Digital Storytelling

What is a digital story?  This week you will find out and begin creating one of your own.  Edutopia has a great post called, “Digital Storytelling:  Helping Students Find Their Voice.”   There are some great links at the end of this post.  One of the links will take you to an interview with Marco Torres.  I had the pleasure of meeting March and some of his students at a conference in Boston.  He and his students have formed a company called, Alas Media.  They are doing some amazing things with storytelling.  You should check them out.

During class we will be taking a look at this great digtial story.  It won an award in 2009.  We will also talk about the importance of music. I hope you enjoy the story!!  I am sure you will enjoy creating a digital story of your own. Before getting started with our digital stories, let's take a moment to review copyright and fair use. What's Copyright? is a fun animated music video reviewing these concepts.

Spreadsheets and Surveys!

Today you will be exploring the data end of your surveys.  I am not sure how many respondents you've had, so I am going to share a survey with all of you to generate a fair amount of data.  Before getting started, please take the "Favorite Stuff" survey.   Once you have all completed this, I will share the spreadsheet with you.  I would then like you to create a graph from this spreadsheet.
What else can you do with a spreadsheet?    Have you ever used a spreadsheet before?  There are so many different ways to use them.  They aren't just for accountants!!!  See if you can find some of the ways people just like you are using spreadsheets.  Be prepared to share your discoveries at the end of class today!!

Strong.....Boston Strong!

image link: http://www.boston.com/sports/blogs/thebuzz/2013/04/how_to_get_the.html

This week has been about as far from normal as one could possibly imagine.  It has taken me this long to be able to begin to process the events that have transpired since Monday afternoon.  I, like so many of you, am still somewhat numb, in a state of shock and disbelief.  I, like so many of you, had friends and relatives standing at or near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon. I, like so many of you have felt a sense of guilt as I continue with my "normal" life knowing so many others can not.  I, like so many of you, remained glued to my tv on Friday as the "manhunt" unfolded.  I, like so many of you, am trying to make any kind of sense out of this whole nightmare.  After days of processing it has become extremely evident to me there is no possible way to make any sense of this!  I am grateful my friends and family are safe; no physical injuries, just the emotional ones.  I hope all of your friends and family are safe as well.  So how do we move forward?  I am sure many of you have seen the quote from Fred Rogers, 

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

This quote has been all over Facebook, Twitter, and many other social media sites. I have taken to these simple words to help me move forward.  I am sure you have been seeing the great "commercials" featuring images from the past week combined with words and music.  These "digital stories" are a part of the healing process for us all.  The amazing acts of heroism on that day and the random acts of kindness which have sprung up everywhere since are what will keep us moving forward and begin healing.  I have been  moved and inspired by the countless stories shared in the past few days, and I am sure so many more will emerge.  I plan, like so many of you (I hope), to be one of those helpers Mr. Rogers speaks about; maybe not at the moment of the awful tragedy, but in its aftermath.  Instead of holding some of those horrific images from Monday in my head, I am choosing to hold those of stadiums and ballparks full of proud and strong Bostonians (which I consider us all to be) belting out our National Anthem in unison, of former "foes" proudly wearing the "Boston Strong" logo on uniforms, of crowds of people cheering and applauding for police and other officials who have done an amazing and selfless job.  I hope you too can hold these positive images in your heads and remain strong; "Boston Strong!"

Google Forms......Getting Started Finally!!!

Hello my Google forms explorers.  I will not be in school today, but Mr. Fisher will lead you through our lesson.  Please be sure to listen to him and then to read this blog post in its entirety before starting.  If you have not finished your podcasts or blogs you will not have time in this class to do so.  If you have questions about either of these assignments please be sure  to come and see me Thursday morning during homeroom.  You know where to find me (in the hallway.)

Let’s get started with today’s lesson.  You are very familiar with your Google drive.  You will be exploring another facet of this app today:  FORMS. You have already experienced othe “taking” side of surveys using Google forms.  Our assessments, the “Pop Culture Survey”, and your Student Blog Information Survey were all created using Google forms.  

Before you create the form/survey, you will need to create your questions.  This survey will wind up on your blog where the world will be able to take it.  We will play around with the results/data after vacation.  Let’s take a minute to think about surveys you may have taken.  It is important to keep surveys short and sweet.  No one wants to spend an hour taking a survey.  The ones you create will be limited to 5 questions.  There are many different types of questions you could create.

• Text — respondents provide short answers
• Paragraph text — respondents provide longer answers
• Multiple choice — respondents select one option from among several
• Checkboxes — respondents select as many options as they’d like
• Choose from a list — respondents select one option from a dropdown menu
• Scale — respondents rank something along a scale of numbers (e.g., from 1 to 5)
• Grid — respondents select a point from a two-dimensional grid

I would recommend selecting one or two types of questions for your first survey (multiple choice are a great one for starting out.)

