UpsideDown Academy: Become your own teacher - an Exhibition Project

Sorry for the bare bones posting here but I'm a little tired.  Here's what we'll be doing.

1. Introduce the project - more info in Ms. Negash's class
1. Video Unit 1, the basics
2. Small Films
1. ShamWOW!U - starts tomorrow
2. UpsideDown Math - starts in 6 lessons or so
2. Discuss the concept of Teaching and Learning
1. Who are you as a LEARNER?
2. Who do you need as a TEACHER?
3. Today's exploration: Learning Styles
• http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/stylest.html
• http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/styleres.html

https://docs.google.com/a/envisionacademy.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE9Sa3ROalpmWGFJazEwYjRYU1ppd3c6MQ

• http://www.open2.net/survey/learningstyles/
• http://www.open2.net/survey/learningstyles/

• http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz
• http://www.edutopia.org/your-learning-styles
• http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-introduction

Reflecting on your website

We will start the day with a discussion.  

When finished, and instructed to do so, click the link below and complete the reflection survey.  If you don't finish you may finish later (by clicking the link IN THE EMAIL YOU ARE SENT WHEN YOU SUBMIT IT.)

https://docs.google.com/a/envisionacademy.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE1vQjZZalRLWVdraW1UaVlKZDg2QWc6MQ

DUE DATES? How’s about TODAY!

PAST DUE: 

• Cover
• Introduction - 250 words
• Blank space for Preface
• 5+ Narrative pages w/ 2+ photos each
• 15 Photos total
• About the author - 3 solid paragraphs
• Logo - Photoshopped and uploaded

TODAY: All final navigation and design 

• Add Forward and Back links to all pages but cover (Forward only)
• Remove left side navigation
• Tastefully change fonts, colors, layouts
• ADD any additional EXTRA CREDIT items (see blog: Web Requirements)

ALL WEBSITES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY END OF CLASS TODAY

STAYING ON TASK for the Untold Voices website

SOPA, PIPA, Cha Cha Cha!

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Staying on top of your daily work is the only way to be successful in this or any project.  We assign deadlines in order to help keep you on track but, ultimately, and in life, YOU are in control of meeting them.

Due at the end of THIS CLASS: Your photos uploaded to picasaweb.google.com/home
Due at the end of FRIDAY'S CLASS: Your Introduction and your About the Author pages
Due ALL CLASS, EVERY CLASS: Your honest attempt to work to the best of your ability

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Today's Agenda

1. Changing colors & fonts
2. Changing layouts
3. Making a logo in Photoshop
4. Work time

Today we will learn some of the more advanced capabilities you can do with google sites but REMEMBER the only way to truly LEARN these skills is by applying them and experimenting with the tools.

Untold Voices Website Requirements

• If your transcript is not done then for gosh sake do THAT!
• If your transcript has been shared then here is your task list for the PROJECT

1. Upload your photos to your school photo sharing site by following this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/home
1. John will demonstrate this today
2. Your photos will be graded at the END OF NEXT CLASS (Weds/Thurs)
3. You must SHARE the album with John and Trevor in order to get credit
4. You need a minimum of 50 photos in your album unless TREVOR tells John otherwise
2. Create your Untold Voice website @: https://sites.google.com/a/envisionacademy.org and share it with John & Trevor
1. NAME YOUR SITE EXACTLY THIS WAY: Untold Voices: An Oral History of Firstname Lastnameofyoursubject
1. If you are part of a group you must add an extra character to the URL (NOT to the website name)
2. Your site must contain the following [at a minimum]
1. An introduction of no less than 250 words 
• [1-2 pages  &  1+ photo(s) per page]
2. A placeholder for the Preface
• To Be Supplied by Trevor
3. Your oral history of no less than 500 words 
• [no less than 5 pages &  2+ photos per page -  a minimum of 15 photos must be included on your site)]
4. Your About the Author page 
• [1 page maximum & 1+ photo(s)]
5. A reflection on the process to be assigned by Trevor & John 
• [1 page minimum]
6. A unique color scheme that is simple and tasteful - it must NOT use THEMES or TEMPLATES (you MUST do it all yourself) and it must not distract from the text or photos
7. A Photoshopped LOGO - DO THIS SECOND TO LAST
8. Full "Book Like" navigation, as you were taught through the exemplar- DO THIS LAST

