Week1 of Jan 9th–Jan 13th

Highlights for thie week:

• View the BMS Public Calendar for this weeks events!
• Tip: Use ctrl+f and enter the date as a number to jump quickly to Blog entry for today!

Monday 9th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Logon information handed out
2. View this message for you!
3. UIL meet Jan 24th.  If anyone is interested in competing in UIL Calculator, please let me know!
4. Daily Warmup Activity
   • Use this Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer to the question below (remember to use a complete sentence or sentences please!)
   • What do you think is happening in this picture, or what do you think is going to happen?
   •  

- Part 2) New

1. Introduce Classroom Rules through the Lab Behavior Contract Form, which is our first graded assignment
2. Discuss Weekly Lab Behavior Grade
3. Introduce Forms
   • Daily Warm-up Form
   • Rest Room Form (the pass is a CD hung on the wall by the door)
   • Questions or Comments Form
4. Introduce Gzaas (view demo clip)
5. Introduce Pivot (which you can use when the network is down) 

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete the lab behavior contract form 
   • Here’s a link to the Behavior Contract form 
2. Submit a question or comment using the form to make sure you know how to use it! 
   • Here’s a link to the Questions or Comments form 
3. Experiment with Gzaas 
   • Create a message for someone that’s important to you and save a link to it on your desktop
4. Explore the Pivot Animation program (on your desktop)

- Part 4) Through?

1. View my profile information, and +1s page on Google Plus
2. Explore this Blog! (try the links on the right side panel)

Tuesday 10th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!
2. Review the rules anytime on the right side panel of this blog in the Classroom Rules section (the form is there too!)  Remember, your most important grade every week comes from how well you follow these rules, so please continue to do the great job you have done so far!!!
3. Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)
   • Yesterday’s completed warmups list
   •  
   • Use this Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer to the question below (remember to use a complete sentence or sentences please!)
   • According to the image below, when will our next full moon occur and what do you think the blue blotches and the pink line are on the radar image? Remember to use complete sentences, so you should start your answer with something like ‘Our next full moon will…’
   • 
   • There’s a link to the live weather forecast at the top right of this Blog! Here’s another link for today’s forecast
4. Here’s an article and image related to yesterday’s warmup
   • Rare whooping cranes stop in Alabama during human-supervised migration
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. If you are permitted to, at home you can download the free version of Pivot which we use here at this link
2. Questions or comments from yesterday (FAQs). Thanks to Adriana (2nd), Amber (3rd) and Corey (7th) for your questions and comments!
3. See the results of yesterday’s warmups
   • Yesterday’s completed warmups list
   • 
4. Introduce InterWrite (IW) to capture and arrange images and text from 308Today (View Screencast)
5. Use IW to create a thinking map ‘About Me’ 

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Open IW and change your preferences to the advanced toolbar so you will see the capture tool (which looks like a camera)
   • Experiment with toolbar options
     • Switch to the advanced toolbar
     • Use the pencil tool
     • Use the highlighter
     • Draw lines of different types and colors
     • Draw arrows of different lines and colors
     • Create a text box
     • Use the capture tool to collect images
     • Save your IW file to your S-drive as Practice
2. Time permitting we will use IW to capture some frames of a pivot animation and add text to describe what’s happening in your animation like a storyboard (view the float-away example)
   • Save your IW file to your S-drive as ‘Pivot’

- Part 4) Through?

1. Continue working on your pivot animation

Wednesday 11th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!
2. Discuss How to end class.  Remember, your most important grade every week comes from how well you follow these rules, so please continue to do the great job you have done so far!!!
3. Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)
   • Use this Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer to the question below (remember to use a complete sentence or sentences please!)
   • What do you think this picture is trying to show? (for example, what are the objects in the sky? Why are there so many of them?  Why are they changing?  What time of day is it? )
   •  

- Part 2) New

1. Yesterday’s completed warmups list (check for your name and yellow highlights)
   •  

     "February 7 is when our next full moon will occur.
     I think the blue and pink spot have to do with temperature."

