Draft of my spring classes: (at three classes a week, this takes me approx 7 weeks into the semester or almost half way through the class)

From Susan Ettenheim: (****  notes questions) -- all comments/suggestions appreciated!!

****need more reading and listening time in class?
1. First day letter/contract-
Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/support/videos
What is Creative Commons and we use only Creative Commons images in Youth Voices
(file cards for platform requests - Apple/Dell -what you hope to/would like to learn/what you would like me to know)

2. Assign seats - Set up browsers/accounts (collect contracts)
as you do each step- go get a post it –write your name – and it’s done or any problem/question that you have about that account – post it on the chart paper in the proper box
1-Open Firefox- set the proxy
****how to set up Firefox with tabs and search?
2- make sure that you can get into your eChalk account
3- set up a Google account (your professional email, ex: susanettenheim@gmail.com)
4- set up your Google Reader (google.com>Log in>My Account>Reader>next to Add Subscription, click on Browse>click on Import your subscriptions>Browse then Upload the OPML file of suggested podcasts for students from Paul
**** [should there be something here about tags??]
5- Register for a del.icio.us account
6- Register in Youth Voices and confirm account
(fill in password worksheet: one for home one for your folder in the classroom)
collect file cards

3. Finish all set-up, go over any questions
**** should the rest of this period be left to try the sites or move on?

4. Map project http://elggplans.wikispaces.com/mapping – Think of a place near your school that is special to you. Tell a story about the place or something that happened at that place. How will reading your story and knowing about your special place help a young person at another school relate to your life and get to know you?
-Use Google maps to find your place.
-Freewrite about the place in Google Docs (follow writing steps in Mapping lesson instructions) (how to set title of doc)

5. Continue the map project-Find and add a photograph (refer to the list of creative commons suggested sites)
-Join the mapping community and follow the instructions to add you story to the map.
-Log in to Youth Voices and link your map to your profile and your profile to your map, following the instructions

6. Build your profile in Youth Voices:
**** Under First Steps in Elgg we need a profile lesson
Who am I? (3-5 paragraphs, 3rd person)
Town, state, country, fav authors (10), fav books (10), fav ill (5), likes (50), dislikes (50), occupation, I would like to (10), career goals (3-5 paragraphs, where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 yrs, describe at least 3 jobs that seem interesting to you), high school, main skills (10)

(NOTE: this should be the break point for our Feb Break so students can finish profile and start to make friends if they get online over break)

7. Finish profile and start to browse and read profiles
**** need class time to check in on rss reader feeds- where?

8. Name banner (fauxto)

9. Complete and post name banner to your profile

10. 20 questions in docs.google.com
-take one question and start to write as an expert (follow lesson plan) Edit and complete first post and post to your blog.

11. Go over Response Guidelines – If you need to finish step 10, do so and then read and respond to 3 people, if not go ahead and respond.

From this point on weekly requirements: 1 new post related to work of the week/ 1 new post related to something you found in your rss feeds
-3 responses

12. Avatar

13. Complete avatar and upload – browse new avatars and respond
**** respond to avatars?

14. flash lessons – how does animating images change the message? When is animation helpful in telling a story?
-today- lesson 1 – simple tween

15. flash 2 lesson – animate name (using levels)

16. flash 3 lesson – turning wheel (combining different motions)

17. animate your avatar to help tell the story of who you are and something about your interests

18. tell a story by changing the wheel into something else (bee, car, fish)

19. In docs.google choose one of your 20 questions and write again – this time add a snippet – simple search of some piece of info from Google News – how to cite it and how to save the rss feed in your reader – add snippet and post to your blog

20. pick another question and find a snippet from a podcast

21. from a blog

22. from the invisible web (NOVEL)









 

Rough draft of essential questions and topics for course  
From Susan Ettenheim
****How do you make it serious and clear but still engaging and tempting?????????

Can, or should, the newest technologies change how we see and understand the world around us?

How and why will these new technologies change the way we live our lives?


In this class, you will be working online with other high school students from New York City, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, and California. What are your expectations about people who live in different places? How might your expectations change once you get to know them? Do you share the same interests? Do teens all share similar concerns? 

The topics for the course are:
•    Intellectual Property – what’s ok to copy and use online and why?
•    How to use and make the most of free online applications.
•    How to set up your browsers for maximum use and find and keep track of information that interests you.
•    How to use online and 3D maps for sharing stories.
•    How to write and respond to people in a professional setting for classes online.
•    How to use free online image editing programs to enhance your online presence.
•    How can animation add to your online storytelling?
•    How does a wiki work and why would you use it?
•    Online, what is private and what is public? How do you find information to answer your questions?
•    What is credible information? What is unreliable information?
•    How does audio and video add to your online storytelling?