Connections

I hope that I have given you something of value over these last few weeks and that we can only add to the fun over the next months. I wanted to take a moment and review my expectations.

1. Make connections every day. The power to make connections in this global, digital, networked world is essential. Instead of having one teacher, have many. For example, on blogmeister there are thousands of teachers and students from around the world. Write to them, read their stories, and then write about the experience on your blog. There is a saying that "isolation is the enemy of improvement". Make connections, collaborate, and improve.

2. Always do your best. You never know who is watching your work or reading your blog. Often people do not realize the power they have until it is lost. You are in a time unique to human history. You can read everything ever written at anytime. You can contact almost anyone at anytime. You can publish your ideas and thoughts instantly. That translates to huge gains in productivity. If the world is moving faster then you must as well. There is no substitute for hard work.

3. Add something to the conversation. Have a story to tell. This could be about how to make a ball bounce, issues you have in learning math, or how you are trying to work together with your classmates. Learn how to get your point across. Spend some time today looking at the read counts on your blog. How can you increase them? If you have a story to tell people from all over the world will read what you have to say. If we all add some thing of value to the conversation everyday (remember R1-R4?) there will be an incredible amount of learning going on in this classroom.

OK. Enough reading. Notice that you read (and I wrote) the above in 3D (links, etc...). Start writing that way!

Here are some blogs to start making connections. be sure to leave positive comments and to follow the correct protocal (first name, last initial and blog URL---no email). Try to use the front page of blogmeister to make more connections. Remember, this might be their first (or only!) contact with someone from Connecticut or America. Make it positive.

• 7th Grade
• 5th Grade
• High School
  
  

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Monday

All classes will work on Fireworks tutorials today. Some of you have a lot of experience with Fireworks, and some of you have none. This is sandbox time; play around for awhile.

I will start class with some demonstrations of Fireworks.

If you need to "catch-up" with some assignments please do so today.

Also, please check out this story about iTunes and accessibility from the NY Times. I hope our Introductory Unit provides some context for this article. The effort to provide accessibility is a constant battle. Notice why they must do this---they are losing sales!!

Check out this Electoral Map from CNN. Websites must be interactive now. The bar has been raised from even two years ago. For the last election CNN would have provided a static picture of the map. With this map you control how you view the content. You can even edit what the map looks like (you can click on a state and change it from undecided to McCain or Obama). Play with it. How can you incorporate these design ideas into your websites?

Friday Quiz

You should all finish your assignments and then:

Internet Literacy:

• Create a webpage that displays your schedule in a three column table (period, class, teacher). Use TH for the headings and TD for the data.
• Utilize a yellow background and black text for the webpage.

Web 2:

• Add a form to your Ansonia website. This form should be a sign-up for PSATs (what information will you need?).
• Link to the form from your index. Link back to the index from your form.
• Use the same background, color, and text layout as your other pages.
• Have the form post to email (anyone@anywhere.com).

Wednesday

Today we will continue to work on our technological operations and concepts . For each class this should complete the most basic ideas for creating a webpage. When you learn how to use new tools remember to ask for help if you need it. First ask your partner, then ask me. But also start using your other sources more (blog, HTML tutorials, etc...). Ask a question on your blog and look for a response.

Internet Literacy:

• Complete the project for Chapter 3 on tables. Click here for extra help on tables. I will send you the files needed to make this project. You should make a folder called "Project 3" in your class folder.

Web 2:

• You will work on Project 5: Forms. This is not a complicated chapter, but there are A LOT of buttons to use so I though it would be prudent to go through the chapter. There will be a few moments where the book does not quite match the software as the book is for an older version. Be patient. Click here for extra help on tables.

Web 3:

• You will continue to work on making things roll, bounce, and explode.

Typing and Clustrmap

Todays assignments:

First you will complete the typing test. Put your score in your blog (be honest!) and see if it improves later. Don't say "I took a typing test". Say "I took a typing test". Demonstrate that you know how to code a link.

You will then learn how to put a clustrmap on your blog. Communication and Collaboration
is our 2nd standard. We use the clustrmap to collect data about how well our message gets out.

• Go to the Get One page.
• Complete the form. Be sure to use the correct address for your blog. If you do not have an email to submit this will not work.
• The password will come to your email.
• Submit password on clustrmap page. They will then give you a long code that you copy.
• Go to your blog, log-in and open the control panel. Paste the long code in the About Me section.
• Submit new code. Wait for me to approve it.

You can also check out meez if you want to add an avatar to your site (which seems to be blocked at school right now...). You could also try voki.com. What image do you want to portray to the world?

New Story and Grading

Please make a blog entry about the top news story of the day. To determine what the top story is you can visit:

Newsmap
New York Times
Connecticut Post

Your blog summary of the news should:

• Be short: no more than 50 words that summarize the story.
• Include a link to the story you read.
• Have an appropriate title for the entry that matches the story.

Here is an example:

For the final time a baseball game was played at Yankee Stadium last night. With one final victory the team wrapped up over eight decades in the historic ballpark. Next year will begin a new era across the street in a brand new stadium.

After the warm-up:
Web 1: Finish all coding.
Web 2: Finish Ansonia High website quiz and two cases.
Web 3: Refine walking animation. Do this practice animation by the same author.

Reading

One of the most important skills we need to demonstrate is the ability to read and summarize complex information. The ability to communicate new ideas effectively to an audience can make you a valuable member of any organization. But it takes practice.

Like all of our work you need to think of the two questions: Who is my audience, and what do I need to say? For all of our summaries I ask that you write 50-100 words. Why? Because that is how we communicate now--in short messages. If you go to the front page of the New York Times or ESPN you will notice how these short blurbs are used to entice and attract readers. The ability to summarize is an essential component of web design.

Today's assignment is to choose ONE of the following articles and summarize it in your blog for your readers:

• GirlTalk: Talking has its limits.
• Athletic Scholarships: Expectations lose to Reality
• Gothic: You just can't Kill It

Be sure in your article to:

• Include a link to the original article. Find the correct link by clicking "Share" and copying the permalink.
• Keep your word count between 50-100 words.
• Title your entry effectively.
• Include your audience in your dicussion. Start a conversation so you get comments!

On a related note about "Bad things happen to ignorant people" you should all read this article before you decide what you post on your facebook account (or on someone else's!). Don't post, comment on, or upload anything unless you want it part of your public record forever. Also note that a professional image on these sites actually encouraged some people to get hired. You can use these sites to your advantage.

Tuesday

I am home sick today.

Internet Literacy:

Please complete the following:

• Lab 2-1 (2.61). I realize we haven't really gone over this yet. Please help each other and don't be afraid to read the chapter! Do your best.
• Cases and Places #7 (2.65). Use this resource to improve your Blood Drive page.

Web 2:

Please complete the following:

• Cases and Places #1 ,#2, and/or #3 (2.93 and 2.94) . Do the same two cases that you did for Project 1. Don't be afraid to take the time to read the chapter.

Web 3:

Please start the following:

• Walking animation.

Monday

You must have the following completed today:

Internet Literacy:

• iGoogle page.
• Apply1
• About Me
• Quiz: Your schedule
• Blog entries: usability, Goodrich letter, accessibility questions.

