Monday

Today will be the final day in the Flash sandbox. Use the time to try something new in the tutorials (try zoom in if you haven't yet). I also want you to spend time reading Project 9 in the textbook as you will need to add Flash movies to your websites during your final project. Please take the time to view some of the examples of Flash Websites that are on the tutorial pages (there are links in the bottom right).

If you made a cool movie in Flash, save it to the UDrive so everyone can see it. I had Courtney P save her car movie there. Its pretty cool.

We will begin the final project tomorrow. You can read about it today, but be warned I have a few more items to add to the page. This will be a three week assignment and will require you to show competencies from Web1 and Web2. All of these projects will be displayed at the SHS Tech Fair on June 4.

We will split into two groups for the project. I will ask several of you to present at the Tech Fair on subjects such as Web 2.0, video, blogging, and such. The rest of you will work on one of the assigned tasks for the project.

Wednesday Assignment

In order to complete Wednesday's assignment you must complete the first two tutorials on shape and motion tween. You must complete this assignment and show the teacher by the end of the period. Work together so everyone gets it done.

Motion Tween:
Move a blue circle from the bottom left corner to the top right.

Shape Tween:
Convert a small blue circle to a large red square. Have the object move from the bottom left corner to the top right corner.

Save each file in WDrive.

If you finish the first two tutorials please try to move through the rest of the tutorials. I would like you to have a very basic idea of the available tools by the end of the week.

Flash

Here is the link to the Flash tutorial that I would like you to start when your quiz is done. These are some simple directions for learning the basics of Flash. You will notice some similarities to the project that we just completed (timeline, layers, etc...). Start with the top tutorial (motion tween) and go through the rest.

I am new to Flash as well. We will learn this together. I think you will pick it up very fast. I got most of the things to work very easily. But some things held me up. I am sure they are obvious things. A few things to note about Flash. First, you can do some cool stuff with it. Second, because you can do some cool stuff designers often load their pages with stuff that adds no value to the page, causing it to take forever to load. Worse in my eyes are those "flash intros" to pages that almost nobody likes to use.

So, as you use the Flash tutorials think about how you could use Flash to add value or increase usability on a page.

Please try to put your Yankees quiz in the UDrive today. Important notes about the quiz....please follow the directions!!! Some of you have turned in a quiz that does not include the correct link or explanation text. Please don't turn in a webpage that is titled "Untitled Document".

I hope to have the final project assignment ready by Thursday or Friday. Keep sending me your ideas.

Technorati Tags: Flash

Cool links

My mom sent me this link. Be sure to include sound. I really hope it plays for you.

Mobile phones in concept link.

June 4 is the SHS Tech Fair. Everyone of you will have your final projects displayed. I have asked several of you to present to the Board of Education. Keep sending my ideas for final projects.

I see eight presentations at the tech fair:

• Video, youtube, teachertube
• Web 2.0 and School 2.0, what can be happening NOW.
• Dreamweaver/HTML/Programming applications
• Wikis
• Blogging/Global Communications
• Educational Gaming
• Future, Web 3.0, School 3.0. What will happen in the FUTURE.
• All of your final projects

All of these topics involve information, the processing of information, and how the nature of communications is shifting (2D writing becomes 3D writing). Also, we should all speak about the importance and value of 1-to-1 computing. Imagine doing this (or any) class with 1 computer.

I'd also would like to have one movie (like the Did you Know movie we watched at the beginning of the semester) that highlights and summarizes everything.

Agree? Ideas? Suggestions?

Final Project

Teaching a class for the first time is not easy. The main issue is pacing. I don't really know how long a unit will take and how many extra items to add for understanding. I do feel that we are finishing the year much stronger than how we started. All of you have improved on our three objectives: synthesize, summarize, solve.

Almost all of you have grades above 95 now. You are doing the work and doing it well. About 10 of you are not getting your work done. This is not acceptable. You know who you are. See me today and we can try to fix this the easy way. Otherwise.....

So what do we have left to do? We need to spend some time on Flash and Fireworks. We need to do our final project (this will be fairly large). We need to review for the final and take the final.

If you have ideas for the final exam and final project please add them to your blog. I would be interested to read them. If you took Web1 with me you probably have an idea where I am heading.

Wednesday

I am in general very happy with the reviews that you did for the Horizon Project and the comments you made on the blogs. I think about 80% of you showed a real depth of understanding about design, writing, and the creative process. Many of the rest of you went through the motions. Always do your best.

Go to teachertube.com and check out the scores for the movies I posted. Kelly's movie is in the lead with over 1700 views! Related to the horizon project this is a social network and an emerging form of publication. You have a global audience! Have something to say.

Project 8 should be in progress at this point. The quiz is posted on the wiki. Have some fun with it.

Technorati Tags: hz07 teachertube

Tuesday

Things to do today:

1. Review and edit your horizon project exams.
2. Complete your Web 3.0 blog entry from before vacation.
3. Check teacherease for missing work. I have not gotten to all the P7 quizzes and some of the videos. You have not been graded if you did not turn in an evaluation.
4. Make 3-5 substantial comments on students blog entries about the horizon project.
5. Project 8 if you are ready.

Horizon Project

I spoke before break that we would be evaluating the Horizon Project. We will do this today (Monday). We will have discussion first and then you will tackle the assignment on the wiki. If you are reading this from home please get a head start on the reading.

This is an important project and many people from many different countries will be reading your work. Do your best!

Technorati Tags: hz07 wiki Seymour sounding_board

Gametime

I get the feeling over the last few weeks that most of you "get it" now. You have been working much more independently, solving your problems yourself, and producing some great work.

Lets remember the three objectives for the class: synthesize, summarize, solve. These are areas that you should focus on in all aspects of your education. I think we have gotten much better in all three over the past month or so.

So we pretty much understand the tools (HTML, Dreamweaver, blogging, etc...) and we pretty much understand the objectives (synthesize, summarize, solve). What will we do with it?

As you can tell by the clustrmap our class and the assignments are looked at by a lot of people. Many of the assignments we do are repeated in classrooms around the globe. Many of the assignments that they do I find and adapt for you. However, we have not really gone to the next level, which is truly creating connections with the global community.

I feel we can be elite. We can be a model school, with a model curriculum, examples of student work that make people go "Wow!". As we move from Web 1.0 (HTML) to Web 2.0 (blogging, collaboration, visual, etc...) we need to start planning for Web 3.0. What will it look like? Will we be ready?

I want you to find examples of schools, people, ideas that are Web 3.0. What is the "next big idea"? How are innovative schools in other countries run? I want you to collect information (synthesize), put it on your blog (summarize), and then we will figure out what to do next (solve). As you know, I believe students should take responsibility for their education. If you had a chance to design the next version of this class/school/district what would it look like?

Check some of these ideas/schools out:
Horizon Project We will be evaluating these project when we return from break. Check them out.
Shangai American School A school involved in the Horizon Project. Where are they on the technology curve?
The New MBA What do you think? Is visual communication taught enough at SHS?
Second Life This will become more and more important in your education.
TED Talks: Watch One!! Click on the technology category.

Edutopia: Lots of good ideas from the George Lucas Foundation. Lucas is the guy behind Star Wars and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven A. put this link on his blog, good job Steve!)

Gates Foundation: The richest man in history is giving most of his money away to try to end many diseases and improve education. Take a moment and see where that money is going.

