June 16, 2014

Turning the Tables

Believe it or not this is our final full week of school....your last full week of being a 7th grader. This has been an amazing year at BIS. I have learned so much from all of you. You have received a tremendous amount of feedback from me throughout the year. I hope I have helped you learn how to use it effectively. Now it is your turn to give some feedback to me. I started giving this assignment a couple of years ago and have found it to be so helpful. Many of the changes I make in my classroom set up or how I share information have come from my students. So today during class I would like you to write a letter to me. Please be sure to use "Friendly Letter Format" just as you would for an email. Check out this resource from a school in Carolina if you need to brush up on the format. You should use your Google docs to create this letter.

What exactly would I like you to say to me? I want you to be honest and share what you liked about ILT and what you didn't particularly care for as well. Think about the topics we have covered this year. You may want to go back through my blog posts or MOODLE modules to refresh your memories. Flipping through the papers in your Workstation Resource Folder (which by the way was a suggestion from a student last year) may jog your memory as well. In the next paragraph in the body of your letter I would like you to address my teaching style. What are things you like and what are things your think I might want to reflect upon? Again, I would ask you to be honest, but also mature and respectful in the way you address this topic. I appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

During class #2 this week you will do a little digital life clean up. I would like you to try to find an item from each of your content areas to save for a portfolio. You will be cleaning up not only your workstations, but your iPads as well. I have prepared a resource, "Clean Up Checklist," to guide you through this process. Once you have finished your cleaning, you will continue work on your "Unthinkables" animations.

Hang in there.....we can do this!!!

image link

June 12, 2014

Extra Credit

Many of my students have been asking if there is anything they can do to improve their grade.  Well here it is.  I have created an extra credit assignment.  This completed assignment may be used to replace your lowest content grade this trimester.  Please read the directions carefully.  I will be checking your sources so be sure to use your own words.  Do NOT copy and paste.  I will not grade any assignment which is only partially completed.  The assignment must be done in its entirety.  The due date for extra credit is no later than June 19th.  I will not accept any assignments turned in after 2:30 on this day.  There will be NO exceptions. That gives you one week to complete this Extra Credit Option.

image link

June 10, 2014

iPad Feedback

The time has come for your voices to be heard.  About 3 months ago history was made in our building and you all were a tremendous part of it.  Although you have only had iPads in a 1:1 model for a short period of time, I am sure you have a lot to share.  We want to hear everything you have to say, the positive and the negative.  After all this is the first time we have ever done anything like this and we expect to have made some mistakes. I am sure you all are ready to let us know what some of them were.  Please be sure to have have some type of balance in your responses and let us know about the good stuff as well.   You will start off by giving feedback in the form of a survey.  Please take your time with the Grade 7 Student iPad Survey.  Some of the questions will require you to type responses.  Please do the best you can with spelling.  Once you have finished answering the questions please be sure to submit the survey.

The survey is only one part of your feedback.  You are now going to have the opportunity to craft your own feedback, and get another blog post published.  I would like you to think about experiences using your iPad for the past three months.  Please create and then publish a blog post about these experiences.  Please put this post on your "Technology in School" page.  Think about some of the questions from the survey you just took.  These questions may be able to help you craft your post.  I cannot tell you how important and even critical your feedback is to the success of this program.  I guarantee we will use your feedback from both the survey and what you share in your blog posts to make changes and improvements next year.  Please don't hold back in what you are sharing.  We want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I would only ask you share your feedback in a mature and responsible manner.  I would recommend using subjects instead of teacher names when you are sharing your experiences.  Please use the resource I have prepared to help you be successful today; iPad Feedback Resource.

I would like to take a moment to thank all of you.  Getting the iPads was really the easy part.  You all did the hard work.  You made the mistakes, learned from them, and showed us how you could really soar as learners.  I could not be more proud of you and cannot thank you enough for all you have taught me!!  I have truly been learning alongside my students this year more than ever before!! 

June 9, 2014

"Unthinkables"

This week we are going to use some software and a peripheral we haven't used yet this year.  You are going to be doing some animating using "Animationish."  This software and company was founded by Peter Reynolds.  He is a really great and talented person.  I have met him many times.  You can visit their studio in Boston if you are truly interested.  There are some help features in the software, but you may also want to check out this "Animationish Lessons" link.  What will you be doing with this great software?  Super question!   Check out the procedure for this week below.

Before getting started......check out Google's home search page.  The winner of the 2014 Doodle for Google is being featured. You may watch this short video.  How many of you picked this one?  Next you will be taking a minute to check out your feedback from teachers in your X2 accounts.  Please remember that X2 is very case sensitive and you must type your username using all lower case letters!!  I have given you a form to use so you can record the information you need.  Please take 5-10 minutes to complete this activity.  You will need to bring this completed form back to class with you.  I have left a completed sample form at each workstation.  Please use it as a resource.