Web 2:

• iGoogle page.
• Two of the Cases and Places (Project 1)
• Ansonia High website
• Blog entries: usability, Goodrich letter, accessibility questions.

Web 3:

• iGoogle page.
• The three Flash examples
• Blog entries: usability, Goodrich letter, accessibility questions.

If you are done please use your time to clean up your blog, work on your iGoogle calendar, or helping your classmates (!!).

Friday Quizzes

Internet Literacy:

The quiz for web 1 will be due by the end of the Period on Monday. Some of you will finish early, some of you will have to work fast...

You will create a one page website about your current class schedule. This website should include:

• A title in the header.
• A clear heading on the page.
• A list of classes.
• A brief paragraph describing yourself (junior at Seymour High School, etc...)
• Background color.

Save the file to your WDrive-Classwork when done.

Web 2:

Your quiz will be to create a new website for Ansonia High School. We will use this website for all of our quizzes as we learn new techniques.

For this quiz please:

• Define a site and create a subfolder.
• Design an initial page. Save it as "index".
• Title the page.
• Decide who the audience for this website is.
• Decide what Ansonia High School is "selling".
• Set up a basic page.
• Apply the design ideas we have discussed (balance, motion, etc...) and show evidence that you have done the reading.
• Make sure the page works (links, images, etc...).

Web 3:

You will continue to work on your web tutorials. Please complete the bouncing heart, the mask, and the rotating globe for a grade.

Patriot Day

Take a moment today in class to read through parts of the 9/11 Legacy website. This is a very well designed website. Think about some of the decisions that the web designers made to increase the usability of this site.

By clicking on the links at the top of the page you can read through some of the profiles. I am sure we have classmates who were personally affected by the tragedy and lets be sure to have them in our thoughts today.

Yesterday our quiz was about analyzing the Seymour High website. Check out a few responses (Joe , Rebecca, Amber). Most of you spoke about technical things. I would like you to explore more about message. If you visit the SHS site what does it tell you about the type of students or teachers? For example, check out these high school sites (High Tech High , Laguardia Arts, Edgewater). When I visit each of those sites I get a pretty good feel for the culture of the school AND I can find information quickly.

Today: update blogs and work on bookwork and tutorials that were assigned yesterday.

Quiz: Introduction

Today's quiz is a letter.

In this letter you must:

1. Include links and examples where necessary.
2. Provide evidence.
3. Be persuasive, yet friendly and helpful.
4. Your letter should be between 100-150 words.

Please evaluate the design bias, usability, and accessibility of the Seymour High School website. This letter should show evidence that you paid attention for the past few lessons.

Start your letter with "Dear Mrs. Goodrich". Save to blogmeister.

---

After completing the quiz we will begin our book work. Save all work in W Drive.

Internet Literacy:
HTML Book: Apply (1.38) and Lab 3 (1.41)

Web 2:
Dreamweaver Book: Cases and Places #1, 2, 3 (choose 2 of the 3).

Web 3:
Begin Flash Tutorials.

The beginning unit matches our 6th Standard "Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations."

Usability

Today we will finish our introductory unit (test to come shortly).

Usability involves design and it involves hardware. First I must have enough bandwidth to get my information to the user. Bandwidth is the "size of the pipe" that carries information. The larger the pipe, the more information I can send. Second I need to think about the hardware at the end of the line. Is my user viewing the information on a phone or through a dial-up connection? Is my user using high spped DSL?

Here is what bad design looks like according to Vincent Flanders: Check out the worst website ever and his checklist for how to ruin your website.

Top ways to ruin a website:
1. We've designed our site to meet our organization's needs (more sales/ contributions) rather than meeting the needs of our visitors.
2. It takes longer than four seconds for a man from Mars to understand what your site is about. Example.
3. Our site looks like we've never seen another web site. Example.
4. We use design elements that get in the way of our visitors.
5. Our site doesn't make us look like credible professionals.

1. Read the following article. Save it in your favorites. Web Usability Guidelines.

2. Skim this basic article about usability from Great Britian.

3. There is also this great site from the US Government.

Start a MS Word document. Please answer the following questions:

1. Define the following. Provide definitions that make sense to your readers.

• bandwidth
• web usability

2. Which of the following websites has a higher usability for teenagers. Why??

Newsmap
Connecticut Post

3. Find a website that you think has a high usability rating (the opposite of above). Provide a link to this website and explain why you think its usability rating is high. Possible examples: Bobby (use headphones), Swingset, Baby Names.

All three assignments (bias, accessibility, usability) are due today.

Accessibility

There are four main categories we are covering in this unit; bias, accessibility, usability, and ethics. Today we will focus on accessibility.

Read this article. Introduction to Web Accessibility. The website contains lots of useful information. Take your time reading it.

We will watch this CBS News Video together in class.

Create an MS Word document. Answer the following questions:

• Of the four major categories of disabilities (visual, motor, cognitive, hearing) which one do you think would pose the greatest challenges for a computer user. Why? Include specifics.
• Dealing with a disability can be frustrating. What are three ways a web designer can design a less frustrating website for those who have a disability?
• Try getting to the CNN website without using your mouse. How did that change the experience? Did you get frustrated?
• What is our obligation to serve those with disabilities?

Cool site

Check out definr.com which touts itself as the quickest dictionary there is. Pretty cool. Notice how simple and usable this site is?

Bookmark it.

Bias, Usability, Accessibility, Ethics

There are four main criteria that we use to assess the validity of a website; bias, usability, accessibility, and ethics. Today we will focus on bias.

This is also an exercise in communication skills and page design. Can you get your point across effectively? Do you know your audience?

1. Class Discussion about bias (Barbie Doll website, GI Joe website)

2. Read the following articles:
Gender Bias
Journalism Bias this is a longer article. Skim the whole thing (except the studies and theories of media bias section). Click on links that interest you.
More on gender bias. Skim the comments--this is how a blog is different, there is a conversation/debate happening.

3. Create a one page flyer (Web1: MS Word, Web 2/3: Dreamweaver) that contains bias.

Girls: Boys are silly. Why can't they act right so I can get my work done? They should treat women with respect and not be so clueless.
Boys: Girls are silly. Why can't they act right so I can get my work done? They should treat men with respect and not be so clueless.

Think about your audience. Who are you writing it for? I am looking for two things. First, do you have good ideas and understand bias? Second, can you format the flyer well so you communicate these ideas? This is your first task in design.

This flyer must include the following:

• A clip art or free-non-copyrighted image. Using copyrighted images is illegal. I can google it to check, so be careful. You could make your own image if you want using Paint or Fireworks. Check the links on the right for clip-art images or go here or to Flickr and use creative commons search.
• At least three quotes (from real or imaginary people)
• Web 2-3 must contain at least one link in their flyer. Choose the BEST link for your page and be able to support WHY you choose it.
• Have fun with this, stay respectful and appropriate.

4. Save in WDrive (Classwork). Check the Rubric for the assessment.

Technorati Tags: genderbias webdesign k12 education

Set-Up

Today I hope to get all students set-up with an iGoogle page. This will be your homepage and will contain your calendars, notebook, bookmarks, and assorted other widgets. I think it will increase your productivity to have all your information in one screen, accessible from any computer, and you can share this information.