Technorati Tags: hz07 TED Warlick k12 education Gates Edutopia

Faces

Some of the Faces pages you did for project 7 quiz are amazing. Check them out in the UDrive.

Whose pages should I bring home to practice with Claudia?

OLPC

Great video by Brianna. I think the music really helps the video. Have you noticed on teachertube how many views your videos have gotten?

Some of you have submitted the files incorrectly. You must save the movie file (not the movie project) to the UDrive. If you go to the UDrive and you see a icon that looks like a movie reel you did it wrong.

We have read often about the one laptop per child program (OLPC). Read this post by Will Richardson and observe the photograph. Can you connect this to our readings about Darfur? If the children of Darfur all had a laptop, many would be reading your blogs and vice versa. Would there still have been genocide?

Can you see the hope in their faces?

Now, imagine if we did the same here at Bungay Elementary. Could we change the world here in Seymour as well? A science textbook costs $80. This laptop costs $100.

Technorati Tags: olpc willrichardson

Extra Credit

Want extra credit? To get extra credit you must be finished with all other assignments.

Extra credit will be making short videos. All rules about copyright apply. The movies must be 28 seconds long.

Option 1: Make a video that will make a 1st grader laugh.
Option 2: Make a video that will make Mr. Freund laugh.
Option 3: Do the opposite topic from the video assignment (i.e. if you did Darfur, now do cyberbullying).

Test

This is a test of teachertube embed video. If you see video, it worked.

Quiz, Extras, Etc...

The quiz for Project 6 is posted on the blogmeister.

The quiz for Project 7 is posted on the class wiki. Both quizzes are due by Thursday April 19.

Extra credit is also posted at the class wiki. Same due date.

I posted four videos to teachertube.com. They have over 500 hits total in one day. You have a global audience and a voice. As I said yesterday, spend your time trying to change the world. Don't just float through life talking about yourself, spending time in PAC, not remembering what you did last week.

Technorati Tags: classblogmeister stopcyberbullying k12 education

Videos, Dreamweaver, Darfur

Videos on Darfur and cyberbullying are starting to be deposited in the UDrive. Check them out. Leave comments on the directors blogs. I am posting the best videos to teachertube.com
Many of you are finishing Project 6. Check the notes from a previous blog entry. Be sure that you create TWO files: the template and the Bahia Park file.

Project 7 notes: skip page 7.38. Also, when you are doing the hotspot and behaviors for the three regions of Florida do them one at a time. I couldn't get them to work all at once. This will make sense when you do the project.

Project 6, Project 7 and the movie are due by Thursday April 19.

Check out this use of technology. Learn how to use this technology! This is the expectation of the world we live in, that you can present information using these tools. Old school would have been a chart with the places that have been burned. I think this tool is more effective. I am not sure all of you have Google Earth on your machines. Period One will let me know.

This may sound a bit like a sermon but I hope some of you have been effected by the images from Darfur or the stories of cyberbullying. Making the videos and increasing awareness is a small step in solving the problem. Never waste a day. Students in Darfur would do anything to have your life for even a day. And I know some of your lives are NOT easy. There are students in this community who have incredible challenges, yet you never hear about it. And then there are students who spend the day in PAC because they did something stupid. Don't waste a day and don't let your classmates waste a day. Imagine if those in PAC or the large amount of students who are "ME" people took some energy and pored it into raising awareness about Darfur. If it saved one life or stopped the conflict one day early it would be worth it.

If it was you been chased down by the militia, your sisters killed, your mom raped and beaten could you imagine if you sent a cry for help and nobody answered? Or cared? Or even knew where Darfur was?

Technorati Tags: darfur video stopcyberbullying

Stuff

Many of you are off to a good start on your movie. Please be sure to note your subject in your blog. If you do the work at home you will need to burn the movie file on to a CD. You want the MOVIE FILE, not the project. If you think you are done please save the movie file into the Udrive. Be sure to name your file correctly.

Project 6 involves templates and some work in CSS language. This work is fairly detailed, but pretty simple. Creating templates or style sheets is a time saver. We will not spend much time on this. However, if you decide to go further into programming this would be an excellent area to focus on as it unleashes a lot of the more powerful features of Dreamweaver.

For project six you will do the project, the outline, and the quiz. No extras. Be aware that the "logo" image is actually named "title" in this project.

And check out freeplaymusic. I found this site this morning and like it a lot so far. Very easy to use. (Aargh---someone just let me know its currently blocked for students. I will work on it).

Video

We have talked often about how video is becoming more and more essential for web site design and construction. Almost every website you visit has a video component. In addition, videos are used in business, academics, sports, and other disciplines. It is an essential means of communication in todays society and I feel everyone should understand the basics of creating a video.

This weeks assignment is on the class wiki. The assignment involves creating a public service announcement for students. The assignment has some very specific instructions so I urge you to read it carefully. The most important part of the assignment is to tell a story! Can you get your point across in 28 seconds?

I encourage you to collaborate on this project, however I do require that you use mixed gender teams. You can be in teams of 1-4 people.

I want to make clear that if you are new to this type of software I do not expect anything too technically grand. You will use this assignment to experiment and play around with the software.

Good luck.

3D writing

Writing for the web is a profoundly different skill than writing for other disciplines. Composing an article in MS Word or with pencil and paper is a two-dimensional process. What you write on the paper is all there is.

Writing on the web is in three dimensions. You not only see what is on the screen but there are infinite layers behind it that you link to.

Click here: two dimensions.

Click here: three dimensions.

None of you go home and read MS Word documents. All of you go home and read documents on the web with text, images, links, animations, etc... Writing and reading in three dimensions is an essential skill now for any field you plan to pursue. That is what you must practice on your blog. Many of you have rich, multi-faceted entries with links to important information. This is writing in three dimensions. Some of you have paragraphs with no links, images, or anything that is beyond two dimension writing.

Is there a place for 2 dimensional writing? Of course. If you are writing for yourself (journal, diary, etc..) there is little need for writing in 2D. But if you are writing on the web it is inherently a conversation not a lecture/speech. You should make this as rich a conversation as possible.

Go back and look at your last few entries. Resubmit anything you feel can be improved and become more three dimensional. Don't get left behind as the world switches to 3D writing. Work on this skill!! Your blog is your website. People from around the world read it. Make it the BEST example you can of your writing, coding, and web design skills.

2D: I am Brandt Schneider. I have a daughter named Claudia and I teach Web Design at Seymour High School.

3D: I am Brandt Schneider. I have a daughter named Claudia and I teach Web Design at Seymour High School.

Darfur

For the past week we have been discussing cyberbullying and the situation with Kathy Sierra. We have discussed ways to address cyberbullying and how the actions of one can effect many.

When I was in school I studied a lot about historical revolutions. The Nazi revolution and the Holocaust were part of my studies. Often when we think about these historical events we think of them in the large scale; the millions of people dead, the large scale destruction.

However, much of my study was about how in order for the mass genocide to occur there has to be millions of individual situations. One individual making a decision to hurt someone else, and many other individuals who don't do anything to stop it. The Holocaust was built by millions of individual decisions to harm, hurt, and kill people.

I am sure many of you have studied the destruction in Darfur, a region of the Sudan. Please review some information here. This is large scale genocide. Many believe the world does not care.

We have studied how simulations can effect learning. We have played Ayiti which focusses on the plight of the poor in Haiti, and 3rd World Farmer where you try to survive on a farm in a devloping country. These games have shown us that interactive games may have a place in education. Almost all of you play some sort of game online and you need to understand how they work as a web designer.

