Seymour HS Web Design

Computer Applications Final Exam

2013-01-28T07:10:00.000-05:00

Choose ONE of the following tasks for your exam:

Choice One:

You just started a wedding designing business. You are looking for clients.

"Suzy Jackson" is a 28 year old who is getting married for the first time. She wants to get married at the beach here in Connecticut. You want her business. She has told you she can spend up to $20,000 on her wedding. There will be 100 guests.

Your exam must include the following:

A formal business letter written to Suzy outlining the main points of what you hope to create and why she should hire you.
A spreadsheet with properly formatted formulas outlining the projected costs of the wedding. This may involve some research and some creative writing. You can make stuff up if you aren't sure.
A sample printable wedding invitation.

Choice Two:

You just started a party business. You are looking for clients.

"Jimmy Jones" is a 45 year old who wants to have a great super bowl party for 40 of his friends here in Seymour. It will be a family affair. There will be about 15-20 kids there. He wants to spend about $1000. He has a TV and a big living room but he wants everything else prepared. This will be a "dry" party. No alcohol.

Your exam must include the following:

A formal business letter written to Jimmy outlining the main points of what you hope to create and why he should hire you.
A spreadsheet with properly formatted formulas outlining the projected costs of the party. This may involve some research and some creative writing. Make sure you have something for the kids to do! You can make stuff up if you aren't sure.
A sample printable party invitation.

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Exam hints:

Make stuff up if needed (like addresses).
Include extra stuff if time (like your business logo?)
You will save this in your google shared folder. Create a folder within that folder called "EXAM". If printer is working we will print this exam out.
Make sure everything is EXACTLY right.

Done!!

2013-01-21T17:21:00.001-05:00

We're done.

If you are done with your work I thank you!

If you are not done, finish today.

Exam on Monday.

Can you find a scarier picture than this?

This sounds like a party. Flour, eggs, and firecrackers. I'm not suggesting any of you try this.

Finishing Up

2013-01-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

The marking period will close for this class on Tuesday January 22. I will not assign any new work on that day. I've built five "catch-up" days into the schedule so be sure you get all work in.

Your exam will be on Monday January 28. It will involve some research, writing a formal letter, and creating a spreadsheet. It is designed to take about 60-70 minutes. Some students will be quicker.

There seems to be some problems with the Google Sites links on blogmeister. Lets try to figure it out. I'm copying the links and pasting to make it work, but that isn't fun. Not sure if this is the "google issue" we have had.

You have two assignments to finish today.

Some quality work from:

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Design an invitation for the Presidential Inauguration. I want this invitation to be on regular paper (8.5in x 11in). It should be traditional but you don't have to exactly mimic the real invitation. You will print this out when done. It may look different when printed than it does on your screen.

You have many tools to choose from to do this assignment.

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Blog:

Please check and answer any comments on your blog. This is a blog-wrapup assignment.

1. Has your digital writing improved? How?
2. How many red dots did you get? Any cool places visit you?
3. What assignments in class helped you learn the most? Which ones were least successful?
4. Who has the best student blog? Link to them and leave a compliment comment on their blog.

Portfolio

2013-01-15T06:54:00.000-05:00

Please write a blog post about your ePortfolio. Be sure to include a link to the portfolio. If you keep the link "private" nobody will be able to see it.

Tell me about the design of the portfolio. What decisions did you make?

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I will try to get grades out today. Be sure everything is turned in.

Portfolio

2013-01-11T07:04:00.001-05:00

Your final major project is to create a digital portfolio. I suggest using Google Sites. You might like Weebly, WikiSpaces, or some other site.

This portfolio should include work from this class (blogs, podcasts, documents, video) as well as other classes work, artwork, sports, clubs, and/or hobbies.

I will not give directions about length, topics, etc... The portfolio should be an accurate depiction of the work you have done. What do you want to show the world about your academic work?

I hope this is a portfolio that will grow with you over time and you will use it throughout your career. As we stated many times, the internet is your resume. What do you want to appear when people search for your name?

