Google Earth

Assignments for Friday:

Web 1: Evaluate your exam on blog. What went well? Do you feel confident in your HTML skills? Who do you think did the best exam? Then do the Google Earth assignment.

Web 2: Finish your draft and submit to Lauren in the UDrive. Then do the Google Earth assignment.

Web 3: Google Earth testing and blog entry.

Yesterday an issue with our firewall was resolved so now we have access to Google Earth. We will spend today exploring the program. Google Earth is a program that is starting many trends in web design (remember everyscape.com?). Google maps and Google Earth is a profound shift forward in how we process and present information.

Check out this (some content seems to be blocked):
Gallery
Sightseeing
Google Earth Blog
Google Earth: education

Things to find (some of these might require extra google skills):
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Yankee Stadium
Science station on Antartica
Google's headquarters in California
The Pyramids of Egypt
The Great Wall of China
Then play around with the program. What do you think?

Web 1 Exam

Web 1 exams are due today. Please save your folders to the correct spot in the UDrive and test your work. Be sure that you have completed the assignment (go back and check!!).

I highly advise you have a friend check your work in the UDrive.

Accessibility

Good essay from David Pogue about accessibility. Check it out.

This link is from the HTML tutorial and explains how to embed a Flash movie.

Web 3 has been working on their thinkQuest projects and we think we have the leading candidates for project ideas:

• Desserts around the world. Connect desserts with geography and history. Do the desserts of Mexico have similarities to the desserts of Spain?
• Impact of LED lights. How can the switch from old light bulbs to LEDs have an impact on the environment? If we replace all the lights in Times Square with LED lights how much energy will we save?
• Viking Mythology. Where are there traces of Viking mythology around the world? Did the travels of the Vikings in the Middle Ages produce a lasting cultural impact in other mythologies?
• Backtracking. Are there hidden messages in albums?
• Body image in different cultures. What is beautiful? Is the idea of beauty different around the world?

What do you think? Should we include other ideas?

Tuesday

Today I am away at a special education workshop.

Web3: Continue to refine your list of 12 category ideas. Use the web and other students blogs to find the BEST idea for each category. Leave comments on blogs to start conversations around topics.

Web2: Yes, you can make decisions when the teacher is not in the room. Lauren will lead a discussion about format. Try to make decisions as a group about how long each chapter should be, the format, and the activities.

Web1: Continue coding.

Monday

I was really happy with our progress on our projects last Friday. Things have been a bit crazy the past few weeks with all the weather related days. We must keep our deadlines however.

I will not be in class tomorrow. I am at a Special Education workshop all day. I will be back for the schools Winter Concert tomorrow night.

Today:

Web3: Make two comments on student blogs about topics. Continue topic research.

Web2: Submit summary/outline to Lauren. We MUST finish the first draft of our chapters this week. All work should be saved in the UDrive.

Web1: Continue working on exam.

On a non-exam note there was some interesting reading in the NYTimes this weekend:
1. Food issues.
2. Middle Schools
3. Cyberbullying

Technorati Tags: webdesignexam lulu thinkquest

Friday

Last week most of us did a decision making activity in our Advisory Meetings. This past week has been an interesting study in how famous athletes make decisions. Has Roger Clemens suddenly switched from the greatest pitcher of all time to a cheater? Every story about his retirement and fight to get in the Hall of Fame will now include information about how he cheated by using steroids. Little decisions make a difference. What would you want in your wikipedia entry?

Web 1 will start the 2nd part of the exam.

Web 2: Get summary/outline done today.

Web 3: Continue with ideas for Thinkquest.

Web 1 Exam

Web 1 Exam Part One. This is due by midnight on 12/13. Part two will be posted Thursday.

Web 2 will be working on their Lulu book.

Web 3 will start their ThinkQuest.

Monday schedule

In all classes today I will be working on progress report grading. Be sure to have all work completed and checked.

Web 1: Help classmates finish work. If done, clean up blog, work on Flash/Fireworks tutorials, or play with Scratch. Tomorrow we start the marking period exam.

