Create Your Own Unique Theme Blog... Mine Is WINTER

Today's assignment is very open-ended. Create a blog where you embed or post two things that have the same theme, mood, or focus. You can choose pictures, videos, games, music or links to sites. You can also use poems, articles, jokes, stories, lyrics- you name it. You have a lot of freedom, so be creative... and school appropriate.

The title of your blog should be whatever your theme is. Briefly explain what you've selected and why. Here's my sample:

I’ve chosen WINTER. My two items are a music video for a song called “This Year” and a snowball game (and no, I'm not good at it). Watch the video, play the game and press refresh/reload when you’re done (that will make it be quiet). You can find games here if you are interested in embedding one in your blog.

Happy Holidays

Let’s take some time to look at holiday ads. This site has the ten that are supposedly the best of the season: click here.

Also, these are companies and ad agencies that made holiday ads every year. Go to their sites, view their ads and see if there are any ads that you like. Here's a good list:


RETAILER AGENCY
Walmart Martin Agency
Target Wieden & Kennedy
Best Buy Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Gap Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Macy's JWT
Old Navy Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Kmart DraftFCB
Sears Y&R
Hallmark Leo Burnett
Kohl's McCann Erickson



Last, check out this ad that talks about the holidays not being about religion. (If you click on the picture, there's more about their on their website.


In your blog, embed or describe a holiday ad that you like and say why you like it.
Say what stores you think of when you think of holiday shopping.
Say what you think of the holidays being associated with gift giving.
Also, say what you think about the holidays not being religious.

There is no sample today.
Good luck...and...happy holiday!

Are You Offended?

Take a look at this website. It has quite a few magazine covers considered offensive by some. (You can also read the comments at the end to see some other ones.)

Select three that interest you and read the text above the cover. Copy the image, put it on your blog, and below it, answer the following questions. Repeat 3 times.

Who would (or did) find this cover offensive?

Who would not (or did not) find this cover offensive?

Do you think this cover is offensive? Why or why not?

Call your blog "Offensive."

Special Interests

Go here and scroll through the list of magazines.

Click on several, the links will take you to the Wikapedia site, which will probably have a link to the magazine’s site. Visit the website for five magazines that interest you.

Then create a blog that does the following for three of the magazines:

**Link to the magazine home page
**Tell at least one fact you learned about the magazine (from the Wikapedia entry)
**Summarize and link to one article that you enjoyed
**You can put a picture if you want- this is optional.

(do this 3 times… here’s my sample)

I really like the magazine called Mental Floss

From Wikapedia, I learned that the magazine was founded by two people who were students at Duke University. I also learned that the magazine has a section called “Scatter Brained.”

One of the best articles is about the top ten strangest unclaimed pieces of luggage. I learned that there is an unclaimed luggage museum and in it are a violin from the 1770s and a shrunken head. You can click here to see the other things.

You're A Star

In this picture, Ben appears tough, strong, confident, and knowledgeable about martial arts. He looks like an expert, one to be admired. The techniques that make Ben appear this way include having his fist forefront and his serious facial expression. The red top and bottom borders are bold and strong too.




In this picture, Ben looks young, sweet, curious, adorable, and cuddly. The techniques that make him look this way are the sweet look on his face, the word "adorable" above him, and the bright colors on the cover.

________________________________________________________
Today we’re going to work with a picture (or two) of you in order to make you appear a certain way. You’ll use one (or both) of the sites below to create two magazine covers featuring yourself.

Once you create a magazine cover of yourself, complete the following sentences:
*On this cover I appear… (describe how we are supposed to perceive you) *The techniques that make people perceive me this way are… (write at least four)

Then Repeat.

Click on the “Get Started For Free Now” icon to make the site work.

For this one, upload picture then select a magazine...

Photo Impressions

Find 2 photos of the same person, looking very different and put them on your blog (side by side if you can).

Answer these questions:
---“What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented or omitted in this message?”

