I think this might work?

A new unit starts today as all classes will work on Fireworks tutorials.  Whether this is new or review I would like all to do the same work to start.  You should move straight down the "image effects" category.  Then move to the other categories.  This is sandbox time today and Friday.  Create a fireworks folder to save all of your work.  Every thing you do should be named, saved, and put in a folder.

Everyone must complete (at least):

• Image Color 
• Photo Frames
• Old Photograph
• Pencil Drawing
• Fading  

A few hints:

• Read the directions.  If you call me over I will just read the directions for you.  Take your time.
• Choose photographs from Clipart that are high quality and appropriate for the task you are trying to complete.  Some photographs do not work very well in some tutorials.
• Save and label everything you work on in a Fireworks folder.
• Help your classmates.

If you finish please start on the text tutorials.  

I'm not sure...

I'm not sure how the filter will be working today.

I have copied some of the Fireworks Tutorials to our wiki site.  I would like you to complete all five of the fireworks assignments on that page.

1. Are your blogs unblocked?
2. Does the video (last assignment) play?  If so, watch it.
3. Can you reach the tutorials from last Wednesday?  If so, use that link.

Option 2:

TED and Games

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!
Wear your headphones.

When done check out the educational games and simulations. Can you find any other quality games?

• 3rD World 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?
• Check out the Ayiti game.
• Driven to Distraction don't crash!
• And finally we will review the game Darfur is Dying.

Questions please answer in a MS Word document.  Put name on and print out for teacher:
1. Are the the Jansen creatures alive?  Why or why not?  This is a really hard question to answer--what is life?
2. Review each game in a 3-4 sentence paragraph.  What is the game, what is trying to teach you, and did it work?
3. Do games help learning?  

Great Video

I love this. How graphics, music, and video come together to tell a great story.

And Everything Nice from John Jensen on Vimeo.

Fireworks Unit

A new unit starts today as all classes will work on Fireworks tutorials. (this is blocked today?) Whether this is new or review I would like all to do the same work to start.  You should move straight down the "image effects" category.  Then move to the other categories.  This is sandbox time today and Monday.  Create a fireworks folder to save all of your work.  Every thing you do should be named, saved, and put in a folder.

If you are feeling behind--study!  I do not assign specific homework.  I expect you will be working on any issues that you have.  If you need to practice coding, then practice!


I think your blogs are working?  If so, we will start posting old work later today.

Happy vacation

If you need to catch up, today is the day.  I'm giving you 87 minutes and no new assignments.

If you are caught up have some fun (quiet fun).  If you haven't watched all the videos I have posted yet or done all the reading take the time to do that now.

I may call you up and talk about your work and ask you to fix a few things.

Last html

Today is your last major HTML assignment.  You will create a four page website about your favorites.

A few notes:

• Pay attention to the order that you do the codes.  Be neat.  Be exact.
• Be sure the links work.  Links should include just the file name.
• Keep the design of the pages in the website the same.  They should look like they are from the same website.
• Maybe include video?
• Think about using a table for your page layout.
• Spend some time in the tutorials.  Are they any codes you should add to your page?
• Be sure to name your folder and save your files correctly.

HTML: American Flag Assignment

With the HTML practice I am trying to do the following: 

• Get you accustomed to naming files, saving them, and opening the pages.
• Understanding basic structure of code.
• Switching from one teacher (me) to many teachers (you).
• Have you acknowledge what a good website, good writing, and good design looks like.  

So.....

• I will guide you, model some items, but I will try not to give you the answers.  This is a coding class, which is problem solving.  You need to learn how to solve the problems.
• I will begin to insist on your best work.  Some of you will struggle and I will say "try again".  Don't get frustrated, I do that because I know you can do better.
• At just about anytime I will allow you to work on your own projects.  Some examples of student led projects include this music video or maybe creating an advocacy campaign to change the world.  Seriously, this is your chance to really think about what you want to do.

