This year our seventh grade students learned about infographics: what they are, how they are used, and how to create their own. Some great sites that curate infographics are David Warlick's Infographic a Day, Daily Infographic, Cool Infographics, and Visual.ly, just to name a few. The process of creating infographics can be called information design or data visualization. According to Tiago Veloso, the "infographic explosion" began around 2009. There is now a whole industry that has emerged dedicated to developing the visual representation of information. Here is how our seventh graders tested the infographic waters.

First the students searched for a favorite infographic from a selected list of sources. They studied the infographic using a list of criteria and then presented their findings to their classmates. In order to have some real data to display graphically, they created a Google Form to survey students in the school about technology use. This involved some serious thinking about how to word questions clearly, how to present choices, and how to create survey questions that were age appropriate. This was a lot harder to do than they had anticipated and some realized later that their choice of questions made some of the results a little "questionable".

The final step was to present the data in an infographic of their own creation. Not having access to high end graphics programs, and not wanting to have students create an account at yet another website (they already have many) we used basic PowerPoint to develop our infographics. It was free, accessible, familiar, and totally under our control. Chareen Snelson's Making Video Infographics with PowerPoint gave some clear directions on how to use availabe graphics in the program and the design principles to be considered.

The basic steps we used to create our finished infographics were:

1. Create 4 slides, the first for the title of the infographic and the other three for the three questions posed in the survey.

2. Save those 4 slides as jpgs.

3. Create a new PPT file with one slide.

4. Change the dimensions of that slide to portrait orientation and a size of 10" wide and 30" high. (The default slide dimenstion is 7.5 x 10). We used 30 inches because we were "stacking" 4 slides (4 multiplied by 7.5). To make a longer infographic, add another 7.5 inches for each.

5. Make the background of the single slide match the background used in the 4 original slides.

6. Insert the 4 jpgs onto the elongated slide.

7. Save the single slide as a jpg and upload to a website (We used our Flickr account).

8. Share the infographic on your site. (Students used their classblogmeister blog site to showcase their infographic.)

Here are some of the finished infographics created by our students:

          

            
          

To see the students' explanation of the process and additional infographics see the assignment group here.(Not all students linked their post to the assignment. Some students did not provide a link to their full size image.)

Each year third graders learn about the various ecosystems and then create a shoebox diorama to feature an ecosystem of their choice. They write a report on the ecosystem they chose and also share their report in a Voice Thread. Well done, third graders!

Last year's Christmas post re-visited:

At this time of year many of us in the USA, as well as in countries all over the globe, are planning for the celebration of Christmas. Even within our own country the traditions can vary greatly. Here is a chance to explore what our friends in other parts of the world may be doing as Christmas approaches. It is wonderful that so many countries have visited our class blog. Perhaps some visitor to our blog would tell us more about their celebrations or correct misinformation that might be found on the websites I have included on the Global Christmas glog here. In addition, we can learn about the history of Christmas celebrations in our own culture.

In some countries of the world the percentage of people who celebrate Christmas is quite small or even non-existent. Each culture has its own traditions, beliefs, holidays, and holy days.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all learned more about each other and grew to understand, appreciate, and respect the many beautiful and rich cultural traditions that make up our global family? To see the full size of the glog click here.

This year our eighth grade students created a video about bullying. This was a joint project for health class and technology class. They chose "three words" on which to base a script portraying one way that bullying takes place. Part of the project was learning about camera angles and other special techniques using resources available from the American Film Institute. They created a story board, planned their camera angles, shot their scenes, and then put their clips together into a mini-video. The videos were then blended into one class project.

Take their message to heart. Be a friend, not a bully. Thank you, Class of 2012, for your efforts.

Here is a beautiful interactive interpretation of Van Gogh's Starry Night. You need sound to have the full experience. The creator of this amazing video, Petros Vrellis, credits the software openFrameworks for allowing this to be possible. According to their website openFrameworks is an open source C++ tookit for creative coding.

Of course, Van Gogh's masterpiece is amazing in its own right. I wonder what he would think of Vrellis's interpretation.

The Starry Night was painted by Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) in 1889. The original is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  More information about the painting and artist can be  found at the VanGogh Gallery site. This work is considered to be of the Post-Impressionist style. According to the Museum of Modern Art Post-Imressionism "can be loosely defined as a rejection of the Impressionists’ concern for the naturalistic depiction of light and colour in favour of an emphasis on abstract qualities or symbolic content." The time period is roughly 1886 to 1905 and in addition to Van Gogh, includes the work of artists such as Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, and George Seurat. They each had unique styles such as  VanGogh's impasto which is taking a thick application of paint (usually oil) that makes no attempt to look smooth. It purposely is textured to show off brush and palette knife marks.



Do you want to learn more about art? Here are some places to visit

Smithsonian's Everything Art

Famous Paintings - Art Appreciation Lessons for Kids

Artcyclopedia

 Image: The Starry Night from Wikimedia Commons in the Public Domain

The Trekking the Planet team of Darren and Sandy Van Soye began their journey around the world on January 28, and have now posted some updates. I have been anxiously watching their Google Live Tracker on the Trekking the Planet website and today - there they are! 

You can read the interesting story of their luggage being questioned as they boarded their ship in this post from January 31, and also see some beautiful views of San Diego as they left the mainland USA behind. My only experience on a ship was a whale watching excursion out of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and I had a seasick child to contend with. I wonder if there is less seasickness on such a large vessel as the Princess cruise ship the Van Soyes are on. 

Here is Sandy's recap of the first few days at sea and her impression of the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.

They have also released Education Module #4 for Week One of the journey. This module is all about the Pacific Ocean. Did you know that there are over 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean? And that if Mount Everest were placed into the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Pacific, it would totally fit under water? The ocean voyage from San Diego, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, takes five days. They will spend a day in Honolulu and another day on the island of Kaua'i. You can appreciate the size of the world's largest ocean by realizing that it is taking their ship five days to sail from point A to point B on the globe at the left. 

In the map of the Hawaiian Islands at the right, the island with the most red is the most populated island, O'ahu. This is where the capital of Hawaii, Honolulu, is located. Slightly to the north and west of Oahu is the island of Kaua'i. We are likely to be learning more about the Hawaiian Islands from the Van Soyes.

UPDATE: February 6 - The Week 2 Module is out -Learn More About Hawaii - (I didn't know that the Hawaiian alphabet only uses 12 letters!)

You can find out even more about the Pacific Ocean from the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. For example: Did you know that it is because of the depth of the Pacific Ocean that tsunamis can reach speeds of up to 750 kilometers per hour ( as fast as a jet plane)? Or that there are 17 nations located in the Pacific Ocean? Or that the area of the Pacific Ocean is larger than all the land on Earth put together? Wow!

In my one and only trip to California I had a chance to dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean. I hope I get to see more of it someday. Have you sailed on the Pacific or seen it from the shore? Do you live in one of the Pacific nations? We have had a number of visitors from Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, and even Japan. Perhaps they wonder about the Atlantic Ocean the way those of us in the Eastern USA wonder about the Pacific. What a great opportunity Trekking the Planet is offering us to learn more about parts of the world we may have never seen!

Map images from CIA World Factbook.

Something exciting will begin on January 28! That is when the Trekking the Planet adventure begins. We will be able to follow Darren and Sandy Van Soye as they travel around the world on a 424-day journey across six continents. They are hoping to raise geography awareness and arouse curiosity about the world, especially for K-12 students. I am one of the teachers who have signed up to receive updates and geography modules from the Van Soyes as they begin their incredible journey.

What made them decide to embark on such a long trip that has taken them many months to plan? Check out this video to discover how the seeds were planted for the trek.

Their  special treks will include:

- a 50 mile hike on the island of Tasmania, off the coast of Australia, where they will hike through a national forest

- the country of Laos in Southeast Asia where they will live among the villagers to learn of their everyday lives including the lives of school children

-  Nepal in the Himalayas

- Central Asia -  Uzbekistan

- In Europe,  Sweden and the Arctic Circle

- Slovenia and the Julian Alps

-  In Africa, Mali and the cliff-dwellilng Dogon people

- the national forest in Ethiopia

-  In the Middle East, Jordan and the city of Petra

-  In South America,  Brazil and the Amazon rainforest

 - Argentina and the region of Patagonia

- Chile and the Atacama Desert.

The blue lines on the map indicate their travel by ship, the green lines by air, and the red lines indicate local ground transportation. They want to travel whenever possible just as the native people of the region travel in order to minimize their carbon footprint.

There are also four preparatory videos that give background on the journey. They are:

Part 1 - Why Study Geography

Part 2 - Where Are You Going? 

Part 3 - What Are You Taking?

 Part 4 - What Materials Are Available?

The last video tells of the resources they will make available to teachers to use with their classes, including geography modules that will cover history, cities, ethnic groups, government, language, customs, transportation, nature and environment, land topography, rivers, oceans, climate, vegetation, animals, ecosystems. If your class would like to receive the updates and the geography modules, be sure to register.