• Meeting all the requirements in step TWO will get you a "B" in Digital Literacy IF:
• Your use your best effort
• The pages have ZERO typographical errors
• You turn the entire site in by Friday, January 27th, 2012
• [to meet this deadline you must complete an average of 1 1/2 pages per class plus do the  Photoshop and design work]

• To get an "A"you must do some combination of the following:
• John will demonstrate fonts, colors, advanced layouts and Photoshop NEXT class
• Use photoshop for more than just the logo - you may get IDEAS from the templates but you cannot use the templates themselves.
• Use an advanced layout that goes beyond the 'single box' of the blank template
• Create additional pages detailing something beyond your transcription
•  Resources appropriate to your subject's story [i.e. resources for gay teens would work for our example story]
• More background on your subject or their story [i.e. historical information, maps, and other explanatory material)

If you need to reference Trevor's original assignment it can be found here: https://docs.google.com/a/envisionacademy.org/open?id=1iThlU1nlBsucx1SGaOe5_s--6NrKyFbngn_Ts0HUnp4l-BgwScH-oy6DFPCM

The exemplar website for the Untold Voices project can be viewed here: "They Don't Understand" an Untold Voices webBook

Finish your work, be nice to Rachel!

Hello kids!  I'm resting - you need to be WORKING!

Here is what you need to be doing:

1. FINISH your “About the Author” page on your personal website.
2. FINISH transcribing your oral history interview for TREVOR
3. POLISH the three OTHER pages on your personal website
4. Other schoolwork if you are finished with all of this
1. Show Rachel everything above before you choose to do this.

WEB: Starting our "Untold Voices" Site

Purpose:

• I will Condense all three of my personal pages into one, third person, “about the author page” containing THREE-FIVE SOLID PARAGRAPHS
• This page must be PERFECT - I will make sure all spelling and grammar is correct
• If finished I will continue to improve my personal sight

Steps:

1. Make a 4th page titled About the Author
2. Take the BEST information from your three existing pages and put it on the new page (you need three to five solid paragraphs)
3. Change the tense to third person
1. “John was born on July 18th, 1960, in Berkeley, CA, and is a 5th generation Californian.”
4. Make the new page (and the whole site if you wish) look like how you want your Untold Voices website to look like (this is your prototype)
5. Have John review the new page
6. If finished early finish transcription or continue to make personal site better (using Photoshop, color & font settings, etc...)

Basic Web Design: Day Two

READ THIS before beginning...

Your grades are posted on the wall and live on PowerSchool.  Many of you did great - and many of you did not.

• If you think something is wrong with your grade then check with John.  
• If you have either no pictures or no text you got an NC.  
• I will not change your grade unless it is marked with an "M" on the FAR RIGHT ASSIGNMENT COLUMN of the posted grades (or I made a mistake).

If you have an NC today you must attend MST on Tuesday or receive a Referral. I will only check in About Me's during MST.

There are some common problems that lowered your grades and that you need to correct on the About Me page and avoid on the other pages:

1. You must spell everything correctly
2. You must use proper grammar
3. You MUST use INSERT>IMAGE to put images on your site
4. You must pay attention to the aesthetics of the page (how it looks)
1. The words must wrap smoothly around the images and not have too many or inappropriate spaces or line breaks
5. NOTE: If you did a spectacular job on the content (hi Desi and Yasmine!) you might have received an "A" but if there are technical problems with spelling and grammar (hi again Yasmine & Desi) you will still need to fix them.
6. Big ups to Mario for a solid A-!

Today's Task is to complete your My Interests page  

• Complete your My Interests page BEFORE your do any corrections on any other pages.   
• If you finish early and both your About Me and your My Interests pages are PERFECT then begin on the My Dreams page.

If you are done with all three (John can tell you if you are finished) then you can work on Trevor's work or you can get advance instruction on changing the site design to make your pages 'fancier'!

Good luck and get crackin'!

Welcome to Semester TWO!

Welcome back!
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Now, do the warmup by clicking this link!

If you want to learn more about the technical history and workings of the internet I highly recommend you watch this cool animated short film: "History of the Internet" on VIMEO

The exemplar website for the Untold Voices project can be viewed here: "They Don't Understand" an Untold Voices webBook