Today we will review the game Darfur is Dying. This game is developed for children slightly younger than yourselves. However, I believe we can learn important lessons about Darfur and about how learning is occurring online.

Please learn the game, play it, and then reflect on the situation in Darfur. I would like you to then write a blog entry about the game. This blog entry will be written for a specific audience. This is part of continuing effort to summarize.

Boys:
Review the game for "Gaming Developer Magazine", a magazine that caters to the serious game developer. You write for a section "Educational Games". Your article should cater to your reading audience and should be between 200-250 words.

Girls:
Review the game for "Education Week", a magazine that caters to the teachers. You write for a section "Educational Games". Your article should cater to your reading audience and should be between 200-250 words.

Technorati Tags: DarfurisDying stopcyberbullying gaming

Kathy Sierra

We read last week about Kathy Sierra, the teacher who was beng threatened with the online posts. Through that discussion we talked about cyberbullying. It was very interesting to read your blogs.

I was a bit worried that many of you said if that one should just "brush off" bullying on the internet and just ignore it. Kathy Sierra talks about this in a recent post:

Unfortunately, I still do NOT know who made the unclebobism post; nobody has yet been able to tell me that the person who did this is not a real threat. We've become so desensitized to vile comments on the net that many people can't comprehend why I would feel threatened. But if we dismiss every cruel, vile, sexually threatening comment as simply the work of an anonymous troll, we will no longer be able to recognize a real threat. Are we willing to stake our mother/sister/daughter's life on a sexually and physically threatening photo or comment, simply because it appeared on the internet and therefore must be harmless?

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: KathySierra stopcyberbullying

End of Marking Period

OK. This is the end of the marking period. Things will move very fast today and tomorrow.

1. Turn in your exam. Click here for directions. Leave time for this. You could do the writing at home, but I must get the exam evaluation before midnight on Tuesday. No evaluation--no grade.

2. Check teacherease for errors. I make mistakes. I will not accept late work, but I want to fix errors. Your responsibility to check.

3. Amnesty program was posted on March 15. If you are going to participate any work must be submitted by 2pm on Tuesday.

I have 100 of these exams to check so please try hard to get them submitted correctly. Since I extended the deadline because of snow I am in a bit of a time crunch. Help eachother!!!

Exam Observations

A few notes that I see about the exam:

1. Many of you should be using tables to help with your layout (review Florida Parks pages). Many of your layouts look a little sloppy. A table would help a lot. Remember, the table can have no border, but you use it just for alignment.

2. Many of you have images, but they don't have alternate text or VSpace or HSpace. This looks bad.

3. In general your backgrounds are way too prominent. They are backgrounds. You need to remove them. If you take the background out and your page suddenly looks cleaner, that should tell you something. In general your pages are way too busy. Again, it is VERY rare to find a professional website that has a dark background or one that is as flashy as some of yours are. The best looking websites I've seen for this exam are very clean, and have minimal, if any, backgrounds.

4. This is a website. Not an essay.

5. Citations must be correct. Everything must be cited and you must know who wrote your information. "Some guy" is not an acceptable answer.

6. Test your site! Have someone else try it out. Is it fun?? This is a a factor for your grade!!!! Will a 5th grader want to use your website?? I urge you to look at your classmates work for ideas.

7. You must link to a prominent blog on the subject.

Stop Cyberbullying

Be sure to do today's reading about cyberbullying on the blogmeister. Our quiz tomorrow will require you did this reading.

Technorati Tags: stopcyberbullying

Image Citations

To do your image citations go to noodletools.com and follow the directions on the exam wiki.

Your image is in the "audiovisual" category. Then use online source. Try to include as much information as you can, including the photographer.

You may not have images, text, or video that you didnt create or is under copyright. I don't care if it was on google. That gives you permission to view it, not to steal it.

No, you may not use any image of Harry Potter. The image is copyrighted. Do something else.

Exam Thoughts

As you finish the research for your exam I wanted to have some Do's and Don'ts:

DO:

1. Look at information with a critical eye. Just because it is on the internet does not mean it is correct. How did you determine that it is valuable information? Who is the author? Is their work cited in other places?

2. Remember your designated audience!! Do 5th graders want a boring site? No! Do you include interactive elements like quizzes, video, surveys?

3. Be very specific. Don't start writing about irrelevant issues. Also, be sure you define the question correctly. For example, "can dogs love humans" will require a definition of what "love" is. Dogs can be devoted, but can they love? These are tough questions.

4. Be sure to only use work that is Creative Common license or non-copywrited.

5. Collaborate with your classmates!! It would be cool to link two or three sites together, each tackling a different part of the issue. Help each other with video, cool ideas, etc... I have no problem if you barter skills ("I work on your video, you help me with the images") as long as you cite who did what. Use blogmeister to connect with anyone in the world. You must have a blog reference. Blogmeister has students all over the world who could leave you comments!!!

6. Include a professional looking page of references.

DON'T:

1. Don't use dark backgrounds unless you have a REALLY good reason. Dark backgrounds are VERY rare in the design world. Plan your website BEFORE you start on the computer. Don't just jump in.

2. Don't wait until the last minute.

3. Don't do less than your best work. These WILL be used by the 5th graders in Seymour. Show that you know what you are doing.

Quiz

Quiz is on the blogmeister. Must be completed today (3/22/07).

Step 7

First problem:

Step 7 on Page 4.52 is causing some problems. I think I have it figured out.

When you make the link on the Florida Parks index page to the new frames page use the folder icon and browse for the correct file.

It will ask you if you want to overwrite the file. CLICK NO.

It should work. If you click yes, you lose the old file. Be careful.

Second problem:
A lot of you are creating "pretzel" issues because you are not saving the frames correctly. Frame and frameset are not the same thing. Thus, the computer is looking for files that either don't exist or exist someplace else and you get error messages. GO SLOW when saving files. If you do the first few pages correctly you will be fine.

This is a hard one to fix....not sure of a solution yet (beyond start over).

Format

This weeks blog post needs to follow a specific format such as those in the flickr guidelines (Do's, Don't, etc..). Many of you submitted incorrect work. Fix it!!!

Ethics and Appropriate Use

We have talked and written many times this year about responsible use. We have reflected that many things have been restricted from you because some people have acted badly. Water bottles, phones, iPods, video on websites, etc.....

So what would an acceptable use policy look like? Check this one out that covers student publishing. Also read that flickr.com has community guidelines.

But sometimes we are searching for information, images, or ideas and we come across inappropriate content. For example, flickr.com has community guidelines, but sometimes people don't follow the rules and post objectionable photos.

We need guidelines of what to do if we come across "bad stuff". I feel strongly that the "bad stuff" should not come into the classroom and I am sure you agree. Some feel since that there is a chance this will happen we should not be able to use these tools. I feel if students behave responsibly and we have discussions about what to do and how to act that we should be able to use these tools.

Assignment:
1. What community guidelines should we use for SHS? How should we "act responsibly" in viewing, searching, and collecting information? This should be specific: "A student should use search terms responsibly, for example, don't search for "Nudes" or "If a student encounters objectionable content the student should flag the content and immediately remove themselves from the page".
2. Use the flickr.com guidelines as your template. I think it is a good format. Notice it is NOT one run-on paragraph.
3. Title your blog entry "SHS Appropriate Use Guidelines".