You have many choices in setting up your portfolio. Use google to find some examples that you like. I like how this school does it.

First draft due Tuesday.
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Some great work by:

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I will catch up on missing grades, errors, omissions on Tuesday.

Car

2013-01-09T06:24:00.001-05:00

So....my car alarm won't stop going off every two minutes. I took the fuse out for the horn, but the alarm still activates, draining the battery. It has been fun.

I'm taking a personal day to deal with this. Please be sure to finish your work. Some of you still owe me work from December!

Where is Dean?

2013-01-04T12:23:00.000-05:00

Worth watching. Does your social media elevate others? Or tear them down? I see lots of "hater" posts. They get shared and retweeted. Our administrators spend a significant amount of time on twitter and facebook hating. Don't hate. ___________________________________________________________________________

Each semester we do a Google activity where I use a colleague of mine to focus your searching skills. In this assignment you must:

Effectively search for information.
Analyze that information and formulate an answer.
Write creatively. You MUST include links in your answers. Also consider including images, video, and other cool stuff.
All your answers will be on your blog. Be sure to include the questions in your answers and link to this assignment. Be clear to your readers!!!

Dean Shareski is a well know education expert who travels the world working with teachers. He has an interesting blog.

Answer at least seven of the questions (I am adding more throughout the day). Show your work (links, math, etc...):

Dean lives in Moose Jaw, Canada. Where would he have to drive to watch Les Mis this weekend?
If Mrs Shareski sent Dean to buy cool coffee mugs, where would he go?
What is the #1 TV show in Canada this season?
Would you say "hello" or "bon jour" if you saw a friend on the street in Canada? Does it depend where you live in Canada?
On average, is the daily temperature in Moose Jaw above or below Seymour? By how much?
Dean has $10 in Canadian dollars. Can he buy a ticket to Les Mis?
What is the best golf course in Canada? If Dean was home and he wanted to play golf, where would he go?
Dean wants to take his wife to a romantic dinner after seeing Les Mis. Where does do you think his wife wants to go?

Open, Deep, Interesting

2012-12-31T11:16:00.001-05:00

Before you start today: this is simply awesome work.

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We will begin working on projects that require you to choose the tool to present. We have spent time on the following tools (amongst others..):

Google Docs

Documents
Spreadsheets
Presentation
Drawings

Video
Evernote
Garageband/Podcasts
Blogging
Java/HTML
Meograph
Google Search Stories
iMotion HD
WikipediaVoki

Hopefully you learned a bit about each of these. You learned when and why you would use a specific tool. Also, I hope you became more efficient in your work flow.

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An ODI question is open, deep, and interesting. There is no one answer to the question. I want you to present your answer in an interesting way using some of the above tools. Have fun, be creative.

Each of these questions requires some research, some thinking, and some creative ideas for presentation. You might write me a blog post, a memo, make a stop action movie, a podcast, or spreadsheet. Or a combination.

You can print it out or display on your blog. If you need alternative ways to present, ask me.

This will be due at the end of class on Wednesday. I will assign more work on Monday.

Choose one question to answer:

If dinosaurs were alive which one would be tastiest?
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
Why do earthquakes STOP?
How do Chinese language writers type? They can't use our QWERTY keyboard, can they?
Who has the best nickname ever?

Snow Fall

2012-12-21T06:51:00.001-05:00

Today we will read the Snow Fall. Everyone is talking about this piece in the NY Times. It is an amazing blend of video, text, graphics, and audio. You should read it with your headphones on.

That's right, a newspaper piece you read with your headphones on.

This is a "long read". Take the time. It is worth it. I realize that some of you are slower readers and this might end up being homework.

Your test grade is a blog entry. We have not had a test yet this marking period. Your question: "How will writing change in the digital age?". Be sure to reference this Snow Fall text.

Please think about your answer. Plan it out. Include links.

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Many of you know I grew up in Newtown and have many connections to Sandy Hook School. This week has been challenging. I appreciate the support of my colleagues and from you.

Many students have asked "what can we do?".

I think above all we must ensure that no student lives in isolation. Know your neighbor. Make a new friend today on the bus or in the cafeteria. We can do more.