See a sample Education Module, free to educators, students, and parents.Get  pre-trip module #1 Basics of Geography and pre-trip module #2 Geography Today which include the 5 Themes of Geography and UK and US geography standards and curriculum.

Contact the team at Info@TrekkingthePlanet.net or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.



How much do you know about our world?

Take the Continent IQ Quiz (15 questions)

Take the Cultural Geography IQ Quiz (15 questions)

Take the Physical and Cultural Geography IQ Quiz (15 questions)

Take some challenging quizzes at TravelPod. (fast paced)

Where in the World Is This? ( photos from space)

 Flags of Peace by Paul Trafford under CC License

Crystal Ball Globe by Judy van der Velden under CC License

 As 2011 becomes “the past”, we look to 2012 with hope and anticipation, and more new discoveries, possibly topping the many amazing ones of the year just ended. Here are some that I missed as they happened but have found through end of year stories recently posted.

  A diamond is forever – or so the jewelry stores would like us to believe. It seems, however, that science now backs up that statement with the discovery of a “diamond planet”. A once massive star has been transformed into a solid diamond mass, five times larger than Earth. This gem of a discovery is actually part of a binary star system some 4000 light years from earth. Scientists noticed that the pulses of energy from the star known as J1719-1438 were regularly being disturbed. This led them to find the diamond planet which was orbiting the star. The lighter elements had been stripped away leaving nothing but carbon, which, under intense pressure, will form a diamond. Scientists believe this diamond planet is now stable and will not likely change for billions of years. This video shows the telescope used to detect the pulsars and how the “diamond planet” orbiting it was detected.

In addition to “planets in the sky, with diamonds”, scientists were able to discover a planet in its infancy. This is the youngest known planet known to exist, and has been named Lk Ca 15 b and is “only” 450 light years from earth. (Do you know how far a light year is?)This future Jupiter-sized planet is still forming and the image is an artist’s interpretation of the new planet building itself out of dust and gas. (from Nasablueshift, CC license)According to UK’s Daily Mail, Adam Kraus used the telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, to discover the youngest planet known to exist.   

But don’t go thinking that everything being discovered is “way out there”. There were many new finds right here on planet earth. In the world of archaeology it was big news that as many as 17 pyramids, more than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 settlements were uncovered in Egypt using infrared technology. Infrared images, which were taken by satellites orbiting 700 kilometers (435 miles) above the Earth, revealed the structures hidden below ground. The discoveries were announced in May by the BBC who funded the research prior to airing the broadcast. You can watch the amazing story in this video.

A number of new species were discovered in 2011 as well. You can read more about the Beelzebub bat, (pictured at the left from National Geographic), the vampire flying tree frog, mind-control fungus, the Burrunan dolphin, or the buck-toothed “evil spirit” dinosaur found in China, and much more on the National Geographic site. According to researchers at the California Academy of Sciences, 140 new species have been officially added just in the past year. The new species include 72 arthropods, 31 sea slugs, 13 fishes, 11 plants, nine sponges, three corals, and one reptile.

Planet Earth is home to perhaps thousands of species yet undiscovered and immense oceans largely unexplored. We exist in a vast universe on whose door we have just begun to faintly tap. What wonders await us in the coming year, in the coming decade, in the coming century? Which of our students around the world will take on the challenge of new discoveries in archaeology, biology, astronomy, paleontology, physics, and more? Let’s open our eyes to the wonders surrounding us and our minds to what may lie ahead. Let's learn at least one new thing about our amazing planet each day and work to protect what is here.  Wishing all of our friends around the globe a year filled with wonder, peace, and joy…Happy New Year! 

Click the image below to view the slide show (featured on the Huffington Post site) of our human family welcoming in the new year.

At this time of year many of us in the USA, as well as in countries all over the globe, are planning for the celebration of Christmas. Even within our own country the traditions can vary greatly. Here is a chance to explore what our friends in other parts of the world may be doing as Christmas approaches. It is wonderful that so many countries have visited our class blog. Perhaps some visitor to our blog would tell us more about their celebrations or correct misinformation that might be found on the websites I have included on the Global Christmas glog here. In addition, we can learn about the history of Christmas celebrations in our own culture.

In some countries of the world the percentage of people who celebrate Christmas is quite small or even non-existent.  Each culture has its own traditions, beliefs, holidays, and holy days. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all learned more about each other and grew to understand, appreciate, and respect the many beautiful and rich cultural traditions that make up our global family?  To see the full size of the glog click here.

Some projections have indicated that on Monday, October 31, 2011, (when many of us celebrate Halloween) the world’s 7 billionth person will be born. Although the exact date isn’t really important, we can be certain that by the end of 2011 there will be 7 billion plus people on this planet. National Geographic is devoting a year of special publications to this population number. Here are some interesting videos they have produced on the topic (unfortunately there may be a short commercial at the beginning of each):

From a meeting of world leaders in the year 2000 came the Millennium Development Goals, and the plan to eradicate poverty by the year 2015. Some progress has been made but there is still so much to be done. As a “birthday present” to the 7 billionth human being on the planet, we could make the effort to become aware of these eight goals, support the efforts of corporations and government agencies involved in promoting and advancing the goals, and look for ways that we as individuals can do something to make this world a better place. Click on the image below to visit information about the goals and additional videos to watch compiled by the UN global teaching and learning project CyberSchoolBus.

Several classes using Classblogmeister are involved in the Seven Random Facts activity. It is a way to get the blogging ball rolling and reach out and comment to some blogging friends across the state, the country or across the ocean. Our fifth and sixth grade students are writing their own lists of facts (see the assignment at the left and their posts) and then working on commenting skills by searching out at least two other students and leaving well-written and respectful comments for them. Everyone likes to receive comments. It is a way to know that someone has read your blog post and found something they wanted to talk about, and they take a moment to communicate that with you.We will be posting comments for students in Lebanon, Rhode Island, New Zealand, Washington, New York, Georgia, Canada, Colorado, and maybe more. What do we have in common with students and teachers around the globe? Let's find out!

Seven Random Facts About Me

1. I have never lived in any state but  Pennsylvania, although I have visited 12 others.

2. I am very fond of York Peppermint Patties!

3. Years ago I taught myself to play the guitar but now I have forgotten how.

4. I am very proud of my three children who are now all grown up.

5. Someday I would love to visit Ireland where many of my ancestors came from.

6. I would love to live at the beach and hear the sound of the waves every morning.

7. Every single day I learn something new about technology.

Blogging Wordle by Kristina B under Creative Commons license

It has been a very enriching and educational experience to follow the Alaskan adventures of MD and ED as their family traveled across America and lived for a short time in our largest state.  How lucky we are to have heard about so many new places and traditions! But the adventure is coming to a close as they begin their journey back to the "lower 48" as MD says in  Hand Trams and Aurora Borealis, My Last Blog Written in Alaska.

It was an exciting day when they caught a glimpse of Dall sheep, known for their magnificent curling horns. Check out this great slide show of dall sheep photos.

MD also shares a humorous account of her fears about crossing the Winner's Creek Gorge in a "hand tram". This 39 second video can give you an idea of what the experience may have felt like.

The final adventure, and a fitting conclusion, was viewing the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. MD describes her feeling at getting the opportunity to experience this phenomenon. The auroras are still being studied by scientists. They occur in the Arctic and also Antarctic region where they are known as the Southern Lights or "Aurora Australis". Learn more about the science behind the auroras and how Nasa is studying them in this article as well as the  video. 

We wish them all a safe journey home and many thanks for taking the time to share your awesome adventures. What a great trip and amazing learning experience!



Dall sheep ram by Buzz Hoffman under CC license

On this day ten years ago, the United States of America experienced a great tragedy. That tragedy took the lives of 2,977 individuals who are especially remembered and honored today, although they are remembered and honored by their families every day.

 In their memory, let us stand tall and be the best students and teachers and global citizens we can be, always working toward peace and understanding on our beautiful planet.  We are brothers and sisters in this global society. Let's use our learning projects, our blogging, and our use of technology to move us to become the best global society we can be. 

At left, an image from a memorial service at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the scene of the Flight 93 crash. At right, members of the Fire Department of the City of New York present honors as they pass the World Trade Center  and the National September 11 Memorial aboard USS New York, which carries 7.5 tons of steel from the twin towers in her bow.

Remembering United 93 by David Whelan under CC license 

U.S. Navy Imagery 

Denali, the "High One," is the name given by natives to the highest peak in the Alaska Range. It is also the name of the national park and preserve that began as Mount McKinley National Park in 1917.  The park and the massif (a compact portion of a mountain range containing one or more summits) includes North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley. In 1980 the park land was increased by about 4 million acres and became known as Denali National Park and Preserve. 

It is of this area that MD speaks in her August 23 post of visiting the very small town of Talkeetna at the base of Mount McKinley and trying (unsuccessfully) to catch a clear view of the summit. Hopefully they were able to get back and get a clear view. She offers a very interesting description of the picturesque town as well as the wealth of information gleaned from visiting the ranger station and learning about what is actually involved in undertaking a climb of one of the highest peaks in the world. She learned that Susan Butcher, famed Iditarod winner, actually made it to the summit with her sled dogs. Learn more about the amazing accomplishments of Susan Butcher here.