We will make our first webSITE today. Until now we have made webPAGES. Today please do the following:

• Create a folder in your WDrive-Web Design. Label it correctly (first initial, last name, assignment) "bschneiderFlag".
• Download a clip-art or Creative Commons image of an American Flag. Save in flag folder
• Create a two-page website.
• Title Page 1: "American Flag". Add heading, background color, and flag image.
• Center image.
• 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.
• Does your font choice matter?  Read this.
• Save both pages. Test links.
• Save entire folder to the UDrive-WebSchneider folder.  Find your class and the flag folder.

When done:

• A Google A Day
• Put in your headphones and play with Bobby or Incredibox
• Watch this these awesome grandparents send their grand son a birthday video.  Yes, that is tap water catching on fire at the end.  
• I get amused when people tell me they play guitar.  Really?  Check this out. Or this.  Stop talking, start practicing.
• Read some stories.  Try this one about plastic bath toys.

Nobody finishes early.  There is always something to work on.

Web Design: Introductory Quiz

Today's quiz #1 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.

You might want to look at some examples of other schools:

1. Science Leadership Academy
2. Naugatuck High School
3. Lewis Elementary

Compare and contrast the sites.  Why do you go to a school website?  Who is the audience (teachers, parents, students, community, etc...).  Can you find what you are looking for?

Start your letter with "Dear Mrs. Goodrich".  


Save to your W Drive Web folder (on blog if blogs work..).  Print out for teacher.


Quiz #2 is HTML

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 code.
• A clear heading on the page.
• A list of classes.
• A brief paragraph describing yourself (junior at Seymour High School, etc...)
• Background color other than white.  Keep the color light (no bright red, black, etc...if you disagree go back and look at the bad websites)

If you do the above correctly the maximum you can score is 3/4.  You must do at least one of the extras to be able to score 4/4.

Extras:

1. Can you include an image that you created?  Remember that the image must be in the same folder as the webpage.

2. Can you place the schedule in a table?

3. Can you create a link to Seymour High School?

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 speed 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.  The chart at the bottom is awesome.

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

3. What's wrong with Google?  Wouldn't you like to learn how to do that?

Please answer the following questions on your blog:

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. Provide a link to this website and explain why you think its usability rating is high. Possible examples: Bobby (use headphones),  Baby Names (blocked??) Tall Buildings.

All three assignments (bias, accessibility, usability), the evernote biography recording, plus the two HTML webpages are due Tuesday.  Work hard today and produce your best work.

Accessibility

We will start the HTML Tutorials today.  I will start with a bit of a group lesson and then I will see what you can do.  Most of the class time will be reading time today.

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.

Read some of how Apple focusses on accessibility.

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?

Post to your blog.  Please include any needed links.

When done here is your first HTML assignment.

Bias, Usability, Accessibility, and 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 (collector site, real site blocked...)
• GIJoe Movie
• Legally Blonde: The Musical

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.

3. Create a one page flyer in MSPaint that contains bias.

Girls: Boys are silly. Why can't they act right so I can get my work done? They should treat us 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 us 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 page 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. 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 toFlickr and use creative commons search.
• At least three quotes (from real or imaginary people)
• Have fun with this, stay respectful and appropriate.

4. Save in WDrive (Web Design folder). Check the Rubric for the assessment.

5. If you finish early you should start on the HTML Tutorials (link on right side of page).

Using Evernote to Tell A Story

7:01am: We are again having some issues with the wifi today.  Be patient as we do this assignment.  We will adapt!

Today students will tell a story.  For many this will be exceedingly difficult.  Not because they can't write, or record, but because they have to interview their peers.

This entire class is about telling a story.  Telling a story through words, images, animation, links.  A bad web page story will be immediately discarded!  Nobody stays on a bad webpage or keeps listening to a poor recording.

Each student will write and record a 60 second biography for radio broadcast.  This biography will be of a classmate.  Students will record using Evernote.

Please be sure to name your file in Evernote as your first initial and last name (bschneider).  Save in the Web Biography notebook.