I favor the 26 acts of kindness campaign that is growing. Check it out.

Project is done.

2012-12-19T07:12:00.002-05:00

We will hopefully get the presentations done today.

Here is the form we will use to evaluate the presentations.

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Please evaluate your project on your blog. How did you do? What did you learn?

Please score each aspect of the project:

Presentation: 40pts
Memo: 30pts
Spreadsheet: 20pts
Drawing/Blogging: 10pts

And then add those numbers up for me for your total score.

Connect your score to items we discussed or that you worked on. Be sure to fully explain your thoughts to your readers. For example:

"After Mr. Schneider explained creative commons I learned that the images on Google Drive are all creative commons so I inserted those in my presentation"

"The first draft of my memo had many spacing issues. After looking at the drafts of my classmates I adjusted the margins"

Presentations

2012-12-12T22:14:00.003-05:00

Here is the form we will use to evaluate the presentations. Each student will have an iPad to score their classmates work. We will then average the 20 or so scores to get your grade.

We will present in the music room on that TV on Monday. You can use the iPad or laptop. Be sure to practice! The presentation score is 40% of your project grade. 30% for memo, 20% for spreadsheet, 10% for drawing and blogging.

I will need the printed part of your project as well on Monday. You can print it out at the beginning of class in case you do some work over the weekend. Your packet should have memo-spreadsheet-drawing in order. Your packet must include a drawing (not done in marker...) even if you have a 3d version for your presentation.

Expectations for groups with 3-4 people will obviously have higher expectations of detail than someone flying solo.

Be sure to improve your rough drafts. Connect the money you are spending to student learning.

Project Rough Drafts

2012-12-11T06:54:00.003-05:00

On your memos please use this heading:

To: Mr. Schneider
From: Suzy Jones, David Smith, Johnny Rogers
Re: Computer Lab
Date: December 11, 2012

Recommendation:
I recommend that Seymour High School.....

Background:
All parties agree that....

etc......

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Please turn in by end of class your rough draft versions of your memo, spreadsheet and drawings.

We will do our presentations next Monday.

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Put in your headphones. I think this is worth the ten minutes.

Project Work

2012-12-07T06:56:00.000-05:00

Podcast #4 is due today.

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Imagine you are waiting to present your work and the person before you hits it out of the park. Great ideas, polished presentation, and a 3D video design of the room. Really think about how you will present your project. Will it look like a 2012 project? Or like you could have made it in 1996?

I want a rough draft of your project in my hands on Tuesday. I'm going to move final presentations to the following week. I want this to be really good.

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Can you imagine if you were in high school 71 years ago today? I find it hard to imagine. We've seen the movies, but the mix of hope, fear, and determination must have been electric. Those high schoolers went through so much. They still do.

Lets take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices of the past and present.

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2nd marking period graded activities:

Resume
Testing Blog, Meograph Blog
App Review Blog
SchneiderCorp Spreadsheet
Schedule Presentation
Podcast #4
Project

When we finish the project there will be basically three more weeks of class. Be sure these grades are done.

Podcast #4 and Project Notes

2012-12-05T07:04:00.001-05:00

1. Podcast #4 will be due Friday December 7. I warned you last week to prepare a script.

2. When preparing your presentation you have several choices for tools.

Google Presentations
Prezi
Keynote (on iPad)
Haiku Deck (on iPad)

Be sure to choose the best tool for you. I expect we will present in the music room as there is no screen in here. You can present from the iPad or laptop.

3. As of today I am planning on having you present on Thursday December 13.

4. If you feel a bit behind you might have some homework. Perhaps you need to put your phone away during class. This project is the major assessment for the 2nd marking period.

5. Thanks to LaurenK question I learned how to do this today. This would be a very neat tool to make your spreadsheets more relevant.

Computer Lab Design Project

2012-12-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

Imagine you cleared this room out. No chairs, no computers, no nothing.

Imagine I gave you $50,000 to outfit a new computer lab. What would you design? I want you to prepare a proposal.