By the way, the 2012 Iditarod begins on March 3. Learn more about the Iditarod here. Now that we have been learning more about Alaska thanks to MD and her family, perhaps following the Iditarod this year would be a very exciting thing to do! It has been called the "Last Great Race on Earth" and covers 1150 miles from Anchorage in south central Alaska to Nome on the western Bering Sea. The teams of 12 to 16 dogs and their "mushers" cover this distance in 10 to 17 days. Thanks to technology we can follow a team from start to finish. Shall we do it?

 View of Mt. McKinley by Jitsen Chang under CC license

Talkeetna by Travis S. under CC license

Our traveling sisters have been writing up a storm and I have fallen behind! MD wrote of her experiences performing with the Alaska Dance Theatre where she will be taking classes. Her next post, titled Our Adventures In and Out of Anchorage tells of her grueling climb up Flattop Mountain near Anchorage (seen at the right). They also panned for gold on the Kenai Peninsula and visited the Anchorage Museum. The featured exhibit at the museum is Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age, on display until October 9. Do you know the answers to these questions? 

1. What is the difference between a mammoth and a mastodon?

2.Are elephants descended from mammmoths?

3. Did humans live at the same time as mammoths?

4. Why did mammoths and mastodons become extinct?

You can find the answers to these questions and more here. Be sure to read her description of the various glaciers she saw on her journey as well as her excitement at visiting the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center. In addition they were able to watch the Bore Tide come in at Turnagain Arm. The science behind the Bore Tide (which you can watch in the video clip below, is clearly explained in a podcast here. There are only certain places in the world where the Bore Tide phenomenon occurs. There is also a terrific video of the region and some of the things MD has seen in this video. Turnagain Arm, as MD notes, was named by Captain Cook. An interesting account of his exploration of the region can be found here.

In her post titled Musk Ox and Puppies: More Adventure Outside Anchorage MD speaks of visiting the musk ox farm, feeding a baby musk ox, and discovering qiviut taken from the underside of musk ox. Learn about qiviut and even shop for yarn !

In her August 3 post Life in Anchorage and the Fort, ED tells of the cultural opportunities in the city as well as watching the Anchorage Pilots baseball team. You can learn about the other teams in the ABL (Alaska Baseball League) here. She also speaks of what life is like on a military base. 

What do you know about the United States military? You can learn more about the branches of our armed forces at the sites below. We owe all the men and women serving in the military our gratitude for the responsibilities they undertake. 

  United States Army

U.S. Army Song

  United States Navy and US Navy Seals 

Navy March (Anchors Aweigh) and Navy Hymn (Eternal Father Strong to Save)

United States Air Force website and  Air Force song (Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder)



United States Marine Corp official motto Semper Fidelis - "Always Faithful"  United States Marine Hymn

United States Coast Guard  official motto Semper Paratus - "Always Ready" United Stated Coast Guard Anthem

Did you know...? All the branches of the military make use of social media with blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, YouTube channels, Flickr accounts and more! 



Mastodons and Mammoths image from the Anchorage Museum

Flattop Mountain by Mel Green under CC license

In her two posts of July 25, MD ( here and here)relates crossing from Canada into Alaska at the 141st meridian and gives her very descriptive impression of Anchorage. Read an interesting article on how the border was determined. There was definitely controversy!

She comments on Anchorage's orderly streets, the lovely skyline, with very modern buildings, and the many stuffed bears. Not your teddy bear variety, but full size bears outside the stores. She also mentioned the "quicksand" beach of Anchorage. I was curious to learn more about this and found out the area is referred to as "mudflats". There are signs posted regarding the danger in walking on the "beach" and a number of people have died after becoming stuck in the mud. The video shows US Hovercraft on the mudflats and you can get an idea of what this "beach" is like. 

You can learn a lot about Alaska and cities such as Anchorage and Tok as well as history and cultural traditions at the Alaska 101 website.

Anchorage skyline

Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau - CC License

Alaska Canada border - 141st meridian

by John Hartnup - CC license

Stuffed bears everywhere by Ingo Luhtkebohle - CC license

MD's latest travel post tells about the Klondike Gold Rush and the town of Skagway. The Klondike River is a tributary of the Yukon River, which is the second longest in Canada.(The Mackenzie River is the longest.) Actually part of the Yukon flows in Canada and part in Alaska. MD tells of the miners or "stampeders" who headed north expecting to get rich, and that they had to carry thousands of pounds of supplies. At first I thought this had to be a mistake, but upon further investigation it seems that the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police required stampeders to have a year's worth of supplies with them before they were allowed to cross the border into Canada from Skagway. This is according to information posted by the Adventure Learning Foundation. Take a look at this list of supplies! How ever did they manage it all?

There was an old radio show and then a television series (sometime in the 1950s) called Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. They eventually came out with the series on DVD and it is available on Amazon. Or watch the opening of the tv show here. The description states: 



Set in the frozen tundra of Canada's Yukon Territory in the late 1800s, Sergeant Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police rode alongside his trusted Husky sidekick, Yukon King. Preston could often be heard encouraging his sled dogs through the snow with cries of "On King. On, you Huskies!" Battling the elements and criminals alike, he single-handedly fought for peace and justice. Preston set out to protect settlers and gold miners who came to make their home in this frozen wilderness. Naturally, like all good Mounties, he always got his man. 

You can even stay at Sgt. Preston's Lodge in Skagway. Learn more about the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or Mounties,  here. 



Did you know there are 3 territories and 10 provinces in Canada? If you want to become better acquainted with Canadian geography, try the games at the Sheppard Software site. The territory known as Nunavut  was once part of the Northwest Territories. Nunavut -- "our land" in the Inuktitut language - has been home to Inuit for millennia and part of Canada for more than a century. It officially became a territory in 1999. 



Though most of the early gold seekers did not find the riches they hoped to find, they did find some very beautiful regions, both in what would become the state of Alaska, as well as in the Canadian territories. We have a few friends from Canada who visit our blog. It would be great to hear about this region from the people who live there.

Canadian Mountie by Eveos under CC License

Sergeant Preston DVD - Amazon

Canadian map screenshot from Sheppard Software - Click the map to go to the geography games.

Our adventurers have added some lovely descriptions of their experiences. ED mentions the beauty of Wyoming with "plains of long-growing grass that ripple and wave like a green ocean in perfect unison". ED is a dog lover, and so seeing the herding dogs out on the prairie along with the cows and cowboys was very exciting! If you are a dog lover and want to know more about dog breeds involved in herding, Herding on the Web is a great site by Linda Rorem that is loaded with interesting information and photos. I never realized there were so many herding breeds!

MD has written two posts recently. In the first she recounts the Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan, which has actually been featured on ESPN and according to their website, is featured as one of the "Top 10 Things to See in Alaska" by the Travel Channel... Here you will see the world's best athletes in a sport pulled straight from the heart of American History." MD and family witnessed lumberjacks representing Team USA and Team Canada. (You will have to read her post Ketchikan Continued, Welcome to Juneau, to see who won.)

 She also talks about seeing a whale and visiting Totem Bight. I mentioned totem poles in the previous post, but do you know the term "bight"? A bight is a bend in the coast forming an open bay, the water being shallower than in a sound. Besides Totem Bight, you may want to learn more about the Bight of Benin and its connection to the slave trade, and the Great Australian Bight. The Totem Bight Clan House is a replica of a community house that could have housed 30 to 50 people. The design is representative of the type built in the early 19th century. According to the description at the Totem Bight State Historical Park website,

Inside is one large room with a central fireplace surrounded by a planked platform. The walls and floors were hand-adzed to smooth the surface and remove splinters. The dwelling served as living quarters for several families of a particular lineage. Each was allotted its own space but shared a common fire. Housewares, treasured items, and blankets were stored under the removable floor boards, and food items were hung from the beams and rafters. The members belonging to the house would be headed by a house chief of the same lineage.

 In her second post , Juneau, MD describes adventures in Alaska's capital, including the Mt. Roberts Tramway. This looks like an awesome adventure all by itself. According to the website, you can "ride the enclosed gondola through the rain forest to the 1,800-foot level of Mount Roberts for one of the most expansive views in Southeast Alaska". They also visited a 12 mile long glacier which is receding about two to five feet a day.

Prairie Beauty by Wyoming JackRabbit - CC License

Totem Bight Clan House by John and Peggy Bromley - CC License

Mt. Roberts Tramway by Bruce Klorfine - CC License

Shinny Up the Pole by Dave Clark - CC License

In her latest post, Wild Wild West,  ED gives a descriptive impression of traveling through Minnesota and South Dakota. She mentions visiting The Corn Palace. I had never heard of this attraction so I checked it out. According to the website, "The World's Only Corn Palace is an outstanding structure which stands as a tribute to the agricultural heritage of South Dakota." The wall murals are changed each year (the image at the left from the website shows the 2010 designs)  and some big names in country music perform there. (Have you ever heard of Loretta Lynn?)

Mt. Rushmore at night was also part of the itinerary. What an awesome view. Click on the image at the right to see a very short video of the lighting ceremony.