---What techniques are used to attract my attention.”

What Are They Talking About?

Go to teenink.com

Read several things posted on that sight- anything you like: song lyrics, movie reviews, opinion pieces-whatever. You can select artwork also, but only one of your posted links can be visual art. Select three things that you like and do the following:
1) Copy the link to the publication and put it on your blog.
2) Write at least three sentences encouraging others to read the work.
3) Post a comment on the teen ink site and tell each author what you liked in their writing, also tell the author that you’ve posted a link to their writing on your blog and give them the link to your blog.

Then, say what you liked about the site overall...
...AND... answer this question:
If you had to post something on teenink, what would it be?

Here’s a sample of what your blog should look like:
About An Essay---
This is a wonderful essay about personal struggle, values, knowledge and the process of learning. I really like the title and the use of quote at the end; both are effectively and beautifully used. The bonus connection for me was the artwork done by an Oregon artist! I’d recommend this essay to anyone experiencing writer’s block!

Change---
Timothy M.’s discussion of The Metamorphosis had a clear focus on change and how it affects family. I appreciate that idea because my family is undergoing big changes right now, I can relate. This review is

Cats---
I liked this short poem because it was not about love, it was about a cat. That was a refreshing topic for me. I forgot how much teenagers write about love. Go cat go!

**I like teenink because there is so much to read and all of it seems very real and well done.

**If I had to post something, I'd probably post some song lyrics because they can be totally random and that's how I'm feeling.

Digital Native Exploration

After you have four questions on your own...

Go here and click on the tab that represents your group.

Watch one clip, write three more questions.

Watch another clip, write three more questions.

Then get together with your group!

My Five

Today you are going to create an online presentation and embed it into a blog called "My Five." I will help you with the steps below, so relax, be creative and have fun with this presentation.

Step 1: Select one of your images to alter with some effect. Go here and follow the directions; save the new image to your computer.

Step 2: Use Power Point to create a slide show; use one image per slide for a total of five slides. Do not put any words on your Power Point presentation. Save the Power Point presentation to your computer.

Step 3: Go here and create an account. ("Register" is on the top right of the screen.) Once you have an account, follow the directions on the site: Upload your presentation, Comment*, then Embed it in your blog.

*Comment on your presentation means explain each slide. Explain how each image represents you. You will need the microphone on your headphones to do this step.

HERE'S MY SAMPLE OF WHAT YOUR FINAL BLOG SHOULD LOOK LIKE:

Enroll in Quia

Your instructor requests that you enroll in the following class:

Class: oss910
Code: AGFKFC477


Step 1. Go to the Quia Web site at http://www.quia.com/web.

Step 2. Now, click the area labeled Students. Click the link Create my free account. Fill out the form that appears. Select "Student" as the account type. When you are done, press the Create my account button. Make your user name and password the same as it is for Odyssey Ware.


Step 3. You should now be in the Student Zone. Type in the class code AGFKFC477 in the text field and press the Add class button. Now you're done!

Now that you have registered for your instructor's course, you can view your class web page, take quizzes, view your quiz results, view time spent on Quia activities, and read your instructor's feedback from your Quia account.

Follow these steps to view your results:

Step 1. Log in to your account. (Remember, go to the Quia Web home page at http://www.quia.com/web and click the area labeled Students.)

Step 2. Click on the class name.

A Couple Of Good How To's From Slideshare

Click on the "browse" tab on the slideshare site and embed two slide shows from that site on a blog called "Good Presentations." The ones you select do not have to be from the How To section

Social Media Obvious Expert

View more presentations from PamBrossman.

Creating Digital Learning Spaces

View more presentations from David Jakes.

Online Presentations

STEP ONE
go here and create an account

STEP TWO
create a PowerPoint presentation with at least 6 slides
it must teach us how to do something- anything

STEP THREE
upload your presentation to slideshare

STEP FOUR
view your presentation on slideshare- make sure it's error free

STEP FIVE
remember your slideshare user name and password so you can access your presentation

What Are They Blogging About???