Your lab might look like a Starbucks with a juice machine, couches and a few tables. It might have a bunch of round tables for people to collaborate. Your lab might have PCs, iMacs, Laptops, or iPads. Will it have a TV or a Smartboard? Should there be a rug? Posters? Ergonomic furniture?

What are some of my parameters for the computer lab?

There should be seating for 25.
You must budget for everything. This includes chairs, wifi hubs, printers, etc... You must budget for software.
This is a "general purpose" lab for a high school.

What must you prepare?

A spreadsheet outlining how you will spend the money.
One page memo. Memo must start with the words "I recommend that...."
A slideshow presentation to the class. You will present this to class.
Drawings or video of proposed lab.
You must turn in a paper copy of your proposal as well as post all work on your blog.

What will I look for?

That you contribute to discussions and documents.
Thoughtful design and research. Will the lab be effective? You should show evidence of research ("I emailed Microsoft", "I surveyed the English department")
Accuracy and proper use of tools (google docs, spreadsheet formulas, etc...).
Presentation is consistently designed. For example, your fonts on the spreadsheet match the fonts on your memo.

You can work in groups of 1-4 on this project. Some of you will enjoy working and collaborating. Some of you will work better by yourself.

I will set a due date soon, but I expect this will be due in two weeks.

I will nitpick this project like crazy. Be ready.

Spreadsheets

2012-11-28T11:13:00.003-05:00

Spreadsheet practice:

Challenge #13 (extra):
Can you attach a chart to the Challenge #13 SchneiderCorp spreadsheet that shows me how much farm equipment stuff we sold?

Challenge #15:
Clean up your google a day spreadsheet. What is the average time it took you to solve the puzzle? Yes there is a formula for time. Thats todays puzzle, I suppose. Can you find and apply this formula to get an average? I don't have an answer yet, but I'm sure its really simple.

Challenge #16:
Create a Google Presentation of your class schedule. A few rules:

1. You can only have 10 slides. Not 9, not 11, but 10.
2. You must spend some time reading about Presentation Zen. Really check out some of the tips. I will not accept poorly designed slides.
3. You can only use YOUR photos or drawings OR photos you find using a CC search. Plagiarism applies to photos as well as text. If you search within Google Docs (click insert image) those images will be CC images.

Name the presentation "Schedule" and save in your shared folder.

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Podcast #4 is due Friday December 7. Start working on your script in Evernote. I'll bring the iPads next time.

Some of you gave me random podcasts last time. Please ensure your podcasts all go off the same theme.

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Edit your blog. Check for comments.

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I'm going to unload a project next class so I want to use this class to get everyone caught up. Some of you may finish early.

New Work

2012-11-26T11:57:00.000-05:00

Donate some rice, if you don't mind. Spend a few minutes.

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I think this is very, very funny. You can find through out Amazon.com where people start to write reviews about very simple devices. Check out this banana slicer, then scroll down to read the reviews.

Knowing how to write is very powerful.
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Challenge 13: Some of you have experience with spreadsheets, some of you don't. This next challenge will be a good way to get us started. Create a new spreadsheet in your shared folder and name it "Challenge 13: Spreadsheet".

Design a spreadsheet that includes the following information:

Monthly sales figures need to be collected.
Mr. Jones, Ms. Smith, Mr. Williams, and Miss Stanley are the sales people who work for "Schneider Corp".
Schneider Corp sells farm equipment. Tractors cost $10000, Mowers cost $5000, and Plows cost $15,000.
Mr. Jones sold 3 tractors, 2 mowers, and zero plows this month.
Ms. Smith sold 1 tractor, 1 mower, 1 plow.
Mr. Williams sold 5 plows.
Miss Stanley sold 2 tractors, 2 mowers, 1 plow.

The spreadsheet should show me total $$ each sales person sold, total # of each item sold, total $ of each item sold. Finally what was our total $$ sales for the month?

I will walk around and help you. Also use google and the help menu to figure out your formulas. It may help some of you to draw it out on paper first.