MD's latest post recounts the ferry ride to Ketchikan, Alaska. The state of Alaska, as you know, is not part of the contiguous U.S. (The 48 connected states are "contiguous".) Alaska was purchased by Secretary of State William Seward in 1872 for $7.2 million, a steal at 2.5 cents per acre.  It became a state in 1959. At the time of purchase, most people thought Seward had made a foolish purchase, and it became known as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox". It wasn't until gold was discovered in Alaska in the 1890's that opinion about Alaska began to change.

She also tells us that Ketchikan is the Salmon Capital of the World and that she saw many totem poles. I never realized there are six main types of totem poles (native legend or story poles, family lineage or house poles, memorial poles, shame poles, commemorative poles, and grave poles) and also that the four traditional paint colors used on a totem pole are red, black, turquoise, and white. You can read the interesting details about the carving, painting, and meanings here. The map at the right from the Back Country Safaris site shows the location of Ketchikan in the southeastern part, or panhandle, of Alaska. And speaking of salmon, here is an infographic  that shows various species of fish and attempts to answer the question How do you know which fish are fine for your fork? referring to the issues of over-exploitation, destructive fishing techniques, and polluting fish farms. 

 Mt. Rushmore photo by Daniel Dillman -CC License

 Ketchikan totem pole by Chris Lott - CC License

Watching the "Cubs" and seeing some bears. Chicago and Seattle. Dinner at Harry Caray's and  the Space Needle restaurant. At the top of  the Space Needle and the Sears Tower (oops, wrong name...you will have to read what I mean by that here.) Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House and the first Starbucks. Arriving in Canada.

Read the very descriptive posts  Seattle, Washington, and Canada by MD and Chicago by ED as their travelogue continues.

Photos under CC license:

Space Needle by Junichi Ishito

Sears Tower by Adam Fagan

In the next installment of her journey, Wyoming in Detail, Five Minutes in Montana, Now in Idaho, MD relates her experiences in Jackson Hole, horseback riding, and visiting Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park. She is headed to Seattle. 

Read her full blog post here and also enjoy her older sister ED's post on the family journey where she gives her impressions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two writers in one family! Check out ED's older posts, too. There are some great ones about books, movies, and music. 


Watch a video about Yellowstone. and then this animation to learn the scientific explanation of geysers. You can also read more about Yellowstone and Old Faithful here.

One of our seventh grade (actually rising eighth grade) students is traveling across the country with her family on their way to Alaska. She has written two posts on their travels to date. What a wonderful experience this is for her and her family, and how exciting that she is sharing her adventures via blogging. Here is the text of her two posts so far. Please follow the rest of her travel posts by visiting her blog page. If you have visited any of the sights she mentions, please leave her a comment. (And what luck! The only two states that we had never had a visitor from were...Wyoming and Alaska!)

June 25 -  Alaska I am on my way to Alaska!  This summer my family and I are on a cross country trip.  We started our trip yesterday.  We stopped in Cleveland, Ohio, the first night.  This morning we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was really neat.  After that we hopped back in the car and headed for Chicago!  We've been in the car for a few hours now.  We'll be going through a new time zone!!!  We'll arrive there around 7:30 in Chicago time.  We will be staying there for two nights.  I'll fill you in when we get there!!

June 30 - Wyoming   I'm a bit late on filling you in on Chicago, because I'm in Jackson Hole, Wyoming!  In Chicago, we went to The Art Institute of Chicago, Frank Loyd Wright's Robie House, the University of Chicago's campus, the top of Sears Tower, and a Cubs game!  We drove through Indiana, and stopped at the University of Notre Dame, then Minnesota, then South Dakota, now Wyoming. We have been to famous tourist attractions like Mount Rushmore and yellowstone Park.  Out here, the tops of mountains are covered with snow!  It is so neat seeing snow in June.

We can't wait to hear more MD. Thanks for sharing! Did you know that "Grand Teton National Park is one of the most spectacular, awe-inspiring places in America? Occupying a majority of the Jackson Hole Valley, the park is home to overwhelming, massive mountains, pristine lakes and rivers, and abundant, teeming wildlife." (Taken from this site. or visit the National Park Service site.) Image from the National Park Service website.

If you are looking to challenge your brain this summer, head on over to MathSlice There is a page of games designed for iPad but they work great on a regular computer as well. (In addition, check out the IXL links for lots of math practicefor PreK to 8 on the right side of the page. They say they are working on higher math levels for grades 9-12.) I would especially like to know if you can master the game called Airport. I created a screen shot of one of the game boards shown at the left. This game is driving me crazy! You need to keep moving the trucks back and forth to finally have a clear runway for the plane. I was able to solve only ONE of the several game boards I tried. It reminds me of the little plastic tile games where you had to slide the tiles around trying to get them in the correct order. I often ended up just popping one of the plastic tiles out to make it work and then popping it back in at the end. (Oops! Did I say that out loud?) No popping tiles out in the airport game. You actually have to solve it. I dare you! 

This year in seventh grade we built several projects around special areas of interest. Students wanted to delve into future careers, health topics, sports, video games, and more. We judged the quality of websites, learned how to do better searches, and also developed skills with charting. Some of the information in the charts the students are sharing might give a clear picture of the data and some might generate a few questions, but this was all part of the learning process in interpreting statistical data. If you would like to comment or raise a question, please share your thoughts in voice or in text. Comments are moderated.

Many countries of Africa and the Middle East are in the news today. Do you know where they are? Drag the country name to its correct location to test yourself. This map activity is from the Rethinking Schools website. Click on the map to go to this interactive game.

Today is the "18th of April", made famous in U.S. history thanks to the poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Did you know that Paul Revere did not actually shout, "The British are coming"? Did you know that he was not the only rider on that night in 1775?  Read the facts of the story here. Longfellow was more likely interested in stirring up patriotism in the days leading up to the Civil War, rather than simply telling a story of the Revolutionary War. The image here (from the website Revolutionary War and Beyond) is a famous portrait of Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley.

 A tragic event also occurred on this date in history, the famous San Francisco earthquake of 1906. More than 3000 people died and many more were injured in this quake that measured between 7.7 and 8.3 on the Richter scale. This earthquake sparked the beginning of serious scientific investigation into earthquakes, or seismology, in our country. It is the worst earthquake on record in U.S. history, though not the most devastating earthquake in the world, as recent events in Japan have proven. The San Francisco earthquake occurred along the San Andreas Fault and was followed by massive fires. The archived photo at the right is from the BBC website collection.

Here is an excellent explanation from a BBC News Video that will help you to understand what caused the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Click the image to view the video on the BBC site.

If you are getting ready to create a science fair project you have come to the right place. Discovery Education's Science Fair Central is chock full of project ideas, tips on creating a great display for your project, supply lists, sample projects, and so much more. Check it out because

SCIENCE IS COOL!

In this case, I don't mean a vegetable. Do you know that squash is a sport? Find out more at the U.S. Squash website and also the official World Squash site. Squash is a fast paced test of physical and mental strength that is played around the world. Do you know there is a college team that has been unbeaten for 13 years? Everyone may have heard of the UConn Huskies but it is actually Trinity College in Connecticut that can claim this amazing record. When you hear the coach in this video talk about the program and his approach to coaching, you can see that he has been a major factor in the achievement of this success. Congratulations Coach Assaiante and Trinity Men's Squash! (apologies - Starts with a 30 sec. commercial )

Midway through the year it is time for a refresher in the art of getting your blog post published on our class site. Some of you have old posts sitting in the approval box so long you probably have forgotten about them. The approval box is checked every day, sometimes more than once a day. There are a number of reasons a post may not make it onto your page.

Why didn't my post get published?

1) At the beginning of the year I wrote a post about improving our writing. One goal that I set for our class blog was eliminating the use of lower case "i "as a pronoun. This is a hard habit for some to break and I think that most of us who text have sent text messages with lower case i. In that type of writing it is not such an issue, but when we are writing for an audience, we always want to put our best foot forward. There are posts waiting for approval since September that have not been approved for that reason. If it is something you may have wanted to share with everyone on your own, that is one thing, but if it costs you points in a graded assignment, then it is foolish not to make the correction. 

2) Some students are quite excited to share an experience or write about something important in their lives. I encourage you to do that, always being mindful of the rules for safe blogging, of course. But that doesn't mean you still should not be careful and write a post that makes sense and has few or no misspellings. It is also not appropriate to use slang or rap music types of expressions in your posts. If you don't care enough about your post to do your best writing, why should we take our time to read it?

Here are some excerpts from posts that did not get published. Can you tell why?

 -Another one of my goal this year is to focus more on academics and less on sports and free time i want to be a better student by the time we get our Confirmation.

  -I am also  looking forward to school so i can see all my friends.

  -This year i am going to do the best I can.  I think i could work on my typing a little more.

  -What happend to big dady its like he fell of the face of the earth like a meateorite like rilly.

 -The most awesome youtupe author has relashed another  funny series.

-My favorite baseball team is the Yankees. I live on Maple Road with my mom, dad, and sister.