Why is that last part most important? Lets say you are all in AP History. If you create ONE calendar and share it then you do not have to individually enter assignments, it only has to be typed in by one person. In addition you can discuss and comment on any item ("What do you think will be on the test?...."). We will work on how to use these tools effectively.

We will also experiment with the Class Ning which is a social network. I think we may use this to post our work during the semester. In the past we used blogmeister but I think this gives us many more capabilities. The ning is semi-private. Anyone can see the intro screen, but you have to be a member to go past that.

This all relates to our Standard 2 and Standard 6 of the ISTE standards: Collaboration and Communication and Technology Operations and Concepts. We want you to understand the basics of how to set up an account, how to manipulate it, and how to share this information. I will assess this by observing that you post the correct information and log-in effectively.

Appropriate use will start all of this off. We will review the rules for Internet use in the school.

I will probably adapt many of these items as we move through the day. This is an experiment.

Update: Well...the ning isn't displaying correctly. I'm working on finding a solution.

What the heck are we doing?

I wanted to say hello and to give a brief overview of some things we will be learning this semester. It is odd for me to write this today. I have looked at my class and know only a handful of you. I do not know what type of work you have created in the past. However, I am certain that I will push you to create, analyze, and innovate. I will ask you to do your best every day.

What will we cover?

Internet Literacy: This is a new introductory level course. In this course you will learn the basics of web page design, coding, video, and audio production. You will learn how to navigate the internet appropriately, how to create content, and how to absorb information effectively and efficiently. This class will be a little fun and wild as we have never done it before!

Web 2 (Dreamweaver): This is the 2nd level class. In this class you will learn more advanced techniques using the Dreamweaver program. We hope to incorporate work in animation and image manipulation as well. There will be a significant emphasis and collaborating with classmates and with people around the world.

Web 3/4 (Flash): This the 3rd leavel class for students who completed Web 1 and Web 2. Your focus will largely be on creation and design. What makes an effective, usable website? We will enter the ThinkQuest competition as our 2nd semester project. This class is entirely project/studio based.

Wow

I can't believe that the moment is here. I have to make decisions on what we will cover, especially with the new course. I am eager to see who will be in the class when we meet on Wednesday.

I will push hard this year for all of the students to be creators first, responders second. Too often students simply sit and consume content, especially off the web. Its time we work on creating, publishing, and maybe changing the world just a little bit.

Ideas? Post them here.

Bumping

Bumping the blog with some summer thoughts:

1. Back to school in less than three weeks.
2. New class this year; Internet Literacy. Still working out the details.
3. I am trying to decide if I should go the ning route for the class and drop blogmeister. Not sure yet. I dont want to drop this blog as the address is established now.

Suggestions welcome.

Final Exams

Web 4 Exam concludes today.

Web 1 Exam

Web 2 Exam:

You are the editor of the Missouri Times. It is November 7, 1860. Your state is the only state that the Northern Democrats won. Your state has played a strong role in the slavery debate through the Missouri compromise and that information is important to your readers (and is perhaps why they voted for Douglas).
Prepare a breaking news website that reflects the results of the election.

You are the editor of the Capulet Times. You have just heard that Tybalt may have died in a big fight and Romeo is missing. Where is Juliet? Your newspaper is owned by the Capulet family.
Prepare a breaking news website that reflects this news.

You are the webmaster for the Madrid Times. It is July 2, 1898. You have to be as objective as possible, but you know the King of Spain reads your paper and has huge influence.
Prepare a breaking news website that reflects the events of July 1.

You are the editor for the Chicago Tribune. It is August 27, 1968 and the Democratic Convention is experiencing more and more protests. Many of your reporters sympathize with the protesters and you support the free speech of the protesters. However, many of your readers think the police are correct to “restore order”.
Prepare a breaking news website that reports the growing protests at the convention.

Exams

Web 1 exam is released. Your vocabulary section will be posted during the exam period.

Web 2 exam has begun. I will post your "Breaking News" during the exam period.

Web 4 exam will finish today for many of you. Be sure it is saved to the Udrive.

Students may attend a different class period (except Per1) for their exam as long as I have an available computer.

Finishing Up

Web 1 should be closing grades and studying for their vocabulary part of the exam. I will release the exam on Tuesday. The vocabulary part of the exam must be taken during the exam period.

Web 2 will be closing grades this week. I will release the exam on Monday.

Web 4 will begin their exam today.

Students may attend a different class period (except Per1) for their exam as long as I have an available computer.

Wednesday

Today I expect to leave after 6th period for the track state championship, rain permitting.

Today will be a grade catch-up day for everyone.

1. Finish current project (blog evaluations or counting assignment).
2. Check grades.
3. Finish work.
4. Clean up WDrive. Keep assignments. Delete junk or duplicate files. Organize folders.

If you have extra time watch a TED talk or read the NYTimes about yesterday's historic events.

Technology Fair Winners

The winners are:

Memorial Day Graphics Contest:
1st: Clariza Saldi
2nd: Maryann MacFadden
3rd: Henry Tse
Honorable Mention: Karren Saldi
Honorable Mention: Krysta Molfese

Zero Impact House Design Contest:
“Can you build me a zero-impact house?”
1st: Dustin Zrelak
2nd: Danielle Deluca
3rd: Austen Roman

Breast Cancer Awareness Design Contest:
“How can young women fight breast cancer?”
1st: Laura Pisano
2nd: Brittany Brassell
3rd: Lauren Almonte
Honorable Mention: Dustin Ingalls

Lincoln Re-election Design Contest:
“Design Lincoln’s 1864 campaign website using 2008 technology”
1st: Maryann MacFadden
2nd: Brian Colwell
3rd: CJ Ringenback
Honorable Mention: Devin Zawadski

Tech Fair

The Technology Fair is tonight at SHS from 5-7pm. I would love it if some of you came to demonstrate what we do (extra credit). Let me know if you can do it (please do!).

I will post the winners of the three contests tonight.

I will be working today on grading projects and preparing for the fair tonight. Please give me a chance to do that (shh!).

Web4: The thinkquest winners have been posted. They are very impressive. I received the feedback from the judges and will return that to you today.

Today in class:

Web 2 and Web 4:
Work on the evaluation of the project. We spent four weeks on this project so be sure to take time to reflect properly on your work. If you do this right it should take you two days.

Web 1:
Prepare a website that would teach a toddler how to count to ten. This will be challenging. How will you approach this problem? What tools will you use (Flash, Fireworks, Voki, Scratch, Audacity, Moviemaker)?

• How do toddlers learn best? Can they use the mouse?
• What colors do they like?
• How will you recognize different learners and diversity?
• How will you incorporate sound (hint: you have to have sound!)?

Have some fun with this. This is your final assignment before we start our final exam. I am looking for clean code that works!!

Deadline

The tech fair project deadline is today at 2pm. Be certain your pages work in the Udrive by using another log-in (switch seats).

Web 1: Please complete one of the following:

1. Create a HTML website that contains two Scratch games that you create. Use a table layout to set up your page.

2. Create a 28 second news broadcast about the top news story of the day. Include a voiceover.

3. Complete a project in the textbook (Chapter 7, 8, or 9). Files you need are in the Udrive.

Problems to Solve

We have several problems to solve today. Any field (medicine, music, government, web design) is about finding creative ways to solve problems but still making your deadline. Yes, things can be challenging.

