BIS Website Scavenger Hunt

Today you will be going on a virtual scavenger hunt.  There are many resources on our BIS website and what better way to check them all out than to go on a scavenger hunt.  I will not be in today to go on the journey with you so please read my instructions below and do a great job for the substitute.  I know many of you need to finish creating contacts and folders.  Some of you also need to share folders.  We will finish doing these things the next time we meet.  So for today you will be working on agenda item #5.
Scavenger Hunt Instructions:
You will need to go to the BIS Website.  The substitute will give you each a copy of the scavenger hunt.  Please be sure to read carefully and take your time.  Make sure you write your first and last name and your ILT# on the top of the page.  I would like you to try to do this independently.  If you get "stuck" you may ask a computer neighbor for help.  Please do not move your seats or wander around the lab.  You will need to click on different tabs on the website to find the information you will need.  Use the words in the questions as clues to help you determine which tabs to click.  At the end of the class your substitute will stop you, ask you to log off your workstations and then review this scavenger hunt with you.  You will be correcting it together so please raise your hands and contribute to the discussion.  You will need to turn in your completed scavenger hunt at the end of class.  I know you will do  a super job in my absence today!
To get to the BIS Website click here.

Reminders:  You should not be listening to music or watching any videos!  If you should finish early please check out Cool Math Games.

Special Message for ILT # 13 and ILT #16 (Periods 3 and 5):
You have already done the Scavenger Hunt, so you will be working on Agenda items 1,2,3, and 4.  All of the resources you need you will find in your workstation resource folders.  The blue one is the list of all your teachers' email and sharing addresses.  It is  online as well.  You will need the green resource for agenda items 2 and 3.  Please be sure to name your folders correctly:
                                        Subject Lastname,FirstInitial. Class ___(A,B,C, or D)
For example if Jennie Lopes was creating a math folder it would look like this:
                                        Math Lopes,J.  Class B
Once you have created a folder you will share it with your teacher.  Be sure to share it to the correct address; the one that ends with "@mybps.us" NOT the "@barnstable.k12.ma.us" one.
You do NOT need to create a "Technology" folder; you've already done that with me.
Your final resource is a white piece of paper with the events you will need to put in to your Google calendar.  Hint:  It is one of your Google Apps so use the grid to find it.
I will check all of your work on Wednesday next week.  Please be careful and do a great job!!

Reminders:  You should not be listening to music or watching any videos!  If you should finish early please check out Cool Math Games.

A Different Way to Review Copyright

This week you will be revisiting those copyright terms.  When I reviewed your "Copyright Terms" definition assignments, I realized many of you are still not fully understanding them, and what copyright really means.  Instead of having you simply redefine the terms, I have decided to have you create a "Copyright Quiz" using your Google Forms.  I have created a couple of resources to help you with this.  Mr. Persico will be there to help you with this assignment.  If you are using your Effective Effort strategies, you will be using all of your resources and your time to get this assignment done.  It will most definitely take you all of class one and most likely some of class two to finish this assignment.  Please take your time and think about the questions you write.  Here are the two resources you will need for this assignment.  "Creating a Copyright Quiz Using Google Forms" and "Creating a Google Form" will both help you.  Have fun being the teacher.
**Sorry my friends; I forgort to make those docs "public" earlier.  You should be all set now.

Once you have finished this project I would like you to explore a Brain Pop unit on "Paraphrasing."  This is a skill you all need to work on.  This Brain Pop unit is just an introduction. The log in information for Brain Pop can be found on the whiteboard in the back of the room. We will be taking another look at paraphrasing after vacation.

**Important information about make up work:  You should be receiving your feedback on your blog post and copyright terms assignments during class one this week.  If you received an incomplete for an assignment on your progress report you must turn in the completed work by this Friday, February 14th.  Please be sure to carefully read the instructions on the back board of my lab.  You must staple your new blog post to a new rubric and turn in both the old and new assignments.  Be sure your name and ILT# are on any work  you turn in to me.  Please email me any questions you might have.

If you should be really focused and get through both of these assignments, I would like you to work on your blogs!  If I don't run in to you in the hallways, have a great vacation!

Web Evaluation....Be a Super Sleuth!!