2. Take the True Colors Inventory (view demo clip)
3. Introduce Thinking maps (Circle Map) which will tell me a little about you (view demo clip)
   • Center oval – Name (First and Last) and Class Period
   • 2nd Oval – Text and/or pictures which represent things which are important to you (this could be things like family, friends, fun, sports, hobbies, places, music, etc.)
   • Rectangle (frame) – Text and/or pictures which explain why those things are important to you and your true color (reasons why could include past experiences, role models, family,  friends, etc.)
   • Create a thinking map like this example (here’s a link to a larger view) and save it as Thinkmap1 in your S-drive
   • 

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete the True Colors Inventory 
   • Here’s a link to the inventory - remember to write down your results or capture them with IW (InterWrite) so you can enter them in the form
   • Enter your results in this form
   • See other famous people like you by clicking here
2. Use IW to begin creating a Thinking Map about you  and save your work as Thinkmap1 in your S-drive

- Part 4) Through?

1. Continue working on a Pivot animation

Thursday 12th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!
2. It will be much colder tonight!
   •  
3. Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)
   • Use this Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer to the question below (remember to use a complete sentence or sentences please!)
   • When and where is the UIL team field trip and how much will it cost?  The purpose of this warmup question is to get you used to using our public calendar.  To answer it, go to the Public Calendar at the top of the page, use the arrows to change the month to February, look for the event and click on it.  Try clicking on the map link to go to the event on Google Maps.
4. Once you’ve finished your warmup, checkout these links about yesterday’s warmup photo which was time-lapse photography of a lunar eclipse 
   • Information about lunar eclipses
   • Images and video about Lunar Eclipses
   • About time-lapse photography

- Part 2) New

1. View and discuss yesterday’s completed warmups list (discuss green and yellow highlights)
2. View and discuss our updated FAQs
3. View our True Colors by class period
4. Introduce logon to Gmail and how to access your Google Documents folder, where you can save your work and access it from any internet connection or smartphone (view screencast)
5. Discuss the Grading Rubric for your Thinkmap1 assignment which is due tomorrow! (tip: put your cursor on the image below and click on the hotspot to view a larger version of the image below!)
   • 
6. When it’s finished, save your IW Thinkmap1 as a Paint (jpg) file (view screencast) in your S-drive or on your desktop.  Tomorrow we will learn how to upload it to your Google Documents folder to be graded.

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Continue creating your Thinkmap1 assignment (which is due Tuesday!)

- Part 4) Through?

1. Continue working on a Pivot animation

Friday 13th: Monday is a holiday, so I’ll see you next Tuesday!

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!
2. Here’s a Gzaas message for you!
3. Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)
   • What, when and where was the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth (in °F)? You’ll have to look this one up on the net.  Remember to use complete sentences in your answer to receive full credit! 
   • Use the Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer
4. Review yesterday’s warmup (click on hotspot for full size view)
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. Daily Warmup Grade (2 pts per day/total of 10pts per week/complete sentences to get full credit!).  View completed warmups list (look for 4 dates – Jan 9, 10, 11 & 12; we will be adding the 5th date today)
2. Introduce the Weekly Reflections Form (you must write 3 complete sentences in each large block to receive full credit!)

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete our first Weekly Reflections Form
2. Complete any missing daily warmups (use our Daily Warm-up Form)
3. Continue creating your Thinkmap1 assignment (which is due Tuesday!)
4. View Friday Video Clips selection

- Part 4) Through?

1. Continue working on a Pivot animation (or other appropriate activity of your choosing)
2. Have a great weekend :)

Week of Dec 19th–Dec 21st

Highlights for the week:

• View the BMS Public Calendar for this weeks events!

Monday 19th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Here is the bell schedule for Today! 
   • 
2. Please check your reflection form grades, and if you are missing any, here are the links to complete them:
   • 3.7
   • 3.9
   • 3.10 (Thanks for all of the great comments and suggestions which most of you wrote in this form!  I enjoyed reading them very much :)
3. Check to make sure you have completed your Glog projects by logging on to your Glogster account… they take a while to grade, so I’ll be entering those over the holidays.  Here are the links to logon and to the project descriptions & examples (click the images to view the Glogs):
   • Glogster Logon
   • 
   • University Project Description Link
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. Good luck with your semester exams this week!
2. Explore this list of Holiday related sites and activities: Ferlazzo Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa.  If you find one you think others would like, please gmail me a link!

