Growing your Blog Audience

Each of you should have a blog post measuring the reach of your blog.  We did this on Wednesday. Some of you began your campaign to grow your audience by commenting on blogs.  We will continue this today.

Click here to go to student blogs.

We discussed the difference between spam comments and valuable comments.  We discussed the proper way to format your comment (no email, first name last initial, blog address).  We discussed the value of responding to comments.  We recognized how hard it is to build an audience.

Building an audience is one of the most important skills we will work on.  Nearly every product, service, and idea is sold via the web now.  You MUST know how to get your work out there to survive and eat.  This blog is practice for that.

I'm also hoping to raise the level of work on your google profile.  For many of you your twitter feed is your #1 result on google.  For many of you this is NOT good.  Seriously.  And remember, swearing is bad.

Today you will do three things:
1. Write blog posts to increase the quality of your blog (see topics below).  You need posts that people will link to, email their friends, post on twitter.  We want people to be saying "Read this!".
2. Comment, comment, comment.  Using blogmeister or google you will find blogs to comment on.  You will leave comments everywhere.  You will make the comments interesting and they will extend the conversation.
3. If you find an interesting blog post you will write about and link back to the original blog.  This is "polite blogging".  This is how traffic gets generated.

Suggested blog posts (remember to include links, a cool title, embed video/images if needed).  Choose one or all:
1. If you are a football player: Explain when you would punt the ball and when you "go for it" so anyone can understand it.
2. If you are a cheerleader: Is cheerleading becoming more dangerous?  Describe how cheerleading has changed over time.  Where is the line between OK and too dangerous?
3. If you are a musician:  How have headphones and iPods changed music?
4. If you are an artist/photographer: How has the internet changed how we view art?  Does the internet help or hurt art?
5. If you eat: What should we eat?  Should we be allowed to eat whatever we want?  What if we know what we eat is slowly killing us?
6. If you breath: Whats in the air that you breath?  Is it safe to breath?

Split Day

Monday was a wash for H block and for some of E block so be sure you complete everything on Monday's lesson before you move onto today's lesson.  Read Monday's lesson first.

Your task is to create an audience for your blog.  How will you do this?  The best way is to comment on other people's blogs.  Creating an audience for your work is HARD.  It took me a long time to build even my meager audience.

Using the first page of blogmeister you should search for other blogs.  This is not an easy process as that search engine does not recognize new blogs.  One way to do it is to click on Featured Articles.  Or you can search by state, country, or age group.

When you leave a comment be sure it extends the conversation about the blog post.  Don't spam them ("Hey, check out my blog!" or "If you click this link you can read my new eBook!").  But be sure the information boxes are filled out correctly (first name, last initial: leave email blank; your blog address).

Now, when they return to your blog do you have interesting content?  Will you have something for them to read?

How will we measure/grade this?  Write a blog post RIGHT NOW where you list:

• How many countries have visited your blog.
• How many red dots do you have.
• How many comments from non-SHS people.

Then we measure the growth.  Good luck.

Project Wrap-up and TED talks

I am in meetings today.  I have left comments on most of your blogs and most of your .pdf books.  Please make sure you check and edit anything today.  Wednesday I will work on grading everything with you.

Please answer the following questions on your blog:
1. List the projects that you completed and the story subject for each. (I wrote an ebook about German Cuisine).
2. Which is your best project?  Which tells the best story?  Why?
3. Whose classwork has impressed you?  Why? Be sure when you list their name you make it a link to their blog.
4. Each of these assignments has been published on the web.  Does that change the quality of your work?  Why or why not?
5. Which is your favorite way to tell a story? Animation, voicethread, eBooks, images, or showme?  Which is your favorite way to "read/watch" a story?

Please include links to your work or your classmates work.

Then...

I would like you to watch at least three videos today from start to finish. Everyone must watch the Bobby McFerrin video. I give you some prompts to start a discussion on your blog. Some of these videos are 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.  This is from four years ago.  How fast technology evolves (Hello iPod!).
John Maeda: A smart, funny guy talks about simplicity. Think about how simplicity is the driving force in design (hint: iPods).
Rives: This guy can talk.  Power of the spoken word.  I laughed out loud (also notice his use of powerpoint).  Check this poem about the internet by Rives.  Fascinating (and why you should work on your poetry).

Bobby McFerrin: How does that work without rehearsal?  Is music hard-wired to our brains?  Bobby's genius is awe inspiring.

John Bohannon: Why you should dance and not use powerpoint.  This is super-awesome. Can dance make you understand science?  Do that google search he speaks about. Any dancers here?  That would be an AWESOME project.

David Blaine: Not for the faint of heart.  Is he crazy, or focussed?

William Kamkwamba: Inspiring.  Many of you are 14.  What is on your resume?  Think about all that you have to work with here.

