Corrected Link For Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

The link to Carly's page that is in the Blog Post Assignments Version 5 now works. Here is the Corrected Link For Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12 in case you are using Version 4 or earlier. Be sure you use the latest version of all materials! The latest versions are listed in the Essential Materials for Students and Visitors section in the sidebar to the right.

If you do not get Version 5 of the .pdf, clear the cache of your browser (in one to the menus).

Reminders from Class 6/23

1. The class on 6/23 was mandatory. If you did not attend you must provide me with a written medical excuse. The penalty for not attending entire class: one letter grade loss.
2. SMARTboard presentations were deferred until 7/7 (Thursday at midnight).
a. Must be a collaborative effort in which all use the SMARTboard at some time.
b. If you formed a new group, let me know the membership.
c. If you were absent or late you must join a group IMMEDIATELY and inform me of that.
3. I have postponed further work on Forms. I will notify you if we resume work on Forms.

Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3

You Should...
The very first thing many of you should do is to add the SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT #2 TO YOUR CHECKLIST. As of Monday 6/20 (5 days after it was due) eight out of 30 of you (27%) have not yet done Special Assignment #1.

Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3
This assignment should take approximately three hours to complete.

Some teachers find lectures a good way to summarize material, introduce new perspectives, raise alternative interpretations and convey information.

Some teachers (especially in math and the sciences) do not wish to repeat the same instructions to every student whom them encounter.

Students who miss class sometimes find lectures and other recorded instructions sets very helpful.

Here are 3 enormous sets of materials that very few teachers or preservice teachers know about:
Kahn Academy
iTunesU
TED

For each of these three collections,which are similar but also quite distinct,:
1. Find out as much as you can about them and in Part A of your post summarize what you have found for each of them in turn. Readers of your post should get a good understanding of what these collections are from this part of your post
2. Explore the collection to see what types of materials are there and how extensive they are. In Part 2 of your post a) summarize the extent and nature of each of the collections and indicate what teachers (and how teachers) might take advantage of materials in these collections. Each collection should be addressed separately
3. Watch at least one lecture/presentation/lesson from each of the three collections. In Part 3 of your Post identify the lectures, materials, or lessons you watched. Each identification label should be a link (button) that takes you to the material you used. Summarize what was covered in each of the three and evaluate each.
4. In Part 4 of your post indicate what the collections could do for you and your students when you begin teaching. Treat each collection separately in completing this portion of your assignment
5. Indicate in Part 5 of your post whether or not this assignment has surprised you and why or why not. Be specific.

Forms

A number of you sent out the Form before getting it approved. So I guess I will reverse my intended procedure and critique the forms after they have been sent out. That may be a better way to do it since I can show you common mistakes. We will send a second round to a different FORM Group later in the semester.

In the meanwhile....
a) If you have already sent your form, wait for the replies
b) If you get a form to fill out, please do so
c) If you have not sent out your form do the following

1) Review the new and improved Form Instructions I have added to the Projects Manual
2) Read my instructions and those of Google
3) Avoid these mistakes that have been made:

• Too many text response items - they are difficult to analyze.
• Bad grammar and misspelling. PROOFREAD.
• Unfilled questions. Remove them. There is a trash can just to the right of the pencil that selects a question to edit.
• Questions are not required to be answered. Only on VERY RARE occasions should a question be not required. Unfortunately Google has this item set to an incorrect default (in my opinion).
• Sets are incomplete. There are answers that do not fit the choices.
• The questionnaire does not practice using all of the types of responses. Try at lease 5 kinds!

4) Now send your form TO YOUR GROUP ONLY (London, Paris or Venice).

If you need help come to the lab. Or call the Help Line.

Twenty-Five Percent!

That's Right. 1/4 of EDM310 has been completed!

More on Podcasts and Forms

Podcasts
A Google Doc has been put in your Docs that provides additional information about your podcast assignments. All podcasts will focus on Rafe Esquith's book Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire.

I have a limited number of books which will be available in the Lab on Monday 6/13. Check your local libraries. Share. Buy a copy. Amazon has it for $8.64.

Forms
Additional Forms Instructions and a Forms signup sheet have also been added to your Google Docs. You will fnd the name of the Form Group of which you are a member in the How to Contact Students ... Doc. There are 3 groups, each named for a great city.

