That Was Easy!

Wow, we have made it to the last week of the semester before finals!! If you look back on the semester, you have accomplished many, many tasks in this class. . .and all of them were accomplished w/o stress. Right?

This week, we are finishing the social justice movies and completing Taskstream. I will also check anyone off who has finished the iMovie proficiency.

Social Justice Movies: Today, Monday, would be a good day to stay late or work during university hour as, according to the schedule, there aren't any classes in this lab. Tuesday seems to be fairly full. What I expect on Wednesday is a version of your movie that we could show to the class. You do not need to stress the storyboard or pitch so much, as I understand time is very limited. However, please complete the evaluation of your group/yourself (if you worked alone) and submit it as a Word file on WebCT.


Taskstream: I have uploaded student samples under the Portfolio Assignment tab. Please use them as a model of what good narratives should look like. If you have any questions, bring them up Monday or Wednesday in class.

iMovie Prociciency: If you have been checked off by me, go to the assignments and simply add a text note that I checked you off and submit. I don't need the movies on WebCT, but you should upload them to Taskstream.

Please leave a comment that you understand the last two assignments and tell me about your favorite assignment this semester. . .

Happy Thanksliving (through the semester)

I hope everyone had a decent holiday week(end). I more than had my fill of the bird and trimmings. . .
As of 9:51 p.m. on Sunday, November 26, 2006, I have officially graded EVERYTHING . . . to include resubmissions. Please check your grades and your assignments to see if you have all of your grades, or anything that needs to be resubmitted . . .Quickly. I don't expect much more of a window of opportunity for any resubmitted work.

A few notes:

Social Justice Movies: I need your group and your topic ASAP. . .your topic needs to be approved by me.

Task Stream: When Sue Ritchie went over TPE 14, #1 the first week of November, you were to write and finish your narrative for NETS 1. . .30 people have not done so . . .which is not good news. If you submitted the narrative, you should have received feedback from Sue.
Task Stream Artifacts: Everything should be uploaded and there should be an appropriate title and a minimum one-sentence explanation of exactly what the artifact is!

This week: You will be working on your iMovies, iMovie Software Proficiency, and your Task Stream Narratives. . .The narratives, and the accompanying artifacts, must be complete in order to receive a grade for this course!! I will be providing student samples of each NETS-T when you show me that you have uploaded most of your artifacts.

I can't believe so many people either don't like poetry or do not have a favorite poem. Okay, for this week's comment, how about a favorite quote? If you don't have one, you can google famous quotes and fake it. My current favorite quote if from Martin Luther King Jr. . .

"We begin to die the day we are silent about things that matter."

What matters to you?

11.2 Million Dollars. . .Take that, Cancer!

That is the amount of money that this year's 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk in San Diego raised!! I had to rush home from Boston to ensure that I could make the closing ceremonies. I know this isn't about technology, but I couldn't help but take a minute to let everyone know that relationships are so much more important than anything I can teach you on a computer.

This week: I want to see how you did w/your task stream narratives. I also made two new assignments available, the EdTechProfile final assessment and a web page evaluation. If we have time, I will introduce you to iMovie on Wed.

Journal 10: Last one, and it's optional for extra credit. Feel free to choose any article from the latest issue of L&L, which you should have received!!

To esure that you read this, please leave a comment and let me know what your all-time favorite poem is . . .if you have one. I would probably have to say IF, by Rudyard Kipling is my favorite.

Why Didn't the Skeleton Cross the Road? *

Happy Halloween Eve! I'm sure most of you can't wait to put on those costumes and go out to collect some candy (Or perhaps it's just my daughters?). Anyway, we are moving into week 10 of the semester. Can you believe that you are 2/3 through the semester?

Last week: the copyright and Inspiration/Kidspiration assignments were due. The copyright assignments are graded! You also began your Photoshop assignment. Hopefully, you were able to finish the Photoshop part of the "My Credo" assignment, and are moving into writing your text.

Due This Week: Filamentality is due Tuesday as are your scanned "Statement of Own Work". Also, the Photoshop project is due Friday.

This week's projects: We will have a gallery walk w/the Inspiration projects, finish your Photoshop assignment, work on the Excel Spreadsheet Assignment (posted), and upload work to Task Stream!! You can also keep up with your journals. . .