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

You should give me multiple paragraphs.  There is a lot of content here.

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

Thursday

Projects are due today.  There may be some special cases that get extensions, but they know who they are.  I've given you nine hours of class time (and three weeks of HW or after school time!) and I think that is enough.

I have read many of your .PDF books that were submitted but I haven't uploaded them or finished editing them.  I'll get to them.  Be patient.  Things are a bit crazy with the concert tonight.

Be sure to write a clear blog post today.  I encourage you to comment on a classmates blog that did good work or helped you on this project.  I will be leaving comments on your blog.  Please be sure to respond if needed.

Read this about swearing.

What do you want to appear when people google your name?  For most of you your facebook or twitter feed comes up first.  Do you want that to be your public face?  "I block my tweets" you say?  I say you are a fool if you think people can't see the posts.

In my capacity as a track and cross country coach my job is to handle recruiting for the student athletes on our team.  College coaches are amazed at the stupidity of students who post negative comments about opponents, coaches, games.  The worst offense is posts about teammates.  That is a red flag.

Do you know everyone on your friend list?  If they know you are applying for a job or applying to a college do you think they might take a screen shot and send it on?  It takes two seconds.  This happens all the time.  You know this is true because it happens every day here (people sending stuff to Mr Lucke or Mr Freund).

EVERYTHING you do online is there FOREVER.  If you delete a page its still there.  Archived.  Forever.

Including this project.  Do you have other school work thats online?  If not, this will be THE project people can look at.  Is your blog your only online academic writing that employers or colleges will see (try googling yourself and "blog" or "assignments" and see what comes up)?  Do your best.

First Book

I started a page to compile our eBooks.  Remember, you need to open the ebooks on an iDevice or Kindle app.

When you complete the report card be sure to print out two copies and turn one in to me.

If you complete a PDF book remember you must share it with me.  My email is on the board.  Be sure to talk with me that its done so I can edit and check.

If you complete a VoiceThread or ShowMe then we can upload that together OR send me the link.  Be sure I can hear your voice.

Animations should be saved to the UDrive.  Be sure to save the movie, we dont need the Flash file.  Check out Humpty Dumpty.

Have you made a blog post every day that contains a link and tells a story?  Have you commented on someone's blog?

I expect most of you will complete this project on Thursday.  I will give more time to those I feel deserve it, but 95% of you will finish on Thursday.

I'm out

I'm out today.  First drafts of projects are still due.  Save any drafts to UDrive (label correctly).

I understand the iPads are not in the room.  Adapt.  Work on something else.  I understand.

You can do voicethread or google doc book at home or on any computer.  You can do design work for the animation or report card anywhere.

Get it done.

Web Project Work

Please fill out this form before you do anything else today.

Then take 2 minutes to look through the Best Images of 2011.

Some of you were exploring making a Children's book.  I think some of you thought this was an easy way out.  Check some Children's Counting Books (amazon will allow you to look at the cover and first pages).  Children's books are no joke.  The illustrations are serious.  Second, I will not accept ANY projects with images that do not have citations and creative commons license.  We will check each one.

Watch these 4th graders use voice thread (you can google a thousand other examples) explain their math homework.

I saw many report card designs that really seemed to copy the current report card.  You really need to think bigger.  If you are having trouble google some more examples.  You really need to tell a story with your report card.  I suggest you write your story first (in one paragraph) before you tackle the design.

Here is a project by an 11th grade student. youTube and google demonstrate the amazing talent students have. He sang, played the instruments and directed and edited the movie.  You will publish this project. Do your best.

 

Web Design Project

Here is our storytelling project.

I expect this to be your best work.  I expect this to take a few weeks.  Good luck.

Read this.  Its Rosa Parks Day.  Its worth taking a minute to reflect.

Big Day

 Last night was a big night! Do you know how to use Voicethread?  We have it on the iPad now.  Great story telling tool.

Get your website tests in.  When done you will need to rename your folder (bschneiderflashtest) and copy it to the UDrive class folder.

Please don't be the person who forgets to rename it in the WDrive.

Flash Replication Project

Create a folder called "Flash HTML Project"

• Set up a basic HTML page.  Name it "home".  Title it "Awesome Flash Animations"
• Embed a shiny headline into the webpage.  When you create the movie be sure the canvas is the correct size (long and thin)
• Center it
• Use the <embed src="shiny text.swf" align=center> command to embed the movie title.  Note that you are embedding the Movie, not the Flash file.
• Create two Flash Animations
• Stick Figure I give you direction for this.
• Flowers I don't give you directions for this.  Solve the puzzle!
• Put the two animations in a 1 row table. You may need to play with the height/width of the movies.
• <Table align="center" border="1">
• <TR>
• <TD><embed src="stick.swf"></TD>
• <TD><embed src=flower.swf"></TD>
• </TR>

All of the tutorials (text, stick, flower) I encourage you to be creative.  Feel free to stick to the script, but once you "get it" I would like to see you take it to the next level.