Okay.....so now you know what you need to take care of in the next 2 weeks (taking responsibility for your learning), so let's get going with Animationish.  You may or may not have done some work with Mrs. Baskin about the "Unthinkables" and social thinking skills.  I have left a resource at each of your workstations.  Please take a few minutes to review this resource; "The Unthinkables.  You will need to select one of the characters from this resource and create a simple scene.  What do I mean by a "simple scene?"  The character you select will need to have an interaction (situation) with either you or Superflex (the hero.)  This interaction needs to be resolved. In other words, the hero needs to help either himself (herself) or the character problem solve so the situation becomes more comfortable.  You may want to use speech bubbles or a slide for text to help get this across.  So how many slides you are asking?   I cannot give you an exact number, but you need to fulfill the assignment.  I do not expect this to be completed in one class.  You will continue to work on this mini project over the next couple of weeks. By the way, if you don't know where to find the Animationish software it is in the "Drawing and Creation" folder on your desktop.  Have fun!!! **If you are not comfortable with the tablets and the software, you may draw your scene, kind of like a comic strip.

Saving your Animationsih:  This is very important!!!
You will need to be sure to save your work (and to the right place!!)  Look up at the top of the screen (within Animationish) and find the box titled, "save."  Left click and select "where" you are saving.  It should not be Animationish Samples or Documents!!!  You want to select your pdrive (drop down the arrow until you find your name-pdrive and select it.)  Please name this file "Unthinkables" and then select "save."
Cleaning up your workstation:
Once you have saved your work please follow these steps:

  1. Close all open windows and sign out of workstation
  2. Turn "Unthinkables" resource back to first page and place neatly on the yellow workstation folder.
  3. Unplug your tablet.
  4. Place stylus carefully back in red ribbon.
  5. Wrap cord around tablet.
  6. Place tablet on top of resource on workstation folder.
  7. Place keyboard back down on desk in front of workstation.
--Thanks!  Mrs. White :)

Quick Summary for Class #1:
  • Go to X2, look at all feedback, and complete X2 Feedback Form.
  • Take 5 minutes to look through the "Unthinkables" resource (either on line or hardcopy)
  • Select an "Unthinkables" character and a hero/heroine (you or Superflex)
  • Using Flipbookish or Advancedish begin creating a scene/cartoon showing the Unthinkable in a social situation with your hero.  **Your hero will try to help this Unthinkable resolve the situation or make it more comfortable.**
  • Follow directions above to "save" work correctly.
  • Follow directions above to prepare your workstation for the next class.

image link


June 3, 2014

Stay Calm and Blog On!!

As promised I am giving you an opportunity to create and publish another blog post in class this week.  Most of my classes have finished discussion the Social Media Survey results.  If we have not yet finished, we will do so by the end of the week.  I know the end of the year feels very close, but please remember we still have a lot of work to do and my expectations remain high for all of my students.

I will not be in class on Wednesday and some of my Thursday classes as I will be in a meeting which means you will have a substitute in the room.  You will be given the instructions to read EVERY word of my blog post.  Please be sure to read everything before clicking or doing!!!!

You will be using this time to create and publish a new blog post.  This post may be about anything.  It does not have to be school related, but must be school appropriate.  Of course, as always, you may use Pinterest or other resources for inspiration.  However, you should not be spending more than 10 or 15 minutes on such sites.  Please be sure to take some time and find a way to link your readers to a site or source to support your post.  An appropriate image would also be great.  Be sure to give a link for the image unless you created it yourself!!  This post will need to be edited by a classmate.  Before asking for a "peer edit", be sure you have gone through the post yourself.  Peer editors; please be sure to double check for capital letters (especially I's) as well as other grammatical errors.  Remember, you are not commenting on the content, but checking to be sure Blogging Guidelines have been followed.
Once your post has had another set of "eyes" check it out, you should publish it.

You should then work in your Digital Literacy and Citizenship iText.  This can be found in your iBooks.  You should have competed and submitted two lessons to me.  They are Unit 1, Lesson #1:  Digital Life 101 and Unit 2, Lesson #1:  My Media.

If you have finished your post and both of the iText lessons, you may either read other blog posts from your Feedly accounts or "pin" for inspiration for your next post.

**ILT #14 I will collect your Blog Design Rubrics on Friday during class.**

Remember; you are NOT to listen to music, play games, or watch random videos!!!  Please use your critical thinking skills and Effective Effort strategies.  I am confident you will do a great job!
---Mrs. White