Technorati Tags: appropriateuse k12 education SeymourWebDesign blog flickr

Amnesty

Many of you will be adjusting your speed.

Many of you are done with project 4.

If needed, use the amnesty program. Any amnesty for marking period will close April 2.

I am happy to open lab before or after school.

Exam

Your marking period exam is posted here on the class wiki. It is due April 2, which will close the marking period.

You also have your chapters to complete. Yes, I am asking you to do two things at once. Your exam should reflect your current knowledge and you should use the tools that you have to solve the problems in the exam.

Book project 4 is about frames. This is a very quick project. Please do the following:

1. Parks
2. Student Trips
3. Outline/Summary
4. Quiz

You will do the same four categories for project 5.

Deadlines

Deadlines are moving up fast.

Period 1, 6 must take their quiz today.

Period 2, 4, 5 must take their quiz by tomorrow.

All project 3 work due by Thursday.

Last weeks blog assignment deadline has passed.

Many of you need to do homework or use study hall time. If you are behind, and not taking the CAPT test you should use the extra time and arrive to see me at 7:20am.

I will stay after:
Tuesday until 3pm
Wednesday until 3:30pm
Thursday until 3pm

Plan accordingly.

Photos

Another way to find works is to use Creative Common License.

This is a way for people to allow use of their work. Your blogs are under a Creative Common License. There are different variations. Some allow you to copy, some allow you to copy AND modify, etc...

Go to flickr.com

Click explore Flickr

Click search. Click advanced search.

Check search only for Creative Common License Photos.

Put in your search term (Boston, baseball, etc..).

See photos.

Technorati Tags: flickr

Monday

Last week I posted the new schedule for deadlines.

You should notice that some classes don't meet everyday due to CAPT test. Be sure you meet deadline regardless of CAPT schedule. You have known the schedule for a long time and should plan accordingly.

I am slightly worried that some of you will test me on this. Get things in when they are due or before deadline. Work will not be accepted after the deadline. I have provided significant time to complete each task. Those of you who are behind must plan for extra time during study hall or before or after school. You also must start working more efficiently. I will do anything I can to help you get things done. This might include a student tutor, allowing after school time, extra hints, etc...But let me know!!

Some the resources at your disposal:
1. Powerpoint presentation in UDrive.
2. Learn it Online.
3. Your classmates! Use the blogs for help or if you find a cool hint or way to do things.
4. Me
5. The textbook.
6. The world of instructors and web resources.

Last week's blog article is due today (Monday).

School 2.0

David Warlick, the blogmeister, has been travelling the world talking about School 2.0. Take a minute and read his post. School 2.0 is a transformative experience where teachers are guiding the learning process. Education become much more reciprocal. I learn AS you learn. Not I talk and YOU learn.

I think this course, because of its nature, might be one of the more "modern" in terms of content that you have. I have also tried to be "modern" in terms of teaching technique. I have tried to adapt my style to the situation. If I am working with you in a few weeks teaching you how to throw the discus on the track team my style will be very different. If I was conducting you in my band it would be yet another style.

Why? I think it is essential that you can discover the answers yourself. When you are "on your own" there will be no teacher there for you. You will need to know how to search for information, read/write, communicate and collaborate, and to solve the "problem" quickly, efficiently and productively.

What does a 21st century school look like? Check out:

High Tech High Be sure to look at their digital portfolios. How does the use of digital portfolios increase collaboration and assessment? If you were in that school you would know exactly what excellent work looks like. Are these students prepared for the 21st century?

Take the time to read this Time magazine article (some of you may have seen it before). Note how a 21st century school approaches education. Notice how involved students are in their education.

Why do we focus on this? A web designer who does not focus on learning new technology, methods of communication, and global techniques will quickly be an irrelevant web designer.
I hope our readings have shown you that ALL of us have to be web designers/communicators now to thrive in this global, collaborative marketplace. If ALL of us have to be web designers/communicators then these skills are essential.

In your blogmeister please reflect on these readings. How can you take more control of your education? Are you demanding the opportunity to learn?

Technorati Tags: Warlick k12 hightechhigh JohnDewey 21st

Schedule

Students should be familiar with the new grading schedule and requirements.

Survey Results

1. Dreamweaver is...
Easier than HTML 71%
Same difficulty as HTML 19%
Harder than HTML 10%

2. Have you read or edited your blogmeister from home?
Yes 69%
No 31%

3. After only four weeks with Dreamweaver I would like you to respond to the sequence of Web Design. Would you prefer...
Learning HTML first and then Dreamweaver 64%
Learning by task (i.e. learning image maps in Dreamweaver and HTML at the same time) 13%
Learn Dreamweaver first then incorporate HTML knowledge 23%

4. Are you producing your best work?
Yes 71%
No 29%

5. I am familiar with and understand Seymour High School's mission statement.
Yes 67%
No 33%

6. Does using Dreamweaver help you understand HTML language better?
Yes 53%
No 47%

7. Do you feel comfortable creating and editing a basic webpage?
Yes 94%
No 5%
Whats a webpage? 1%

8. Choose all that apply. I would like to work on the following topics:
Gaming and educational simulations 62%
Creating web 2.0 applications 29%
Video/Flash and movie making 74%
Connecting with students from other countries 42%
Improving my writing/communication skills 22%
Computer programming 34%

Transparent

I have been encouraging many of you to make your background images transparent. That way we can see the text better.

This was done easily in Frontpage, but I have been showing you the wrong way to do it in Dreamweaver, thus the image isnt showing up in your browser. I made a mistake (gasp!).

Can anyone find the proper way to insert this transparent background and post a tutorial on their blog??

I can make the image transparent or less opaque very easily in Fireworks. Perhaps I edit it there and then bring it into Dreamweaver? Anyone have a better idea?

And don't forget each project has a powerpoint created that some of you might work better with. The powerpoints are in the UDrive.

Project 3

We are transitioning to Project 3 in the textbook.

Please take the survey about Project 2.

Project three is about tables and formatting pages. It is a bit awkward in that there are a lot of meticulous directions. There is debate in the software world about which is better; using tables or style sheets. Well, you get to learn both as Project 4 starts our work with style sheets.

We will eliminate the Plant City extra for this chapter. Please complete Florida parks, Lawn City, Student Government, outline, and quiz. I will be expecting your outlines to improve and employ the techniques we have talked about for summarizing. Start taking the practice quiz now so you learn the vocabulary.

Please put this free music site in your favorites. Remember, you can't use copyrighted music either. This site is connected with the $100 laptop program.

Good luck.

New Age

During Web1 I had several battles with students who felt that Web Design was only HTML based programming. Video, wikis, blogs, etc...were "extras". I think I convinced most that "web design" is a moving target. It is quickly adapting to a mobile, collaborative form.

Further evidence continues to arrive. Read this post about the growth of wikis and blogs in the workplace. Experts predict that 50% of companies will use wiki technology by the year 2009. A few notes about that:

1. If half the companies are using wiki/blogs I hypothesize that it is the better performing companies. Companies that do not use technology are probably "old school" in many other areas as well and risk falling behind in our global marketplace.
2. Our SHS freshman will graduate college no earlier than 2014. Will wikis and blogs be essential by then? The article speaks about companies replacing their traditional web sites with the wikis and blogs. Will Dreamweaver/HTML disappear by the time our freshman leave high school? I think so. But the communication skills (summarizing, analyzing, editing, etc...) will become even more important.