Remember, everything must be in the same folder.  Keep it in your W Drive for now.

This is a test grade.  It is due Wednesday before break.  I am grading:

• How you solve problems of a technical nature.
• That you complete the project.
• That your Flash and HTML code is correct.
• The creativity that you can add to the project.

1 Day Project

I'm going to give you a series of items to work on today.  Do ALL the activities and choose any TWO to write about on your blog (with links!!).

1. Check out a Google Skills List.  Try some of them.  Have you been using Google effectively?
2. Do any of those skills help you solve todays Google Puzzle?
3. Can you win Third World Farmer?  How do games help you learn?  Being a 3rd world farmer can be frustrating and hard and life just isn't fair is it?
4. Are Theo Jansen creatures alive?  Why or why not?
5. Take five minutes and look at Book Creator and Show Me on the iPad.
6. Leave a comment on a 1st graders blog, here, or here.  Be sure to log in first if on blogmeister and leave SUPER nice and SUPER polite short entries for the kids.  On the other sites if it asks for your blog be sure to copy the correct address of YOUR blog.  Find some other blogs on the front page of blogmeister.  Hint: they will come back and read your blog.  Be ready!

What am I grading:
1. Can you follow directions?
2. Can you process information from many sources and accomplish a task (leave comments, write, etc...)?
3. Can you work effectively with others?

I am hoping to grade your blogs this weekend.  Please edit any blogs that need editing.  Each blog should include links, a Title, have no spelling errors or typos, and be solid writing.  Double check all of them and make sure you have submitted all.

If you finish tackle some more Flash or Fireworks tutorials.

Additional Flash Work

You need to complete the basic tutorials form the last session first.  Be sure to understand shape tween, motion tween, layers, and masking.

Today please complete the following.  These are much more complicated.  Some of these are video tutorials.  Be sure to use your headphones to respect your neighbors.  I suggest splitting your screen when doing the tutorials (tutorial on left, Flash on right)

Zoom In Zoom Out
Shiny Text
Drag and Drop (action Script coding)
Basic Slide Show
Importing Sound to Flash

Want to do something else?  Search on google or YouTube and find a tutorial.

If you have not read the Morris Lassmore book on the iPad try to do that today if you have time.  Be sure to write about the experience (with links!) on your blog.

Flash is Dead, But.....

Flash is kind of dead.  Adobe just pretty much killed it.  But, we have the software and I think it will be an excellent way to introduce you to animation.  We will explore several tools.

Save your Flash documents in the WDrive (make a Flash folder).  Save them in two formats.  First save the Flash document as an .fla file.  Then save the Flash Movie as a .swf file.  Then you will have two files for each project.  You can edit the .fla file.  You watch the .swf file.

Flash is probably new to most of you.  GO SLOW.  Skipping a step will cause your project to crash.  Coding is about being patient, paying attention to details, and seeing the big picture.


Please complete the following tutorials at a minimum on Monday:

• Motion Tween
• Shape Tween
• Layers
• Mask
• Ball Bouncing

Students who have those completed should work on:

• Rotating Globe
• Fog Effect
• Zoom in

If you get excited please start more tutorials (see link on right).

I'm still looking through your Veterans Day assignments.  Contest winner should be published soon.

Thursday

Today:

• Finish the Veterans Day assignment.  Be sure to save/submit it properly.

When done:

• Who had the best Snow test?  Check the UDrive.  Leave a comment on that person's blog saying "I thought your test was the best because....."
• Check out the article about the Morris Lassmore book.  Check the book out on the iPad (I don't have it on all iPads yet, be patient).  It is amazing.  Write about how reading is changing.
• Can you win the Redistricting Game?

HTML and Fireworks Exam

Here is your marking period exam.  This is worth 20% of your grade and is due by the end of class.

Please prepare an HTML website using notepad about the October Snowfall.  I am looking to see that you can use your new Fireworks talents to enhance your website.  The site should include:


1. Create a website using HTML that demonstrates the following:

• That you can use proper HTML codes.  
• You can create links that work, are effective, and efficient.
• You demonstrate attention to those with vision issues by including alt text for all images.
• A modern, usable design.

2. You must include a table or other device that shows how this snowfall ranks all-time. Cite where you obtain your data.
3. You must include an image or animation that has been manipulated using Fireworks. This image must be obtained using Creative Commons (Flickr,wikicommons, etc...). You may create the image yourself if you choose.  Save the link, you'll need it later.
4. A summary paragraph.  You must include at least one link to valuable information about the storm.
5. Your audience is 5th graders in Seymour.
6. Your website must be free of bias and be highly usable.