So, if you have solutions post a comment on this blog!!

1. For Web 2 and Web 4 the Flash movies have been killing us. They are not converting from MovieMaker to Flash to Dreamweaver very consistently. We knew this was a klunky process to begin with. My idea this morning is to skip the process all together. Keep the movie in .wmv format and code an HTML page in notepad. Using EMBED SRC code as you did in Web 1 the movie should play fine. Other ideas are welcome. (OK: Possible solution. #1--work off of your desktop. Have the files there when you try to convert them--not on the WDRive. #2--when you convert--convert at a lower resolution. When it gets into Flash change your canvas size to fit. This should cut the time down to around 2 minutes)

2. I've been trying to figure out how to embed a Scratch file on an HTML page without uploading it to the Scratch website. There has to be a way to do this. I tried embedding it as a Java applet but I can't get it to work. If you get it to work let us know! (I figured it out!! I will put the samle files in "Scratch Folder" in WebSchneider. You need the "ScratchApplet" and the "Soundbank" files in your folder for it to work)

Other notes:
1. Judging has been completed for the Memorial Day contest. Results will be announced Monday night at the Tech Fair. The judges were very impressed by your entries.
2. Web 2 and Web 4 HAVE to be sure that they have inserted all the components and that all of the links work.
3. Remember, extra credit if you attend and write about the tech fair. Monday 5-7pm.
4. I have a judge whose specific job is to check citations. Be sure your page is complete. Remember you can cite clipart images as "Various images from ClipArt" but you must cite Flickr images individually. This may be a reminder for some of you to use your favorites button or google notepad.
5. Web 2 and Web 4 must complete their fourth blog post today.

OK. Get it done!

Technology Fair

The SHS Technology Fair will be Monday June 2 from 5-7pm here at the high school. Winners of our contests will be displayed at that time. So if you are curious who won--show up!! We will have students demonstrating how we do things and there are displays from all the technical and arts areas of the school.

And--I'll give you extra credit if you come and write an evaluation in your blog.

Web 2 and Web 4 deadline is Friday. Judges receive the files at 2pm. Make sure your citations are correct and all your links and pages work!

Scratch

Today Web 1 students will explore Scratch, the programming language from the people at M.I.T. This program is designed to teach some basic programming functions. With this program you can do some basic behavior and game functions and produce some cool things. This past year students at Seymour Middle School have been using the program.

The program is on your desktop.

I have a series of activities and videos I would like you to check out:

• Check out the introduction videos.
• Interact with some of the featured items.
• Read the getting started guide (or just jump in!) or check the Help Screens.
• Try some of the project ideas.

Can you make your own game?

Web 2 and Web 4 students should be sure to complete their 3rd blog question which is due today. Remember, blog questions are 30% of your exam grade. Deadline for all projects is this Friday. Make sure your initial page is named "index".

Zero impact people should check out the story from this weekend's NY Times about another project at Oberlin.

Memorial Day

Can you believe that it is Memorial Day weekend already? This year, like all of them it seems, has gone very fast.

The judging for the Memorial Day Fireworks contest will start today at 2pm. You must have your submission in the correct spot in the UDrive by then (please check!). Be sure it is a .jpg file and that it is named correctly.

Today Web 2 and Web 4 should make sure they have completed the blog questions that are due. Each topic has interview material at this point. If you feel you need more material then get it done.

Web 1 will be a catch-up day. I will pass out progress reports and we can fix grades. While I do that your options are:

• Finish or improve Memorial Day contest.
• Continue practice with CSS or Java.
• Complete the TED assignment from yesterday or watch more talks.
• Play serious game.

TED Talks

Web 1 Assignment:


One thing you want to do in life is get around smart people. I was lucky to go to a school that had really, really smart people around. Listening to them makes life interesting.

Many of you have seen some of the TED talks before. TED is a place where smart people get together and kind of do a show and tell.

I would like you to watch at least two videos today from start to finish. Everyone must watch the Theo Jansen video. I give you some prompts to start a discussion on your blog. Each of these videos is about 10-20 minutes long. They say teenagers can't pay attention to anything. Prove them wrong.

Hans Rosling: How data is cool. Think of your little Excel charts. Will you be ready to use data like this. This guy is fun to listen to.
Jeff Han: How displays will change. This would profoundly change how we use computers.
John Maeda: A smart, funny guy talks about simplicity. Think about how simplicity is the driving force in design (hint: iPods).
Nicholas Negroponte: Would you spend your life on a project that helps others? Does listening to the originator of the idea change your vision of this program?
Theo Jansen: Freaky. Mind-blowing. But pay attention. What is life? Can you make something that lives out of PVC pipe? He does. Cyborg alert!
Blaise Aguero y Arcos: Demonstrates Photosynth. Wow. The Notre Dame cathedral thing is amazing. Can you think of ways you could use this software?
Anand Agarawala: The BumpTop desktop. Certainly a different set-up! Would this help you search your photographs?

What did you learn? Share what you learned. Start a conversation. Can you add something to a discussion?

Be sure to have links to the talk on your blog.

Technorati Tags: TED innovation k12 education

Tuesday

I will leave at lunch for the NVL Track meet.

Web 1 Assignments:
1. Continue your work from yesterday. Practice with the tutorials.
2. Create a new web page about your class schedule (as we have done before). Let the tutorials help you use CSS to create the following:

• A different color for H1 and H2.
• For H1 write at top of page "Class Schedule"
• For H2 write below that "Your Name"
• A yellow background for H2.
• An ordered list using roman numerals

3. When done please save to your WDrive. I will look at it there. Work together! Then be sure to finish your Memorial Day poster.

Web 2:

Tomorrow is the interview with Mrs. Deming. Thursday is the interview with Mr. Sirowich. Be sure to have your questions ready. Leave them on the blogmeister. Please save new drafts of your website to the UDrive-Web2 folder today.

Web 4:

Mr Pawluk answered some questions on David's blog. Remember, your expert interview is an important part of this process. Please save new drafts to the UDrive-Web4 folder today.

Finishing Up

For the next eight school days we will be in project mode before we turn to our final exams prep.

The Tech Fair is in two weeks. Fireworks contest due May 23. Web 2 and Web 4 projects due May 30.

Web 1:

• Review vocabulary. Here is a sample from last years exam. If these questions are unclear you have some studying to do. All important vocabulary should be in your chapter summaries.
• Read and practice the exercises in the "extended book" (that's the eleven chapter HTML book). My expectation is that you have a basic understanding of these chapters. You can find the files in the UDrive. Share the books (or use the PowerPoint files for instructions--in Udrive). Complete the practice tutorials for CSS and JavaScripts. These are very good little tutorials and will really help you with your coding.
• Continue to practice Flash and Fireworks by using the tutorials.

Web 2 and Web 4: Project work. Please check the due dates on your blog questions.

Serious Games

Today we will work on some fun online tasks as we move towards vacation. Web 2 and Web 4 students may have seen these games and simulations before.

Typing Test: Go head-to-head with your neighbor. How fast can you type?
Another cool Google Earth app. Dig here!
Check out the Ayiti game.

3D Farming: Can you succeed as a farmer?
3D Architecture: Can you build a successful house.
Tall Buildings: Super-cool site about tall buildings
Power Play: Can you build a better mousetrap?
The Redistricting Game Can you rig your district?