I think this has extreme implications for our modern student. If the workplace of 2009 will be largely wiki and blog based how should that shape your work at SHS? I think there is a lot of work to be done.

This is your future. Demand an education that prepares you for it. Find new technology and embrace it.

I will be formatting your projects very soon. But let me be clear---I will allow you to work on almost anything you want while you are in this class as long as you fulfill our objectives (see blogmeister). If you have an alternate assignment for any of our objectives please offer them. If there is something you want to pursue--do it!!

Technorati Tags: wikis webdesign Seymour Schneider k12 technology

Swing Set

This swing set site is amazing. The usability rating is off the chart. A good example of a modern use of web design.

I am designing a set for Claudia that I will make this summer. What can you come up with? Have fun with this for awhile (but don't get lost in it for days....).

Project 2

A few project notes:

1. You need to read directions. A lot of your questions are answered in the textbook.
2. In student govt many of your backgrounds are not appropriate. They are way too busy. In addition some of you are creating multiple pages, but with different themes and backgrounds. A website should have a unifying theme.
3. Structural issues are paramount. Naming files, creating websites, moving images, etc...are the foundation of building a site. Be careful as you do these steps.

I have progress reports due. I will grade Wednesday. Be ready. Your grade is your responsibility.

Welcome Back

I hope you all had a happy and healthy vacation. I spent the first weekend in Pennsylvania visiting my mom and sister. We were delayed as all the roads were closed due to the Valentine's Day storm and ice on the roads. We spent most of the rest of the time playing with Claudia.

I think we have the basics of Dreamweaver down at this point. You all should be able to create a new website, create pages within that website, import links, and do basic manipulations to the page. We have done this fairly fast but I think you are doing well with it. Remember, I am not trying to teach you Dreamweaver, but how to use software. If you could walk into any publishing environment and use their software then we have done our job.

This is the first time I have taught this class. The hardest thing when teaching a new class is pacing. In my old job as a band director I could plan almost to the minute how much class time it would take to learn a piece of music. Figuring out how long it takes us to learn a chapter is challenging, especially since we have such diverse abilities. At the moment I think a chapter (with extras) takes us about a week. I think that will come down as we get better with the program.

I do feel strongly that our higher achieving students can do more, especially with helping our lower achievers. I have encouraged you to plow through the book. If you can finish it tomorrow, great. I would love if those of you who really "get it" would do one of two things:

1. Take the time to help some of our students for whom this is a challenge. Peer-to-peer instruction is far more valuable than teacher-to-student.
2. I will begin to provide more and more "extra challenges" for those who are moving fast. But I already have provided you with a blog, wiki, and a world of readers. Do something with your skills that is productive. Find something you are passionate about and write about it.

CAPT testing is approaching. We will have shortened periods and other various interruptions. What I will set up is a serious of activities as I know you will be a bit frazzled. I expect to start the Flash and Fireworks program work and do it concurrently with the Dreamweaver. This will give each of you more options as you come into class each day.

I will also be making the blog a higher percentage of your grade. You must show evidence of reflecting upon the reading assignments.

I would love to set up workshops for senior citizens, teachers, parents, or little kids. We could teach internet basics, email, and other items. I did a survey of parents during web1 and 100% of them asked for this type of thing. Please let me know if you are interested!!! Its a great project for a group of students to get community service credits (Hope Club??), teaching experience, and possibility a subject for a college essay. I have always tried to give future teachers a chance to actually teach as this gives them a huge edge when interviewing for schools. Here is your chance....

Ethics

Currently SHS bans iPods, cellphones, etc...

But we all know they are being used.

This postby Will Richardson highlights the ethics dilemma. Also read the NY Times article.

How can students use technology more effectively? Should ethical use of this technology be taught in the classes? How should SHS manage this issue?

Currently you can run Powerpoint and watch movies with your iPod, blog and access the internet with your cellphone. We know that in a few years the "phone" will be as powerful as the Dell Computer you are using right now. You will be able to take pictures, record voice, edit movie, post to web all in the palm of your hand. This could be a very powerful classroom tool.....or students could use this power unethically (pictures of girls, fight scenes, etc...).

Please write a post that addresses these issues. I worry about students recording conversations or taking inappropriate pictures. Often these situations dissolve into violence.

Technorati Tags: WillRichardson ethics web2.0 Seymour

Obama

Read this post by Will Richardson (probably the leading educational blogger, thousands of people subscribe to his blog on bloglines) about Barack Obama's push into the web. Obama is a leading Democratic candidate for President and he has made a big leap forward from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.

As we teach web design I hope you realize that it is a moving target. What was "new" four years ago when Howard Dean splashed onto the scene has been replaced by much more powerful technology. Notice the "conversation" aspect of the website. Its not about Obama giving you information, its about Obama supporters providing each other with information. That is a much more powerful web design concept and one we are trying to work on every day here in class.

Another note. The blogmeister is in China. Follow his exploits on his blog. I encourage you all today to make a bloglines account and subscribe to David Warlick and Will Richardson.

If you are going to operate in a modern environment you have to be able to use and understand these tools.

Finally, technology doesn't always mean computers. Click here. You should put cooltools in your bloglines account as well. I'd like to see all of you use this tool at lunch.

Technorati Tags: Warlick WillRichardson Obama Dean web2.0 seymour webdesign

Paper

On the blogmeister we have been estimating how much paper Seymour High School uses in 1 year. Seymour High School has about 900 students.

I received the answer yesterday afternoon:

In the 2005-06 fiscal year (July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006) SHS used 450 cases of paper, with 10 reams in each case. Total reams of paper is 4500, which equals 2,250,000 sheets of copy paper (500 sheets per ream).

Today's assignment will involve applying this knowledge and preparing a response.

Step One:
If each piece of paper is connected end to end (assume each piece is 1 foot long) how many miles long would my paper train be? A mile is 5,280 feet.

Step Two:
Using routebuilder answer the following questions:

• Is my paper train long enough to reach Canada from Seymour?
• Is my paper train long enough to travel the circumference of Connecticut?
• If my paper train was a bridge could I travel from Canada to Greenland?

Step Three:

• If you could only travel as far as this train which city/town/event would you go to? Find a web link about this item. Why would you choose this item?

Step Four:

• Using blogmeister please answer these questions. Be sure to use proper style, links, etc... I encourage you to include other links that might be appropriate (about the places you visit, paperless classrooms, google maps, etc...). Format your entry correctly (paragraphs, grammer, etc..).

I am looking to see:

• Can you follow directions?
• Can you use the internet to find information?
• Can you do the simple math?
• Can you write about it in an interesting way?

Technorati Tags: googlemaps paperless blogmeister Schneider

Survey 1

Here are the results of todays survey:

1. Dreamweaver is...

Easier than HTML 85%
Same difficulty as HTML 12%
Harder than HTML 2%

2. Have you read or edited your blogmeister from home?

Yes 67%
No 33%

3. After only two weeks with Dreamweaver I would like you to respond to the sequence of Web Design. Would you prefer...

Learning HTML first and then Dreamweaver 61%
Learning by task (i.e. learning image maps in Dreamweaver and HTML at the same time) 13%
Learn Dreamweaver first then incorporate HTML knowledge 26%


4. Are you producing your best work?

Yes 69%
No 31%


5. Five years from now we will...

Be in a new world of possibilities because Americans rose to the challenge 57%
Be in deep, deep trouble. 43%

6. Does using Dreamweaver help you understand HTML language better?

Yes 52%
No 48%


7. Do you feel comfortable creating and editing a basic webpage?

Yes 98%
No 1%
Whats a webpage? 1%

8. Choose One

Chocolate 54%
Vanilla 33%
Strawberry 26%

Survey 1: Web 2

Please complete this feedback survey today. I value your opinions on how we are doing and like to collect data in a systematic way. Please feel free to look back at surveys from Web1 (you can click on the blog label to find them).