Journal Entry 9: "Adventures in Electronic Constructivism", by Maureen Brown Yoder. Volume 34 #1, page 24.

As per the last two weeks, please leave a comment as to the fact that you read the blog. Also, please tell me your all-time favorite teacher movie. . .I don't know if I have a favorite, but Dead Poet's Society left quite an impression on me.
*He didn't have the guts!!!!! hahahaha

I'm hearing voices inside my Radiohead. Are You?

You have officially crossed over. . .into the second half of the semester;-0 Congratulations. Hopefully, everyone had a relaxing weekend and no one was having trouble finding the inspiration to go on (or at least finish the Inspiration assignment, which is due today).
In a strange twist of deja vu, I will introduce Filamentality on Monday. For Wed, please bring a photograph (in a digital format) of yourself for the Photoshop project. If any one day is important to be in class (and I firmly believe all of them are) it's this WEDNESDAY. I am going to go over Photoshop. . .there are no specific written directions on how to use the program, only the assignment. PLEASE ENSURE YOU ARE IN CLASS ON WEDNESDAY with your digital photograph. I created the picture on this blog entry using Photoshop. . .it is an amazing program.

Journal Entry #8: On the first page of the ISTE webpage, under the What's New column, you will discover that Google has announced a new education portal. Click on this link, read the introduction and discuss at least four of the products listed on the left. You can give a brief summary of what the Google education portal is and then, instead of questions, you can individual review/analyze your four products (avoid Blogger, as you are all already familiar!!. . .learn something new). You can also sign-up to receive the Google Teacher Newsletter.

Similarly to last week, please leave a comment that you read and understand this week's blog entry!! It lets me know who is still awake at the end of my entry ;-)

Is Reading FUNdamental?

This is my oldest daughter, Zoe, and her friend Abbey. It made me appreciate her kindergarten/fist grade teacher sooo much. . .
We are working on perhaps the hardest assigment of the semester. . .practicing our free will upon Inspiration/Kidspiration. . .I am always amazed by the difficulty that this project holds. . .It says a lot to me about how our standard curriculum is set up. . .If we don't have a step-by-step plan of how to complete an assignment, we are often lost. . .It's okay. . .you will be fine.


Journal Entry 7: "Webquests in WonderLand", Volume 30, Issue 1, page22, by Paul Aldridge. . .should relate to our Filamentality assignment. . .

DUE THIS WEEK: Journals 1—5 and the Copyright Assignment. . .

AS a test, please leave a comment on this blog that your recieved this week's instructions . . .Thanks.
jeff

Where the Pyramids made of Rubrics?

PHEW. . .I am now officially caught up with all of the grading so far. . .check for returned newsletters and log on to Task Stream to see my feedback. . .there were a number of generous graders out there who gave peer newsletters a 5 when there were problems that needed to be fixed. . .grading is not an easy task when creativity and personal opinions of the person assessing are involved. . .
However, for the most part, the newsletters were AWESOME!!!!! I published a number of amazing newsletter and could have published many more . . .if you need to fix your newsletter, you should be able to resubmit through the assignment tab. . .please don't email.

This week: Now that you have had some practice grading w/a rubric it is time for you to "play teacher" and grade your peers' PowerPoint assignments. Everyone should bring two copies of her/his rubric to class Monday. We will also be upload all of our assignments so far to Task Stream. On Wednesday, we will be introduced to Inspiration/Kidspiration and you will have a fun assignment getting to learn the software.

JOURNALS: We are on #6, which starts the second round of journal writing; however, they stay ON THE SAME BLOG!!! You can put the same link to your journals 6-10 assignment as you did for journals 1 - 5.

Journal #6: Comes from the latest issue of L&L, which everyone should have received by now. "Wikipedia: Ban It or Boost It?", by Doug Johnson. . .the first question you will need to ask yourself is, "What is Wikipedia?". . .if you don't know by now—you should. . .we'll discuss this issue further in class.

Is everyone keeping up? Are you asking me for help? Are you asking your Peers for help (using the discussion board)? Are you working together? Are you coming to class?
I am convinced that if you just come to class, I can ensure that you can do everything assigned. . .if you don't come. . .not so much