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete missing weekly reflections and add finishing touches to your Glog Projects (links in the Review section above)

- Part 4) Through?

1. Try this Create your own Snowflake activity

Tuesday 20th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Check your Gmail!
2. Here is the bell schedule for Today!
   • 
3. There’s a weather front moving through this morning and temperatures should begin to drop
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. Explore this list of Holiday related sites and activities: Ferlazzo Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa.  If you find one you think others would like, please gmail me a link!
2. Try this Shoebox holidays shoebox scene creator:
   • 

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete missing weekly reflections and add finishing touches to your Glog Projects; here are the forms links:
   • 3.7
   • 3.9
   • 3.10 (Thanks for all of the great comments and suggestions which most of you wrote in this form! I enjoyed reading them very much :)

- Part 4) Through?

Wednesday 21st: Last School Day of 2011!  You will attend your 1st and 2nd period classes ONLY today!

- Part 1) Review

1. Here is the bell schedule for Today!
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. View the Bear Essentials Videocast
2. View these National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 winning images

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Attend 1st period, then go to an assembly, and then attend your 2nd period classes (during which lunch will be served)

- Part 4) Through?

Week of Dec 12th–Dec 16th

Highlights for the week:

• View the BMS Public Calendar for this weeks events!

Monday 12th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Logon to your Gmail so the links below will work
2. Here’s the forecast for the week:
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. View this Glog of Penn State
   • 
2. Create an electronic poster or tour using any of these 3 resources
   • Glogster (5 zones – 1 per category)
     • Logon here: http://edu.glogster.com/login/
       • First Name+Last Initial+BMS
       • Your password is your lunch code
       • If you need to find your logon information again (click here)
   • Prezi (5 frames – 1 per category)
     • How to create your account
     • Logon here: http://prezi.com/login/
       • Use your Gmail address lunchcode@student.bisdtx.org
       • Your password should be the same as the one you use to logon to your Gmail
   • Google Presentation (2 slides per category– 10 slides total)

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Choose a college or university for your project.  Here are a couple of links to help you explore and choose your campus for this project: 
   • US Universities by State (thanks Austin!)
   • Index of American Universities – alphabetical order by name (thanks Esai!) 
2. Create a new Google Document to collect information in each of the following 5 categories (2pts per category). Make a copy of this template (click here) in the 103 Student Demo folder to collect your research information
   • 
   • 
   1. Name, Logo and school colors
   2. Historical information (wikipedia, campus website, etc.)
   3. Location (maps & streetviews)
   4. Multimedia (around the campus, famous buildings, landmarks)
      • images, audio clips, animations
   5. Favorites (what features made you choose your campus?)
3. Robotics Final Project Choice (click here to go to form)

- Part 4) Through?

1. View this Holiday Lights Show from around the World
   • 

Tuesday 13th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Discuss Missing Keyboard Keys
2. Check your Gmail!
3. Today is makeup picture day

- Part 2) New

1. Need to shorten a URL so it fits in your project better?  Try this one:  http://goo.gl/
2. View this Prezi version of the project
   • 

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Continue creating and enhancing your University Project! 
2. Extra Credit Opportunity! 
   • Replace your lowest grades by making your university project in a different version!
   • Example: If you used Glogster for your project, you can replace one lowest grade by making a Prezi and another by making a Google Presentation
   • Making additional versions should be much easier since you have already collected the materials for your original version!
3. Robotics Ideas 
   • Prezi video clips
   • Project NXT ideas 

- Part 4) Through?

1. Check out this Top 10 lists of 2011 Special from Time
   • 

Wednesday 14th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your laptop for damages and report them immediately!
2. Please check your Gmail for examples of all 3 Project Versions (and so the links below will work correctly!)

