Hello! Welcome to Middle School 2.0.
This tutorial is designed so that you can learn how to use the tools of web 2.0 for your classes or for fun.
You may do it on your own or as a part of a group.
We hope that you will have fun – because these websites are full of creative ideas for you to use. Take time to explore and enjoy all the tools of this new Internet. Read on!
Here is a “teacher moment” for you:
A word for you to consider: responsibility. Before you begin this tutorial, you need to know that you are entering the big world of the Internet and “social networking”. This means that you will possibly encounter images and ideas that may be different from those that you are used to. While we have limited the places we’re sending you, you will still be interacting with your fellow students in a way that you may not have done before. Therefore, we expect you to behave respectfully, be positive and when asked to critique others ideas, you will do so in a way that promotes learning and is constructive.
This tutorial was first designed for teachers. They had 23 Things to complete. You will complete 10 Things when you are done.
A “Thing” is an activity that you will do using one of the web tools.
How to do this tutorial:
1. Each section is to be done in about a week.
2. Each week you get information about a website [or ‘tool’]
3. After you read the information, do each of the exercises.
4. Next, you have a “THING” to do. You must do this ‘THING”.
5. The last thing you need to do is to post about what you learned on your blog.
Week 1: Creativity. What is it?
Thing 1: Creativity
We will begin by watching this video clip about creativity. Be prepared to participate in a group discussion about creativity. Be prepared to answer these questions (they will be part of your first post):
- How can I be creative in today’s world?
- What part will the Internet play in helping me to be creative?
- If I can post my art, video, or writing work on the Internet for the world to see, will this make me work differently than if only my teacher was going to see it?
Thing 2: Blogging
You get to make your own blog! This is a very public - school - blog and you will be sharing your blog address with your teacher, your parents, and your fellow students. All of these people might comment on your blog. You can add comments to your friends' blogs, and you can encourage your friends and your parents to makes comments on yours. So spread the word among your family and friends.
Activity 1: Set up an email account. You may use the email address you already have. If you do not have an email address, you an set up a family account using gmail by Google.
Activity 2: Set up your own blog. We will be using Edublogs for this class. Sign on with a name that does not identify you, choose a password and begin blogging.
Activity 3: Register your blog. This means that after you create your blog, you will fill out this online form to give Mrs. Lofton your email address, blog name, and blog address. She will not share your name with anyone else, but will need it for keeping track of your progress. After you have received notice that she has received your information and approved your blog, then you can begin with all the fun! Mrs. Lofton will create a “blogroll” - a list of all the blogs for students who are taking the tutorial with you. These are the students you will work with and cheer along the way - that’s the 2.0 way!! Check their blogs regularly and comment on them. Ask them questions about how to do stuff if you’re confused, answer those who might need your help also. Cheer them on - have fun! Critique well!
Activity 4: Add your first post responding to these questions about creativity.
- How can I be creative in today’s world?
- What part will the Internet play in helping me to be creative?
- If I can post my art, video, or writing work on the Internet for the world to see, will this make me work differently than if only my teacher was going to see it?
Activity 5: For your next post, create an avatar — a representation of yourself — and add it and comments about your experience creating it to your blog.
Try these sites for avatars:
http://www.manga.com/content/avatar-face-maker
http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
http://www.tektek.org/dream/dream.php
Week 3: Photos & Images
Flickr is a website used primarily for storing and sharing photos. You can use this site to find pictures on any topic. It includes photos taken by individuals as well as from important museums and archives like the Library of Congress. You can also use this site to upload pictures you’ve taken and then you can share them with your family your friends or the whole world.
If you want to publish an image you find at Flickr on your blog, be sure to search for images with Creative Commons licenses. Hint: To find images with Creative Commons licenses, go to the Advanced Search screen, enter a keyword to search, then check " " and click Search. Or, you will probably find it easier to use the flickrcc.bluemountains.net site. If you want to publish one of these images, be sure to give credit by citing the username of the person who uploaded the image and the url of the page where the photo appears.
Other sites to check out for images include: PhotoBucket and the K12 High Speed Network's edzone site.
Thing 3. Go to Flickr's Explore screen and explore. Find some photos you like. Blog about what you learned in this tutorial and include at least one image you found at Flickr. Be sure to include only images with Creative Commons licenses that allow you to publish them without getting permission from the copyright holder, and cite the username and url where you found the image.
Week 4: More Fun with Images
Thing 4. Explore Big Huge Labs and learn about this popular image hosting site.
Activity 2: Write on your blog ways that you can use Flickr to post pictures for your family. Discuss how you would choose which pictures you might keep private and which ones you might want to post so others could see them.