 If it is worth writing about then it is worth doing your best. No one is perfect and everyone, myself included, has made typos from time to time. How can we make sure we do our best writing?

-READ YOUR OWN WRITING!! Some students write and hit Request Publishing without ever going back and re-reading what they have just written!

-SPELL CHECK! I always encourage students to paste their words into a program like MS Word and use the spell check feature. Do NOT, however, paste MS Word text back into your post. (More about that later!) See which words are coming up as being misspelled and fix your post.

-ASK SOMEONE to read your post before you submit it - an older sibling or a parent perhaps. Another pair of eyes will often catch mistakes that our own eyes don't want to see. They can also tell you if something doesn't make sense.

 3) An important part of being a good Digital Citizen is to respect the property of others, not only their writing but also their images. Some of you are using copyrighted images in your posts. There is such a thing as educational fair use and sometimes copyrighted material can be used for educational purposes, but it is often a tricky situation. I would advise you to steer clear of copyrighted images unless you are using them in a way that is different from how the original site used them and there is a valid educational reason for you to do so. Check with me if you are unsure. Inserting the image of your favorite singer in your post may seem like a great thing to do but you cannot just take an image from the star's home page or a news site and use it without permission. When we do use any image we must always credit the source of the image by giving attribution to the owner of the image. Students in grades 5 through 8 begin to learn about Creative Commons licensing and how to correctly attribute images and how to use advanced image searches to obtain only images that are permitted to be re-used. If there is a great copyrighted image that you really want your readers to see,  the safest thing to do is link to it so we can see it in its original location.

How do I know if you are choosing not to approve my post or you just didn't get around to checking it yet?

At the beginning of the year I showed students how to find the location of comments I have written to you if there is a reason your post is not being published. Some students never go back and look for this comment and continue to request publishing, thinking that the first request just didn't go through. In your Articles window you can view your post in the "graphical" or "text" editor. The graphical editor has the tool bar with all the buttons for formatting your text and inserting images and hyperlinks. The text editor is "no frills". The text editor view, though, has a teacher comment box. This is where you will find my comments to you regarding why your post is not ready for publication. Act on the advice and then submit your post again. 

 Why didn't the comment I submitted ever appear?

In the upper grades we have practiced leaving good comments on the blog posts of other students around the world. It is up to the teacher of that class to moderate the comments, and so I have no control over whether your comments appear there. On our class blog, however, some of you are submitting comments that I cannot publish. I will never publish anything that would hurt another student's feelings or could be taken the wrong way, of course. Many comments have to be deleted, though, because you are including your real name. On this site students are known by initials only and that applies to comments you submit as well. You must be careful to check all the boxes before you submit your comment because when you are logged into your account and then choose to leave a comment on another classblogmeister post, your first name and last inital will automatically show in the name box. You must take the time to change that back to your initials before submitting your comment. There is no way I can let you know about this, other than what I am doing now, so please be mindful of this. Everyone likes to receive comments that show there are readers who value what you have to say (and not just "great post!") A word of caution to any adults reading this post: It is fine for adults to be transparent and leave their real names. The exception is if you are the parent of the student blogger. I would encourage you to sign your post as Mrs. J, or Thomas L., or even Mom or Dad. This does not compromise the privacy of the student.

What about the sidebar and widgets?

Everything that appears on your sidebar, as well as the title of your blog page, comes to me for approval as well. There is no way for me to leave a comment to you, however, if there is something inappropriate in your sidebar. I can only leave it unpublished. Please ask if you don't know why something is not being published but first check for these issues:

-including personal information such as where you live or the exact name of your school

-using the same writing errors that I mentioned in the reasons for posts not being approved

-inserting a personal widget that links to an inappropriate website or a site that is selling something

-including more than one personal widget, such as two virtual pets

-including your real name as the owner of the virtual pet

-including only the partial code for a widget which will cause the code to appear rather than the widget itself. Often this actually "breaks" the approval box and it takes me a while to find the cause of the issue so please be careful.

So, my blogging friends, the next time you find yourself with a few spare minutes, sign onto your blog page and check your articles list. Do you have items there that have not been published? Clean up your article list and get your writing published by following the guidelines above. You all have something worthwhile to share: your talents, your hopes and dreams, your special interests, and yes, your assignments. Be sure the world gets to read them! 

 Image Credits

Students at Computer

by Beverly Humphrey http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarianwithattitude/5060659110/ used under CC BY 2.0

 Puzzle Piece Question Mark

by Horia Varlan http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/4273168957/ used under CCBY 2.0

 Screenshot of Text Editor and Teacher Comment

Original image by Mrs. Ruffing

After reading all the blog posts from our fifth grade students where they embedded their posters and described the harmful effects of smoking, I realized that it is time to rely on Grammar Girl to straighten out the confusion of whether to use "affect" or "effect" in your sentence. Her very simple explanation is basically that "affect" is a verb and "effect" is a noun. So we would say, "There are many harmful EFFECTS of smoking." We would also say, "The health of many people has been AFFECTED by their use of tobacco products." 

In Grammar Girl's complete explanation she says:

When Should You Use Affect?

Affect with an a means "to influence," as in, "The arrows affected Aardvark," or "The rain affected Amy's hairdo." Affect can also mean, roughly, "to act in a way that you don't feel," as in, "She affected an air of superiority."

When Should You Use Effect?

Effect with an e has a lot of subtle meanings as a noun, but to me the meaning "a result" seems to be at the core of all the definitions. For example, you can say, "The effect was eye-popping," or "The sound effects were amazing," or "The rain had no effect on Amy's hairdo." 

 I hope this post on the topic will have the desired effect and  that it will affect the way you express yourself!

Follow the directions here to learn how to embed a glog into a Classblogmeister post. You can view the full size of the glog here.

This is the sample paragraph I am writing to help fifth grade understand the steps for the blog post on why I will never smoke.

Embed a small image of your poster created in MS Word for health and technology. (Links to small and full-size images of your poster are available in the Google Doc linked on the grade 5 technology schoolnotes page.) Choose right or left alignment for your image with a space of 6 pixels (hspace and vspace) to separate it from the text.

 Explain the message you are trying to share in your poster. Then tell  about the things that made an impression on on you in health class discussions about smoking and tobacco products. Mention at least two side effects you learned about by watching the videos in class. If you have any statistics to share on smoking issues you may do that , but also provide a link to the source of information on the topic. You goal is to convince anyone who visits your blog of the importance of staying healthy when they see your poster and the information you share. Make your image a hyperlink to the full-sized poster. Tell your readers they can click on the image to see the poster full sized. If you want to be convincing and be taken seriously, be sure to have accurate information, correct spelling, and interesting sentences that are grammatically correct. You need a minimum of six complete sentences for this assignment.

After studying this topic I hope you will never be a smoker or user of tobacco products. If any of your classmates or family members ever choose to smoke, please use what you have learned  to talk them out of it.

Image credit: RF in 5B created this poster. Check out his blog page.

We have been like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, running to catch up with the Student Blogging Challenge!

So far our sixth graders have updated their blog avatars, added "About Me" information to their sidebars, written a post about their goals for the year and included a hyperlink to the Challenge, added a clustr map or flag counter, and visited Mr. Pepper's blog to post a comment on the 8 Commandments for Bloggers. (Our 7th and 8th grade students got side-tracked into a video project and will join back in as best they can when the project is completed.) Now it is time to leave comments for other student bloggers and hopefully receive some visitors and comments in return. Remember blogging is all about communication and developing conversations with others. By learning to communicate thoughtfully and respectfully with others, especially those from other countries and other cultures, we become responsible citizens of a global society, ready to tackle problems and collaborate on solutions. Let's get the conversations going!

This week we are viewing the great post by Mrs. Yollis on commenting and then leaving comments for five students in the student bloggers list.

Image

Crocheted White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sooticasdream/2655968129/

There is a newly minted word in the title. I have combined two goals that I hope we will be able to accomplish this year as we begin to investigate the Student Blogging Challenge and improve our writing skills.

The Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other students in other states and in other countries. We can share our interests, our hopes for the future, and perhaps work together on solutions to problems. As we all know, our classroom is no longer confined by four walls. We are part of the global classroom, members of a global society who need to learn about and appreciate the unique qualities of each culture and live in harmony on our planet. Learning to communicate respectfully with one another is a step in the right direction toward achieving global cooperation. We can also have a lot of fun and be creative as well! 

The "I" part of it has to do with writing skills and I will be focusing on student writing being reflective of good writing skills beginning with the use of lower case "i" in public writing. As I have mentioned in class, we write for many different audiences and our writing style needs to be appropriate for the audience we  are trying to reach. Using lower case "i" in text messages and instant messages is not the same kind of writing we are doing for our blog posts which can reach people around the world,  many of whom speak English as their second or third language. Beginning this school year your post cannot contain the lower case "i" when upper case "I" is the pronoun you mean to use. I will comment to you in the teacher comment box if your post is not published for that reason. We can do better with our proofreading and learn to adjust our writing styles for our readers. Attention to this small detail will hopefully help us to become better proofreaders and in turn, better writers.