- Part 2) New

1. View and discuss the bell schedule for Friday
   • You will only be going to your 2nd and 6th period classes on Friday (due to testing)
   • Tomorrow (Thursday) my classes will be on a ‘Friday’ schedule since I won’t see most of you
2. Today is the last Project workday (although you will be able to work on it tomorrow during the videos)
   • 
3. View this example presentation version of this project
   • 

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Continue creating and enhancing your University Project!
2. Extra Credit Opportunity!
   • Replace your lowest grades by making your university project in a different version!
   • Example: If you used Glogster for your project, you can replace one lowest grade by making a Prezi and another by making a Google Presentation
   • Making additional versions should be much easier since you have already collected the materials for your original version!
3. Robotics Ideas
   • Prezi video clips
   • Project NXT ideas

- Part 4) Through?

1. Checkout these Christmas images from the Sacramento Bee
   • Apparently some of Santa’s helpers work under the North Pole!
   •  

Thursday 15th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Here’s the bell schedule for Tomorrow
2. Since most of you won’t have this class tomorrow, we’ll be doing our final reflections form today; there’s a link in Part 3 below (click on the piano keys to go to the form)
3. Check your Gmail
4. Here’s the forecast for today… temperatures will drop as the cold front moves through late this afternoon
   • 
5. Check your University project to make sure it contains these things: 
   1. Name, Logo and school colors
   2. Historical information (wikipedia, campus website, etc.)
   3. Location (maps & streetviews)
   4. Multimedia (around the campus, famous buildings, landmarks)
      • images, audio clips, animations
   5. Favorites (what features made you choose your campus?)

- Part 2) New

1. If you made a Prezi, make sure you send me the link so I can see it to grade it.  Click on the share button to find and copy the link, and then paste it in a gmail to me.
   • 
   • 
2. If you made a Google Presentation, make sure you drag it into your Gdoc 103 Student folder so I can see it!

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete 3.10 Final Weekly Reflections Form!
   • 
2. Continue creating and enhancing your University Project!
3. Extra Credit Opportunity!
   • Replace your lowest grades by making your university project in a different version!
   • Example: If you used Glogster for your project, you can replace one lowest grade by making a Prezi and another by making a Google Presentation
   • Making additional versions should be much easier since you have already collected the materials for your original version!

- Part 4) Through?

1. Elf Caroling Creations: too much fun!  http://www.zefrank.com/xmas/
   • 
   • Here are some examples:
     • http://www.zefrank.com/xmas/pickup.html?ref=10312452
     • http://www.zefrank.com/xmas/pickup.html?ref=78012452

Friday 16th: Today you will only be attending your 2nd and 5th period classes!

- Part 1) Review

1. Here’s the bell schedule for Today and here are the bell schedules for Monday and Tuesday of next week 
2. Your testing room assignments will be posted in the cafeteria (and possibly elsewhere)!

- Part 2) New

1. Good luck with your Math Testing today!

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Take the Math/Algebra practice test during 2nd period
2. Review for Monday’s Science test during 5th period 
3. Attend the school dance (or remain in 5th period)

- Part 4) Through?

1. Check out the NORAD tracks Santa Website
• NORAD Santa G+ page
• NORAD Santa Games Page

Dec 5th–Dec 9th

Highlights for the week:

• View the BMS Public Calendar for this weeks events!

Monday 5th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your Gmail and view the following forecast for the week:
2. 

- Part 2) New

1. View these images of Critters caught on a High Speed Camera, many of which were used as Pivot animation backgrounds last year
   • 
2. Introduce our first Glog project which we will work together on all week: 3.8 Positive Personality

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Choose a personality trait to explore from this list:
   • 
   • Use the resources in the Key Sites: Words section on the right panel of this Blog to help you choose and understand your word
2. Create a Gdoc named with your word as the title and move it into your Gdocs 103 Student Folder
   • Please share it with me so I can help you with the document if you need it
   • Collect links, word lists and notes and save them on your document to use on your Glog.  Here’s my example (I embedded mine on my Glog)
   • 
3. Create a new Glog named Positive Personality
   • You will need to use the resources in the Key Sites: Words section on the right panel of this Blog to help you create your Glog
4. Today we will work on setting up the wall and page wall of our new Glog and in areas 1 (Title) and 2 (Definitions) of this template: 
   • 
   • Here’s an example Glog following the template above:
   •  

- Part 4) Through?

