308 Today: Week7: Oct 8th

Highlights for the week:

View the BMS Public Calendar for this weeks events!
Tip: Use ctrl+F and enter the date (like 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) to jump quickly to the Blog entry for today!
Some notes for Parents/Guardians who view this Blog:
- Everything we do in this class is listed on this Blog (so students who are absent can easily find what they’ve missed and even complete it while they are absent!)
- Nearly every assignment can be completed at home or anywhere with an internet connection (use the Paint program rather than ‘Interwrite’ where you see it on this Blog)
- Friday’s are makeup days so students who have trouble completing assignments have this extra time every week to get caught up!
- You can see examples of every project we do at this Public Examples Folder Link

Monday 8th:

- Part 1) Review (click-to-comment)

Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!

If you did not complete the Weekly Reflections Form last Friday because you were absent or forgot, please complete it so I can raise your grade! Here’s the link again to complete it:

https://docs.google.com/a/bisdtx.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDFLSWZhNWRNX3R2YTNpMmJLZW9CLVE6MA#gid=0

There’s a Pep Rally tomorrow, so the bell schedule will be different :)

Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)

Checkout these amazing pumpkin carvings and tell me the number of your favorite and what you liked about it in your warmup for today

Here’s a link to a larger version: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Warmups/Pumpkins.png

Here’s a sentence starter (or you can choose your own): I liked ___ because ___

Daily Warmup Response: Use the Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer

Here are the results form the Weekly Reflections Form last Friday

- Part 2) New (click-to-comment)

New click-to-comments (blue is new!): http://goo.gl/iA4mC

It’s that time of year where you start seeing a lot of pumpkins around, so…

Let’s try this virtual pumpkin carving activity: http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/

Create a new Interwrite file called Fun to capture 3 of your creations (here some ideas):

After you finish each carving, copy the address for your creation, add the address to your IW file by your carving.

Looks like some other people had the same idea…

Create an email group for all of your teachers

Send them a link to your favorite virtual pumpkin carving (which should be saved in your IW Fun file) and a link to the virtual pumpkin carving site so they can try to make one themselves!

Here’s some text which you can copy and paste in your email (or you can write your own)

Hello, my name is ___ and I’m sending you this email for practice. Here’s a link to a virtual pumpkin carving which I made: ____ and here’s a link to the site where you can try it yourself: http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/ Would you reply to this email to let me know you received it? Thanks and have a nice day!

Here’s a no-audio video clip on how to make an email group (You’ll probably need to pause the video after each step): https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Video%20Tutorials/How2%20add%20new%20group%20to%20Gmail%20Contacts.mp4

Here’s a list of all of your teacher’s email addresses (if one is missing, please let me know and I’ll add it): https://docs.google.com/a/bisdtx.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlJ3MHR052StdDItdEtrT2RGblRodUpwTXhDRjgwM1E#gid=0

Here’s a preview of what we will be starting soon!

- Part 3) Do - Today students will… (click-to-comment)

Create 3 pumpkin carving designs at the virtual pumpkin carving site: http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/

Save all 3 and the links to view them in an IW file called Fun in ‘My Documents’

Create an email group called ‘My Teachers’ and add all of your teachers names

Here’s the video demo clip link again:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Video%20Tutorials/How2%20add%20new%20group%20to%20Gmail%20Contacts.mp4

Send your teachers group an email with a link to your favorite carving (directions above)

- Part 4) Through? (click-to-comment)

Checkout this Box Tops for Education site and try to win some support for our school!

http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/bonus/Default.aspx

Here’s a site with tips on Pumpkin Carving: http://www.pumpkin-carving.com/

Tuesday 9th:

- Part 1) Review (click-to-comment)

Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!

Check your gmail for replies from your teachers

If you got a reply, use click to comment to let me know (include your name please!)

