Unplugged and Recharged

     This may seem impossible, but it is truly what I have done this summer.  I must confess I have not completely unplugged myself, but I have certainly limited my “on screen” time.  Spending my time on the ocean in the fresh sea air has helped me prepare for the up and coming school year.  I stepped away from my blog to collect my thoughts and am back and ready to go!  As the new school year approaches I am riding the same roller coaster of emotions as I am sure many of my students are riding.  Excitement and anticipation are coupled with some anxiety and a bit of sadness.  As I say hello to new students and new lessons, this means I will be saying good-bye to my time on the water, and the people I transport to and from their boats in Cotuit Harbor.  

          I must admit though I know I will miss the great outdoors and the feeling of the sun warming my mind and spirit; I am so excited to discover the passions of my new students.  I cannot wait to introduce them to the world of blogging as they continue to create, manage, discuss, research, and publish.  I know the year 2012-2013 will be filled with so many opportunities for me to continue learning alongside my students.  I can't wait to get started!!

What do I do now?

We are at so many different places on this last tech class.  If you have finished all of the objectives on the board you have a couple of choices.  Please look at the list below.

You may get a tablet and use any of the programs in the “drawing and creation” folder on your desktops.

You may check out blog posts in your Google Reader account

You may work on your blog.

You may check out tools on the cooltoolsforschool wiki.

You may check out POGO

You MAY NOT watch videos on You Tube!!!

New Blog

You spoke and we listened!  We decided to have all students create a second blog for school work.  You will be encouraged to continue blogging about your passions on your original blog.  Please remember this is connected to a school account, you BPS Blogging and Commenting Guidelines should be followed.  You should also be sure the content is school appropriate!  

You will need to go to your Blogger Dashboard and “create a new blog”.  The new interface looks a little bit different, but if you look around you will be able to find this gray tab.  Please name your school blog in the following manner:

         This example would be if I were a student creating a blog:

                  Name of Blog:   Kim’s School Blog

                      URL:   kimsschoolblog(.blogspot.com)

**You may need to add the first initial of your last name or a symbol if you have a common first name.  You will know as the new interface will tell you automatically if that URL is not available.*

You will need to choose a template which allows you to make multiple pages easily.

You can now work on the design of your blog.  Please be sure to create the following pages:

1. Home (this will be automatically created and the only page on which you can create a “real post”  I would like you to create a post telling your new teachers a little bit about you. You may want to include your strengths and weaknesses in school, likes and dislikes, etc...
2. English
3. Math
4. Science
5. Social Studies
6. Technology

**You may delete the Technology page from your other blog.  You could put your podcast post on your new blog if you’d like.

You may play around with design, colors, widgets, etc....

Be sure to “Apply” and “Save” as you go!!

Happy Memorial Day!

  For many of you this means a shortened week after perhaps missing class last week as well due to rehearsals and the spring concert.  If you didn’t have class #2 last week you will be turning in your rubric for your blog during class #1.  If you turned in your rubric already, I have been grading them.  Please be patient with me as I have over 250 blogs to correct. I want to give each of you some useful feedback.  As for this week; you will be completing your digital stories.  If you have been putting in effective effort as a class and are feeling as though you won’t be able to make the deadline of class #2 for completing your digital story, have no fear!  I will check in with you all at the end of class and make a decision about adjusting the due date.  Please try your hardest to complete this project on time so I can have plenty of time to give you useful feedback on this as well. 

Putting It All Together

The time is finally here.  You are going to bring all of the “ingredients” in to Windows Movie Maker (WMM) or another tool of your choice.  Once you have them all in your tool, you will begin the editing process of your digital story.  Remember to use the Atomic Learning tutorial to help you answer any questions your may have throughout this process.  Take your time and experiment to find exactly the “look” you want for your story.  Use your checklist as you are working on this project to be sure you have all of the elements you need.   Good luck and have fun!! 
**Remember you also need to put some time in to your blog.  You will need to turn in your student evaluation at the end of class 2 this week.**
 Please take a minute to take this Student Survey.  Be sure to read the directions and submit the form.  Thanks.

Do a Great Job Today!

Now that MCAS is over we can all let out a huge sigh of relief!  But don’t think we are done for the year!!  You have two major projects due in the next couple of weeks.  I will be out today, but Mrs. Delaney is in and ready to help you keep on track so you can be successful!!!  Please give her all of your attention and respect.  She will guide you and share some information, but most of what you need can be found in earlier posts on this blog, in MOODLE or both!!  You may have different objectives, depending on your ILT #, but hopefully by the end of your class today, you will have all of the ingredients for your digital story.  Please remember to add URL’s to the Google Doc you have started.  There is a screencast on the blog post entitled, “Finding the Music” and on the MOODLE module for this week to help you with downloading music.  If you are getting at all frustrated with something, please stop and move on to another objective.  Your blog rubric and student evaluation will be collected at the end of class #2 next week.  PLEASE DO NOT TURN YOUR RUBRIC IN TO MRS. DELANEY.  SAVE IT IN YOUR BINDER OR FOLDER AND GIVE IT TO ME NEXT WEEK!!  If all else fails, take the time to get your blogs ready for me!! You have that rubric in your binders/folders.  I will leave some extras with Mrs. Delaney in case you have misplaced yours.  Please try to find some time to take a look at the tutorial for Windows Movie Maker on Atomic Learning.  The log in for Atomic Learning is on the front board.  (BarnstableIS and redraider-it’s case sensitive!!)  Next week you will start creating your digital story.  If you would like to try a tool other than Windows Movie Maker, you could search the cooltoolsforschool WIKI to see if there is one there you’d like.  If you do choose to use another tool or program, you will need to find a resource (tutorial or site) to help answer questions you may have.  The downside to using WMM is it is computer based, not Internet based.  This means you will have to work on it in school.  It is a free download, so you could move files back and forth from home to school if you need to do so. However, if you are using your effective effort strategies, you will have plenty of time to get your project done in school.  I am counting on you to do a great job today.  I am doing my part to help you be successful.  It is up to you to do your part!  Have a great day and I’ll see you next week!  Oh and one more thing.....before leaving today, you will need to complete this "Electronic Ticket to Leave."  Be sure to read the directions, complete and submit.  I will be planning next week's lessons based on the feedback from these tickets!