Image http://www.flickr.com/photos/tupwanders/79476476/ CC2.0 license

A recent online article from the Boston Globe entitled "More teens suffer from hearing loss" reports on a recent paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that more young people today are showing up with compromised hearing. Our hearing will naturally deteriorate as we age and follows a predictable progression. Brian Fligor, the director of diagnostic audiology at Children’s Hospital Boston, worries that, "If it is already starting in the teens, by the time these youths are in their 30s and 40s, they will be having trouble listening to conference calls or will be offering the wrong answer at business meetings."

Although listening to music through headphones may be only one cause of the problem, Mr. Fligor, who also listens to his iPod at least an hour a day, feels that this study doesn't mean we should cut back on the time we spend listening to music, but instead should take precautions to do it safely. His suggestions include using ear plugs when exposed to loud noises and use headphones that will cancel out background noises so you can use a lower volume. 

Photo: iPod Nano  http://www.flickr.com/photos/macluke170/4853842525/  under CC 2.0 license 

Time for a little physics lesson! Oh no, you say? Oh yes! This is a great way to see how well you can anticipate the laws of motion in this very challenging (and addicting) balancing act. There are twenty levels and the object is to remove each of the red pieces so the base remains balanced. The green pieces have to stay. There are also other physics games on the page. (I did make it through all levels, eventually, but level 16 was the most tortuous for me. Which level will drive you crazy?) You will have to put up with a few seconds of commercial when you go to the site, but look for a "skip this ad" option at the bottom. Have fun, keep your balance, and keep your cool! Play Aequilibrium.

I came across links to a series of logic games and thought I would share one set with you. It is logic because you are given no directions and you must figure out on your own what is the goal and what do each of the things on the screen do to help you achieve that goal. The image is a screen shot of the ClickDragType3 set of games. As you can see from the timer it took me over 16 minutes to solve the first two. Look at the items in the game, click and drag them and see what happens. Soon it will "click" in your mind what the function of each is. I have no doubt you can beat my time. 

 Be sure your Flash Player is up to date and you will need sound for some of them. ClickDragType3 game site

Remember Adora Svitak? I posted a video of hers a while back. She is an amazing and inspiring young person and in this video she shares a great message for kids and for adults. Watch this video and then...ask your parents, and teachers, to watch it too! Kids are awesome - and that includes YOU!

Advice from Winter Bunny



A Message from Pigellina



A Valentine Message from Goldie


Study Spanish!



Uncle Sam Wants You!

As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5, it is time to ask the big questions:

What makes our school great?

Why are you happy to be in this school?

Create a post that explains to someone who is not familiar with our school the three most important reasons you are happy to be here.

Your post should include:

1. Title (same as this post)

2. Introductory sentence

3. Three specific characteristics of our school with a short explanation of each.

4. A concluding sentence

5. A check of grammar, spelling, and punctuation

To wrap up the Bloggers' Challenge for this year we will combine the week 9 and 10 activities. We are asked to visit the International Student Blog site. Look at the various topics presented by classes around the world. First paragraph: Choose one on which to leave a comment.  In your post, provide a link to the post on which you wish to comment, and insert a copy of the comment you have left on the site.

In the second paragraph of your post, explain a question you would propose for students of the world to answer if you were in control of the international blog site for a week. State the question clearly and provide background information on why you would want responses to that question.

In your third paragraph tell at least 2 things you learned by completing the bloggers' challenge activity. Be sure to complete the survey posted by Miss Wyatt for those who participated in the challenge for September 2009.

Some of the activities we worked on:

embedding images / posting on climate change / posting to invite comments / favorite blogs to visit / embedding widget code / using Creative Commons licensed images / being a good commenter / leaving a link back to your page / interacting with international students / creating an avatar / adding clustr maps, flag counters, translators / correctly citing images / inserting hyperlinks

Citation:

"Time". Retrieved 16 December 2009.http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/ / CC BY 2.0

Sean Kenney is coming to the Lehigh Valley - to the Moravian Book Store to be exact. Sadly, tickets are already sold out. What is special about Sean Kenney? He is the first of only six Lego certified specialists in the world. Can you imagine getting to build with Legos as a career? He will be back in February or March but you need to get your name on a waiting list for tickets for that visit. He wrote a book called "Cool Cars and Trucks" to inspire creative thinking with projects that kids can do. You can visit his website to see some of his creations. The images on his website are copyrighted but someone took a photo when they visited an exhibit and posted it to Flickr with a CC license.

So if you love to build with Legos, or if you  used to but now think you are "too old" for it, think again! Perhaps building with Legos will lead you to an interest in engineering or design, and your future career! If you have a special Lego creation that you are proud of, why not post it to your blog. I will be glad to help you with that.

Here are some other images I found of Lego creations:

King Tut outside Chicago Lego store. Retrieved 6 December 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_tee/ / CC BY-NC 2.0
Sean Kenney - Lego artist. Retrieved 6 December 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rnyk/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Lego RMS Titanic. Retrieved 6 December 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/msh-images/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 

In my travels through the blogosphere I came across Creative Readers, Writers, and Thinkers by Miss Ale from Argentina. She has shared some wonderful activites and games that you may want to try such as:

Can You See What I See? - a game from Scholastic to challenge your powers of observation (I did not do very well my first try!)

Get Ready - a great interactive typing challenge

Whack Attack - a whacky (literally) game to test your knowledge in science, math or English. This is for upper grade levels. Hint: Match the shirt color with your answer choice.

I also enjoyed the various quotes she presents to her students and asks for their responses, such as this reflection from October 19 : "There's a very positive relationship between people's ability to accomplish any task and the time they're willing to spend on it." - Joyce Brothers

There are many other great posts so have a look!

Citation:

Flag of Argentina. Retrieved 22 November 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24842486@N07/ / CC 2.0

To get us visiting other blogs, the challenge asks us to do the following activity –

Count out three.   On the September participants page, click on the blog of either a student or a class.  This is count out one.  Now go to the blogroll of that student or class and click on a link to another person. This is count out two. Finally when on that blog, click on the link of someone in that blogroll.  This is count out three. Now leave a comment on that person’s blog.  Hopefully this is not a blogger you have already commented on. Here are the requirements for the post:

1. Title (same as for this post)

2.First count out - Name a blog from the participants list and make the name a hyperlink to the blog page.

3. Second count out - Choose a  blog from the list of bloggers on that page/ blog roll and go to the new page. Make the name a hyperlink to the blog page.

4. Third count out - Choose a  blog from the list of bloggers on that page/ blog roll and go to that page. Make the name a hyperlink to the blog page.

5. Select a post on the third count out blog on which to comment. Name the specific post and make the name a hyperlink to the post.

6. Write the comment  in your post exactly as you plan to leave it for that blogger.

7. Check your spelling and grammar.

8. Leave the comment for the blogger being sure to provide a link back to your own blog page (not the Edit view).

9. Due date: Dec. 4

Sample:

Count out 1 - The first blog I visited was Mr. B's Blog called Fab4@Work. They are in Hokowhitu School in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Count out 2 - From there I went to Catch the Wave, the blog of a teacher in Whakatane, New Zealand.

Count out 3 - That blog led me to Derek's blog. Mr. Wenmoth is a director of eLearning in Christchurch, NZ. I chose to comment on his Top 100 Tools for Learning:  

Thank you so much for sharing Jane Hart’s Top 100. Although I am familiar with a majority of them, there are still several new names and I am anxious to explore them further, especially tools such as Screentoaster which provide the opportunity for screen capture. I will also be investigating Posterous and DimDim. Teachers today have a wealth of tools at their disposal to enhance the curriculum. It just keeps getting better!

Citation:

Laptop keyboard. Retrieved 14 Nov 2009.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/declanjewell/ / CC BY 2.0

I can't believe I have 2 tickets to anywhere in the world! Such a hard decision because there are so many wonderful places to see. Where will I go? I have decided on visiting the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Why am I going here? Most of my ancestry is Irish and I would love to visit that beautiful country. With whom will I travel? Sadly, I have only one extra ticket, but I believe I will have to give it to my daughter, Karla. She is the only one of my children who has never traveled outside the U.S. and she loves her Irish heritage. When will we go? Since it would be difficult to travel during the school year I would book  the trip for June or July. How will we travel there? We will leave JFK International airport in New York on an Aer Lingus flight and arrive at Shannon Airport. We would certainly be tired as Ireland is five hours ahead of our time. What would be the best part of the trip? Just being in the country of Ireland would be a dream come true, but standing on the cliffs and feeling the sea air on our faces, seeing how nature has weathered the rock over many centuries, would be such a marvelous feeling. We would be sure to climb up in the O'Brien's Tower for a wide view of the surrounding landscape. Connemara is not far away, and hopefully we would have some souvenirs made from the famous Connemara marble to bring home for our family. I am really looking forward to  this trip of a lifetime!