1. Please log in to your Google accounts and go to your Drive.  
2. Once there, please “Create” a doc.  
3. Title this doc, “Survey Questions”

Now comes the hard part.....What will your survey be about?  What kind of information do you want to gather?  The possibilities are endless.  This survey does not have to be “school related”, but does have to be “school appropriate.”  Some possible suggestions for survey topics:

• songs
• music
• sports
• food
• school subjects
• “favorites”
• apps
• technology
• a combination of any of the suggestions listed above

Once you pick your topic, type a title at the top of the doc.  You will now write your 5 questions.  If you are selecting multiple choice questions, you will create the question and the choices, typing all of this on the doc.  You will then move on to the second question, and so on.  

For example:

                 What is your favorite season?

a.  spring

                       b.  summer

                       c.  fall

                       d.  winter

The example above is one question.  My survey would need to include 4 more questions like this one.  You may use only one type of question on the survey or mix up a couple different types.  

Please check your questions for spelling and grammar.  Remember, this survey will be on your blog for the world to see.  It’s your global presence, digital footprint.

Once you have finished the questions, you will go back to your Drive home and follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Create” tab
2. Select “Form” (second from the bottom)
3. Fill in the “Title” of your form in the first window which pops up.
4. You will then need to select a “theme”.
5. You will now be brought to your “form”.  Do not be confused as the theme will not show up at this point.   It will be a plain, white, boring form.
6. Scroll to the top of the page and “uncheck” the box “Requires Barnstable Public Schools login to view this form.”  You don’t want any boxes checked here.
7. A window will pop up with the statement, “This will make your form accessible outside of your domain. Are you sure you wish to proceed?”  Click “OK.”
8. You will now begin typing your questions.  You can copy and paste (using keyboard shortcuts:  ctrl + C=copy or ctrl + V=paste) from your doc in to this form if you’d like.  The question goes in the “Question Title” box.  Be sure to select the questions type from the drop down.  
9. Check the “required question” box at the bottom of the question.  
10. When you have finished the question you will need to click the “Done” tab.
11. Select “Add item” below to create a new question and follow the same steps.

             Check out the screen shot below. 
 

Please be sure to use the “Help” tab at the top of the page if you have any questions.

Once you have finished your survey, be sure to go back and check your questions and set up.  If you need to make changes, you will need to click on the pencil icon to do so.  Be sure to save those changes.

ILT #’s 10 and 11:  We will put these survey links on your blogs next class.

ILT #’s 4 and 1:   We will put these survey links on your blogs after vacation.

If you should finish this survey and have time left in class, please create a new Google doc.

Title it, “Survey Blog Post,” and type a new post which will accompany your link on your blog.   Please remember to follow the BPS Blogging and Commenting Guidelines when writing this post.

I hope you have fun with this new Google app.  It will be a lot of fun to see what responses you get to them when they are on your blogs.  

Resources for this lesson:

Create a Google Form-  Google Drive help page for “Forms”

Using Google Forms doc resource from North Canton City Schools - Eric Curts- great resource!

Google Forms Tutorial this is a video tutorial. Google forms have changed their look in the last month.  This tutorial shows the old form, but I still think it could be helpful to you.  Just know the forms you’ll be using look just a little bit differently.  The first 5 minutes of this tutorial are all you will need to watch for today’s lesson.

Repeat....Rewind......

The plans just keep on changing....Although I had hoped to start a new unit last week, it didn't happen.  In fact, I don't think we will be starting the new unit until class two this week.  Some of my students needed a little more time to upload podcasts and make final tweaks to their blogs.  It's called flexibility!!

The new unit we will be starting is on Google forms and spreadsheets.  This week you will be creating a survey using Google forms.  This survey will be placed on your blogs.  In addition, you will help to create a class survey.  This one will be taken by all of you, giving us a good amount of data to "play with" after vacation.

**Just a reminder:  Podcasts were due last Friday, April 5th.  If you don't have your podcast uploaded to Podbean by Friday, April 12th, your grade for this project will remain a "0."  You must have your rubric ready and turned in to me during our first class meeting this week.  Be sure to bring your rubric to class.

***Second reminder:  Blogs must be ready to be evaluated by this Friday, April 12th.  Please use your Blog Design Rubric as a guide.  All classes, with the exception of ILT#9 must have at least 5 good blog posts.  ILT #9 must have at least 4.  I will be collecting Blog Design Rubrics during class two of this week so be sure to have them.

If you are missing either rubric, they can be found on this week's MOODLE module.

Enjoy your April Vacation!!!