Some Help From Allie on Using Twitter

Getting Used to Twitter

Update on Podcasts, Forms and Groups

Podcast Groups
Because 4 students have dropped EDM310 I have altered the Podcast Group for some of you. You can find the revised Podcast Group in your Google Docs (Students - How to Contact ...). You will find more information about Podcasts in a post on the Class Blog tomorrow (Friday). I will indicate the chapter(s) of Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire for which each Podcast Group will be responsible. I will also provide some additional Podcast instructions, changes in the Podcast due date and how to get a copy of the book for your group if needed.

Forms Groups
You also need to be in a larger group to do the Forms Project. The Forms Group to which you have been assigned can also be found in the Doc Students - How to Contact... . You will find more about the Forms Project in the Instruction Manual and in a post to the Class Blog either late tomorrow (Friday) or early Saturday and an accompanying Doc.

Special Assignment #1 Due On or Before 6/15: If You Have A Question Try and Answer It!

In her blog post about Did You Know? Kelsey Hatward wrote: " I am curious to find out how much China has actually grown in three years."

I suggested she look it up.

I want you to do it also. You will learn about some very powerful search tools that you are not familiar with. Try this. Go to WolframAlpha. Search for Population China. You can answer your question. Better yet, search for Population China India United States.

After you have done that try something different. Go to Google Squared. Search for Countries. On the far right add Population. This is a search engine still being developed in Google labs so their are some anomalies. Add United Sates at the bottom of Column 1.

Your Special Assignment #1 - Due On or before 6/15

Do the two searches above. Comment in a separate blog post titled Special Assignment #1 as follows:
1. Did you know about WolframAlpha?
2. Did you know about Google Squared?
3. What percentage of China's population is the population of the United States?
4. What percentage of India's population is the population of the United States?
5. Now what do you think of the facts reported in Do You Know?
6. Do you think WolframAlpha and Google Squared will be useful for you? for your students? Why or why not?

The Next Stage in Using Twitter

You should now add additional to those you are following. I have added a document to your Google Docs listing 80 people whom I suggest you follow. Find them. Follow them.

You should also be following me (@drjohnhadley) and all the staff (see the syllabus).

You should also watch/follow #edm310.

If you spot a Tweet you want everyone in EDM310 to see, retweet it and add #edm310 on the end.

Next week we will expand your use of Twitter even more.

Several Important Updates

Lab to be Staffed Saturdays 1-6 pm Starting June 11
Starting next week the Lab will be staffed every Saturday from 1-6 pm EXCEPT Saturday July 9, 2011

Blogger is Insisting That Some Posts Are Spam
Blogger and Google have declared a war on spam which, in my opinion, is much too aggressive. Several EDM310 students have reported that comments they have left on other students' blogs are not appearing. EVERYONE must check for spam. The instructions are in the Instruction Manual but I will summarize what you must do - NOW - and at least every other week.
1. Go to your Dashboard in Blogger
2. Click in the bottom row on Comments

3. You will go to a page that looks like this. Click on the Spam tab

4. If you see any posts in this SPAM area that are not spam and which need to be posted, click on the small box on the left of all that are Not Spam. Then click (at the top or bottom) Not Spam. The posts will then appear on your blog.

If you are leaving a comment that is NOT appearing on a student's blog: contact them, by telephone or Gmail, and ask them to follow the instructions in this post. I am certain they will find that your posts have been mislabeled as Spam by Blogger.

Twitter
A number of you have begun to Tweet! Great! Be sure to follow @drjohnhadley (me), all of the lab assistants (see the syllabus for their Twitter names), and the people on the list linked to through the Instruction Manual. Following the right people is the most important part of Twitter.

In addition, follow #edm310. The # sign is essential. It is like a folder in which I place all tweets I want all EDM310 students to see, read, and act on. Follow other members of the class as well, especially the students in your group. You now have a Doc that lists all students, their phone numbers, Gmail addresses, group number, and Twitter names. If I do not have your Twitter name, send it to me by Gmail. The ones I have I got from tweets of those following me.

Correction

In your Checklist you will find that Wordle is listed as Project #2 and Blog Post #2. The correct listing should have been
Blog Post #2 (4 items as shown on Blog Assignments)
Project #2 - Wordle (which must be posted to your blog).

Please make this correction to your checklist.

Thanks!