Teaching Schedule for Web 2.0 Software

If I can't follow the schedule prescribed here, relax, do the best I can. That is, get into the computer lab as soon as I can if I can't get the days I want.

All of the following is to be done in Room E200.

All of the following instructions will be posted on the MDM4U1 blog. Just tell the students to go there. Create the blog entries using Zoho.

1st Day of Classes:
Distribute the letter to the parents (about blogging) and distribute the Responsible Blogging sheet to students.

2nd Day of Classes:
Explain to the students that using this social software is a new idea, and we are experimenting as we go along.

Firefox:
Tell them to download Firefox at home, but read the brief description now.
Have blog show:

• tabbed browsing (explain advantage of this for research)
  
• re-name tabs
• extensions; show 2 examples
• show the dictionaries and other s/w I can put into smaller field
  
• key combo to get to smaller field (control+ k then up/down arrow keys); for dictionary searches
• key combo to get to url field; then "google: " search
• other keywords to do other searches in url field

beta.blogger.com

• explain that blogs are a popular way of distributing info
• I will be asking them questions (assignments) that must be answered on their blogs; they will be marked; purpose is to improve their writing and understanding.
• marking: 1 mark for each post, if it sufficiently answers question
• 1st show a popular blog: Paris Daily Photo
• have blog show (with screenshot)
  
• where is title of blog, and that url and blog title don't have to be the same (but more convenient if they are)
• explain this edit window in which I'm now typing is like Word
  
• tell them that for profile, do not use last name, no pics, and nothing that identifies them
  
• explain that labels are tags; explain their use for data management
• include a link to one of your classmate's blog and a link to your favourite web site (keep it clean!)
• go to 43Things web site, click on Learn More, create an account, create list of 43 goals, and then put a link to this list on your blog in the Links section
  
• REMEMBER your blog's url!!
• tell them: go to the MDM4U1 blog and leave a comment with their blog's url.

Wikipedia

• tell them to go to "definition of a planet"; notice that it's a current event i.e. wikis can change quickly, and everyone contributes
• tell them to go to the different tabs, and have a written explanation of each tab.

Wikispaces

• go to the MDM4U1 Wikispace page
• we will each be contributing to this soon, on a daily basis.
• what we will be doing is creating the textbook i.e. each day, a student will have to summarize the day's notes. The student is chosen by the previous day's writer.
  
• 2 students a day will create entries (1 from each class).

This work with blogs and wikispaces is worth 5% of your 15% Communications mark.

Sign back into Blogger, and write a post describing which university you wish to attend, what program you wish to enter there, and why you made those 2 choices. Assign the label Miscellaneous.

If they finish early, tell them to explore their blog and to personalize their blogs by including links to their favourite web sites. Suggest some sites, like Dictionary.com.

nth Day of Classes:
Excel worksheets

• this is to be done according to lesson plans
• there are different Excel lesson plans for the chapters 2 and 3
• book 3 days for each (when I know specifically when, delete other 2)
  
• after class on histograms, do Excel lesson 1, etc.
• put the blm's on zoho, and point students there via class blog.
  

n+1 Day of Classes:
Introduce this after showing ISU stuff:

• Bloglines (make feeds publicly available)
• del.icio.us and Diigo
  

Filed in: MDM4U1