And finally we will review the game Darfur is Dying.

Everyone should review ONE game in their blog today. Please be sure to provide a link to the game.

Web 1: How could you use this game to learn in school? Could serious games help you learn?
Web 2: Would a serious game improve your current website project? Why or why not?
Web 4: Choose one game and analyze the construction of the game. What tools are used? Are they used effectively?

Technorati Tags: serious_games webdesign k12 education

Fireworks Contest

Today, and probably tomorrow, I will be substituting for Mr. Freund who will be out of the building. I will probably pop into class a few times if I am able.

Web 1 should finish their exams today. Remember to rename your folder in the WDrive (bschneider-done) and copy that folder to the UDrive. You will end up with two folders in the Udrive, your rough draft and your final draft.

Web 2 and Web 4 will be working on their exams.



Here is the Fireworks contest. All classes are eligible for this contest which will be awarded at the Technology Fair on June 2.

Your assignment is to make a poster about Memorial Day.

More information on Memorial Day can be found here: Wikipedia entry Be sure you understand the purpose of Memorial Day before tackling this assignment.

Your assignment is to design an image that could be posted in schools. You will use Fireworks and choose the appropriate tool or tools for your image.

Assignment parameters:

1. You set up the image size when you create a new document: Height=300 pixels, Width =600 pixels.

2. Your images MUST be non-copyrighted. I will publish this!!

3. You must be able to defend your choice of a tool in your blog post.

4. You must include "Memorial Day" somewhere in your image. You might decide to include additional text (date, slogan, etc..).

5. You must finish by the end of the period on Friday May 23. I will submit the posters to the judges at that time.

6. Save in Udrive when done (bschneider) as a .jpg file. All students will save in the same folder so be sure you name it correctly in the WDrive BEFORE you copy it to the UDrive. Be sure to test your work in the UDrive.

Good luck!

Tech Fair

I have been working on getting judges for the tech fair and I have been very successful so far. These judges are certainly experts on the topics you will be covering. I will be working on the judges sheets this weekend so you know what to expect. One warning--citation pages better be good!

We have three contests:
1. Lincoln websites (Web4)
2. Breast Cancer or Energy websites (Web2)
3. Fireworks contest. (All)

On another note, take the time to read this article from the NY Times about girls and sports injuries. Its long, but worth your time if you compete in a sport.

Stuff

Some items from the news that you should read:

Cyclone news from Myanmar. They say the death toll may reach over 100,000. I can't even comprehend that number. They don't have enough fuel to burn the bodies so they can be disposed of properly. As we go home today to our nice homes and eat our pop tarts lets be sure to take a moment to think about the suffering and maybe think about what we can do.

An update on how the election for the Democratic Primary is going. Obama had a fairly good result in North Carolina and Indiana and has solidified his lead for the nomination. Remember--don't be ignorant. Know what is going on and what the choices are.

Can leadership change the impact on our environment? Check out the story on San Fransisco and their recycling effort. We recycle nothing here at our school. Could we do more?

How do you fight breast cancer if you are uninsured and state funding dries up? Those of you tackling the political side to the breast cancer question might want to explore this more.

Wednesday

Web 1: Part Two of the marking perod exam will begin.
Web 2 and Web 4: Continue work on your marking period exam.

Exams

Exams are being posted today. If you are behind in your work it is your responsibility to get it done. I will offer extra help after school on Wednesday and Friday. I encourage you to come in during a study hall.

Web 1: Exam Part One.
Web 2 and Web 4: Exam

I have refined these exams over the past few years and I think they work pretty well. My goal is for you to show me the web design process. Do you choose the correct tool? Do you work efficiently? Do you work with your partners? Do you get it done on time?

The Web 2 and Web 4 exams will be part of the SHS Tech Fair on June 2. It will be a competition. More on that later.

Technorati Tags: exams webdesign k12 education

Fireworks

Web 1 will work on our Fireworks assignment today. Your assignment is to make a poster about the Pledge of Allegiance. There are many choices you can make for this poster. However, it may give you ideas on how to blend images, text, and emotion.


More information on the Pledge of Allegiance can be found here: Wikipedia entry

Your assignment is to design an image that could be posted in schools. You will use Fireworks and choose the appropriate tool or tools for your image. My favorite image will be displayed on this blog.

Assignment parameters:

1. You set up the image size when you create a new document: Height=300 pixels, Width =600 pixels.

2. Your images MUST be non-copyrighted. I will publish this!!

3. You must be able to defend your choice of a tool in your blog post.

4. You must include "Pledge of Allegiance" and the actual pledge somewhere in your image.

5. You must finish by the end of the period Friday.

6. Save in Udrive when done (bschneiderpledge)

Fireworks

Today most of Web 1 and Web 2 (Period 4) will start the Fireworks tutorials. This is new for Web1 and review for Web 2.

We only spend a few days on this. Mainly so you stop using MSPaint. Please complete all of the image effects tutorials. Save your work in your WDrive.

Some of the tutorials do not quite match the Fireworks we have. Just be aware of that. Use the help menu to find help find any buttons that may have moved in the newer version.

Today is a sandbox day. Just play around.

Web 2--Period 7 will work on their presentation for tomorrow for the Trinity Church. The class did and excellent job of designing their website. Prepare your "cheat sheets" for your client. What do they need to know?

Flash

Web 1:

Today you will take your Flash quiz. In the UDrive: Web Schneider is a movie called "FlashQuiz". Please replicate this movie as exactly as you can using Flash. When done, save to the UDrive (bschneiderflash). Hint: there are two layers in the movie.

When you finish your project you will "Export Movie". This converts the .fla file to a .swf file which we can view. It is this movie that you save to the UDrive.

Web 2:

Continue on your Flash activities. Try to have three of the five activities (bouncing ball, rocket ship, flower, race car, slideshow) done today. Save your best examples to the UDrive. Remember to "Export Movie" (bschneiderball or bschneiderflower)

Web 4:

Continue John McCain website replication. Save draft of folder to UDrive today.

Monday

Web 1 and Web 2:

Continue the Flash introduction/review. Everyone should finish the bouncing heart today. Note: to get a borderless shadow you need to delete the stroke on your shadow. Click the outline of the ball and delete it.

Please aim to finish 3-5 tutorials today. Again, this is sandbox time. Just get in and play around with it.

Web 4 will continue the John McCain websites.

Friday

Several students have organized the Day of Silence for today. This year's event is dedicated for a specific purpose. Check out this article and this article about the shooting.

Web 2 and Web 1:

You will work on the motion and shape tween tutorials for Flash. I will demonstrate each at the beginning of class then you will play with them. Once you are done with moving the balls across the screen you will move on to the Flash tutorials. We will spend a few days in these tutorials. Some of you may have some experience in Flash. Review what you know, then move on to more advanced tutorials.

I advise that you save all of your work in your WDrive. You might use it later.

