Website Evaluation

I will not be in class with my Monday students this week.  I will be attending an Apple Seminar in Millis.  I hope to bring back some exciting information about 1:1 iPad programs in middle schools.  In my absence Mrs. Diggins will be sharing this week’s first lesson with you.  Please make me proud and show her how responsible and hardworking you all are!!

This week we will move on to the second part or phase of getting better at searching and finding information.  This weekend I was visiting my parents and my dad asked me a question.  “What is the difference between .com, .gov, and .org?  Is one better than another?”  I laughed before I answered his question thinking, “Gee if he asks any of my students after this week, they would be able to answer his questions!!”  Last week we focused on changing your keyword searches when looking for your information.  Once you find your search results, how do you decide whether or not the results are any good?  Are the sites reliable, valid, and credible?  We will start our week off by watching a video, “Internet Skills:  How to Evaluate a Website.”  We will then work together as a class to evaluate two websites.  Once you have practiced together, you will select a school appropriate site to evaluate on your own.  You will complete a form which will guide you through this process.

So let’s check out our first website.  It is called “Build Your WiLDSeLF.”  This is really a fun site.  But we need to decide how reliable, valid, and credible this site truly is.  We will try to answer the questions found on the “Website Evaluation Guide” you have been given.  This guide has been adapted from EasyBib’s Criteria for Evaluating Websites.   After evaluating “Build Your WiLDSeLF” we will take a look at a site which is one of the hyperlinks you should have checked on this site.  We will now take a look at the “New York Aquarium” site.

So we have checked out two sites together.  I think you are ready to “fly solo.”  You will need to choose a school appropriate site of your own and follow the same procedure.  This time you will need to complete the Website Evaluation Form which is on the other side of your Website Evaluation Guide.

Gone Google

It seems as though Google has always been around, but this is far from the truth.  So when did Google hit the scene?  Google is only about 14 years young.  So when did Google go from noun to verb?   I don’t have an answer for that I’m afraid.   I don’t know when Google went from being a “place” to being something we all “do!”  It is so hard to imagine our lives without it.  If you are really curious, you can check out the History of Google.   I know all of my students can use Google, but I want them to get the best of Google.  There are many tips and tricks for improving your searches.  I have created a doc with a couple of resources.  I hope you find Google Search Tips and Tricks useful.  Being a Google School has changed the way my students and our teachers work.  It has been hard to break the old habit of opening a word doc every time I want to work on something, but I am glad to say I am over the hump.  Now when I have work or drafts to create,  it’s Google docs to the rescue.  

http://easilymused.com/2012/03/google-search-results-too-good-to-be-true-heres-why/

Digital Clean Up

It is important to take the time occasionally to clean out your digital life.  It is easy to fill your files with unwanted docs and images.  Once assignments have been completed and scored you should take the time to delete any unwanted items.  Of course you may want to hang on to some of your docs to add to your digital portfolio; so delete with care.  It may be a better idea to create folders to hold the docs and images.  It is very important to title all of you docs.  You shouldn't have any untitled documents in your drive or anywhere else.  Think of our five themes.  That orange balloon is an important one.  Managing your digital life is so important.  Creating good habits from the beginning will make this much easier.  Check out these resources, they may help you a bit.  You will feel so much better when you have cleaned up!!

                              Organize Your Google Drive-Blog post

                              Google Drive- Google’s Help Page

You should try to go through this process frequently.  It will make it much easier to locate your files and other important docs or images you've accumulated.  You don’t need to wait for me to give you permission.  After all it is your digital life, not mine. 

http://phughens.blogspot.com/201 1/08/cleaning-cleaning-and-more-cleaning.html

Bon Jour Bloggers!

I will not be able to be in class with you today.  However, I will be in school so I may be popping in or you may see me in the halls.  Our Broadcasting & Media Club will be filming a movie, “A Day in the Life of a BIS Student.” This movie will be shared with the current 5^th graders.  They will be coming to this building next year.  If you see us filming in the school please try to act naturally.  We may stop some of you and ask you to do a “cameo” appearance. 

In my absence today, Mr. Anthony will be in charge.  I am confident you will work well for him and impress him with your blogging skills.  He will begin class today by handing out your “BLOG DESIGN RUBRIC.”   You will take a couple of minutes to review this.  Then you will be putting it in your binder/folder for future reference.  You will eventually receive a score or content grade for the design of your blog.  You will want to take some time over the next couple of weeks to prepare your blog for this assessment. 