Today were on the Pep Rally Bell Schedule: view the bell schedule here

Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)

At the link below, find your favorite USA Google Doodle from this year, click on it, copy the link and paste it in the warmup form for today. Paste ONLY the address (no text) so I can click on it later!

http://www.google.com/doodles/finder/2012/United%20States

Here’s an example of one I liked (you can play soccer with it!): http://www.google.com/doodles/soccer-2012

Daily Warmup Response: Use the Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer

- Part 2) New (click-to-comment)

New click-to-comments (blue is new!): http://goo.gl/iA4mC

Checkout our new BMS TV Pep Rally Slide (created using the tools below)

Introduce 308 Today Custom Wordle Creator

Open the file at this link: https://docs.google.com/a/bisdtx.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlJ3MHR052StdFEyRmtFNGlLTjJ5VkYwQWR5dlItb0E#gid=0

Make a copy of it for your own use. Here’s how:

Use this tool to create a new Top Box Wordle and add it to a new page of your 1 Wordle IW collection. Here’s a link to a video demo of how to do this:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Video%20Tutorials/How2%20use%20308%20Today%20Advanced%20%28top%20box%29%20Wordle%20Creator.mp4

Next, create a new Bottom Box Wordle and add it to the new page of your 1 Wordle IW collection. Here’s a link to a video demo of how to do this:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Video%20Tutorials/How2%20use%20308%20Today%20Advanced%20%28bottom%20box%29%20Wordle%20Creator.mp4

Here’s a link to some cheers and chants you can use to make Pep Rally Wordles (or you can use your own words): http://cheerleading.about.com/lr/cheers_and_chants/351848/1/

- Part 3) Do - Today students will… (click-to-comment)

Create 2 new Pep Rally Wordles using the 308 Today Custom Wordle Creator. They should look something like this:

Label them Top Box and Bottom Box and add arrows (like this example)

Collect your 4 best Wordles (that you created) on one Interwrite page, save them to Paint as 1 Wordle (jpg file on your desktop!) and upload them to your 103 Student Folder in Google Drive to complete this assignment! It should look something like this:

…and here’s what mine looks like in the 103 Student Demo Folder: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B1J3MHR052StRFgyM2pXWFBVZUU/edit

- Part 4) Through? (click-to-comment)

Checkout more Doodles from the archive

http://www.google.com/doodles/finder/2012/All%20doodles

Wednesday 10th:

- Part 1) Review (click-to-comment)

Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!

Here’s what your 103 student folder should look like after today:

Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)

In your warmup form for today, please tell me at least one thing that you like about technology. Here are several things that I like about teaching it:

I like learning as much as I can about it and sharing what I’ve learned with as many people as I can who are interested in it too

I like seeing and hearing students helping each other with tech

I like it when students do more than is required (like adding extra images, sending me links and ideas, or completing work on their own time from home or wherever!)

Here’s a sentence starter (or you can choose your own): I like ___

Daily Warmup Response: Use the Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer

- Part 2) New (click-to-comment)

New click-to-comments (blue is new!): http://goo.gl/iA4mC

Introduce Tagxedo

Here’s a link to Tagxedo: http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

Experiment with the settings on the create page example

Try the Bastrop Bears Football Helmet Challenge! Here’s a video clip demo of how to complete the challenge: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Video%20Tutorials/How2%20make%20Tagxedo%20Bastrop%20Helmet.mp4

Here’s an example which I made by uploading a football helmet shape:

I used the following to make the helmet word cloud above:

Helmet shape: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/197021/Tagxedo/helmet.jpg

BMS Football Website Address: http://www.bastropbears.org/BastropJrHigh.html

Custom color theme: 'Maroon' 400005 300C0F 2A0003 2B0407 1C0103 590006

Here’s another Tagxedo Image idea:

Try the Pumpkin Carving original site again

http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/

If the site works at school, try adding 2 more pumpkin carvings to your Fun IW file

- Part 3) Do - Today students will… (click-to-comment)

Complete yesterday’s assignment to Collect your 4 best Wordles (that you created) on one Interwrite page, save them to Paint as 1 Wordle (jpg file on your desktop or in ‘My Documents’!) and upload them to your 103 Student Folder in Google Drive to complete this assignment! It should look something like this:

Here’s what mine looks like in the 103 Student Demo Folder: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B1J3MHR052StRFgyM2pXWFBVZUU/edit

Add a Tagxedo custom shape to your Fun IW collection

Here’s a link to Tagxedo: http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

Add 2 new carvings to your Fun IW collection using the following site (if it works)

http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/

- Part 4) Through? (click-to-comment)

Checkout more Doodles from the archive

http://www.google.com/doodles/finder/2012/All%20doodles

Thursday 11th:

- Part 1) Review (click-to-comment)

Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!

