Back to the 21st Century

I hope you all were safe during the storm.  It was eye-opening to realize how much we depend on our technology.  My daughter and her friends compared themselves to the characters in "Little House on the Prairie."  I don't think those girls had iPhones!!  We were very fortunate on the Cape compared to people in NYC, the Jersey Shore, and parts of Connecticut.  Mother Nature most definitely reminded us how powerful she is.
We are back at school for a shortened week.  During our one class, we will label a diagram of a WIKI and discuss its features.  Students will also combine WIKI and Blog explanations on one Google doc and rename it accordingly.  This doc will be helpful in knowing whether or not students are ready for an assessment.
It feels good to have technology at my fingertips again, but I will admit I enjoyed the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere as I sat and read a book by candlelight. 

**For those few students who will be working on Blogging Guidelines this week, please use Zoe's Blog to evaluate. :)

Sandy Update

Well....it's official.  Sandy has cancelled school.  Sounds exciting now to miss a day, but the flip side is making it up when it is warm and sunny and supposed to be summer break.  Oh well, I will stay tuned to my media as long as it is up and running.  The wind is already picking up and the rain drops are getting closer together.  It's all in the waiting game now.  Mother Nature may force me to unplug.  Stay tuned........

All Eyes on Sandy

What a crazy weekend!!  Talk about using social media for up to the minute information!!  I am sure you have all been paying attention to the pending “super storm”.  It’s hard not to be informed.  I am receiving constant “tweets”, Facebook updates, and even beeping app updates from weather apps.  It was hard to picture anything could be happening on Saturday as the day was beautiful and sunny; however, the skies this morning have definitely changed.  Every possible form of media is focused on this hurricane/super storm.  Automated phone and email alerts are pouring in from utility companies. One utility company has set up a text option so customers can automatically receive text message updates on the storm and related power outages. I am definitely in!! I am waiting, as I am sure my students are as well, for the “alert now” or mass automated phone message from our superintendent.  Will we have school tomorrow????  Well, I am planning on being in school.  I have been working on my plans for my first class on Monday morning.  I just finished a great WIKI diagram to share with my students.  As I sit here working on lesson plans focusing on communication tools I try to imagine this event happening 10 years ago.  How different would our access to information have been then??  People definitely have much more time to prepare for this storm, but on the flip side; we can’t seem to escape the continuous flow of information.  Of course, we could always “unplug.”

Voting and More

I am at a great technology conference today and will not be in school.  Please listen to Mrs. Diggins and make good choices.  I can't wait to share all of the cool new things I learn at my conference with all of you!!

During class today, you will have the privilege of participating in a “mock” or pretend election.   Before getting started, you will watch a video, "The History of Voting."   The entire student population of BIS will be taking part in this event.  Next to each of your workstations you will find a document taking you through the steps of voting.  You will also find this document below.  Please take this seriously and remember voting is a private matter.  You shouldn’t be sharing and comparing with your neighbors. Please use click on this Google doc, Voting Instructions to get started.  Hint:  You may need to paste the teacher code in a couple of times if you are getting an "invalid code" message. 

Once you have finished voting and submitted your ballot, you will have the rest of class to explore using some of the Web 2.0 tools from the cooltoolsforschool WIKI.  Both of these tools will allow you to work with images and edit or manipulate them.  You will not be searching the web for images.  There is a folder on the desktops of your workstations which includes a variety of images. This folder is called "Fall Pictures." When you go on the site for either of the tools you will upload the images from the folder on your desktop.  If you don't know how to do this, please ask your neighbor or someone else in class for help with this.  Some of you may have written your description about one of these tools.  Now everyone will have the opportunity to take them for a ride.  The first tools is called, "Be Funky."  This image editing tool allows you to change the look of your image with many options.  There are many tools listed on the left side of the site.  Please play around and see what you can do.  You can also add some fun "Goodies" to you image. 

You may also check out this other took, WebInpaint.  This tool is a different type of photo imaging tool. It allows you to remove people or items from images.  Please give this a whirl.  Again, you will not be searching for images, but using those found in the folder on your desktop.  You may print ONE image from either of these sites.  Please remember my printer is black and white.

