Thursday 3 July 2008

9TA Thursday morning 3rd July

More useful online tools!
Aims:
9TA Tuesday 17th June
Aims:
To learn how to use google docs
To learn what social bookmarking is
To evaluate a couple of new websites

Starter: Organise a group of about four people that you will work with this lesson. You don't need to sit next to them! You don't even need to talk to them (out loud!)

Tasks:
1. Sign into google docs - http://docs.google.com/ you can use the same username and password you use for your blog. Have a play for 5 minutes to work out how to create a document or presentation and find out what they can do.
2. Sharing your documents: one of the clever things about google docs is you can work on things with other people - click on the share button and type in some e-mails of friends to add as collaborators. You will all be able to work on the document together! Have a try and say hi to each other.
3. Mini Project - Using docs or presentations work on one of the following projects...
a. A story called Dave's strange journey to school
b. A presentation called: The most amazing facts you need to know
c. A celebrity/football/sports/fashion etc News page: Write up the latest news with your group
d. Another idea of your own that you've checked with me first

4. While you are waiting for people to be added to your document try out www.wordle.net
Try creating some wordles and publish them on your blog. You can make a wordle of your blog too!

5. Research social bookmarking: What is it? What can it do? Why is it useful? Blog about it!
Watch this video if you need some help.
http://www.teachertube.com/uvideos.php?UID=22032

6. Social Networking in school
Should myspace facebook etc be allowed in school? Could they actually help you learn? How? Blog about it!

Extension Work:
Google Calender: Log into google calender and create a shared calendar with your birthdays etc.

Plenary: Write a short blog post about google docs and how you found using it.

Tuesday 1 July 2008

Tuesday Afternoon 1st July

Aims:
To blog a bit more
To try some new web tools
To evaluate some new web tools
To learn about social bookmarking

Starter:
Research social bookmarking: What is it? What can it do? Why is it useful? Blog about it!
Watch this video
http://www.commoncraft.com/bookmarking-plain-english

Task one: Opinion piece - write a blog post on - should you be using facebook and myspace in school? Is it right that it is blocked? Could it help you at school?

Task two:
Visit www.wordle.net
Try creating some wordles and publish them on your blog

Task three:
Opinion piece: ICT in school - what do you think you should be learning in ICT lessons at school? Blog about it...

Task four:
Visit
http://www.toondoo.com/
It's really quick to register. Create some cartoon strips on a topic of your choice - once you get started it's quite quick and it's lots of fun! f

Wednesday 25 June 2008

9TA Thursday 25th June - Controversial Blogging

Aims: To look at how blogs are used across the world to express opinions even where you are not allowed to.
To express your opinions on a freedom of speech issue via a blog or other page.
To learn about google docs and what they are

Starter: Homework from last week: What is the google controvery?
Sign into google docs - http://docs.google.com/ you can use the same username and password you use for your blog. Have a play for 5 minutes to work out how to create a document or presentation and find out what they can do.
2. Sharing your documents: one of the clever things about google docs is you can work on things with other people - click on the share button and type in some e-mails of friends to add as collaborators. You will all be able to work on the document together! Invite some friends but don't wait for them to reply - we'll come back to that later (it can take a while to get everything set up as well).

Main Activity:
Can it be dangerous to blog?
1. Use a blog search (such as technorati or google blog search) to find a blogger who has been arrested or got in trouble for what they wrote. Write about it on your blog, what are your feelings on this? Was it the fault of the blogger or were they the victim? (you can search for bloggers who have been arrested)

2. Blogs for freedom - many countries have limits on what people can write or on press freedom. In other countries there are other problems.
Take a look at these news stories and blogs
Burma/Myanmar
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/27/myanmar.dissidents/index.html
China
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6707-the-blog-revolution-sweeps-across-china.html
Zimbabwe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7317323.stm
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/sub-saharan-africa/zimbabwe/

And other countries

Write on your blog about how people in different countries use blogs to express themselves. Put links to some blogs you have found interesting.

3. Blogs can also be interesting to find out the latest news - find a few examples
Chinese Earthquake
http://www.marc.cn/2008/05/earthquake-on-twitter.html

homework: last one ever - write a blog post - year 7, 8 and 9. Which is the best, what has changed, what was great, what was rubbish.

Tuesday 24 June 2008

9TA Tuesday 24th June - Blogs for change

Aims: To look at how blogs are used across the world to express opinions even where you are not allowed to.
To express your opinions on a freedom of speech issue via a blog or other page.

Starter: Homework from last week: What is the google controvery?

Main Activity:
Can it be dangerous to blog?
1. Use a blog search (such as technorati or google blog search) to find a blogger who has been arrested or got in trouble for what they wrote. Write about it on your blog, what are your feelings on this? Was it the fault of the blogger or were they the victim? (you can search for bloggers who have been arrested)

2. Blogs for freedom - many countries have limits on what people can write or on press freedom. In other countries there are other problems.
Take a look at these news stories and blogs
Burma/Myanmar
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/27/myanmar.dissidents/index.html
China
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6707-the-blog-revolution-sweeps-across-china.html
Zimbabwe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7317323.stm
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/sub-saharan-africa/zimbabwe/

And other countries

Write on your blog about how people in different countries use blogs to express themselves. Put links to some blogs you have found interesting.

