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!
]]>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
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’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
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
]]>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.
]]>The intention of this meeting is to let you know what is going on both inside and outside of our building as it involves your children. Technology is growing quickly, and proves to be a useful and sometimes essential tool in our lives. Ready internet, social networking sites, cell phones, cameras and texting are some of the tools that create a virtual world for your child. Unlike many of us, your child navigates this world with ease- our hope is that we can help you become more comfortable in this world as well. We also hope to give you some idea of how these different technologies are managed at school, and what you can do to manage them at home.
Cell phones
Many students are able to access texts, calls, and emails on their phone. Most students have cell phones with access to a camera capable of taking both still and video shots. These shots are saved on the phone and can also be transferred to computers for further editing and sharing. The network for cell phones is provided by you by virtue of the fact that you have purchased a plan. The ability to connect to the internet from a cell phone is not dependant upon our network -while students CAN connect through our network (and are then working within our filtering systems) they do not necessarily have to do so. They can access your carrier’s service- giving them wide open internet access within the confines of our building.
A nationwide problem with cellphones and teens has been the ability to send inappropriate photos to friends. CBS, NBC and Newsweek have all reported on the problem of “sextingâ€- sending questionable pictures with a brief message via text to people in their contact lists. These photos invariably get forwarded onward to people that your child does not know.
How can you know what you child is doing with their phone? You have several tools at the ready:
The phone itself.
Kids often think that the phone is “theirs†and they expect privacy at all times with it. As the payer of the bill, that phone technically is yours.
Take a look in the Messages file- this will save all sent and received messages until they are deleted manually, up to a finite number determined by the phone’s memory capacity.
Cell phone bills
Your phone bill provides a lot of information for you. You can often get a detailed bill online or request one be sent to your home. This will detail all activity on the phone – who your child is calling or texting, what time those contacts are made, and whether there is a Data transfer†or “data download.†Statements will vary based on your plan.
Question your child about data transfers that you find unusual- be they very frequent during a particular time, in large numbers, or of a large size (you will see a column for data size- 2KB is not big- 1060KB is. It could be pictures, music, ringtones, games, or webpages. Ask, ask, ask.
If you are finding that your child is spending time texting or talking rather than sleeping, it is not unreasonable for the cell phone to have a bedtime…in your possession.
Laptop management techniques
MSAD 16 and the MLTI program provide a laptop for each student to help enhance learning. While at school your student is randomly monitored to make sure that they are using it for educational purposes. Internet access is filtered to help keep students from straying from educational sites, but it is important to understand that the internet grows by 10 million static pages a day. That makes it hard to keep up! And, the reality is that the ability to access the internet with cell phones can make filtering a moot point. An important task for teachers and parents is to help develop good digital citizens by teaching students safe internet use.
Having said this, we understand that they are kids. And, many of you have other computers at home that your students use. How can you keep your kids safe on your own networks? Like Dorothy in Oz, you already have the ability through your internet provider. I called both Fairpoint and TimeWarner- both have Parental Controls available at no cost for the first three computers, and at a minimal monthly cost after that. You have the ability to limit the hours that your internet is available as well as what sites (or sorts of sites) your child has access to. The handouts in front of you outline the different services available. Contact them directly.
We recommend that all computers in your home are in a common place that has high visibility. If you allow your child to have a laptop or computer in their room, be sure that you are checking what they are doing on that computer. Again, if you are concerned about your child being online later than you would like, it is reasonable for you to “repossess†the laptop at a certain time and return it to your child in the morning.
Most browsers (the software you use to access the internet- on your child’s laptop this will be Safari) collect a list of sites visited by day. To access this, open the browser and choose History from the menu bar at the top. This will show you what your child has been doing. If the history is blank, and you know your child has been on the internet, you should ask your child why they have erased it. The default for Safari keeps a web history for a month at a time before it deletes the oldest entries.
]]>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.
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