We will have a lengthy discussion today about class, bloglines, technorati, teacherease, tags, and other items. Pay attention!

Technorati Tags: survey technorati blogline teacherease

Blogging

Your recent blogs about Ayiti were picked up by the makers of the game. Click here to see the post.

A reminder that you are part of a global community. People read what you are writing and this information gets connected through the web. Write well, write something of value, and write often and you will build readers. I believe you all have something to share.

We will work on tagging your posts so these entries can be found. Tagging is how the web software searches for information.

After checking technorati.com 75 blogs link to the Ayiti entry about our students. You have a voice! Use it!!

I can also help you put a clustrmap on your blog so you can see where people are reading your blogs. Ask for help if you need it.

On Monday please go through the practice test a number of times. Remember, you will not be able to use notes during the quiz. Please let me know if there are any questions that you have trouble with. Sometimes the questions are kind of awkward.

Technorati Tags: Ayiti blogging K12

Extra Credit

Extra Credit:

Watch a talk from the TED conference. Jeff Han was a TED talk. I just watched the talk by Hans Rosling which was fascinating. I write about it on my technology blog. I hope all of you take the time to watch Jennifer Lin. What an amazing 14 year old. And how she talks in front of the audience is almost as impressive as her music.

After watching do a summary on your blog. Be sure to link to the talk and any important related sites. Find other bloggers (using technorati) that are talking about the information. Use technorati tags. Anyway, its extra credit so just have fun with it.

Some of these talks are VERY well done.

Technorati Tags: TED HansRosling

Site management

A few issues I am seeing:

1. In Web1 the largest issue was by far typos. People would make entry mistakes. I am seeing direction skipping as the issue in Web2 so far. Slow down and read.
2. You must define the new site when you start a new project. When you start "BB Lawn Service" you must define the site!! It will screw everything up later if you don't. It should not be in your parks folder. When you finish Project 1 you should have sites/folders named Florida Parks, Lawn Service, Plant City, and School Trips.
3. The end key and the enter key are not the same thing.
4. Quiz Tuesday.

Dreamweaver Projects

As suspected many of you are flying through the Project. Take it at your own pace. A few things you must do:

1. Make daily blog posts or comments. Demonstrate evidence of thought, readings, and growth. Add to the discussion. "Hi John, I can't wait for lunch" is not an acceptable comment.

2. Finish your outline.

3. Start using the practice test. There are no notes in the quiz so study!

Since some of you might finish today I am rushing to get the extras set up. I will ask you to do the following (we will all do the same assignments this time). I encourage you to work together on these parts of the project. Sometimes it helps to talk through the steps with a partner.

1. Apply Your Knowledge (Lawn Service)
2. In the Lab 3 (Plant City)
3. Cases and Places 5 (student trips)

Technorati Tags: dreamweaver

Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is the primary text for this class.

Before you start create a new folder in your WDrive-Dreamweaver folder called "Project 1".

Please check the following:

1. What number book you have. Please double check this every day. You are responsible for this book. It is shared with the five other classes.

2. Our book work follows this sequence: read-outline-project-quiz.

• First, read the chapter. Get a general understanding of what you will be learning.
• Outline the basic concepts and terms. Save each outline in your Dreamweaver folder.
• Do the project for each chapter. Follow the directions.
• Prepare for the Learn it Online quiz.

3. This book is more advanced than the HTML book. The author will show you how to do something once, than expect you to know how to do it. For example, the first time they will go through all the steps for adding images (click here, drag here, etc...). During the next chapter they just say "add images". Pay attention!

4. Use the resources provided. Powerpoint, Learn it Online, the blogs, classmates, etc... We will learn a lot over the next few days.

5. The files you need are in the UDrive--WebSchneider.

Note: pages 1.12 through page 1.20 will require some network navigation. Create your "parks" folder in your WDrive-Dreamweaver-Project1 folder. Read carefully and ask if you are not sure.

Good luck.

What's next?

Today we will finish our pre-assessment. I want to see how you write. Being able to process information and communicate effectively is essential in today's information revolution.

I ask that you do a few things first:
1. Watch the Jeff Han video (use headphones). Han is a leader in the technology world and his use of the touch screen is very cool. How would this impact web design?
2. Go to the Don't Click It site. How does "not clicking" change your experience? Can you see how the technology on this site might be related to the work Jeff Han is doing?

Additional ideas (you may have seen these before):
1. Simulations. Many of you play online games and simulations. You might play with someone who is across the world. This collaboration is a great Web2.0 example. But what about education games? Pilots use flight simulators. Why can't we use simulations in school? Check out Ayiti. Would you rather play the game to learn about the problems in Haiti and other 3rd world countries or do a worksheet?
2. Baby Names. Do you want a book of 1,000s of baby names or use this website? A great example of how web design makes searching easier.

Today's assignment:

• Go to your blogmeister.
• Write an article that reflects on the websites you visited. Talk about these websites (and others) in terms of our web design concepts (usability, accessability, etc...). How does this technology improve how we use information? What does a website made in 2007 need to look like?
• Be sure to include links in your post. Don't say "this article". Make it clickable so people can visit the link.
• Include a link to this post.
• Post a substantive comment on another students blog. Reflect on what they say, add a link to an idea, or any other way to increase the collaboration amongst us.
• Be sure to follow protocal for comments and posts (ethical, no last names, include links, include URL, no email).

It is my goal that by June you are able to create websites that look like they were made in 2007, not 1995. This will be a lot of work. But you MUST agree to some things first (I suggest you write about some of these ideas):

• Understanding usability is everything. Does your website add value to the world?
• Read/write web. You must get used to the read/write concept where as you are reading you are already thinking of your response. This is different than if you are reading the newspaper or a novel where there is no conversation. Modern web design is about collaboration (blogs, wikis, etc..).
• You are part of a new generation that will have incredible power of technology and machines but faces incredible battles (war, oil, global warming, cancer, etc..). How can America and its students compete as the "Shift happens".
• You will communicate in this new world with video, read/write blogs, email, etc...Most of you do this already. Assignments and strategies in education from even five years ago are invalid now. You must insist that resources are provided that teach you to be preared for 2017, not 1987. For example, its great to know how to write a paper, but you REALLY need to know how to make and edit a movie to survive in this new age.

Technorati Tags: Han read/write web2.0 Ayiti dontclickit

HTML Pre-Assessment

We will finish the HTML pre-assessment today. I have been impressed that almost all of you have had no trouble with this assignment. Todays assignment is about adapting to code changes.

There are always changes with any work order. Your web design boss has seen your draft and wants you to make the following changes:

1. She wants the background color to match the blue heading on this blogspot page. Coded Color Slider (put this in link in your favorites!!)
2. She really likes the two news links that are visual (the Newsmap and the Daylife). She wants you to find one other site that has a very high usability factor (mix of visual and text, obvious focus, easy to use and find information). Use google, technorati, the class wiki, or this blog to find the "coolest site ever". Include link on your website.
3. She wants an email link so people can leave comments. Email address is comments@isp.com
4. She asks that you take a few minutes and view the source of some of these pages. Please ask a classmate if you don't remember how to do this. See if you can include one element or idea (such as a specific code or design principal) from these pages in your HTML page.

