Virtual World: October 8 October 22 October 22 November 5 November 5 November 5 December 3 December 3 December 10 December 10

Journal #1
Last week in the CAVE we used the new Shadow Light program. It is easier to use (in my opinion) since it is more like a PC mouse. You don't have to go back to the palette every time you want to do something. You can just right or left click! It's the same (once again, in my opinion) as a PC except that you are inside the "screen."
What I did not like about the new program is that the joy/thumb stick is too sensitive. The slightest touch would make you start moving. Since this happens you loose what you are making and sometimes cannot find it!
My partner, Clair, and I are planning to first build "grass." We will do this by just creating a simple square and enlarging it, or make a whole bunch of shapes and grouping and connecting them together. We will then use a grass background that is already in the Shadow Light program.
After we make the grass we will then add flowers, animals, etc.... We'll draw pictures and scan them into our "world" so we can make a shape, then use that drawing as a background for it. If I have time, I might even make all of the dimenions (front, back, side, bottom) of whatever I am drawing so I can still make the animal/plant 3-D, even if it does look like it is in a glass box.

Journal #2
When we went into the CAVE the 2nd time, we were more used to the program but we could not get the menu to come up! It was really hard to get it. When we first used it all we had to do was click the right button, but this time it was harder. If you clicked all the way it would come up and then disappear, so we had to learn to just click "half way."
We did get done a lot done though. We made more "patches" of grass and made some trees. While we watched the seventh graders we also learned some. They used a faster way to make grass which was much more efficient than ours. Also, watching them also gave me an idea. THE WIZARD OF OZ! So Clair and I are going to base our world on the Wizard of Oz. I'm going to draw some character from the story and the movie like Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, and the Apple Trees. We're just coming up with more ideas as we go along!

Journal #3
This week in the CAVE we accomplished a lot. Even though we didn't have our pictures scanned in we were able to finish the ground, build more trees, and make the yellow brick road!
The pop-up menu was extremely easier to use than last time. It saved us A LOT of time. Unfortunately though, the Shadowlight program crashed and all of our work was not saved. We will get another 45-minute period next week. I think we were a little bit lucky for that. We know what we are going to do now and have even more experience now with the new program!
Next time we go we will make what we tried to do today and then maybe even put our scanned pictures in of characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Journal #4
We completed lots of work in the CAVE last week! We finished the yellow brick road , the forest and the cornfield. Clair even made the house and the tornado! We hope to finally put in Dorothy (since we couldn't before since I didn't have it with me [SORRY!]) and maybe if we can find a picture, Toto. We might even add the other characters like the Tin man, Scarecrow, and the Lion if we have time. I highly doubt it though. We barely had any problems last time. We are now used to the program and the adjustments. I now know NOT to be near the ground when using the Wand and to stand in the middle. i used to wander around, but not anymore. I use the program with more ease. it took me long enough, but I did it. The only complaint that I have is the weight of the tracking glasses.

Journal #5
(Well, this is the last journal of the semester...) Last week in the CAVE, Clair and I were able to finally put in Dorothy and Toto! Other than that we just fine tuned everything so it would look better. For example, Dorothy was about two times smaller than the corn! It took us awhile to fix that. We were also able to visit the Cube, and there are no words to describe the feeling of being in there. I thought the CAVE was like being inside, but it just touches the borders of what the Cube can do. When our parents came yesterday to see our worlds, Clair and I just added the Tin Man and the apples for the trees. There wasn't much we could do since we had ten minutes, but we finished what we wanted to do. This was a great semester, and I've learned a lot. Clair and I were able to accomplish more than we thought, and it as definitely better than last year. Also, when we had to teach the 7th graders, it was sometimes harder than it seemed because WE were just learning the new program too! I've always been taught that teaching someone also teaches you too, and that is now proven in my opinion.

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE!