The Finish Line?

This is to remind/clarify what the last three posts should be on your blogs.

When you finish the game review and a teacher has reviewed it for you, you can post it as a separate blog entry.
In the title: write, Game Review: your game (write the actual name of your game)
In the content: you can copy and paste your answers to the questions from GoogleDocs.

When you finish your social issue research, you will also post it as a separate blog entry.
In the title: write Social Issue: your issue (again, write out your actual issue)
In the content: you can copy and paste your answers to the questions from GoogleDocs.

The PowerPoint: See the previous post for the instructions on the content of the PowerPoint.

To post on your blog: I will come in on Friday to show you how to put a PowerPoint on your blog. . .we will be using a web-based tool, either Scribd or SlideShare, which will allow you to embed your PowerPoint right into your blog!!

Remember, if you are working in a group, you can each have the same content on your blogs!!

Do u Have a PowerPoint?

Well, we have reached the end of our tech time together. . .I will be distributing a rubric so you can determine whether or not you have completed all that I have asked you to accomplish this summer. . .

The last task you have is to take your review of the social issue behind your game and to create a PowerPoint that you could present to the class. I will also show you how to embed your PowerPoint onto your blog using a web-based tool called Slideshare.

I believe that everyone has used PowerPoint before, so I am going to give you some instructions as to what should be the content of your PowerPoint. If you need some help with PowerPoint, see me or your teacher.


1. Title Slide: Should contain your name/group members, social issue you are addressing (with definition or explanation if necessary), and an appropriate graphic/picture of the issue.

2. Second Slide: Use the "Title and Content" slide layout. Put the name "Web Resources" in the title and put the links in the content. Add appropriate pictures/graphics.

3. Slides 3,4,5: Using the "Title and Content" slide layout, explain each of your three resources on separate slides. Place the name of the site in the title and give some facts that relate to your social issue that came from the site. You can also address the issue of why you choose this particular site for a resource.

4. Slide 6: Explain what can be done to address the social issue. What could be done at the governmental level, the state level, the community level, the individual level. . .This may take more than one slide. . .Include appropriate graphics/pictures

After the PowerPoint is finished, you will use slideshare to embed your PowerPoint into your blog. . .If we have time, you will present your PowerPoints to the class.

If you finish early, please do another post on your blog explaining what you learned in the class and what you would still like to learn. What program or project would you like to do in the future.

Dude, Where's your Blog?

Well, the summer grading period is almost over. . .and we still have a lot of work to do on our project (when I say "we", I mean YOU!!!!)

What to do:

1. Get your blog up-to-date
-Is your blog posted on the class blog? If not, give your blog address to me!
-Did you do your first post?
-Are your links added? (at least 5, with two being technohope & learning games 4 Change
-Is your blog appropriate for school/class display? (no use of last name, appropriate content for class. . .while skater blogs r kewl, they are not something that should be used for a class blog on technology)

2. Work on game review and social issue research
-Use GoogleDocs to write detailed answers to the questions
-Answer all parts of the questions in as much detail as possible (assume your audience has no idea about the video game or the social issue).
-Ensure you have THREE quality resources on your social issue.
-Once you believe you have finished, get teacher approval before posting on your blog.
-If you are waiting for approval, you can gather some pictures of your game and the social issue you are researching.

You may say, "I was absent that day or at camp?" Well, you need to coordinate with you teacher on how to get caught-up on where you should be. . .you are responsible to find out what you missed!!

This week's question: Do you plan on going to college? If so, what do you plan to study? If not, what do you plan to do after high school?

Ready to Geek Out?

First of all, I want to thank everyone for continuing to give me a good effort in technology class. However, as someone who expects the best from his students, I know that you are ALL capable of better. I try to create space for you to be yourself and be creative within the framework of school. . .but with great freedom comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, not everyone does well with freedom (at least as a high school student in a classroom). There hasn’t been a task that I have assigned that you couldn’t complete. It just seems that people tend to get off track very easily. Please work on putting your best self forward in this class.
I am hoping that everyone can work independently or in your small groups to accomplish your tasks. I am going to be very specific in what I expect to be completed by next week:

YOUR BLOG
1. Publish your blog. If you were not in class, follow the posted instructions.