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Challenge 14:

This will be the first time I've done this, but Google search stories look pretty cool. Check out some examples. I don't want to spend a ton of time on this, I just want to see what it can do.

I'd like you to create your own story. Any school appropriate subject. Be creative.

This may pull up inappropriate images or topics. If so, quietly fix it.

When done post your story to youTube and then to your blog. Please include a short review of search stories and include a link so people can make their own.

Videos

2012-11-20T19:06:00.001-05:00

We have 30 minutes. Lets watch some videos. Put on your headphones.

I love this Arnold video. His movies were really big when I was in high school so that voice is iconic. He really, really believes what he is saying. That last line is classic.

If you watch this TED talk watch it from the beginning and do not skim forward! Its freaky amazing.

I don't know why, but I love these guys. They seem like they would be fun to hang out with. I can imagine the moment they figured they got season tickets, next to the penalty box. Not settling, they decided to don green suits to distract the competition. Brilliant.

I've watched this 100 times. Still funny.

A LOT of schools are doing lip dubs. I'd love to work on one! They planned the whole thing backwards. That takes guts. A lot of schools do Lip Dub competitions. Maybe Derby High posts one, and we have to top it.

We are singing this song in choir. I love how the blond girl takes charge of the song. I wish they had thought of a better ending.

I'd like to work on this office. Check out some of their other videos.

I've never really liked Les Mis, but I recognize that its hugely popular. You may recognize several stars in the upcoming movie.

I know there are some One Direction fans in here. My 16 year old niece is a fanatic...

5 days until track. Can't wait.

And, finally, one of my favorite muppet videos.

Thanksgiving

2012-11-20T07:05:00.001-05:00

FYI: Tomorrow will be a video watching day. No new work will be assigned.

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Second marking period work so far:

1. Testing bog post.
2. Meograph blog post.
3. Resume
4. Blog comments (quality and quantity)
5. App review (today)

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Please spend some time today studying Evernote. Some of you have barely used it, and some of you have really started to use it. What helpful tips could you provide?

Maybe check out their blog? Or google "evernote for students?"

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Classes have often enjoyed exploring Geni.com.

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Writing an app review is hard. Things that must be included:

1. What is the app? Who made it or designed it? Include a link!!
2. What platform does it require? Do you need iOS6? Can it run on an iPad1?
3. Should you include screen shots or video in the app review? Can you figure out how to do that?
4. Who is your audience? Is it kids, gamers, teachers, or parents?
5. An opinion!! Should people buy it?

Please review one of the following iPad apps using your blog. Some of the apps are only on the iPad2 machines.

DragonBox
DustBuster
NoteShelf or Penultimate
iMotion HD. You will be using this app when we come back. Check what we made at home.
Doodle Buddy
Video Time Machine
USA Today

Be sure if you log in to an app that you LOG OUT when done.

Grab Bag

2012-11-16T06:31:00.000-05:00

Today is kind of a grab bag day. The only thing I'd like you to really finish is the meograph assignment. Be sure to check the questions for your blog post that were posted.

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I was impressed by your passion over testing. I read many responses that were well formatted, cogent arguments. I'd like you to spend some time reading those arguments today and responding with comments.

I think leaving comments is an important skill to master. Check this article out. Of course, don't be a troll. Your comments should continue the conversation. Make it obvious that you read the post.

When you leave a comment in blogmeister be sure you are logged in first. In the comment box leave your first name, leave the email blank, and the URL will be filled in already.

Please aim to leave five substantive comments today. Please be sure you respond to any comments on your blog.

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Perhaps you can guess my opinion, but would we get more benefit if we dropped the test prep and enrolled everyone in music lessons? Does taking practice tests for the CAPT get as much benefit as being in Choir?

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Additional work:

Do some wikipedia edits. Check out the SHS page. Perhaps there is too much information there does not quite fit wikipedia's guidelines. We can also organize it better.
Google a Day. Keep practicing.
Read this story about caffeine drinks. Stock in Monster Drinks has dropped from $80 to $44. Does that tell you something?
This review in the NYTimes of Guy Fierri's new restaurant is gaining a lot of attention lately. It is very, very harsh.
If you did all that check out some of my favorite videos. Be sure to have headphones on.