Web 4:

Today we will attempt to recreate a website. You will recreate the John McCain homepage (not the splash screen that asks you for money, but the main page). Please collaborate with your groups but you will each do all of the coding yourself. You should follow these steps:

1. Look at the page. Check out the code. Get familiar with the different components. What parts of the page will you not be able to execute or copy? I will not require you to add the drop-down menus at the top of the page.
2. Discuss with your group. What tools should you use?
3. Create the backgrounds and logos. I will allow you to copy the image of John McCain on their page--but that is the only thing you can copy and paste.
4. Set up the layout. Discuss with group easiest way.
5. Populate the page with the links, images, and background.
6. You will replace the video on the page with the news video that you created yesterday. You will have to convert the .wmv file in Flash.
7. Save to UDrive when done. (bschneidermccain)

Videos

I have posted several videos to teachertube. There were many excellent examples but I did not have time to upload them all yet. Now the fun begins as we watch how the view counts change. Who will win and get the most views? Check it out here.

Video

Yesterday was the Democratic Primary in Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote over Barack Obama. Here are two news stories about the contest (you can search for more):

• NY Times
• MTV.com

Today you will produce a 28 second news braoadcast about the primary. This segment must tell the viewer the "who, what, where, why, how" about the event. This will be challenging to do in 28 seconds.

Of course, news can be biased. What headline will you choose? "Clinton Wins!" "Obama Loses!" "Obama closes gap to 10%!" Each headline tells a different story about the same event. This choice will drive your script and the choice of images that you include.

Steps for process:

1. Look at previous examples that students made about the Iowa Caucus.

2. Choose your headline. Write your script. Time the script, remembering that you will need a second or two on each end as a buffer. Make sure you have answered viewers questions (who, what, etc..). Finish your script with something like "This is John Smith for Seymour High School news".

3. Choose your images (free and non-copyrighted) using clip-art, flickr or make your own. Some of you might think "out of the box" for a second and realize we dont need only pictures of Clinton and Obama to tell this story (photos of voting booths, Pennsylvania, etc...). Choose images that match your headline. Import images to moviemaker. Arrange images. Test movie with script.

4. Record script directly to moviemaker or use Audacity. You must use your own voice as the reporter.

5. Edit movie. Save movie file to your UDrive class folder by the end of class on Thursday. I will post best examples to teachertube.

6. Don't waste time searching for pictures. Seriously. Move fast.

Welcome Back

Well, we are back after some time off for all of us. Now the big push through the Spring until graduation is upon us. Please bear with me over the next two days as I tackle the grading of the work you did while I was gone. Yes, I expect it to be ready. I will do blogs and summaries today and website/project grading tomorrow.

Please read back in the blog for your quiz and other assignments if you didn't finish them before vacation.

In the "don't put your eggs in one basket" file I received a letter today that Gibbs College is closing.

Molly Ann Schneider was born early Sunday morning. Everyone is doing well.

Work hard while I am gone. I will be monitoring your work from home for awhile.

Thanks for all of your support the last few months.

Quiz

I am posting the quiz for next week. You should do the quiz when you have completed the bookwork and blog entries. I expect some of you will be working on these quizzes when we return from vacation.

Web 4:

Create a one-page website where you review the sites you have written about in your blog. This page should include:

• Links to the programs. Organize effectively so the page is highly usable.
• An attractive, modern layout
• Title, alternate text, headings, etc...
• No scrolling.
  

Save in Udrive.

Web 2:

Assignment 1: Complete your Crosby High School website. Your site should include.

• A modern layout.
• Survey/Form: What would a high school use a form for? Keep the form simple and be sure to link back to home page.
• Map: Create a map that gives "directions" from Seymour High School to Watertown High School. This is an adaptation of the skills you learned when you made your RV travel around Florida. You will probably want to create the map yourself rather than trying to download one. I realize this map may be a bit clunky
• Be sure all technical items are correct (alt text, VSpace, titled pages, etc...)
• Save in Udrive
  

Assignment 2: Parts of the Face. Many of you did this in Web 1. Now you will do this in Dreamweaver. There are a TON of great examples in the Udrive. Save in Udrive when done.

Web 1: Your Quiz will be the Parts of the Face. Have Fun! Save in Udrive when done.

Commitment

Today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in 1968. This event came at a tumultuous time in our history. In many ways it shaped racial conflict and conversations that we still have today.

Dr. King had travelled to support the two thousand Memphis Sanitation workers who were on strike. The conditions that these men worked in are alarming by today's standards. This strike was a nasty one.

While there he gave his "I've been to the mountaintop" speech. He was killed the next day. I would like you to watch the video with your headphones today. Try not to have chills run up your spine as you think "Did he know he was going to die within 24 hours??"

Dr. King is revered in this country because of his commitment to peace, equality, and justice. He was 39 years old when he died.

Schedule

Today I will be grading evaluations and exams/projects. This is a ton of work so be patient with me. The quieter the room, the faster I can go. Please be sure to completely answer the questions for the evaluations. Check your classmates blogs for examples.

So.....the baby still isn't here yet. So I think the best thing to do is to plow ahead in our books and try to finish as much as we can. I think it is fantastic that you have been working together during this last project so well. You should rely on that help as you try to finish the book over the next few weeks.

Here is the list of work:

Web 1:

Any files you need are in the UDrive-WebSchneider. I won't be sending them to you. I will assign the quizes and extra projects after vacation. If you catch book errors (and there are a few) please note them in your blog for all to check. I note some errors below.

Project 4: Project, Summary. (notes: the (x,y) coordinates for the surf picture may not exactly match what they say in the book because our image size is a little off. Use common sense to fix it)
Project 5: Project, Summary.
Project 6: Project, Summary, Lab 3.

Web 2:

Any files you need are in the UDrive-WebSchneider. I won't be sending them to you. I will assign the quizes and extra projects after vacation. If you catch book errors (and there are a few) please note them in your blog for all to check. I note some errors below.

Project 4: Project, Summary. (notes: the no frames and frames versions of pages are not the same thing!)(notes #2: the flash buttons will not work, ignore them) (notes#3: BE SURE to start a new site!!)

Project 5: Project, Summary.

Project 6: Skip

Project 7: Project, Summary. (notes: you have to turn the layer code marker on by going to Edit:Preferences:Invisible Elements)

Project 8: Project, Summary.

Project 9: Skip

Web 4:

Well, you are finally done with thinkquest. We will take the next week to decompress a bit and review what we have learned. We will discuss this in class, but I will expect daily blog entries until vacation.

New Week

Web 1 and Web 2 (Period 4) exams must be complete by Wednesday.

Checklist for exam:
1. Web 2 and Web 1: Do you have a link to a blog on your subject?
2. Citations are formatted properly.
3. Alt text, titled pages, etc...
4. Saved in Udrive correctly, checked all files.

When Done:
1. Save folder in udrive: bschneiderdogs-DONE. When it is marked Done I know to grade it.
2. Complete and score evaluation and submit on blog.
3. Move on in tutorials or book.

One note:

For Dreamweaver movies vs. Windows Movie Maker. Go to Flash. Import the movie you made in Movie Maker. When you save the movie in Flash you can then embed that Flash movie in Dreamweaver.

Web 4: This is the final day for Thinkquest. Triple-check your work on the thinkquest site. Please do the evaluation when you are done.

Tuesday

OK, its Tuesday and still no baby. Its got to happen soon...

Web 4: Try to get final drafts of your diversity and collaboration pieces in my hands today. I will post your sites to thinkquest on Monday whether I am in school or not. Be certain that you have checked all your sources. Triple check that the site works on thinkquest.