I will be working today to get the blogmeisters assigned to all the new bloggers. Be patient.

Students with blogs should all leave a reflection today about the first three days of Web2.

Day2

Today we will take a tour of several items. For students who took my Web1 class much of this will look familiar, but I ask that you look at everything with new eyes.

Blogs:
This is a blog. A blog is read/write web device that allows a writer to communicate directly with his/her audience. The blog can incorporate pictures, video, sound and many "widgets" that are Web 2.0 based. Myspace is a blog. In addition to your classmates blogs on blogmeister please look at the following blogs:

Senator Blog
TV News Blog
MTV Blog

Wikis:
A wiki is a program that allows collaboration on the web. Members are allowed to create, edit, and improve information in real time. The classic example is wikipedia which is updated constantly. How wikis are better? For example, your science textbook still says there are 9 planets, even though Pluto was declared to NOT be a planet in August. One minute after that announcement the entry on wikipedia was changed. In a world that moves at incredible speed, can we afford to still be textbook based?

Wikis incorporate video, images, and sound as well. But the most important aspect is that they are collaborative.

These examples were created by Web1 students:

Ballet Wiki
Cheerleading Wiki
Obesity Wiki

Web 2.0 Stuff:
Take a moment to look through these sites. Put the ones you like in your favorites. We will explore throughout the class. Each website has something "new" to offer.

Newsmap
Daylife
Tall Buildings
Typing Test

You will now create an HTML website using notepad. You can use the HTML book or any of your old files. This is a pre-assessment for this class. I want to see what you can do.

Your website should:
--Summarize the Web 2.0 applications you looked at. Include links to at least 4 websites. Include all aspects of the web site design (title, heading, frames, links, etc...) that you feel are needed to summarize the information. You are basically recreating this blog entry in notepad using HTML.
--Include at least one clipart image (use link from this page).
--Show evidence that you understand todays discussion of accessability, usability and bias.
--Save your file as web.htm in your "other" folder in the WDrive.

This should take you maybe 15-20 minutes. I'm just looking to check that you have basic computer/HTML skills. I will grade complete as long as you give a strong effort.

Web Design 2

Welcome to Web Design 2! I know we will have a great time this semester. As I already talked about, we will cover many new things during this semester. We will move out of the world of notepad into the program world of Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks. We will continue to work on our blogs, wikis and other aspects of the read/write web. You will do a lot of writing, reading, analyzing as we aim to improve our communication skills.

Over 99% of the information in the world is digital. Can you find this information, process it, interpret it, and reproduce it in a thoughtful way. That is what this course is about.

We will move faster than Web 1. However, this pace will not be the same for all. I will expect some leaders to emerge shortly who move VERY fast on our projects. This speed will allow us time to work on some exciting things.

Today is grunt work. Please do the following.

1. Go to your W:drive
2. Create a folder "web2"
3. Within the web2 folder create four more folders: Dreamweaver Projects, Flash Projects, Fireworks Projects, Other.

Create an MSWord document. (Web1-Schneider students answer these questions on blogmeister).
1. Save as "Day1" in your Other folder.
2. After watching the Did you Knowmovie please write a 1-2 paragraph reflection. How does this movie relate to your life here in Seymour, CT?
3. What about the future gets you excited? What scares you? Write 3-4 sentances on each question.
4. Bloggers, include 1-2 links in post.
5. Save file.

Good luck!

Technorati Tags: DidYouKnow WebDesign Schneider

Exam Summary

Exams are over. I have 1-2 student taking exams tomorrow. Grades are on teacherease.com

Summary exam averages:
Period 1: 84.6
Period 2: 79.4
Period 4: 82.4
Period 5: 82.2
Period 6: 81.5

A few notes:

Memo: The number one problem was not following the format. This made your memos very unclear. Some of you turned in an entire page without using paragraphs. Second, how long should a one page memo be? Why would you turn in a second page?

Those of you who included evidence from readings, thank you! I was surprised more of you didnt talk about the $100 laptop we read about.

HTML: Some very good websites. Some of you get too creative with colors. Less is more. But overall you understand this very well.

Vocab: Some of you nailed it. Some of you needed to study.

Final Exam: Web1

Today we will begin our final exam.

Rules for exam:

1. Do your own work. No questions, or outside assistance.
2. You may use your book and code files for the memo and HTML section.
3. You can only use your printed outlines for the HTML section.

Be sure to follow directions and turn work in properly.

Stay quiet for the entire exam period.

Click here to visit the exam. The vocabulary link will only be active during the exam period.

The end of Web1.....

Today is the final day of regular classes for Web1.

Today:
1. Be sure you have submitted a grading sheet and all your work for the final project.
2. Have your outlines complete and printed out for use during exam.
3. Study and review one-page memo, HTML, and vocabulary.

Wednesday:
1. Regular class period. Memo and HTML sections of exam will be posted. Can use book and files for assistance.

Thursday:
1. Exam periods begin.
2. Vocabulary part of exam during these periods. May only use printed outlines.
3. All parts of the exam must be completed by end of designated exam period.

Remember, no assistance from teacher or classmates during exam.

Good luck!

Video

I have talked a lot about how traditional ways of assessment aren't always productive. Here are two examples of video that are truly outstanding by high school students.

1. AP Psychology: Sleep Disorders. This is a youtube video, which is blocked here at school. I urge you to watch it at home, especially if you are taking AP Psych.

2. Sweatshop Video. By a student in California. Put on headphones as the music is essential. After viewing this powerful movie I think you will have a better idea of the potential for video and what superior work looks like. As you can see, this video is about the STORY, not just about stringing images together. (this doesnt seeem to be playing right now in school, I'm working on it)

Encourage your teachers to allow you to use alternative assessments. Then impress them!

I am adapting the HTML assignment: Your quiz will be on Chapter 8. You still must be able to talk about each chapter and the techniques, but I realize we ran out of time and need to make the quiz thing easier.

Technorati Tags: sweatshop APPsych youtube video assessment

Final Few Days of Web1

We are slowly winding down.....

I am looking forward to Web2 but I wish we could extend Web1 a bit longer. I think all of the classes are starting to "get it" and I am a bit worried about starting fresh. About half of you are continuing in each class. I will rely on you! Other students will have taken Web1 from other teachers, or even in previous years. They will need help learning about wikis, blogs, and other things you have studied. I will ask for your patience as we "review" accessibility, usability, and learn how to blog and wiki again. I will use you as teachers to help your peers. I think you fully understand what you are doing. I think that surprises some of you, that you actually learned something.

I want to thank you for helping me get used to SHS. I miss my old job in many ways. I especially miss conducting (for the adrenaline) and I really miss coaching (for the adrenaline) but I have really enjoyed the challenge of learning how to teach a new class. As I have said before, I made the sacrifice to spend more time at home and to have the time to go back to school. I remind you to thank your coaches for spending time with you (instead of their own children, family, or friends). They hardly get paid anything, usually get grief from students and parents, and rarely get thanked except at a banquet.

A few practical notes:
1. I will start closing blogs this weekend and convert them to the new classes. If you are not returning you will lose your blog. Encourage your other teachers to join blogmeister! Everyone should be blogging.
2. Clean your drives out. Take any work out of the UDrive. The only thing in there should be your exam.
3. I can't grade any missing work past Friday (I have been more than nice waiting for it). I only have 1-2 people who are excused form this and they know who they are.