We will post the biographies here.  

Here are some posts that were created last semester:

• Danielle
• Tyler

Please write a blog post summarizing the process of creating the broadcast and include a link to your story.

Blogs

We were having issues with the wifi this morning so we decided to get our blogs set-up instead.  I hope to have wifi settled for Friday.

Today we will set-up our blogs:
1. We will discuss digital footprints and blogging code of ethics.
2. We will log-in to our blogs and make our first post.
3. Next, we will leave a comment on a classmates blog, using the proper procedure.
4. Control panel will be discovered and we will add a simple sentence to it.
5. We will choose a template.
6. We will explore voki.com and then place our voki in the control panel.
7. Clustrmaps will be added to the control panel.
8. We will evaluate each blog and choose the best voki, leaving comments on that blog.

A New Class!

So...

A new semester.  I am very excited to teach this "new" class.  I taught this for four years, took a two year break, and now I am back teaching two sections this year.  So much has changed!

This class should be fun and exciting.  You will write and read A LOT in here.  You will code, create, tape, video, and publish.  This will be an odd class for some of you as YOU take charge of your learning. You will have lots of choices as the year progresses.  This often makes students nervous as I rarely stand in front of you and say "now we will turn to.."

Today you can do the solo activity for the iPad.

Other things need to happen today:

1. You need to be sure you returned your Internet Use form (I imagine you have).  I can't do anything without that.

2. Fill out this Info Sheet.

3. Please solve a Google A Day.  The site times you.  So move fast.  We will be learning how to search effectively throughout the year. 

4. Then Draw a Stickman.  Wouldn't you like to learn how to do that?  Guess what?  You will.

5. Write yourself an email that will be delivered on June 1, 2012.  Use Futureme.org.  Keep the post private.  Write yourself and completing the following questions "By June I hope to have learned..." "I think the most important aspect of web design is...."

6. Swearing is bad.  Please don't do it.

7. Put in your headphones and play with Bobby or Incredibox


8. Read this longer, but fascinating, story in the NY Times about a student with autism.


9. Watch this movie trailer.  Yes, that is tap water catching on fire at the end.  

If we finish all this and you work hard we will have a hockey tournament.

Web Design Final Exam

You have reached your destination.  Your final exam should demonstrate a full semester of learning.  The exam should demonstrate a keen sense of story telling, recognition of audience, and technical knowledge.  Good luck.

Exam:
Create a website about the history of the internet.  The website should include how the internet has changed family and school life.  I would like you to focus on the years 1980, 1995, and 2010.

You have many tools at your disposal including HTML, Flash, Fireworks, Creative commons searches, etc.... Be sure to create a website that is easy to read, highly usable, and accessible.

You may notice that I have not included specific guidelines about pages, images, and the like.  By now you should know how to tell a good story by using a website.  You should know how to effectively include links.  You should know not to include copyrighted images.  You should know how to embed video, animation, and images.

When done you must copy your exam folder to the Udrive: Web Schneider.  You MUST finish during the allotted time for the exam.  I will begin grading once your folder is placed in the UDrive.
 

FInal Exam Prep

Today is a prep day for the final exam.  You need to know how to do the following.

1. Make a basic webpage using a table for layout that is highly usable.
2. Use fireworks to manipulate an image.
3. Create animations using Flash.
4. Tell a story.
5. Search and evaluate internet sources.
6. Develop an audience.

It will be very hard to complete the exam during the allotted time so I am giving you some assignments now.  I urge you to work hard today.

Your exam will be a website that demonstrates the "web" in 1980, 1995, and 2010. I will give all the details next week.

