GoogleDocs Presentation Rubric and Deadlines

Your GoogleDocs presentation is now underway! I have attached the rubric to the bottom of this message and have gone over it in class. Your due dates for Ms. Pidot are as follows:

Wed. June 3: 5 Essential Questions Due (you might want to put them on your slides or create a slide for organization in your presentation)
Wed. June 10: Completed research and presentation work
Thurs June 11: coordination with team
Friday June 12: presentations to class.

Be sure to take a look at the “How not to do a presentation” slideshow in your GoogleDocs! Make sure YOUR presentation doesn’t look like that one!

googledocs-presentation-rubric

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Because of the problems that will arise sharing computers for the Ancient Civilizations project, we are going to try out GoogleDocs- a way to share presentations with your team members. To log into Google Docs, click on this link
Google Docs
Your username is hdms6day1@yahoo.com
Your password is hdstudent

What is GoogleDocs?
GoogleDocs is basically a wiki- a shared document that creates a history of changes. There are some ethical issues that go along with using this tool. Students will be able to view other students work as well as being able to work collaboratively with their group members. It is my expectation that you will not interfere with the work of other students!

The good news is that Mrs. Pidot will be able to see your progress as you work on your presentation. She can add notes to help you along.

In the “Docs Home” section you will find a “Frequently Asked Questions” page. Feel free to add questions as you have them AND/OR add answers to questions that appear.

Why use GoogleDocs?
GoogleDocs will allow you to work on your project from any computer. Because all of the work is stored online, it doesn’t matter if you have the same computer every day in tech class- or in social studies for that matter. If your computer doesn’t work, you can just use a different one. You will also be able to see what your group members have done on the project. You can leave notes for them if you want to with suggestions of ways to improve your presentation. And, you can work from home if you have an internet connection - you just need to log in.

Watch the video from Common Craft if this works better for you:
_google_docs_in_plain_english1

Spreadsheets are tools that allow us to record and compare different sets of data. For instance, I can set up a spreadsheet that helps me find out what student trends are when it comes to attending dances. I could collect data at the door- how many boys, how many girls, how many kids bring a friend, what color shirts they wear. I can then sort out the information to make a list, or I can create a chart and compare several different kinds of information - how many redshirted kids were boys? How many girls brought a friend?

What kinds of information could YOU put into a spreadsheet? Use the comment box below to put in your idea. Use JUST your first name- your last name is Day1.

We’ve worked all week trying out collaborative tools. I’ve picked one that seems to work better than the rest. It’s called DoingText.com.

We’re going to use DoingText to help me with a project. I need your input. I got asked the other day how you get a 4 in Tech class. Honestly, I don’t know all the time. What are the things that you think ought to be included in the 4 section of the rubric?

Use this classroom discussion link to help me with this task. You will be assessed on the appropriateness of your content!

Day 2: You will use an internet Classroom called Nicenet to work collaboratively on character development for Underground Jack stories. You will need this code: T266264GZ00 to get into the class. You can access the class by clicking on NICENET.

Day 3You will be working with in a wiki today. I will give you your login information. Please go to your wiki at http://hsmsgrade6.pbworks.com/FrontPage. Go ahead and log in when you get there.

Day 4: You will be using an interactive classroom tool called Scribblar
http://www.scribblar.com/start.cfm

There are lots of sites that require you to create a profile for yourself. Game sites and social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook) especially want to know about you so they can customize what they show you (and the ads you get to see) based on your age, your gender, and your interests. But who else can see this information? Today’s lesson will be on figuring out how to stay safe by keeping your personal information PERSONAL. We will look at:

1. What your email address says about you
2. How reverse lookup search engines work
3. How you can create a “safe” profile.

Netsmartz has a great series of games and activities based on internet safety. These can be accessed at http://www.netsmartzkids.org/games/index.htm?page=clquest/main.htm

Today you will be playing with Pages, a desktop publishing program. The assignment will be to create a poster for a band- either one you like or one you”ve made up. The point of the project is this- you will learn to:

1. Understand how Pages is different from NeoOffice and word
2. Know what a template is and how to use it
3. Understand how to use the inspector
4. Be able to use the media library

We may not finish this during class- if we don’t, we will work on it next time.

Pages Project Rubric

What do I do with Pages? Pages is a desktop publishing software. It differs from word processing software (like NeoOffice or Microsoft Word) in that each element- text, titles, graphics, charts, etc. is contained in its own box and can be moved independantly of the other elements on the page. This makes it easier to create columns, arrange photos, and layer elements. It comes with pre-formatted templates in a variety of layouts for different uses, or you can create your own layout. Apple provides a simple to use Users Guide and tutorial series here. You can download the entire document to your desktop or just use the link for the issue you want to resolve. DO NOT PRINT THE DOCUMENT! It is over 200 pages long.

Hey - did you know you might be stealing and not even know it? If you use photos from the internet for class projects, and you don’t cite the sources, you are guility of copyright infringement.

Imagine you had worked hard to learn how to take great photos. You went to classes, spent hours practicing what you learned, and spent money on a good camera. After months of study, you were able to produce high quality photos, and you were proud of your work. You put the pictures online and included them on your website.

Then you found out that someone was using them on their own website where they made it sound like THEY had taken the photos. Wouldn’t this make you upset?

Copyright is a funny thing. You CAN use photos from the web without permission for CLASSROOM projects (unless the author specifically says you need their permission) as long as you give credit to them by citing the source. You CAN’T use photos for profit (lets say you have an online business) with out permission from the creator.

Today we’ll learn how to use iPhoto to collect both photos AND the citation information you need.

week-2-iphoto-and-copyright

Each day, 6th grade students will be doing 10 minutes of typing work aimed at improving their keyboarding skills. The expectation is that students will work on both posture and correct finger positioning for this exercise. The rubric is below:
Type to Learn Rubric

Hi- before we get started this trimester, I’d like you to take a short survey that is aimed at collecting some information about your knowledge of computers. It’s not a test - it will help me design curriculum that will be new for you rather than reviewing what you know. There are only 10 questions so it shouldn’t take too long, and your name will not be included. Please answer honestly!

Here’s the link:
Click Here to take survey