Good luck on your exam. It is a difficult exam and I really encourage you to study.

iPods

An email has been sent out to all teachers enforcing a ban on iPods and other music devices. This obviously effects our class.

I know this will effect some of our podcasts, but we must deal with it. Please leave the players at home.

HTML

Tech services came yesterday. We tested the JAVA on the machines and they worked. I put a test file in the UDrive and it worked (its still there if you want to check. So.....code problem?? I dont know what the solution is.

We have worked on this all day. We think we started to solve it during Period 5.

Chapter 7-8 is a typo issue.
Chapter 9 is probably an issue with spaces in the code.

HTML

We have been having problems with the Java scripts loading on the computers. I thought we had fixed it on Friday, and I submitted another request to Tech Services on Monday when it was apparent it wasnt working.

I know it is frustrating. Be patient. In the mean time I suggest:
1. Plow through the code. At least get msot of it done until we fix the issue.
2. Read the chapters. Really read them. This will get you ahead of the rest of the group.
3. Study for the quiz.
4. Use my desk to check some of the code.

Copying

Just a quick note:

If you copy someones work you will get a zero. I have watched some of you try to do this, especially on the coding.

Final Exam

Your final exam will start next week. I wanted to encourage you to study. The exam will have three parts.

1. Vocabulary. You will need to understand the basic terms from our HTML book (Intro-Chapter6). I will only include the more basic terms (no tricks). You can use your outlines that you created for this part of the exam (you can print them out). No books. (20pts)

2. One page memo. You should practice the one page memo. You will be presented with a problem and you will be asked for solutions. Your answer should reflect that you did the readings this semester. Again, study the format and review the readings. Books and computer OK, no human help. 30pts.

3. HTML creation. You will create a basic HTML web site that will reflect the coding you learned this semester. You should be able to code frames, image maps, forms, links, and any other HTML code from the first six chapters. Your pages should reflect accessability and usability standards. Books and computer OK, no human help. 40pts.

4. Network navigation. This section is for the remaining ten points. If you label your files correctly and follow directions for turning the work in you will get full credit for this. No books, computer, or human help. 10pts.

Most of you will need more than the allotted time for the exam. I will post the exam early so you can start early. I haven't figured out exactly how to do that yet, but I hope to work on it today.

Any problems with grades or missing work will close this Friday. Follow the procedure on the board. I will grade final projects Tuesday. I hope to post how to submit your projects soon. This will be a ton of stuff for me to grade, so make it easy for me by having everything done correctly and on time. Remember, I will post your exam grades immediately to teacherease.com.

A few project notes:
1. Check the rubrics. Make sure you are following the assignment.
2. Much of the HTML isn't working (the java scripts). I thought we had solved it Friday, but we didnt. I'm working on it...
3. Movies should be saved as movie files (not projects) and put in UDrive for comments. Put comments on directors blog. Do not use copyrighted images or music. Use the open source stuff or create (gasp!) your own. Free sound clips.

We made a downloaded music folder in the UDrive. When you download clips or music put them there, then copy to WDrive for your project. This way we can help each other find things. Be sure to use folders to categorize items!!

Technorati Tags: web+design+exam

Wiki

Rachel has done a great job with her FBLA Wiki. I also like the Iraq page that Marcy is developing. Some of you still write in your posts that wikis aren't web design. Well....its on the web....and she designed the page....I don't get what the issue is. I am really starting to see great work from you. I think you notice how many people are watching.

I am making plans for Web Design 2. I have never taught this class before so it will be new all around. A few things I know will happen:

1. We will learn the basics of the DreamWeaver program.
2. We will learn the basics of Flash and Fireworks.
3. We will delve much deeper into design principles (accessability, usability, etc..).
4. We will be very project based.

Youe success will depend on your willingness to work hard. There will be a lot of freedom and I hope the success of the first semester will carry over into the spring.

Project

A few project notes:

Analysis:
1. There are a lot of recent posts in the educational blogs about the future classrooms. It is a hot topic. Use technorati to help you search. A few posts to get you started: Will Richardson, Scott McLeod.
2. I would use interviews for the old classroom information. I bet you can find old textbooks in the library as well. Yearbooks? Has SHS changed much even though the world has grown by leaps and bounds?
3. Keep track of your sources and cite them correctly.

Movie:
1. Please put a draft of your movie file (WMV) in the UDrive. I have a "final movie" folder there. Label it with your name (JohnnyJ-Iraq-1st draft). Put entry in your blog, ask people to watch it and give you comments/suggestions.
2. Be sure you tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Wiki:
1. Work on the multimedia (video-sound) part of the wiki. This might be links to CNN videos, etc...but I would prefer that it is embedded in the wiki.
2. Be sure you are citing all of your sources.

Bookwork:
1. Be sure you are studying as you go and reading the chapters.

Thursday

I have been called to jury duty and will not be in Thursday. Please continue to work on your projects. I will try to approve your work Thursday night or Friday morning. Please be sure to put a blog post up of what you do today.

On another note I want to get my clustrmap to register Africa and Russia. How are your clustrmaps doing?

Technorati Tags: Africa Russia

Good news

Check out the attention we got about the Ayiti game. Blogging is a powerful tool. Excellent post, Rachel.

A few notes about the project so far:

For all:

Check the rubrics! They include a lot of the details about what you should include.

HTML:

• On project 8, the java script is blocked by internet explorer. When you make the funwith phonics page it will be a white screen with a picture. It is important to understand WHY we use java scripts before you move on.
• Project 7 should work fine now.
• Some of you still insist on not reading the chapter and making this a typing class. Remember, you must be able to orally explain each project/concept and be ready for a quiz.

Movies:

• Remember, to tell a story. Beginning, middle, end.
• You can't use copyrighted images.
• PLEASE tell a story, dont just string images together.
• Make sure you talk about the essential question about the topic. What do people need to know?
• I'm working on finding open-source music. Take some time to search. You probably need creative common licensed music. You cannot use copyrighted music.
• CITE YOUR SOURCES PROPERLY OR NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN

Wiki:

• These seem to be developing. The collaboration seems to be working. I encourage all of you to check the pages out and add comments on the discussion page or make edits yourself.
• You might need to do some work from home where youtube or google video isn't blocked. You are expected to include some multimedia in your wiki.
• CITE YOUR SOURCES PROPERLY OR NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN

Final Project

The pages for the final project are set. I will refine and adapt these pages over the next few days so keep checking back. The rubrics should be up today. This is an opportunity to stretch your wings on a project for two weeks. Impress me. This is your only remaining grade, make it count.

David Warlick (the blogmeister) wrote an interesting blog post on New Years Day. I am trying in this project to work on some of the ideals that he speaks about. I have tried to create independent thinkers where students actively pursue the learning, they don't sit passively and wait for the teacher to dispense knowledge. Many of you have grown tremendously as students during this period.

During these next two weeks you should work intensively on the project. However, please leave time for studying for your final exam. We spent the last two weeks before break reviewing for the exam (so you have a "practice exam") but I will post further practice over the next few days. Remember, three components; 1 page memo, HTML, vocab.

If you have any missing work because you were absent, see me Wednesday. If you have missing work because you fell behind and you didnt do anything over vacation....well, that ship might have sailed.

Technorati Tags: David+Warlick education+renaissance