3. visit Big Think www.bigthink.com and post your opinions to a debate

4. Blogs can also be interesting to find out the latest news - find a few examples
Chinese Earthquake
http://www.marc.cn/2008/05/earthquake-on-twitter.html

homework: last one ever - write a blog post - year 7, 8 and 9. Which is the best, what has changed, what was great, what was rubbish.

Wednesday 18 June 2008

9TA Thursday 18th June - RSS Magic

Aims:
To learn what an RSS feed is
To use an RSS feeder
To make a personalised google homepage

Starter:
Find out what an RSS feed is. What does an RSS feed do? What is the symbol for RSS? Write the answers up on your blog *in your own words* (if it doesn't fit on your main blog make a new schoolwork one it's very quick)

Activities:
1. Your homework last week was to find 5 different links to blogs, news and pictures. You will need these links handy and might have to open them all up.
2. Create yourself an account on google reader (click the link). Use the same username as for your blog and you will be able to log on without having to sign up again. Google reader is a feed reader. Start off by adding some feeds.
a) Type in the address of your blog and add it.
b) Add the address of the pages from your homework (2 blogs, 1 news site, 1 flickr photo page, 1 other)
c) Find a couple more pages to add on - interesting examples are - this day in history, joke of the day, quote of the day, sports news etc...
3. Write a short blog post explaining google reader - what is it? Is it useful? Can you see yourself using it? Who would use it?

Mini Extension Task: In google reader you can share items - what does this do?

4. Time to try igoogle - www.google.com/ig I google is a personalised internet homepage. You can add Widgets as well as RSS feeds to your page. You can drag and drop boxes to get them exactly where you want. You can also add tabs to personalise your page. Be sensible with what you add - if you want to play at home that's okay but at school do not add anything that you shouldn't be doing in lessons!

5. Blog about Igoogle - is it any good? Would you make it your personal homepage?

Extension Work: Comment-time: Visit some of the class blogs and leave some comments and constructive feedback to classmates.

Nb: Have I linked to your page on the bar on the right? If not leave me a comment with the address of your page.

Homework: There has been some controversy over google's use of information. Some people are worried about privacy and more. Research and write a post on your blog about The Google Controversy, why are some people worried about google and in particular privacy.
How to Overcome Writer's Block
Don't Drink and Blog

Tuesday 17 June 2008

9TA Tuesday 17th June

Aims: To learn how to use google docs!

Starter: Organise a group of about four people that you will work with this lesson. You don't need to sit next to them! You don't even need to talk to them (out loud!)

Tasks:
1. Sign into google docs - http://docs.google.com/ you can use the same username and password you use for your blog. Have a play for 5 minutes to work out how to create a document or presentation and find out what they can do.
2. Sharing your documents: one of the clever things about google docs is you can work on things with other people - click on the share button and type in some e-mails of friends to add as collaborators. You will all be able to work on the document together! Have a try and say hi to each other.
3. Mini Project - Using docs or presentations work on one of the following projects...
a. A story called Dave's strange journey to school
b. A presentation called: The most amazing facts you need to know
c. A celebrity/football/sports/fashion etc News page: Write up the latest news with your group d. Another idea of your own that you've checked with me first

Extension Work:
Google Calender: Log into google calender and create a shared calendar with your birthdays etc.

Plenary: Write a short blog post about google docs and how you found using it.

Homework: There has been some controversy over google's use of information. Some people are worried about privacy and more. Research and write a post on your blog about The Google Controversy, why are some people worried about google and in particular privacy.

Thursday 12 June 2008

9TA Thursday 12th June

Objectives:
Do your level tests on yacapaca.
Write a snappy blog post
learn to give good Feedback using comments
Learn what a tag is

Tasks: For after the tests
IMPORTANT: For privacy and safety do NOT use your full names on the blogs. Just to be on the safe side.

Log into blogger (click log in above)

1. Write a short blog post on exams and tests. Is there a point in exams, do you secretly love them, what's your opinion? (if it doesn't fit in with your blog you can start a new one up really quickly). Add relevant tags to your post.

2. What is the point of tagging your posts or other items you put on the web? Write your answer on your blog. You may want to add a tag cloud to the sidebar on your blog like I have on this blog. On bloggger tags are called labels. Go to your template and add a labels box.

3. Write a comment on my blog to say you have completed the first two tasks - (put a link to your website in the comment)

4. Visit some blogs from your classmates and leave them constructive comments. Do you agree with what they wrote? Do you have any ideas to improve their blogs?

Extension Work: Sign up for google analytics - try and add it to your blog.

Homework: Find 5 websites that you may be interested in following when they update.
2 must be blogs
1 should be a news website (you can choose a specific type of news like fashion or entertainment news)
1 should be a category of photos on flickr (eg all photos tagged "school")
Have them all written down somewhere (your planner, your blog or on paper) for next lesson WE WILL be using them!