1. Check out these Winter Images
   • 

Tuesday 6th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your Gmail
2. It’s supposed to be 25 degrees tomorrow morning, so be prepared for…
   •  
3. Test this link for today:  http://goo.gl/4HjeJ

- Part 2) New

1. View this project overview Prezi and discuss questions regarding project zones 1, 2 & 3 (which we are starting today)
   • The Prezi has all of the links and example images you need for your project
   • If you had problems with the link in the review section above, try this one: http://prezi.com/xi4qhyouoyjv/positive-personality-glogster-project/?auth_key=f6f277651bfc7b3c69134af256e9535af53ff63f

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Research Synonyms & Antonyms for zone 3 of the Positive Personality Project 
   • Use this link to Thesaurus.com and replace the letters in green with your word … with no space after the /

     http://thesaurus.com/browse/ your word

2. Add your Synonyms & Antonyms to your Gdoc Notes and then copy and paste them in the Wordle Create window at this link: 
   • http://www.wordle.net/create
3. Here’s my example Glog using  ‘Empathy’
   • http://mercer432.edu.glogster.com/positive-personality-template/
   • 

- Part 4) Through?

1. If you think it’s cold here today, check out these images of a Winter Storm from Dec of last year!

Wednesday 7th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Please check your Gmail!
2. Here’s the forecast for the next few days:
   • 

- Part 2) New

1. View this project overview Prezi and discuss questions regarding project zones 4 & 5 (which we are starting today)
   • The Prezi has all of the links and example images you need for your project

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Remember to save links to the materials you use in your Glog to your Gdoc notes file so you can recover them if you have problems saving your Glog!
2. Research quotes and sentences using your word for zone 4 and add them to your Glog 
   • You can include a sentence about why you chose that personality trait or why it’s important to you
   • Add links to your source material
   • Use the quotes resources in the Words section links on the right side panel of this Blog
3. Enhance your Glog with additional text, images, graphics and animations
   • Engage your audience!
   • Here’s my example Glog: http://mercer432.edu.glogster.com/positive-personality-template/
   • 

- Part 4) Through?

1. Check out these images of enormous Christmas Trees
2. …and our own Austin Zilker Tree
   • 

Thursday 8th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Check your Gmail for a Gzaas message and a Fur.ly Link!
2. Your project Glog is due TOMORROW!

- Part 2) New

1. You must save your glog as ‘Finished’ in order for me to see and grade it!
2. Use Windows Sound Recorder (start/programs/accessories/sound recorder) to record your definition and then upload it to your Glog
3. View Citebite:  http://citebite.com/ 
4. View Furly:  http://fur.ly/

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. 3.8 Project Grading – 2 pts per zone / 5 zones / 10 points possible (or 14 with extra credit)
   • Extra Credit options!  These must be on your Glog and must work correctly to count!
     • link to your Gdoc notes (+1 point)
     • record and upload an audio definition using windows sound recorder, Audacity, or Aviary (+1 point)
     • animated GIF which you created (+1 point)
     • 3 links to other websites or information about your word (+1 point)
2. Try this link which contains 6 sites for you to use today! 
   • http://fur.ly/0/GlogTools
3. Research, capture and upload images related to your word for zone 5
   • include links to the source material for your images
   • Experiment with frames
4. Here’s my finished Project Glog Example:  http://mercer432.edu.glogster.com/positive-personality-template/  
   •  
   • …and here’s the template again if you need it:
   • 

- Part 4) Through?

1. View the 50 best inventions of 2010 (according to Time Magazine)

Friday 9th:

- Part 1) Review

1. Check your Gmail for a deep link to example student project Glogs!

- Part 2) New

1. Complete the 3.9 Weekly Reflections from this week
2. Please save your Glog as ‘Finished’ (no matter what state it is in!)
•  
• Extra Credit options! These must be on your Glog and must work correctly to count!
• link to your Gdoc notes (+1 point)
• record and upload an audio definition using windows sound recorder, Audacity, or Aviary (+1 point)
• animated GIF which you created (+1 point)
• 3 links to other websites or information about your word (+1 point)

- Part 3) Do - Today students will…

1. Complete your 3.8 Positive Personality Project
• Remember to save it as ‘Finished’! 

- Part 4) Through?

1. Check out some of the student Glogs from this Week!