Web 2: Launch Lulu project.

Web 3: Finish or improve Fireworks assignment. Tomorrow we launch the Thinkquest contest.

Thursday

We will work on our Fireworks assignment today. This assignment will connect with tomorrow's celebration of Pearl Harbor Day.

The image you see here was a propaganda image from the war that was produced in 1942. However, it may give you ideas on how to blend images, text, and emotion.

More information on Pearl Harbor Day can be found here:

• Wikipedia entry
• Great site from National Geographic

Your assignment is to design an image that celebrates the 66th anniversary of the date. 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 "66th Anniversary" and "December 7, 1941" somewhere in your image.
5. You must finish by the end of the period Friday.
6. Save in Udrive when done (bschneiderpearl)

Fireworks

Today most of Web 1 and Web 2 will start the Fireworks tutorials. We only spend a few days on this. Mainly so you stop using MSPaint.

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.

Anyone who missed the Flash quiz yesterday should see me.

The Lulu books are getting started. For more information click here.

• I will choose the editors. If you have a real desire to be an editor see me.
• Editors will choose their authors.
• Other classes are getting involved. Mr. Pagliaro is starting a Lulu project today.

The idea is to create an "old-school" document (a book) along with a "new-school" component (a website). By making these connections I hope we can develop some serious understanding of the literacy involved.

Tuesday

Web 3:

Save draft of project to Udrive by end of period. Save in folder as normal. Save both project and movie. We will get comments back and do any revisions tomorrow.

Web 1 and Web 2:

Quiz today on Flash Introduction. In the UDrive-WebSchneider is a Flash Movie called "FlashQuiz". Watch movie and then I ask that you replicate this movie. This movie contains a motion tween, a shape tween, and two layers. When done you want to "Export Movie". Save movie to folder in Udrive (bschneider-flashmovie).

I will not help you on the quiz. You need to figure this one out yourself.

OLPC

OLPC was featured on 60 Minutes last night. Was an interesting profile that talked about the difficulty of creating a computer that would work in harsh conditions but also the difficulty the OLPC people are having in distributing these computers.

Technorati Tags: OLPC 60Minutes

Flash

Everyone will be working on Flash now.

Web 3:

Create a 15 or 30 second web-commercial advertisement for "Suzy's Hair Salon". Don't go crazy with this, it is just to practice writing a script and recording sound. We now have 5-6 microphones to use.

Required elements:

• A script.
• Start button and "play again" button.
• Voice-over that you record. Sound tutorial.

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.

Wednesday

Today I expect a visting teacher from the middle school in the morning so I may be a bit occupied (be patient). I am working hard on getting the Lulu and Thinkquest assignments ready (I have assigned one person already as an editor) and hope to get those assignments fleshed out this week. I am collaborating with other teachers on all of this so I have to run a lot through them.

Today:

Web 3:

• Be sure you have checked and completed your Flower assignment and the blog entries associated with it.
• Clean up blog entries (spelling, grammer, etc..).
• Progress report check.
• Make at least one substantial and specific comment on a classmates blog that continues a conversation. "Good job" does not continue a conversation.
• Explore and analyze everyscape.com. Is this a fundamental shift on how we search for information? Is this a fundamental change in how maps are produced? Or is it the same concepts--just packaged differently?

Web 2:

• Complete Form/Map Quiz.
• Make any needed changes to improve format of WHS page.
• Progress report check.
• Make at least one substantial and specific comment on a classmates blog that continues a conversation. "Good job" does not continue a conversation.

Web 1:

• Explore and analyze everyscape.com. Is this a fundamental shift on how we search for information? Is this a fundamental change in how maps are produced? Or is it the same concepts--just packaged differently?
• Make at least one substantial and specific comment on a classmates blog that continues a conversation. "Good job" does not continue a conversation.
• Yes, we are going to be in a "holding pattern" for a few days while I get every person done with Project Six. Be patient--but do something. Choices: Scratch, clean blog, help classmate, play 3rd world farmer.