2. Ensure that your title has the word ‘HOPE’ or ‘Monarch’ in some form. I encouraged creativity, but this is a school project, so I expect that the names are relevant to the class. . .not Skateboarding, Big Toes, etc. . .Learn to be creative within the boundaries of what is apprpriate for school. If you need to change your blog title, please do so.

3. Your blog should contain a links list with the class blog, Learning Games for Change, and then at least 3 of your own favorite sites. The links list should have a name that reflects the contents. If you were absent yesterday, please ask a peer to help you.

4. Remember to avoid using your last name on your blog and, if you are under 18, you will need to have parent permission to use your photograph.

First Blog Post
1. In the title of your first post. . .call it: About Me

2. Tell me:
a. Where you grew up
b. What you like to do when you are not a student
c. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

3. Remember: Be appropriate and respectful.

Learning Game/Social Issue Research
Please refer back to the “Word Art” post on the class blog for instructions as to what you need to do for the game review/research into the social issue.
I posted the groups and games on the blog. . .if you need to refresher on the game, please take a few minutes to play. The real issue for me is that you understand the social issue. . .
Use GoogleDocs, or simply Microsoft Word to answer the questions. The answers should have plenty of detail. Write as if the reader has no idea about the project assignment. Ensure you have the links to your three resources.

If you have time, you can post your answers as your second blog post.
The title of the second post should be the name of your game: Example: Ayiti
Give the reader a little background on your game, then you can enter into the review. Ensure you answer all of the questions with lots of detail. . .and don't forget to cite and explain your 3 web resources (I will follow-up with this in class on Monday!)

Paliki's Class

Group	Game	Issue
Daniel Mendez, Israel, Henry	Free Rice
Alec, Daniel Klisser, DeAndre	McDonald's Game
Chuy Hernandez	Stop Disaster
Cruz	Stop Whaling
Daniel Estrada, Lebari	Stop Disaster
Jakqel, Jonathan K	Ayiti
Shantel, Maritza, Nicole	Karma Tycoon
Inocente	Stop Disasters
Miguel y Abraham	Stop Whaling
Andrea & Ana	Ayiti
Adelina y Jonathan	McDonald's

Spanias' Class

Group Member(s)	Game	Issue
Aaron	Nuclear Peace Doves	nuclear disarmament
Karen, Carolina	Whack TB	tuburculosis
Joseph	Third World Farming
Zei	Free Rice	Poverty
Juan, Roberto, Ricado	Amazing Food Detective	Diet, etc
Cassie, Karina	Darfur is Dying	genocide
Crystal, Ignacio	Ayiti	Poverty in Haiti
Desean & Lee	Darfur is Dying
Adriana & Marleya, Ivonne	McDonalds
Carlos & Andrew, Danah	Stop Disaster
Seth, Brandon & Daniel	Stop Disaster
Alma	Stop Nuclear Weapons
Martha, Cassandra D.	McDonald's

So U Think U can Blog?

Today, we will be creating blogs that we will use to communicate with each other and to post some of our work. . .I am embedding the instructions here. . .to see them full-screen, click on the re-size button in the upper right-hand corner of the file.

Publishing A Blog HOPE - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Publishing A Blog HOPE

This week's question: Do you like to read and/or study in silence or do you like noise (radio, tv, iPod, etc.)? Explain.

Word Art?

Check out my new Wordle creation in the right-hand column(click on it to make it bigger)!! This is a "Wordle" that I created using a new product that I found from my network of Del.icio.us friends! It takes words from websites, stories, etc., that can be copied and pasted and lets you create a cool word art. I used the tags from my del.icio.us account to create it. Imagine using words from poetry or a story or even an email or letter you have written to do something like this. . .