How to save your project:
1. Rename your folder in the WDrive. Name it first initial-last name-test (bschneidertest).
2. Copy folder.
3. Find class folder in UDrive. (Udrive-WebSchneider-Class-TEST)
4. Paste folder into UDrive.
5. HAVE NEIGHBOUR TEST WORK TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WORKS!! Format the links correctly!
6. Saving correctly is one of our standards.  I will not grade your test if I can't find it!


Blog Post:
1. Where did you get the image?  Include link.  If you created it yourself then please state that.
2. What aspects of coding or image manipulation have you gotten better at?
3. How did you manipulate your image in Fireworks?
4. What do you need to improve on?


Website 80%, Blog Reflection 20%


Rubric


You have two things due.  This exam due today, Veterans Day assignment due Thursday.

Veterans Day

The armistice treaty ending the "Great War" was signed on November 11, 1918. It is said that throughout the world nobody had seen so much rejoicing. The world had just experienced unimaginable turmoil, suffering, and pain.

The following year Armistice Day was established on November 11. President Woodrow Wilson said:

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation.

It was a tradition for many years that at 11am on Armistice Day that all traffic would stop, conversations cease, and all focus be made on remembering those who had sacrificed.

In 1953, in Kansas, a town observed "Veterans Day". They felt this paid tribute to the veterans who had served in World War II and the Korean War. While there was much optimism in the country at the time there was also an incredible need to remember those who had served and sacrificed. Vast amounts of men had not come home from these wars.

Congress thought this was a great idea and in 1954 made Veterans Day a national holiday.

Many of you have friends, brothers, sister, fathers, or mothers who have served. If you have a story about them you want to tell please do so today.

Here is the Fireworks contest. All classes are eligible for this contest. Winner will be posted on this blog on November 11. Examples from our contests are seen here.

Your assignment is to make a poster about Veterans Day.

Be sure you understand the purpose of Veterans 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 "Veterans 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 Monday November 7.

6. Save in Udrive class folder 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.

7. Hint: Interpolation allows you to blend images. Tutorial 1 Tutorial 2

Good luck!  Before you start PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS!

Fireworks:

1. List of tutorials (choose one or all)

2. Another list (choose one or all)

3. More tutorials (have fun!)

ShowMe

We tried the ShowMe app in music theory yesterday.  These were done quickly.  Its a pretty cool app.  Play around with it.

Wednesday

If you are in E block do todays lesson.

If you are in H block scroll down to the previous lesson.

Today....

Choose one subject to write about.  Include links!!
1. Read this article about halloween.   Are some costumes choices inappropriate?  Why or why not?
2. What are we doing to our kids?  Do parents and kids have too much screen time?

Choose something to experiment with:
1. Check out the ShowMe app.  Play around with it.
2.  Try to create a song with the Voice Jam app.
3. Have fun making a Puppet Movie with PuppetPals.

Other ideas:
1. Start a iPad Hockey tournament.  Make a website to keep score.
2. Try to draw something on the iPad and then on MS Paint.  Compare the two software programs.
3. Write about any picture in the Guardian Eyewitness App. You can google it to embed picture in a blog post.

Write about what you did today on your blog.  Have fun!







more to come....

Fireworks Practice

Fireworks tasks:

• Take this picture of Molly.  Change her outfit so its the same color as the girl in front of her.
• Change the H to an S.
• Change STOP to GO.  Make it green.
• Use a text tool to make your name super cool.
• Put President Obama in a crowd at a Yankee Game.

Some of those are hard.  Save all to your fireworks folder.


Next I want you to tackle this puzzle.  Why are there three water fountains in the upstairs hallway next to the guidance office?


 


I would like you to write a blog post:

• Embed the picture in the blog post.  If you go to the image and click share and then "Grab the HTML code".  Copy the code into a blog post.
• Give me a good story or theory.  Creative writing is fine.  I have NO IDEA why we have three water fountains.
• Be sure to include any links that are needed.

Claudia's Post
Samantha's Post

Fireworks Assignment

Before you begin please write a blog post about any of the following items.  Be sure to include links!  What do you think?

• 1/2 portrait.  Cool.
• TV.  Is it helpful?
• 100 Year Old Marathoner
• Photo Grenade

Today we will continue the Fireworks Tutorials.  This is sandbox time.  Please complete the following 8 tutorials and have the completed products in your Fireworks folder.  Now, some of these might not work perfectly as the software has changed.  If somethings not working, please substitute another tutorial.  Take your time and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

• Blur and Overlay
• Change Image color
• Patterned Text
• Photo Frames
• Crayon Effect
• Pencil Drawing Effect
• Feather Effect
• Fading Effect

Be sure to choose the right photograph for each tutorial.  Some photographs aren't appropriate (too dark, not enough contrast, etc...).  Be sure to save and name everything correctly.

My goal is that by the end of class today you can identify the basic functions of Fireworks and apply those functions to an image.