Citation:



Cliffs of Moher 2. Retrieved 10 November 2009.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brosner/ / CC BY 2.0

If you had a Golden Ticket to visit one famous location anywhere in the world, where would it be? Use the locations listed on Hillman Wonders and choose a famous place. Oh, and you have a second ticket for one person to accompany you! Tell your readers answers to questions beginning with who, where, when, what, how, why. This will require a minimum of six complete sentences. However, only writing the bare minimum will make for a very boring blog post! Please be sure that the information you write makes sense and is factual! This will require doing a little investigating on  your part as to the location of perhaps a major city near your wonder, appropriate time to travel based on weather conditions, etc.

• Who did/ will you go with?

• Where did/ will you go?

• When did/ will you go?

• What was/ will be the best part of the holiday?

• How did/ will you get there?

• Why did/ will you go to that place?

Provide a link to the specific Hillman Wonders location to show information about your place using the name of the famous location as a hyperlink. Include a Creative Commons image of the wonder or a special feature of it.  Resize the image apporpriately and use left or right alignment. ( The Hillman images are copyrighted.) You need to use one of our approved image sources for an image that has a sharing license. Include the citation below the post that gives the image name, date retrieved, and image link. Follow the example post. The title of your post is Name of Wonder - Blog Challenge 7.  Bon voyage! ¡Buen viaje! Due date: November 24.

Here is a fun online game to challenge you in spelling. I found this game on Mr. B's blog called Fab4@Work. It is a great class blog site. They are located in New Zealand. Some words are easy and some are more difficult. Be careful! This is a British based activity so you may encounter some variations in spelling.

During the week of October 19-23 we reviewed requirements for Blog Challenge Week 5 and the insertion of images. Here is a reminder for using the Image Properties.

1. Using the insert image button on the tool bar, add the URL of your image source. Remember it usually needs to end in .jpg, but .png and .gif will work also.

2. Click in the image in the article window to select it. You will see the white "handles". Then use the same image button from the toobar to edit the image properties.

3. Keep the aspect ration locked. This will keep your image in proportion. Adjust the pixels for either height or width as necessary. The other dimension will stay in proportion. If ever you need to start over with your image, use the reset (back arrow next to the lock). You can also drag the corner handle to resize your image in the article window.

4.  No border is necessary but experiment if you want to add a border. The number value will be in pixels.

5. Allow a small amount of horizontal (hspace) or vertical (vspace) around your image. Experiment until you achieve your desired effect. The numbers do not have to be identical.

6. Choose right or left alignment to have your text flow around the image. The image will be placed wherever your cursor was when you chose to "insert". If you are not happy with the location, delete and re-insert. Placing your cursor at the very beginning of the paragrah you want to flow around the image usually is the best.

7. Be sure to include the Citation for your image. I have included the citation for this image even though I uploaded it myself to Flickr.

 Citations

Sample image properties cbm. Retrieved 25 October 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/93846520@N00/

I just came across this video and I wanted to share it with you. This young girl is an inspiration to students and teachers alike. She believes strongly in the power of writing. Perhaps we bloggers can be influenced by her outlook. What can we learn from this?

During week 6 we have been asked, "Are you a BAD writer?" What does this acronym mean? BAD stands for Blog Action Day which is being held this week on October 15. On this day bloggers of the world unite to write posts on one topic and have their voices heard. This year's topic is "climate change". You can find out more about it on their website. The Bloggers Challenge for Week 6 lists several options. Since we are working under a time crunch, I am posting the week 6 activity as an extra credit challenge. Should you choose to be a part of Blog Action Day, please complete option 1:

Write a post about climate change – how it affects you personally; what you can do about it at school, home or local community;  how it is affecting certain parts of the world etc.  Remember to show you have researched the topic by linking words to other websites where you found some great information that you mentioned in your post.

Our extra credit assignment will include the following:

-minimum 5 sentences (quality sentences not ones such as, "And that is my opinion.")

-at least one hyperlink to a website with information on the topic which helped you arrive at your opinions. The Blogger's Challenge post on week 6 offers several great sites to visit.

-a title for the post "Blog Action Day: Climate Change"

-post proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

**Posts that do not link to a site with supporting information will not be published.

If you do the week 6 challenge feel free to add the badge to your right sidebar indicating you have taken part in the Blog Action Day 2009.

In week 5 students were asked to write a post about some topic of interest to them.

Perhaps you have a special hobby that you work on in your free time, a sport that you are enthusiastic about, a special place you love to visit, your plans for the future, a really great restaurant, a book that you just couldn't put down.

Create a post of 6 or more sentences in which you use your best descriptive writing skills to share your thoughts on that topic. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, please include an image from one of the online image sites recommended by the Blogging Challenge. This image should somehow tie in with the topic of your post. Include the citation at the end of the post to give credit to the source of the image. Follow the example at the end of this post. Include a hyperlink to a reliable website with more information on the topic that your readers can use for additional information. Do not use Wikipedia for this link. If you were inspired or influenced by another student's blog post, then provide a link back to that student's post as well. Due date:(Grades 6,7,8) October 26.

Citations

Last Pear. Retrieved 11 October 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikepedroncelli/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

We have fallen behind in the challenge. It is difficult when we meet once a week, but also difficult when it takes more than 2 weeks for people to complete an assignment due to not following directions! Let's all forge ahead!

The week 4 challenge asks us to do several things. Not all of these things will be required of each grade. Please look for the comment as to which grade is responsible for which items



1- Add a widget to the sidebar telling something about our geographic location, such as time or weather. Choose from the widget links on the left and add one of those two.**IMPORTANT - Some students have gone way overboard with personal widgets. The rule from this week forward is ONE personal widget (such as ONE virtual pet) at least until the challenge is concluded.  Geographic widget due date: Friday, Oct. 16. Other than one announcement in class, you are on your own to add this as we should now be familiar with this procedure. DO NOT ELIMINATE PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED WIDGETS!  For Grades 7 and 8.

2. Write a post in which you name 2 student blogs from other countries and tell why you think your classmates should visit these student blogs. Write 3 sentences (or more about the general content of the blog - topics, media added, design, etc.) and make the name of the blog a hyperlink. Leave a respectful comment on each of the blogs you are choosing as either a statement or a question. Be sure to hyperlink back to your own page so the other student can visit you. We will review including your hyperlink in class and you may use this pdf as a guide as well. Grade 7 and 8 - visit 2 blogs; Grade 6 - visit 1 blog. Due date: Wednesday, Oct. 21.

3. Add a translator widget using the link at the left to Google Translator. Grades 6,7,8.  Due date: Monday, October 19.

If you have submitted a blog post and the question mark is showing in your list, then I will usually see it in 24 hours OR LESS! However, if you still don't see it published, it may be because I (or another teacher if the post was assigned by someone else) am holding it back for some reason. Check your entry and look for a message in Teacher Comments. To see the message you need to go to your Article window. Click on the post you are waiting for. View it in TEXT mode, not Graphical. If you have been sent a comment regarding the assignment you should see it in red with the post. If you don't see a comment but think it should have been published, please email me so I can be sure it is not lost. 

We will continue with the Week 2 activities since the topics in Week 3 of the Challenge will not apply to our blog site, however I will go over in class the idea of a "blog roll" and "categories" and we will view them on other sites.

The second part of the Week 2 activity will involve commenting. Create a post in which you will name 5 student blog posts on which you wish to comment. This will mean you need to spend some time reading through student posts. You can access the sites by going to the list of participants or September entries. (can't tell the age or grade well from the September entries though)

In your post actually write the comments you would send to these individuals. Include the name of their blog page and create a hyperlink to the actual post.  You should try to leave comments for bloggers who are about your age or grade level so there is more chance you will be able to communicate well. After I return your scored comment sheet we will be leaving the comments on the actual student blog pages.

Here is are two examples of students who wrote their comments in a post on their own page. Brad   and  Abby  Their teacher did not require a link to the posts on which they planned to leave comments but you can get the idea. Notice that they are actually having a conversation and not just saying "I love your blog!".

Remember to keep your work in your article window and SAVE frequently. After a period of inactivity you will be logged out of Classblogmeister. Once your post is in its final form and you have proofread then remember to save and request publishing.

Due date for post containing comments: Monday, Oct. 5

This image was sent in by Mrs. Hogan. Are your eyes playing tricks on you? This is an example of an optical illusion!!! If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, the dots will remain only one colour - pink.

However if you stare at the black ' + ' in the centre, the moving dot turns to green. Now, concentrate on the black ' + ' in the centre of the picture. After a short period, all the pink dots will slowly disappear, and you will only see only a single green dot rotating. It's amazing how our brain works. There really is no green dot , and the pink ones really don't disappear.

This should be proof enough, we don't always see what we think we see.

What is a widget? A widget is anything that can be embedded within a page of HTML (a web page). A widget adds some content to that page that is dynamic, not static. This means that the information is constantly changing without the user having to do anything.