• Create a folder in your WDrive.  Name it correctly (BSchneiderFinalExam).
• All work will be stored in this folder.
• Research the following questions.  Keep the notes in your folder.
• Who is credited with inventing the internet?  
• How did the internet develop?  Who used it first?
• How many internet enabled devices existed in 1980? 1995? 2010? (you will have to estimate, but you can find this information).
• How many people regularly accessed the internet in 1980? 1995? 2010?
• Think, research, review the following questions.
• How is your family/social life different than a high school student in 1980 or 1995?  Focus on how the internet has changed daily life (for better or worse).
• How is your school/academic life different than a high school student in 1980 or 1995?
• Prepare a very simple Flash animation to display on "the internet" page (see above).  For example, a computer zooming into focus, or a smartphone "buzzing".
• Prepare simple Fireworks images of "The Internet", 1980, 1995, 2010 to display as headings at the top of each page.

Impress Me

This is your final grade for the semester before the exam.

Impress me.

You have one hour to produce something.  Anything.  It could be a blog post, a flash animation, a website, or anything else that is Web1 related.  This should be you best work.  People should look at it and go "cool".

I will put a folder in WebSchneider for you to turn stuff in if you aren't submitting on the web (blogpost, voicethread, etc...).

Who is he?

Yesterday I got a comment via twitter and started an interesting exchange.

Cool.  New followers.

So I spent a little time trying to find out who was this guy?  Twitter is interesting because I have so many colleagues on twitter that I never met (567 followers currently).  We exchange ideas, debate lessons, and support each other.  I have never talked to Jay, yet we exchange information.  He reads this blog (and your blogs?) and now I will read his.

And he has an interesting blog! Here is his school blog (leave him a comment? Get a red dot back?)

So we are going to find out some answers as a google review activity.  Find answers to each of these and post in an entry in your blog.  Each answer should contain a link, image, or video.  All of these answers require some thinking.  You should demonstrate that you can search effectively, process the information you find, select the best sources, and write about what you find in an interesting manner using links.

I guarantee he will be reading your answers.  Much of Moline High may read your answers as well.  Write smart.

1. Mr. Bohnsack teaches at Moline High School in Illinois.  Where is this school?  Find it in google earth.
2. If he had to fly to New York which airport would he likely fly out of?
3. Estimate the total weight of his cattle.  His cattle are Herefords.  You will have to estimate how many cows he has and how much each weighs and do some math.  Show your work.
4. If you go to Moline High School which college team are you most likely to root for?
5. If you lived in Taylor Ridge, Illinois and you wanted to take your wife out to dinner where would you be likely to go?
6. There are two Mr. Bohnsacks at Moline High School.  Are they brothers (this one is hard)?
7. If you were driving from Moline High School and drove west for six hours where would you be likely to stop?  How about south?  East?  Now choose your favorite of the three spots and why.
8. If you live in Moline what colors are your tractors most likely to be? (Hint: a big company is headquartered there).

Answers will be posted on student blogs.

January

I can't believe we made it to January.  For a variety of reasons (October snow, heating issues, etc...) we are two weeks (!!) short of classes.  I have had to let a movie unit and a coding unit go.  I hope to sneak a few items in over the next week.

Our exams will be in two weeks....

Today:
1. HTML review.  We will do this together.  This will be turned in today for a grade.
2.  Play around with MyHeritage.com  and FamilySearch.org . I give you the option to create an account and explore this software.  There is a free account option that asks for your email address.  This is an optional assignment.  I've done this with previous classes and they have loved using it.

• Rate the usability of the MyHeritage site.

3. Check your comments and red dots on your blog.  Any progress?

• What if you got 1 point for each red dot and needed to get to 100pts to pass.  How would your strategy change? 

4. Create an online resume using Vizualize.Me, Google Sites, Re.Vu or Weebly.  Which site works best for your needs? Check out some of these resumes:

• Should you have a traditional resume and an infographic website?  

5. Codecademy.com is getting a lot of press lately.  100,000 people signed up in the first 49 hours.  Create an account and get started.  Again, this is an optional assignment but I think you will like it.  I'm working on my badges too.

• Should coding be a required course?  Should it be a math credit or science credit?

Answer one of the above blog reflective questions based on what you do today.

I hope to have extra credit assignment done shortly.

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?