There is one more different type of image site you may explore today.  This site is an on line pumpkin carving site.  This is a pretty cool site.  You have the option to "freehand" carving your pumpkin or using traditional straight lines to do so.  Be creative and imaginative.  When you have finished this carving, you may print a copy if you would like.  This site is called, The Worlds of Halloween.  Have fun!

Introduction to Blogs

This week we will take a look at another great communication tool-BLOGS.

You will start class by watching a somewhat timely video, “Blogs VS Wikis”.  It is a spoof on a very famous political debate between Kennedy and Nixon.  I hope you enjoy it.

Once you have finished with this video, you will take a look at a variety blogs.  At the end of class you will be writing a description for blogs.  You will need to look at the setup of these blogs and pay attention to the style of writing. 

You will also be completing a blog diagram; filling in the blanks to identify the parts of a blog.

By the end of class one this week, you should be well on your way to being a blog expert!

Blog Searching and RSS Feeds

We will soon be creating blogs and start our on line presence.  Before creating your own blog, you should probably take a look at some other blogs.  What do they look like?  What do people share on blogs?  How often do people write on their blogs?  How do people find blogs?  How will they find your blogs?  You will watch a quick explanation of RSS Feeds and then search Google Blog Search and Technorati to find a blog of interest.  Once you find this blog, you will "subscribe" to it and follow it in your Google Reader account.   You will be able to read new posts for the rest of the year using your Google Reader.  This exploration of blogs should help you have a better understanding of what we will be doing in the coming weeks.

Web 2.0 Tools

Last week many of you had a chance to visit the cooltoolsforschool WIKI.  This award winning WIKI is an outstanding resource for us all.  This week you will be using a a resource to help you create a descriptive paragraph about one of the tools featured on this WIKI.  Take this opportunity to go outside of your comfort zone.  Take a look at one of the categories you wouldn't normally select.  There are some great tools in the creativity and mapping categories.  I would like you to avoid tools which will allow you simply listen to music or watch videos.  I know you can perform both of these tasks with ease.  Once you have chosen a tool it may be necessary to create an account to fully experience all of the components of it.  Please use your school Google account information to sign up for this account.  You will want to add this site and your log in information to your school sites table.  Remember to use your tools to edit your description.  This will become a blog post in the very near future and I would like it to be ready to go when your blog is set up.  Have fun exploring the new tool.  I cannot wait for my students to introduce me to a new slew of tools. 

Follow in the Footsteps Of Columbus this Week and EXPLORE

What is a WIKI?  You will use a list of suggested WIKI links to explore.  Webtools4u2use is a great resource.  When we have finished with class this week you should be able to create a definition for WIKI and give some examples of how they could be used in school to help you with your learning.  Once you have an understanding of what a WIKI is, you will explore an award winning WIKI to find a Web 2.0 tool.  Cooltoolsforschool is a great place to find a Web 2.0 tool for almost any project whether it is for school or personal use.  You will choose one of the tools on this WIKI and find out what you can do with it.  Once you have finished exploring this tool, you will create a short description on a Google Doc and share it with me.  It seems fitting for you to be doing so much exploring following Columbus Day.  Can you imagine what Christopher Columbus would have found if he had a computer, GPS, and satellite navigation at his disposal?  You may not find a new world, but I’m sure you’ll find something new and exciting you can use.

Impressed!!

WOW!!!!!  I am so impressed by the work my students are doing on their glogs.  I wasn’t too sure when I created this lesson, but now I feel it was a great way to have students review for their up and coming quiz.  I can see what students have taken from the first few lessons this year.  It has also been an opportunity for me to review with some students.  I could see who needed some reviewing based on the amount of information on their glogs.  We are just about ready to have our “showing” of glogs to classmates.  I know looking at others’ glogs will be a great review for students.  This first “project” has me thinking my students will go to new levels this year and lucky me- I get to go along for the ride!