On the sidebar at the right of this page you will see that I have inserted 3 widgets in the About the Blogger space. One is a podcast player, one is a Clustr Map, and one is a Flag Counter. Using the links at the top of the left sidebar, go to these websites and copy the code for EITHER the map widget OR the flag widget into your About Me box using your Control Panel. Be sure not to erase the sentences that tell about you. The code is pasted BELOW what  you have  already written there. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Clustr Map - Copy the URL of your personal blog page. Then go to the ClustrMaps link and paste the URL in the first box. For email address use olphbethlehem@gmail.com and then click the "Make my map" button. You will then see a page that says, "Congratulations. The unique HTML code for your page is shown below". Do NOT leave this page without copying your code. It is found in the box at the bottom. You must highlight the entire code starting with <a href   and ending with </a> This is the code that will be pasted under your About the Blogger sentences in the control panel. Submit that for publishing.

OR

2. Flag Counter - After clicking on the link for this site, you can leave  the default settings for the appearance of the counter and simply click the yellow button "get your flag counter". On that page you will see the code you need in the first box. You will copy again from the <a href up to the end which is </a>  This also gets pasted into your About the Blogger section on the Control Panel. Be sure to paste it below your sentences about yourself. Click "Submit Descriptions".

Please submit your widget for publishing by Monday, Sept. 28.

Students in the Bloggers' Challenge have been asked to explain what types of comments they would accept on their blog posts.  I will respond to that on behalf of all our students since all comments are moderated by the teacher.

We welcome comments from students, teachers, and parents on the content of posts. Please feel free to say if you agree, or have similar interests, or ask questions about what we have posted. It is not necessary to provide a link back to your blog though we would love to visit the page of anyone who comments, and if you ask a question of us, that will be the best way for us to communicate with you. Our students are known by initials here on our site, so we will accept initials or names from student posters. Adults are asked to leave their names.

If you disagree with something that has been said by a blogger, feel free to say that also, but please say it in a respectful way and give a reason or explain your point of view. It would not be necessary for a visitor to comment on misspelled words as those comments would be made by me to our students on their assignment sheets. However if you have constructive coments regarding style of writing, feel free to help us become better bloggers.

There are some students (and I am not including grade 5 in this group as of Sept. 20) who have only completed part of the assignment. Please note: There were 5 sentences to appear in your "About Me" section on the sidebar of your page, and there were 5 sentences to appear in your first blog post of this year (Blogging Challenge 1) which should appear in the body of your page. Both needed to be submitted for approval as well as your uploaded avatar. Some students need to make sure their blog titles represent the overall blog page and not just one entry.

There is still some confusion about the term "blog". Your "blog" is your entire page. Each article you write is not a "blog", it is a "post" on your blog page. Our next challenge will involve a new "post", not a new blog.

We also  must understand that the style of writing used on your blog page should not be the same style of writing you use in text messages and IMs. Even I might say, "i hope u r coming" in a text message, but never in a blog post. Different locations require different styles. On blog posts, there will be deductions for spelling, including the use of the lower case "i". If you need to spruce something up, please do so.

We are starting a week late with the blogging challenge, but we will do our best to catch up. Here is your first assignment: (Grade 4, we will do this together in class as this is your first blogging experience.)

1. Refer to the Blogging Challenge page on Edublogs under the section called "Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" dated Sept. 6.

2. Create an avatar to represent you using AvatarPortraitMaker. There are other sites we can try later but this will be a start. Download this image to your network folder and upload it to your "About Me" page.

3. On your Control Panel create an interesting title for your personal blog and add a minimum of 5 sentences about your interests. Be sure to observe privacy rules and not give your actual name or other personal identifying information. The rules of grammar and spelling apply! View samples given on the blogging challenge page.

4. Create a new post for the Blogging Challenge 1 assignment. Be sure to fill in the assignment name on the Article Page and also use "Blogging Challenge Week 1" for your post title. Using a minimum of 5 sentences, tell how you hope to improve as a blogger by doing this challenge, what kinds of things you would like to write about or any blogging goals you have for this year, and how you hope to interact with other students around the world. Refer readers to your "About Me" page and insert a hyperlink to the site you used to create your avatar. Remember to edit for grammar and spelling!

5. Submit your post for publication by Friday, Sept. 18. You must check the Publish box or it will not be credited as being on time.

      Welcome back to a new year of blogging at OLPH!  Some of our students are entering their third year in classblogmeister and for our current third and fourth graders this will be their very first year. I have been in touch with some teachers in other states, and even in Canada, to talk about possible projects or topics we may work on together. I am excited about this new venture and know our students will be also. We will be using blogging in other subject areas as well, not only in tech class. Get ready for more opportunities to share your ideas, collaborate with others, and become a better author. WRITE ON!  

As we get closer to the beginning of school, both parents and students may be making resolutions to stay more organized or stick with things a little better. One website that may help you is DLTK which provides a handy way to create a chore list, or a calendar, or a variety of other useful items.

A nine-year-old in Australia has created an awesome personal blog where he writes about a variety of experiences. Check out Samuel's blog. Maybe it will give us some ideas for the coming school year.

Experimenting with a WordSearch tool

Technology Quick Puzzle

Trying my hand at a new web tool. Wish I had more background choices.

It is always interesting for teachers to see or read about what other teachers are doing with their classes. Sometimes we can learn new things or find great ideas to use with our own students. I have been fortunate in my professional learning network to have been able to learn from and even interact with teachers all over the country. I am hoping that our eighth grade students will do the same as they learn something about commenting on blog posts and read the posting of students and teachers from many different locations.

In keeping with the "Classy Commenting" assignment for eighth grade, I would like to make my own recommendation for the BWVA (Blog Worth Visiting Award). Mrs. Durff is an educator at the Broadfording Christian Academyin Hagerstown, MD. She has several different class blogs such as Durff'sComputer8. It seems that Mrs. Durff uses this blog to post requirements for tech assignments for her eighth grade students. I especially liked the Creative Commons video that she has embedded on her page. This is something I hope to eventually talk about with my classes, the share and share alike philosophy and how to use the site. I noticed they have also tried their hand at ToonDoos. I made one of my own a while back and  would like to see  more of the ones created by her students.

One of the students in her class, Ravens24, posted an awesome video with a song by Casting Crowns. I had never heard of this Christian music group before. I think I would like to revisit Ravens24's blog from time to time and see what new and interesting things this young blogger has added. Even teachers learn something new every day!

I  am more than half Irish and very proud of my Irish heritage. I would love to visit Ireland some day. The only foreign country I have ever visited was Canada. Years ago I taught myself how to play the guitar, but I haven't touched it in years and now I have forgotten. I do not play many computer games but my favorite one over the last couple years has been "Snood". I wonder if any of you have ever heard of that? I have four sisters and we are very close, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother. When I am driving (by myself) I like to sing along (very loudly) with the radio or favorite CDs. It may be no surprise to anyone that I love anything related to technology and would be on the computer 24 hours a day if I could, trying new things. My favorite dessert is Tiramisu. I think the best I ever tasted was in a restaurant in Little Italy in New York City (I love New York City!) Bonus fact: Finally I must say that I am a pack rat. I save silly things for years and years because "I may need that some day" or  it has sentimental value. Can I be cured?

Who else is out there blogging on this classblogmeister site? Let's explore. If you go directly to the main page and search for other states, and even other countries, can you find something interesting to share about another class in another part of the country or the world? Tell us the name of the school you "stumbled upon", the teacher's name, what the students are writing about, and anything they may be telling you about their school or their location. Introduce them to the rest of us not only with your description (of at least 8 sentences) but by also giving us the link to their main blog page. You can include a link to their school website if one is available. Grade 5 and 6 assignment due by November 17.   In the future we will be discussing how to comment on pages and you will be able to go back and comment on the writing of this class you have discovered.

Welcome to the world of blogging fifth grade! Once everyone can log into his or her own blog page we will practice posting to the blog using the classblogmeister tool set. Your first assignment is a duplicate of the one posted for grade 6 so please read that entry below.  Your due date for completion of your first post that meets all of the listed requirements is Monday, September 22. This means you will need to access your blog page from home so be sure you can do it without a problem before that date. Memorize your username and password and email me through schoolnotes if you have difficulties. Welcome to the blogosphere!

Welcome back to a new year of blogging!

First Assignment: Read the 8th grade entry for first assignment requirements for your blog entry. Use an article viewed in class on Sept. 10 or one aired in the previous week. Due date for your first entry: Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Welcome back to a new year of blogging!

Assignment 1:

After viewing the CNN Student News article in class on Sept. 9 or a recent student news article of your choice, create a blog entry of at least 8 complete sentences summarizing the topic and adding your personal comments and observations. Insert a hyperlink to the exact location of the article (video or transcript) from the student news site. Use MS Word or another word processor to create then entry and edit for spelling and grammatical errors. Be sure to include a title for your entry. Then post to your blog, request publishing and save. Due date: Monday, Sept. 15.

Most of the sixth grade students have some experience with blogging from last  year. For our warm up blog entry, to make sure we can all access our blog pages and to review the how-to's, please respond to this question:

What is the most important problem you would like the new president of the U.S. to work on when he takes office on January 20, 2009?

Requirements:

-At least 6 complete sentences but you may write more if you want

-Use of MS Word or other word processor to revise and edit your copy to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors

-Edited entry pasted into blog

-Article submitted for publishing

-Published by due date: Monday, September 15