Plan for the next week or so:

Web 3: Project assignment (Lulu, Thinkquest, or both).

Web 2 and Web 1: Flash introduction.

Then:

Practice exams posted around December 15 (we work on them until break)

After break:

Small projects/units and prep for exam. Just a note that I take the exams very seriously and they will be a challenge. I will give you lots of time to prepare. You can get ideas of what to expect by looking at last years exams in the UDrive and the assignments on the wiki.

Tuesday

Web 3:

1. For most users the major difference I see between Flash and Scratch is the simplicity of the actions. You were all able to make your animations do something fairly easily. Of course, the actual making of the animations is easier and more powerful in Flash. But....what if you spent a few weeks using Scratch as you did Flash??
2. Please focus today on actionscripts and buttons. I want everyone's movies to have working buttons by the end of the period. Work together. Try to figure out more than one way to make your button work (script, using menus, different codes, etc...). Post a correct method/tutorial for adding a Start Button on your blog.

Web 2:

Quiz: Add a survey and map/movie to your Watertown High School website.

• 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.

Web 1:

1. Bookwork. I want to make sure everyone is comfortable up to Chapter 6 before we move on. If you feel completely comfortable then help a neighbor.

OK.....be prepared, this site is amazing.

Monday

Today we will examine the Scratch programming system. Scratch was developed at the MIT Media Lab (where Negroponte-the inventor of the One Laptop is from). I think it is intended primarily for younger students than you, but it does present some very complex programming concepts.

Check out some of the news about Scratch. Notice that much of the news is another language than English. Is there an assumption in the world of the inventor and business that you speak more than one language??

Here are some ideas to get started. You must do at least one of these.

Here is the Guide to Scratch.

So please test and play with this program today. Read some of the press, search for more information, check for blog references to the program. Be sure you complete at least one of the ideas.

Answer the following questions on your blog (include links!):
1. What did you do with Scratch today? Share any insights to the program that might help your classmates.
2. Is this a valuable program? What criteria should we use? Be specific! Use Web Design terms!!
3. For Web3: Compare Scratch to Flash.

Technorati Tags: Scratch MediaLab MIT

Energy

Recently, I have been obsessed with energy usage in my home. I have been looking at various ways to monitor how many watts I use daily and how certain things draw electricity. I want one of these for Christmas.

I am an Oberlin alum so I have followed their work with the Lewis Environmental Center. Oberlin has been a leader in "green design".

So I thought; "If I can monitor the watts being used in my house, what about at SHS?" So I checked the Oberlin website and I found that they have a website dedicated to monitoring the impact of the Lewis Center AND they monitor the energy use of buildings around campus. Very, very cool!

I did some more searching and found the Lucid Design Group and their page from Williamstown Elementary School. This might be my website of the year. The usability rating for this is through the roof. No extra info, perfectly formatted, speaks directly to the target audience.

I am convinced that these monitors save energy because people instinctively will try to lower the figures on the charts. Do we know how much energy we waste at home or here in school? Could we make a significant impact on our energy footprint? This may become the most important issue of your lifetime. What tools will you create for this environment?

Todays blog entry will be about these websites. Please write about their usability and accessibility. What thoughts do you have about how we can use the web and our global network to find solutions to our growing climate crisis?

Technorati Tags: LewisCenter LucidDesign energy

Things to do...

This will be a crazy week.

Everyone will be working on their projects:
Web 1: Frames
Web 2: Movies and Timelines
Web 3: Flash Movie replicating.

Please also check out Scratch and Squeek programming. I want to start doing more game and simulation programming and I read that these might be the platforms to use. The files are in the UDrive if anything doesnt load. Using this could you create a much cooler "Faces" assignment???

Now its tempting to just play the games they have. I want you to MAKE the games--not just play them. This might be a good project for home as well.

Please make a blog entry each day. What did you do? What did you learn?

Web 3

Web 3 assignment: Replicate this movie in Flash.