Web 2 and Web 1: We will briefly review noodletools and how to properly cite your information. Remember, if you include ten pictures in a video, you need to cite them.

For all: Here is an audacity tutorial if you are interested in exploring it further.

All of you should read this report from the NY Times about bullying. What can you do to make sure this is a safe school where things like this do not happen?

Thursday

All students will be working on their projects today.

Web 4 students should be exploring the idea of video. A new version of their thinkquest paragraphs should be submitted to me as well.

Web 1 and Web 2 students must answer the following on their blog today:

• What are the 3-5 main points that answer your question?
• Include at least one link to your primary, or best source.

At this point Web 1 and Web 2 students will be locked into their topic. No more switching.

Video

Today Web 1 and Web 2 will review Movie Maker. Short, 30 second movies can be powerful vehicles for your message. Each of these videos has over 3000 views.

Blog Entries

Web 4:

Please evaluate your rough draft using the language from the evaluation criteria. You should focus on between 5-7 of the bulleted points. Please include points that you think you did well on, and points you think you must improve over the next week. Your blog entry should be formatted using bullets (unordered list: UL).

It is important to take time to reflect on your work before we jump ahead for the final draft. Take the time to analyze your work so you can build on your strengths and try to improve your weaknesses.

Web 2 and Web 1:

Please submit a blog entry that answers the following questions:

• Which topic will you choose? Why?
• You have looked at several examples. List 3-5 characteristics of a successful exam.
• What will be your biggest challenge for this exam (research, technical things, etc...)??

Exams

Today we will launch the exams for Web 1 and Web 2.

Both Web 1 and Web 2 have the same exam questions. If you were in my class for Web 1 you will recognize the format and questions. I repeat the questions on purpose. I want to see how you have developed your design skills and techniques.

This is a serious research project. You will need to follow directions and be sure to cite your work correctly.

In conjunction with the project I will be doing a series of short demonstrations of programs we have on your computer. You might decide to incorporate these techniques into your project.

Of course, our baby is still due. So soon I will need to take care of that. Hopefully I can make it through today and fully explain the exam.

Due Dates

Any work for Project 3 (including quiz) will be due by the end of class on Friday. No exceptions!

If you are in Web 1 you should not move on to Project 4. Help your classmates get done.

If you are in Web 2 then you SHOULD move on to Project 4. I will add more notes later but let it be known that the Flash buttons will probably not work in this project.

Web 4? Tick tock tick tock. Monday's rough draft deadline approaches.

Get it done.

Reading

Some interesting articles this weekend in the NY Times. Please be sure to write or comment about one, or all, of these articles in your blog.

The first is about athletic scholarships for college and all the misinformation that is out there. Athletes are continually surprised at how many scholarships are actually out there. I can't tell you how many times I hear of coaches or trainers saying they have the "secrets" for getting scholarships.

A second article is the growing trend of academic scholarships. This was talked about by the coaches in the first article, that you have a MUCH better chance of getting a full ride academic scholarship. MIT just announced that if your family income is under $75,000 per year that they will waive tuition for accepted students. Several other schools have adopted similar programs.

Finally, there is an article about paying students to excel. This article focusses on younger students. Many people object to this idea, that students should receive cash for getting high marks. However, I do see some inconsistencies as we certainly support "paying" students by giving academic scholarships.

And, this one is just for fun. What do you think about texting?

So, what do you think? Be sure to include links to the articles in your blog entry. Web communications is about taking many sources and forming your own message. This is how we practice. Your article should be a few paragraphs long (at least) and should invite more conversation. If people leave comments, then you made a good article.

Monday

Web 1 and Web 2 students should be working on Project 3. If you finish Project 3 please do not move on to project 4 yet. We do several activities (including a big exam) between these projects.

If "done" please work on:
1. Web2 Quiz.
2. Web 1 Quiz. Take your quiz from Project 1 (your class schedule). Code this project again, but use tables to format the page and your schedule.
3. Blog connections. Several of you choose colors on your blog that are hard to read like this or this . Please change this!!

Global Communication

Since the Korean War the North Korean society has been closed. What does that mean? Basically that means nobody gets in and nobody gets out. The North Korean government has controlled all aspects of the society, culture, and economy. This has had a crippling effect on the country. Over one million people reportedly died in a recent famine there. On the left is a satellite image that shows North and South Korea. Notice that North Korea can't pay for any lights.

So, the visit by the New York Philarmonic (text link) this past week may be one of the most remarkable events I have ever seen. The concert was broadcast here in the USA two nights ago. It was a thrilling concert. In a world where we have taken for granted that we can talk to anyone at anytime we were confronted with a culture where most in the audience had never been out of the country, seen a foreign TV broadcast, or been able to use the internet. One reporter remarked that "there are no fat people here". They don't have enough food.

I have said before that you can be many things in this world, but there is no excuse for ignorance or inaction. How can you use your skills to effect change? I would like you to try today to make a connection on your blog. Using the front page of blogmeister make a connection with a student from another state or country. Leave a comment about one of their entries or just say hello.

Making connections is an essential skill for this class. If you cannot connect you will become isolated and "isolation is the enemy of improvement". How will I judge this? Our blog can collect great data: number of reads, number of comments, and your clustrmap data. If you do not have a clustrmap, get one today.

Have fun, be respectful, and make those connections. Remember, this may be the first and only connection someone has made to a person from America or Connecticut. What will you say knowing that you might be their first impression??

This assignment is for all classes: web1, web2, web4.

Transition

The next six weeks will be an interesting time for this class. Next week we enter the CAPT testing period. For two weeks we will bounce around in the schedule. Some days we meet, some days we don't. It can be difficult to keep up with the work.

As many of you know, my wife and I have a baby due soon. At some point in the next month or so I will be out for about a week.

Finally, I will not be in class tomorrow and a few other days (track meets).

It is important during these periods that you keep moving forward. I will be disappointed if some of you (you know who you are!!) take a step backward. When I am out I will monitor your work from home through both this blog and your blogmeister.

Today I will be grading. There is a lot of work for me to check. In addition I am giving you the assignments for Project 3 if you are ready to move on:

Web 1:

• Chapter Summary for Project 3.
• Project
• Apply your Knowledge
• In the Lab 1
• In the Lab 2

Web 2:

• Chapter Summary for Project 3.
• Project
• Apply your Knowledge (Lawn Service)
• Lab (Plant City)
• Quiz

Web 3:

• Complete or Edit blog entries from yesterday.
• Rough Draft due March 17. That is sooner than some of you think.

Quiz: Monday

Web1: Quiz: (20pts total). Due end of class Tuesday.

• Create a folder in your WDrive-Web1. Label it "Quiz2".
• Download a clip-art image of an American Flag. Save in Quiz2 folder
• Create a two-page website.
• Title Page 1: "American Flag". Add heading, background color, and flag image.
• Center image. Add alt text to any images.
• Title Page 2: "American Flag History". Add heading. Add short description of Flag history with two links to further information.
• Link pages together: Make image on Page 1 the link to Page 2. On Page 2 include a "home" link back to page 1.
• Save folder in UDrive-WebSchneider-Web1-Period. Test links.

Web 2: We will start the quiz for Project 2 today.