Resumes, Meographs

2012-11-14T07:04:00.002-05:00

Today:

1. Do the google a day. Put your results in your spreadsheet.
2. Check out this cool hack from MusicHackDay. Put in your headphones. Read more about music hack day here. I kinda wish school was like this.
3. Blog post: read this article about testing. What do you think? Include link to original article. A few things we need to improve as a class in our writing:

Paragraphs. Organize your thoughts.
Include relevant links.
Have a solid closing thought. The closing thought should encourage comments on your blog. Don't END a conversation, START one.

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I will hand back your resumes. Please make fixes or adjustment and print out a clean copy for me. Be sure there are NO errors or typos.

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I brought two microphones in for you to work on your meograph. I hope to work on mine today as well. I haven't added any content yet.

A few notes:

1. Try to give the meograph some depth. You don't have to include many points, but for a few of them I'd like you to include video, audio, photos, etc...
2. Do not publish copyrighted material. Use creative commons to search for content or create your own.
3. When done publish to your blog.

Use the embed code.
Give a short description of the meograph service. What is it? Include a link. How can it help tell a story? What was easy about it? Hard?

New Marking Period

2012-11-05T15:34:00.001-05:00

PBIS:

We got the following in this week:

1. Lots of Subway gift cards.
2. A ton of stuff from Planet Fitness, including two memberships, bags, shirts, bottles, etc...

If your letter worked please write a thank you letter. I have envelopes.

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I like this story about confidence.

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New tasks:

Challenge #11: Create a one page resume and put in your google shared folder. This is a TRADITIONAL resume. Here are some tips. Here is an example. I will spend a lot of time on this assignment. We will make infographic resumes shortly.

Some things to think about:

Use Evernote to make notes and brainstorm about the resume.
List EVERYTHING you could possibly include. Only include stuff you did in middle school if it is truly amazing (like winning a National Science Fair or something).
Follow the format, follow the format, follow the format.
Use active verbs. Quantify everything:

Created and published movie review podcast that reached 75 listeners per day
Directed Hope Club recruitment plan that increased membership by 75%
Implemented lunch recycling plan that resulted in 35% reduction in cafeteria waste

Challenge #12: Create an account in Meograph. Create a meograph around one of the following:

Your family vacations.
Your favorite professional teams best season (Road to Victory...)
Battles of the Revolutionary War
Upcoming tour of your favorite singer/band

Half Way

2012-11-04T17:06:00.002-05:00

Today we will be grading. I will hand out Edline sheets. Lets fix any mistakes. Also be sure to complete your Google document.

Here is the grading document.

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New tasks on Thursday. If you are "done" please help a classmate by commenting on their blog, helping them edit movies, or checking their work for typos.

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Who will win the election? There are 512 paths to the White House. Which one do you think will happen? Write a blog post about your prediction.

Plagiarism

2012-10-27T07:55:00.000-04:00

For the first time on the podcast project I started to send the podcasts through my plagiarism checker. I found two podcasts that were directly taken from articles on the web. I sent those two students messages through soundcloud. They will receive zeros for their work. I also have to notify the administration and their parents.

I take plagiarism very, very seriously.

Now I need to spend time fact-checking the rest of the podcasts. This is not what I wanted to do. If you plagiarized any portion of your work on any project I suggest you take it down immediately.

Tuesday is a finish up day. We start new activities on Thursday.

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Check out this video. I think they did a great job editing. Some of the videos turned in do not have a good balance of audio with video. Be sure to please both the ear and the eye.

In general your edits should be quicker.

Here is the grading document. We will work on this Monday (get a head start).

Last Friday in October!

2012-10-26T08:08:00.001-04:00

1. When your PBIS videos are done please email them to your Google folder. If you are SURE everything is good please delete the clips and movie form the iPad to save space.
2. Remember, any idiot can make a movie. My standards are a little higher.
3. Podcasts are improving!
4. You do not have to finish the code avenger, you just have to show good progress.