Moving on to the class at hand; you will be working on your second blog post today.  Although you have shown me you have an understanding of the BPS Blogging and Commenting Guidelines; I would still like to see your blog posts before they have been uploaded.  You will need to take out your guidelines and have them readily available to review.  You may create your post about anything your little heart desires.  Please remember this is a school account and the content must be appropriate for school.  Think about all of the things which have been mentioned in the presentations earlier this week.  It is a good idea to have links and possibly images in your posts.  Your title should be “eye catching”, like a newspaper headline.  We will be adding labels/tags before uploading your post next week.  So you will want to think of some effective ones to use.  If you take a look at my previous post, “Ready, Set, Blog!” you will see some links which may be helpful to you for this assignment.  Take the time to check them out.  In addition, you have the Internet at your fingertips to do some research if necessary.  Please remember to cite all sources and images in your blog.  You may not have anything or anyone to cite.  This sometimes happens as well.

Step One:   Pick your topic.  What will you blog about today?  There is such a wide range.  If you are having a brain freeze and cannot think of anything to blog about  well then check out this blog post, “Student Blogging Challenges-A List of Ideas.”   I am sure one of these ideas will inspire you! 

Step Two:  Think of a catchy title for your post.  If one doesn’t come to mind right away skip this step and move on to the next.

Step Three:  Open you Google accounts using the shortcut on the desktop and create a new doc.  Title this doc with an appropriate title (blog post #2 will work).  Then begin writing.  Get all of your thoughts down on this doc and then worry about editing.

Step Four:  Edit your new blog post.  If you were not able to come up with a title earlier in the process, then try now.  Take a look at your guidelines and be sure you have followed them.  Make any corrections or necessary adjustments.  **Remember to download an image to your pdrive and then upload it to this doc.  You may need to upload the image again next week when you publish this post..**

Step Five:  You will now need to “share” this document with me.  You will do this by dragging it in to your ILT folder.  Please make sure your name and ILT#  are on the top of this doc before sharing it.

Step Six:  If you have finished your post before the end of class start going over the Blog Design Rubric. You may start making any changes or adjustments to improve your blog.  

I cannot wait to check out your latest posts.  If you were not able to share your presentation last class you will be doing so next week so keep on practicing!!  Have a great class!!

Mrs. White J

Ready, Set, Blog!!

The time has come to create your second blog post.  I hope you are excited about adding another post to your blog.  You will need to be sure to review the BPS Blogging and Commenting Guidelines as you are working on this post.  I would like you to create the draft for your post on a Google doc.  Yes, I am still asking you to keep those “swimmies” on in the deep end of the pool.    As you are working on your post drafts, I will be circulating and checking your work.  Ms. Sweeney found some great new resources to use when blogging.  I will add them to our Blogging Resources and Guides doc, but have also included them in this post.  The first is a “handbook/ebook” for using Google Blogger.  Blogger for Beginners is an on line resource created by Blogger Buster.  It is quite extensive and you can use the table of contents to help you find exactly what you need and then download it in to your Google Docs account.  I have downloaded a hard copy of the “handbook” and have it in the classroom if you find that an easier resource to use.   In addition, Ken Myers wrote a guest post on “Spice Up Your Blog.”  Check out 10 Writing Tips All Bloggers Must Adhere to.   So get yourself ready to add a new post.  You have all of the resources you could ask for at your fingertips.  Ready, set, get blogging!!
**If you were not happy with your grade on your first blog post you may use this one as a retake.  Please be sure to email me and let me know you want to do this. 

Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2013!!!  I hope you had a great break from school.  I can imagine many of you received new technology gifts.  I can hardly wait to see and hear about all of your new gadgets!!  For those of you who didn't see or receive any new technology you may want to check out "Gadgets of 2013."  There is some pretty cool stuff on the horizon. I don't know if any of you have made resolutions for this new year.  Perhaps you will want to blog about them. 
I have decided to try to find more balance in my life.  This will be quite a challenge for me because it will mean spending a bit more time unplugged.  YIKES!!!  This means making better choices and managing my time more effectively.  I'll keep you posted on my progress. 
So let's get back to work and prepare for your presentations.  I can't wait to see them!  I am so excited!  We have so many great tools and projects to see, use, and create in the next months.  Remember to keep putting one digital foot in front of the other and keep moving forward with a positive on line presence.