• On your Crosby High site add a new page for directions. Add content.
• Link the two pages.
• Have the same format, colors, etc...
• Add a clipart picture of a "school" to the front page. Format the picture correctly.
• Save a copy of your folder in the UDrive in the Crosby folder.

Web3: Thinkquest

One member of your Thinkquest team must write a blog entry that answers the following questions:

• What is the most important fact that you want to use in this site? Why?
• What is your most important source? Why?

One member of your Thinkquest team must write a blog entry that answers the following questions:

• List as many facts (use proper HTML in blog entry) about your subject as you can. Put most important facts on top.

One member of your Thinkquest team must write a blog entry that answers the following questions:

• How can you ensure you will meet the coding requirements for Thinkquest? How will you stay under the 50mb limit? Be specific.

One member of your Thinkquest team must write a blog entry that answers the following questions:

• How is your team working? Are you producing your best work? What can you do differently?

History

I have been working on my family history. I have a relatively small family. Both of my sets of grandparents had two children. My sister and I are their only grandchildren.

I had a fair amount of history on my father's side, but only back to around 1880 or so when that part of the family arrived from Germany and Ireland. By using familysearch I was able to go back an additional generation, which was kind of exciting.

But last night I started to work on my maternal grandmother's side. I had a name Thaddeus Stocker and that he lived during the Revolutionary War. From that name I was able to use the site to travel back an additional ten generations!! I got all the way back to 1470 in England (John Wyllie). Needless to say this was pretty amazing to me.

I found out that our family lived in Fairfield, CT (Henry Jackson, Mary Morehouse, etc..) for over 150 years and were among the first European settlers. I found that parts of the family were Tories and parts were fighting in the Continental Army. And this was only in about an hours worth of work. I am probably related to half of Connecticut.

Much of this was inspired by the amazing PBS series by Henry Louis Gates which traced the history of several African-Americans. Now history can be enlightening, powerful, and painful. But the internet is a VERY powerful tool in this regard. I urge you to try to connect with your past.

Update: I think I got back to the year 1256!! Alexander de Forbes in Scotland.

Tuesday

Web 2:

Finish quiz first.

Start Project 2: Adding Web Pages, Links, and Images. Be sure to check Erica's blog for the changes. This project is LONG and will require a lot of work and checking. There may be many new concepts for you. I would read the whole thing first, then do the project.

Items to complete:

Chapter summary for Project 2
Chapter Project
Apply Your Knowledge
In the Lab 3 (beware: the border image thing might not work quite right)

Monday

Web 1: You will continue in the HTML book. Often in the directions they ask you to add code on a certain line. Please note, that these line numbers may be slightly different for you. This project is LONG. Take your time. I would read the whole thing first, then do the project.

You will complete the following:

• Chapter summary for Project 2
• Project
• Apply Your Knowledge
• In The Lab 1 and In The Lab 2

Friday

Today is the twelfth day of class. I hope that I have given you something of value over these days and that we can only add to the fun over the next months. I wanted to take a moment and review my expectations.

1. Make connections every day. The power to make connections in this global, digital, networked world is essential. Instead of having one teacher, have many. For example, on blogmeister there are thousands of teachers and students from around the world. Write to them, read their stories, and then write about the experience on your blog. Take a moment today and read some of the blogs from K-2 grade classrooms. They are fun to read. There is a saying that "isolation is the enemy of improvement". Make connections, collaborate, and improve.

2. Always do your best. You never know who is watching your work or reading your blog. Often people do not realize the power they have until it is lost. You are in a time unique to human history. You can read everything ever written at anytime. You can contact almost anyone at anytime. You can publish your ideas and thoughts instantly. That translates to huge gains in productivity. If the world is moving faster then you must as well. There is no substitute for hard work.

3. Add something to the conversation. Have a story to tell. This could be about how to make a ball bounce, issues you have in learning math, or how you are trying to work together with your classmates. Learn how to get your point across. Spend some time today looking at the read counts on your blog. How can you increase them? If you have a story to tell people from all over the world will read what you have to say. If we all add some thing of value to the conversation everyday (remember R1-R4?) there will be an incredible amount of learning going on in this classroom.

OK. Enough reading. Notice that you read (and I wrote) the above in 3D (links, etc...). Start writing that way!

Today (Web1-2): Grading. I will be looking at all of your work to date. If you are done then help others, read blogs, edit your writing. Web 4 will be revising their ThinkQuest presentations.

Technorati Tags: k12education leadership Lulu blogmeister Seymour

Web 1 Quiz

The quiz for web 1 will be due by the end of the Period on Friday. Some of you will finish early, some of you will have to work fast...

You will create a one page website about your current class schedule. This website should include:

• A title in the header.
• A clear heading on the page.
• A list of classes.
• A brief paragraph describing yourself (junior at Seymour High School, etc...)
• Background color.

Save the file to your WDrive-Classwork when done.

Projects Start

Web 1: You will start the HTML book. You will complete the following:

• Chapter summary for Project 1
• Project
• Apply Your Knowledge
• In The Lab 2

Notes for Web 1: page 1.17--save to WDrive (not floppy disk). Skip 1.20-1.22. Don't print page (1.31)

Web 2: You will start the Dreamweaver book. You will complete the following:

• Chapter summary for Project 1.
• Project
• Apply Your Knowledge
• In the Lab 3

Notes for Web2: pages 1.12 through page 1.20 will require some network navigation. Create your "parks" folder in WDrive-Dreamweaver-folder. Read carefully and ask if you are not sure. Skip the step on 1.65--select browsers. Click f12 to preview web page. Click here for the book errors wiki.

Web 4: You will start the ThinkQuest project.

Introduction Unit Quiz

This quiz is for Web 1 and Web 2.

Please answer the following questions on your blog.

In your answer you must:
1. Link to the described websites.
2. Write effectively. Spell correctly.
3. Try to start a conversation. Blog entries that elicit comments will receive higher grades.
4. None of the answers should be more than 4 sentances.

Questions:
1. Does this website demonstrate gender bias in its design? Or is it neutral? Defend your answer.
2. Rate the usability of the following sites (choose one). Daylife OR Don't Click It

Usability

Today we will finish our introductory unit (test to come shortly).

Here is what bad design looks like according to Vincent Flanders: Check out the worst website ever and his checklist for how to ruin your website.

Top ways to ruin a website:
1. We've designed our site to meet our organization's needs (more sales/ contributions) rather than meeting the needs of our visitors.
2. It takes longer than four seconds for the man from Mars to understand what our site is about. Example.
3. Our site looks like we've never seen another web site. Example.
4. We use design elements that get in the way of our visitors.
5. Our site doesn't make us look like credible professionals.

1. Read the following article. Save it in your favorites. Web Usability Guidelines.

2. Skim this basic article about usability from Great Britian.

3. There is also this great site from the US Government.

Start a MS Word document. Please answer the following questions:

1. Define the following. The answers are in the readings.

• bandwidth
• web usability

2. Which of the following websites has a higher usability for teenagers. Why??

Newsmap
Connecticut Post

3. Find a website that you think has a high usability rating (the opposite of above). Provide a link to this website and explain why you think its usability rating is high. Possible examples: Bobby (use headphones), Swingset

Please post your answers on your blog.