Activity 3: Create ONE project using any of the flickr toys from Big Huge Labs. You may create a presentation for any class you are currently taking.
One of the cool things that you can do with an image generator is to create cool cover pages for your reports. There are a million things you can do including party invitations, announcements, personalized letterhead images. You are limited only by your own imagination. Using a comic strip generator, you can make your own comics – excellent for reports as well as fun activities with your friends.
Activity 4: Create Trading Cards of favorite writers or illustrators. Include list of books written and their dates, if any of their books were made into movies.
Thing 5: explore Image Chef and Comic Strip Generator.
Activity 5: Create a cover sheet for any class assignment using an image generator. Include your image, your name, the teacher’s name, the date, period and the title of your assignment.
Activity 6: Write in your blog about what kinds of things you could use an image generator for in school. Then write about some ways you could use them at home or in a club [like scouts, sports team, etc]. Include a sample of your creations on your blog.
Week 5: Voice & Video
PowerPoint is not the only game in town for giving great presentations. Try these sites for interesting ideas for classroom presentations.
Thing 6: Go to VoiceThread. Browse the application. Click on the ‘help’ tab to get to FAQs and tutorials. Take the tutorials to learn how to make a spectacular VoiceThread. We use VoiceThreads for all the booktalks on the Lindero Book Talk Blog. Consider creating a booktalk for our blog. Here are some tips on creating a good book talk. Also, contribute a comment to our class VoiceThread about Web 2.0 tools:
Thing 7: Then go to Animoto. Click on the LEARN MORE video and learn more about how to create your own animoto.
Activity 7: Write in your blog about what kinds of things you could use Animoto and VoiceThread for in school. Then write about some ways you could use them at home or in a club [like scouts, sports team, book club, etc]. Some ideas to consider for school: you could upload pictures of the girls working in the mills in the Industrial Revolution. Your VoiceThread could be explanations on what these girls experienced, where they worked, how they were treated, what it was like to work there. Or try a science project where you upload pictures of an ecosystem. Your VoiceThread can describe the kinds of plants, soil and animals that live there. You can include dangers to the ecosystem and provide some solutions to those dangers.
Activity 8: Using either Animoto or VoiceThread, create a video or slideshow you could use for a class project.
Week 6: Creating documents and saving them online
Thing 8: Go to Google Docs and create your own account. While you’re there, write a poem or essay about the Internet and save it - make it easy on yourself…type in one of your existing assignments! Then link that document to one of your blog posts.
Activity 9: Write in your blog about why the online document website is useful for you – and how you can use it in school. Why would it be especially useful to have for school projects? [hint: access...and no need for USB flash drives].
Week 7: Saving and sharing the books you read.
Thing 9: There are several sites on the Internet that allow you to store a list of books that you have read, find out about books you might want to read, and share booklists with others. Explore Shelfari or Goodreads and consider if you would like to keep track of your reading on one of these sites.
Activity 10: Start a booklist on Shelfari or Goodreads. You can also add your bookshelf as a sidebar on your blog.
Activity 11: Blog about what you learned about one of these social networking sites for readers and how you can use it to help you find and enjoy more books.
WEEK 8: Copyright, Intellectual Property & Information Ethics
This week is really the most important week since it discusses issues that relate to everything you do online. Therefore, this week is a BONUS week and carries extra points if you are doing this with a class. If you are doing this on your own, then it will give you BONUS points in the “I am an excellent online citizen” club.
First we will define a few words and phrases [from dictionary.com]:
Copyright: the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.: works granted such right by law on or after January 1, 1978, are protected for the lifetime of the author or creator and for a period of 50 years after his or her death.
Intellectual Property: property that results from original creative thought, such as patents, copyright material, and trademarks.
Information Ethics: is the field that investigates the ethical issues arising from the development and application of information technologies.
Thing 10. Watch this video about copyright.
Write in your blog about why it important to follow copyright laws. Answer the following: why is the creator of a piece of art interested in copyright laws? What would you feel if you saw the photograph you took for photo class on someone’s blog? Would you feel any different if they cited your work? Explain your feelings.
Activity 12. There are two excellent citation makers, Noodletools and Easybib. Try them both. Locate how to make a citation for the MLA format. Write the URL for this site on your planner or other homework helper. USE IT when you have to create a “works cited” list.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations! You have completed Middle School 2.0! Welcome to the 2.0 Team.Your last assignment consists of blogging about your feelings and critiques of this tutorial. Please answer the following questions:
- What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
- Which tools do you think you will use in the future, and how?
- Do you have any suggestions to change this tutorial?