As most of you should know by now, I am off this week; however, I would still like for you to continue to investigate your game and the reason it is listed as a learning game for change.
With your group, you can collaborate on Google Docs to answer the following questions:

Game:
1. Was it hard or easy to learn? Did you have to read the instructions? If no, did you have success in the game? If yes, did the instructions help you succeed? What were you supposed to accomplish in the game?
2. How are the graphics of your game? What do you like about them and/or what should be improved?
3. What was the game supposed to teach you?
4. Would you recommend the game to your peers? Why or why not. . .you should be able to explain clearly and your peers should be able to determine whether or not they would like the game.

Social Issue behind Game:
1. What was your social issue? How did you discover it (was it obvious or did you have to search)?
2. Find three resources that explain the issue or give information on the issue (use del.icio.us to tag the sites). If you do not have a del.icio.us account or are having trouble using it, copy and paste the address into your Google Doc
3. Explain to your peers why they should care about your social issue. . .do your best to describe the issue and give specific reasons you and your peers should care.
4. Is there anything you can do now to help? If not, could you suggest something. . .

We will be creating your own blogs next week and you will post your review of the game and research on the social issue behind it.

This week's Question: What is your current favorite website or place you like to go when you have free time on the Internet? Why?

2 Kewl 4 Skewl?

We are moving into our third week together and I am please with your progress. However, there is something that I want to discuss with you. . .our comments at the end of each entry. My goal in using the comments is to build community and allow us to get to know each other in an informal manner. When you respond to prompts in writing, all you have to represent yourself are your words. . .No one can see your face to see if you are kidding, angry, etc., so it becomes very important that you represent your best self in your comments. I'm not necessarily talking about grammar, as the blog is informal, but I do mean the comments that are off topic, mean-spirited, or simply inappropriate for our forum. This is our chance to grow as a group and have fun at the same time. . .Please go back and review your past comments to see if you might want to revise them ;-)

This week: we will discuss how to evaluate our video game and do the research on the issue underlying the game. For example, if you are reviewing the game, Darfur is Dying, it clearly about the genocide that is currently taking place in Africa. We can look to the information in the game for the issue, or discuss with our peers what we think is going on. I also hope to get everyone a del.icio.us account to save the websites you find in your research!

This Week's Question: What is the best book that you have ever read and why? If you can't think of a book, you could choose your favorite poem or meaningful song (as it is a form of poetry).
For me, my favorite book would have to be Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The main character, Holden Caulfield, represented the difficulties of being a teenager in such a real way that I find myself relating to him even as an adult. . .It is also the best book I have ever read with a class!!

R U Getting Your Tech On?

As we begin our third session @ the Monarch HS Summer of Techno Fun, let's recap what you have accomplished. . .or are in process:

1. You created Gmail accounts that have a professional/student name that we can use for employment or scholarship applications.

2. You have created an iGoogle page that you can use for school. We discussed appropriate content for the page.

3. You were able to access this blog (and saved it in your Favorites) to receive information, find cool links, and leave comments. Remember: when you leave a comment it should be about the topic . . .it can be funny, but it should be appropriate.

4. You played a few of the 26 learning games for change. . .to have fun, but also to be able to review the game and the topic for which the game was created.

5. You were able to use Google Docs to take notes on your game. . .

This week, we are going to continue to play some of the learning games for change, discuss parameters for reviewing the games and the issues, we will discuss social bookmarking and; hopefully, create your own del.icio.us accounts.

This week's question: If you could change one thing about school, what would it be? Remember to answer the question asked and always be appropriate. You can criticize if you use the correct tone and language, but you should never use specific names as it can lead to anger or hurt feelings!

Our New Adventure

Welcome to the JCCS HOPE region technoblog!! While this blog is designed to keep everyone updated on technology and showcase the work of HOPE students and staff, I will also use this to direct some instruction to various classes throughout the region.

After each entry, I will leave a question for anyone to respond. You only have to click on the comments link and you can type in your response. Remember to always be sincere and respectful!
peace,
jeff

Question: Who is your favorite musician/band/singer and why?