. If not for a natural aptitude for art and design, my story might have been yet another pointless, tragic, cautionary tale.

So, to you, author of the story of your own life. What’s it going to be? You do know that it’s not too late to change the plot, right? Every day is a new beginning. Every day is another chance to change the way you view your place in the world. Education is the key. Grab it today and begin to unlock the door to your tomorrow.

So there I was, another Saturday in the Mac Lab, with thirty two kids this time. The first showed a few ticks after 6:00, followed by a steady stream of smiling faces. Well, mostly smiling.

So why, you might ask, would kids come to school, just after dawn, on a weekend? For most, believe it or not, it’s the idea of working on their projects. Kids actually excited about spending 4, 5, or even 6 uninterrupted hours in the creative zone. Imagine that. A few others are there because they’ve been absent, have fallen behind, or misbehaved.

I’ve already written about how, um, let’s say unwise I was in my youth. It pains me to see others walking in my footsteps. No teacher wants to leave any child behind. But how do you help someone who refuses to try?

Last semester Mac Lab students logged over 2,100 hours working outside of class – before and after school, breaks, lunch, and, of course, Saturdays. I want every child to succeed and I do what I can to help. Yesterday I missed my daughter’s 12-and-under softball opening day so 32 other kids could get ahead. Most of those kids held up their end of the deal. But what of the few who came but didn’t even try to learn anything? And what of the fourteen others who said they’d be there (300 Minute Club) but didn’t show? What a waste. It’s like I wrote in a little fairy tale of my own:

Battles rage within us all, where truth is compromised
There dreams, like tissue paper wings, are torn and tossed aside

Yesterday I dug several plastic bottles out of the trash and dropped them into the recycling bin just outside our door. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t find plastic bottles in the trash before heading home. I’m not a dumpster diver by choice. It’s just that before leaving each day, I put the trash containers by the door as a courtesy for the custodian. I can’t tell you how disappointing it is to see recyclables in there yet again. However disgusting, there’s no way I’m going to let my pride stop me from reaching into the refuse of 250+ students and doing the right thing.

In the Mac Lab, the most important lesson I try to instill is personal responsibility. From listening to discussions amongst students each day, it’s certain we have the entire political spectrum represented, but one thing puzzles me. Even amongst these young activists, recycling seems to be viewed, by some, as a liberal cause. I’ve never understood this. Aren’t conservatives proponents of personal responsibility? Isn’t recycling a personally responsible act?

We have containers for paper (behind my desk) and plastic/aluminum (outside the door). You all know how I feel about about this. Most of you already do the right thing. For the few who don’t, take a look at Alex S’s poster. Is that what you want? Don’t tell me one plastic bottle doesn’t matter. It’s not the bottle, it’s the person who tossed it. Change happens one person at a time. Be the next one to do the right thing, for a change.

When I wrote about sending Jeff P’s take on the Official Portrait Challenge on to the White House, I didn’t expect others to step up as well. Robbie F wrapped up his entry yesterday and it’s going to find its way into the package as well. I just love how Robbie handled the background. Just so you know, his PSD has over 30 layers. When I suggested he move a few elements to improve the balance of his composition, he was able to do so with ease because he worked smart and didn’t box himself into a corner.

Jeff’s final image only took 23.5 hours (by his reckoning). It’s really hard to appreciate how he built this, even in a semi-close-up so I’ve included this detail for you to see. That’s 19,714 individual times Jeff clicked with the Pen Tool. (Thanks to Jeff Witchel via Layers Magazine’s Tip of the Day for counting the anchor points!)

I know a few more of you are working on this challenge so let me know if you think yours should be in the package. I plan on sending this off tomorrow after our 5 Hours of Fun™ (Mac Lab Saturday School). And because I know you’ll ask, here’s how I found the™. WARNING: Playing games in Dashboard = 4 hour penalty)

Jeff P has decided to focus his considerable talent on illustration using the all-powerful pen tool as his creative weapon of choice. I broke into his account this morning to lift a work-in-progress (his answer to this challenge) in order to show you how perseverance and dedication can pay off. True, I’ve highlighted similar qualities here, but this is a perfect example of how one student has decided to take advantage of his time in the Mac Lab to develop a marketable skill that sets him apart in the creative industry.

He’s probably put in over 10 hours so far and will most likely spend another 20 before he’s finished. At that point we’ll be sending the file and a print to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I have no idea if anyone will acknowledge the gift but I’m absolutely certain that if we don’t give it a try then Jeff has zero chance of hearing back. Imagine how this might jump-start his career if someone does take notice. And why shouldn’t they? He’s already got 2 masterpieces on the Mac Lab Wall of Fame (one and two) and one was featured on Abduzeedo’s Daily Inspiration page. Who’s to say a little national recognition isn’t the next natural step?

Moral: If you don’t aim for the sky, you’ll never fly.

A few years ago, Larry Martinsen, our former Principal, set a goal of 800 for the school’s API score. A lot of people though he was dreaming (read: crazy). He retired after the 07/08 school year but when the scores were released last semester, it turns out Valhalla scored an even 800 in Larry’s last year. This year, admin is set to up the stakes, with a terrific incentive that I can’t reveal… yet. (We’re making the posters.)

What’s the use of dreaming if your dreams are pale, ephemeral, trivialities? Like the author says in DYC:

Nothing ventured, nothing lost, except good memories.

Let’s create some good memories in the Mac Lab this semester. Let’s dream worthy dreams and try to make them come true. I keep telling you the world needs dreamers. Grab your weapon of choice, digital warriors (mouse or Wacom stylus), and fight the good fight (Alex S) with your imagination focused on something that really matters to you – on something that will help to make a difference.

Shaun C has often been heard to lament that his style doesn’t lend itself to being chosen for the Wall of Fame, the Best Work reel, or any of the galleries in the blog. You see, Shaun has a deep and abiding love of Flash and he also has an inimitable style all his own. When I suggested to Shaun that he read the last paragraph of Keep Your Eye on the Ball and to substitute his own name for Isaac’s, it was as if I had suddenly stolen all the joy from his life.

Within minutes he’d vented his righteous teenage outrage by creating a new shaunsterpiece depicting the evilest of teachers a student might have the misfortune to encounter: The Dreamcrusher! (You need to click on the larger version to see the innocent, mournful DREAM shedding it’s final tear before the wretched Dreamcrusher grinds the life from yet another young one’s deepest connection with his or her vision of tomorrow.)

Seriously, you had to be there. Shaun was in rare form. We’ll be seeing much of the same tomorrow when I inform all of the classes that their projects must have a purpose – a reason to exist. And who decides what reason or purpose is worthy? The DREAMCRUSHER!