Daily Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)

Check your email for a link to a folder called Resource for some shapes for today’s assignment. In your warmup tell me either Yes I got it or No, I didn’t get it. (Click on Tagxedo in step 3 to see the shapes)

Here’s a sentence starter (or you can choose your own): Yes I got it or No, I didn’t get it

Daily Warmup Response: Use the Daily Warm-up Form to record your answer

- Part 2) New (click-to-comment)

New click-to-comments (blue is new!): http://goo.gl/iA4mC

Completed and uploaded 1 Wordle assignments list:

Here are some examples of your work (click here for full screen view)

Use Gzaas to create a Name shape (simple black & white works best) to upload to Tagxedo and then add some examples to your 1 Wordle IW file

Here’s a link to Gzaas: http://gzaas.com/QgxVI

Here’s a link to Tagxedo: http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

- Part 3) Do - Today students will… (click-to-comment)

Complete the assignment to Collect your 4 best Wordles (that you created) on one Interwrite page, save them to Paint as 1 Wordle (jpg file on your desktop or in ‘My Documents’!) and upload them to your 103 Student Folder in Google Drive to complete this assignment! It should look something like this:

Here’s what mine looks like in the 103 Student Demo Folder: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B1J3MHR052StRFgyM2pXWFBVZUU/edit

Add a Tagxedo custom name shape to your 1 Wordle IW collection

Here’s a link to Tagxedo: http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

Add 2 new carvings to your Fun IW collection using the following site (if it works)

http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/

- Part 4) Through? (click-to-comment)

Explore your new resources folder

https://docs.google.com/a/student.bisdtx.org/folder/d/0B1J3MHR052StNzZhNzI5ZGYtMWY2Yy00MDJiLWFmNDUtODgxZjNjYzM1MGQ1/edit#

Friday 12th: Folder checks every Friday!

- Part 1) Review (click-to-comment)

Please check your laptop for damages and report problems to me!

Here’s what your 103 student folder should look like:

Friday Warmup Activity (2min timer if necessary – no talking while you complete your warmup please!)

Please complete the Weekly Reflections Form for this week! Please write 3 complete sentences in the big blocks of the form to get full credit!

Friday Warmup Response: https://docs.google.com/a/bisdtx.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEdJSGprVWtoVHJmQUI4X0FfWFpqUmc6MA#gid=0

- Part 2) New (click-to-comment)

New click-to-comments (blue is new!): http://goo.gl/iA4mC

Folder checks for 1 Wordle Assignment which is due today (I will grade them this weekend)!

Updated files upload from yesterday: please upload jpg files instead of gwb files and make sure they are named 1 Wordle

Here’s how to rename a file:

Here are some great examples which were uploaded yesterday:

- Part 3) Do - Today students will… (click-to-comment)

Complete the assignment to Collect your 4 best Wordles (that you created) on one Interwrite page, save them to Paint as 1 Wordle (jpg file on your desktop or in ‘My Documents’!) and upload them to your 103 Student Folder in Google Drive to complete this assignment! It should look something like this:

Here’s what mine looks like in the 103 Student Demo Folder: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B1J3MHR052StRFgyM2pXWFBVZUU/edit

Here are the links you might need to complete the assignment

Wordle Advanced: http://www.wordle.net/advanced

Gzaas: http://gzaas.com/QgxVI

Tagxedo: http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html

Watch the Friday video collection

- Part 4) Through? (click-to-comment)

Checkout this cool Exploratorium website

http://www.exploratorium.edu/