Welcome back from our mini break.  I hope you all had a relaxing few days off and got your fill of turkey and pie.  It's hard to believe it is already December-YIKES!!!  We only have 3 weeks until our next break.  I'm sad to say this is our only full, "regular" week. Next week our schedule will be interrupted by parent/teacher conferences, and the following week will be impacted by concert rehearsals and performances.  Hold on to your hats.....we have a lot to do.

We are taking a step back from blogging to review an important concept- Website Evaluation.  As you move forward and are asked to do projects and papers for your classes, you are also being asked to find your own resources and information.  What are the best sources and how do you find them?  How do you know if the site you are visiting is reliable, valid, and credible?  Hopefully you will have answers and strategies after this week.

I would like to make one comment in regard to your comments on peers blogs.  Please remember to be careful and kind with your word choice.  As you are reading blogs please try to focus on the content and not so much on grammar and mechanics.  Leave those comments to me.  One last word on blogging for this week; you may (and I hope you do) keep on blogging this week.  Just remember to have another set of eyes check your post before you publish!

We will start our class this week with a quick introduction to URLs.  This video should jog your memories a bit.  Do you remember learning about this last year?  It's okay if you don't.  I have created a Web Evaluation Activity for you to work through during our first meeting this week.  Please take your time.  At the end of class we will discuss your findings.

Class 2 Activator:  Please start class with this survey for our guidance department.  Please read the questions carefully and answer them honestly  This information will help make BIS a better place for all of us.  Thank you for doing this.  School Climate Survey   Be sure to submit your responses by clicking, "done" a the bottom of the survey.

Once you have finished this survey you will pick up where we left off last class.  You will be inventing your own domain name by going on this E-VENTURE.  So fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!!

Once you have finished this activity you will take a look at an activity called, "Comparing Search Engines."  Please complete this activity, writing your answers on the note card you have been given.
                   

image link

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.

Technology Homework for Families

This week I am assigning homework to my technology students and it involves parents/families. This is a rare event, and I am hoping my students will take this assignment seriously.  I am trying to accumulate some data to better serve the families and students of our school.  I would like to ask our families to take a very brief, four multiple choice question survey.  This survey should not take any more than 5 minutes to complete, and it is completely anonymous.  The questions address knowledge and usage of some of the on line resources available to our students and their families.  The survey will remain open until Friday, March 22nd.  The results will be used to increase awareness and accessibility of these resources if deemed necessary.  I would like to thank families in advance for taking the time to complete this survey.  Have a great day!!

      Family Survey:  Resource Use

image link:  http://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/customer-feedback-survey-business/

Digital/Photo Storytelling

This week we will begin our last big project of the school year. You will be creating a digital story or a photo story. What is a digital story or photo story? You can find out by checking out this slide share, Digital Storytelling. This should answer some of your questions. As I reviewed your survey results I noticed many of you told me you wanted more time on projects. We will do a little bit of preliminary work and then you will be given a good amount of time to work on your photo story. Before you get started with this project we will need to do a review of copyright. It is very important for you understand what you can and cannot use. This will be our activator for class one. We will start by watching a video, “Copyright, What’s Copyright?” and doing a follow up activity using a PDF. You and a partner will be completing a table as a “ticket to leave” during the first class. I have put a list of resources for you to check out at the bottom of this page. Much of your work for the remainder of this year will be creating this photo story and working on your blog. I hope you had a great vacation and are ready to be creative!

What is Copyright?
Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling Tips
31 of My Favorite Digital Storytelling Sites

The Next Step

I know we are all "on vacation," but thought if some of you had some spare time you may want to work on your blogs.  Please remember not to post any new text or posts, or upload your "About Me" until I have had one last check.  If you are happy with your design and layout, you may want to start adding some widgets or gadgets to your page.  You may use the resources toward the bottom of the Blogger Resources and Guides, or check out some of the ones below.

Wigipedia is a very large gallery of widgets and gadgets
Cluster Maps is a great widget which allows you to see where your readers are located.  This Edublogger post does a great job of sharing how to create one on your blog.
Voki is a super site for creating an avatar to put on your blog.  This video which was created by a student, will show you how to get your Voki on your blog once you have created it.  You don't need an account to do this!
Google Gadgets are another great resource for you to use on your blogs.