Monday, October 17, 2011

Diigo It!

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Today's Learning Target:  

  • I can research a variety of non-print textual information and media to cite strong and thorough evidence relating to my designated topic area to support analysis of what the textual material says explicitly. (CCR - 11.RIT.1)
Today' Activities/Updates:
  • Walk the Wiki quiz will be tomorrow.  Continue to familiarize yourself with all aspects of the Flat Classroom Project 11-3 Wiki, as you will also begin editing and adding information to your respective team page tomorrow. 
  • Today is all about research and finding information about your specific Topic (the number) and Subtopic (the letter) and bookmarking to the Diigo Flat Classroom Group.
    • Use key words about your topic and subtopic to search the internet for current information.
    • You may find useful internet search tips here.
    • When you find an article, image, etc. that is beneficial to explaining your topic/subtopic, use your Diigo toolbar in FireFox to bookmark it, using the appropriate tags.
  • Steps for bookmarking:
    • Click "bookmark" in your toolbar and you will see this
    • Add a 1-2 sentence description of the article or website you are bookmarking in the description box.
    • For tags, be sure to enter mcahs-diigo so that I may find it as your project Diigo assignment
    • You will need to add additional tags based on your specific Topic and Subtopic.  The tags for each can be found here - the Tagging Standards for the project.
    • Under "More Options" click on "Share to Group"
    • Click blue arrow drop-down and select "Flat Classroom Project"
    • Click "Save"
  • You need to bookmark a minimum of five sources today.
  • To be safe (in case you haven't tagged correctly) when you are finished with the assignment, email me a link to your Diigo profile and I will be able to see your individual bookmarks in once place.  
  • In other words, if you go to your name at the top of the page and click your user name, then go to your profile like this
          
          you will then see your profile listing your bookmarks.  Copy the url on this page and email to 
          me.  Mine would be http://www.diigo.com/profile/nesticos.



Thursday, October 13, 2011

RSS and PLE

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Today's Learning Targets:
  • Integrate & evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media formats, as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. (CCR - 11.RIT.7)
  • Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively. (CCR - 11.W.8)
  • Learn how to effectively manage, consume, use and respond to so much information.
Vocabulary:  RSS (Real Simple Syndication), PLE (Personal Learning Environment), synchronous communication and asynchronous communication

Today's Activities:

Watch RSS in Plain English by Common Craft


**You do not need to do this in Google Reader first, instead - Create your start page/iGoogle page in your MCA Google account (Log into your email, click on "More" on top.  Click on "Even More" and then click on iGoogle)

  • Play with the page a bit and remove widgets you don't need/want to make room for project feeds.
  • Subscribe to RSS feeds for your wiki pages and the Ning and put them on your iGoogle page.  To begin, let's add the following:
  •   2required wiki feeds: topic edits, topic discussion
  • 2 required Ning feeds: your profile page, latest activity on the Ning
To find your group discussion, click on the discussion tab on your team age and then the "Notify" tab.  Looks like this (attached).  I may have to show you how to find the RSS for your topic edits.  You have to find your teams page in the Site Menu (from menu on left side of wiki) and go to the Notify tab on THAT page.  It can be confusing.





Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A Flat World and Our Place In It

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Today's Learning Targets:
  • Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of wha the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. (CCR 11.RIT.1)
  • Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. (CCR 11.RIT.4)
  • Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text. (CCR 11.RIT.6)
Today's Activities:

READ & RESEARCH
  • Be sure you've walked the wiki and completed yesterday's assignment, bookmarking the pages to your Diigo account.
  • Always use the FCP11-3, flatclassroom and mcahs tags.  Depending upon your topic as you continue to research, also use the proper tags for your topic according to the project Tagging Standards.
  • As you read, think about your subtopic (A, B, C, D, etc.) and how this flattener has impacted your subtopic.  Record notes and important points in Evernote.
CONNECT
  • Complete the Handshake Discussion post with your Topic Team's Expert Advisors.
  • Before posting any discussions on the wiki, please review these Online Discussion Board Netiquette Guidelines.
  • Go to your Team Wiki (Where you actually edit and place your work).
  • Click on the "Discussion" tab.
  • Click on the post titled "EA-Handshake" and post a response in that discussion thread.
  • If you go to Group/Topic 2, this is what it looks like as you click through:
  • Do not post in a separate thread.  Moving forward, know that posts that are titled beginning EA are especially important as they will contain feedback from your Expert Advisors.
  • Once you have completed, screenshot (take a picture of your post), log into your MCA email and share it via Google Docs with Ms. Nestico.
  • Due before class on Thursday.




Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Walk the Wiki

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Today's Learning Target:  I can efficiently and effectively navigate online spaces to locate and utilize a variety of media and information.

Today's Activities:
  • Go to the FCP 11-3 Project Wiki and find the following pages.  When you find them you should bookmark each of them in Diigo, including a description, and the proper tags, including fcp11-3, flatclass, mcahs, and wiki_walk
    • The Home Page
    • The Team Grid - Where you go to see all team members in every category.
    • Your respective Team Wiki page where you find overview information about your topic.
    • Your respective Team Wiki page where you will edit and place your work.
    • The discussion tab page of your Team Wiki where you can read and respond to comments 
    • Where to go on the wiki that has instructions and tutorials for virtually anything you want to do in the project.  
  • You will have a quiz on this later this week on Friday.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Wiki WIki

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Today's Learning Target:  I can produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (CCR 11.W.4) 


Today's Activities:  
  • Before moving on, you must finish your digital handshake video, upload it to your NING profile as a video.  Then, create a blog post on the NING (from your profile), and embed the video into your blog post.  Write a few lines in the blog post that tells about you and your video.  Include a reflective statement about what it is like to create a piece of multimedia to represent yourself in this way.
  • There are two major sites we will use throughout the project, the NING, where we will communicate with students in other schools about the project, which looks like this

  • And the Flat Classroom Project Wiki, where we will collaboratively research, write and create products about our respective topics and global flatteners according to Thomas Friedman.  Joining the wiki is a two-step process.
  • Students go to http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/ and go to Join in upper right corner (there is no join this wiki on left).  This space looks like this:

  • Remember to use proper naming conventions for username:  SuzieN_MCA and include a message when requesting that you are one of Ms. Nestico's students.  
  • Flat Classroom administrator approves you (this may not be automatic)
  • Once approved then go to the project wiki e.g


    • When on the project wiki page go to Join this Wiki on top left (you must be logged in to your flatclassroomproject.org account already so their name should appear at the top of the page).
     
  • Please be sure to save both of these in your Diigo account so they are easily accessible on a routine basis.