Today we are going to see how people around the world are reacting to news. You are going to do a specific internet search to find out what people are blogging in reaction to today’s top stories.

First go to google.com Under the “more” tab at the top center of the page, you select “blogs”

From there, you see a bunch of news stories. Find one story that you think is interesting and read it. Then go back to the google page and click on the green line that says “all # blogs” That is a list of all the blogs where people have written about that topic. Select three to read.

Here’s what you do with all of that. In your journal,
1) Write the title of the news story you read. Say who wrote it and where it appeared.
2) Summarize the major ideas of the story (who, what, where, why, when, how).
3) For each blog you read, write the blog site address.
4) Last but not least, write what you think about the issue.


Here’s a sample:
I read Free Wallace & Gromit episode and more for 20th anniversary of series written by JC Fletcher from joystiq.com. The article says that the makers of Wallace & Gromit made a free game, well free until November 8. They also released something for Xbox that costs $20 instead of $35.

Three blog sites:
www.gamingwithchildren.com
www.gamingangels.com
www.el33tonline.com

I think it’s cool that someone is giving away a free game, but since it’s only for four days, it’s not a super great deal.

Truth According To Cartoons

The way we see the world is reflected in the media...or we come to see the world in the way that the media portrays it. I'm not sure which is the case; maybe it's a little bit of both.

Today you are going to search cartoons and select three. For each cartoon you select, you are going to say:
1) what it means/ what it is saying about the topic
2) if you agree with that sentiment
3) where you found it

Your blog will be called "Cartoon Reality" and it will have 3 cartoons plus the comments described above.

Here's one sample:


*This cartoon is suggesting that even though the media is reporting that the recession is over, not everyone is back on their feet financially. Just because big corporations are reporting profits, everything is not back to normal. People who've lost their jobs have still lost their savings, their homes, their general standard of living.

**I agree with the idea in this cartoon. It's great that car makers and retail stores are earning profits, but many people have lost so much from being out of work that it will take years for them to rebuild "normal" lives.

**This cartoon was created by Randy Bish and it appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. I found this cartoon at PoliticalCartoons.com

Some good sites for finding cartoons are:
CartoonBank.com
PoliticalCartoons.com
msnbc-best of the week
Yahoo Cartoons

Opinion Pieces

Expressing strong opinions is fun to do, but doing it in a way that encourages other people to see things your way is an art... and it takes practice.

Today you are going to read two articles which present facts and opinions. I want you to read these articles with these questions in mind:
- How do I feel about these issues?
- Are these authors influencing my thinking?

Article One: Fattism Article Two: Fix Schools

After reading, create your own blog called "See It My Way." In this blog you need to do the following:
-Say which article you think was better and why? Did you like the points? The topic? The writing style? What about it was better than the other one?
-Say how you feel about one of the two topics and support your opinion with at least two reasons.

Then go here and read one article- any one you want.
-Leave a comment on that site.
-Put a link to the article you selected on your blog.
-On your blog, say why you liked or disliked that opinion piece.


Here's my sample:
I like the way Thomas Friedman puts the issue of education. When he says our education system fails to produce people prepared for the competitive global market, I nod and totally agree. His article is about something I am very passionate about because I am a teacher, trying hard to get students to learn and because I am a parent, afraid for my son in this big, crazy world.

The article I read from TeenInk was the one in which a writer responded after reading an article called "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" That's an article I've read, so I was curious what she thought. I agree with Molly Hull, the author. I too think the more we use the internet, the more we change our brains. I liked what she had to say because I could tell she was thinking about an important issue.

News Around The World

Today we are going to look at current events around the world. You'll open this wonderful site in a new tab to get started. Once you've reached the newseum site, you will need to follow this set of directions.

FOR CLASS
You are going to read the front pages of two newspapers for the state whose name you drew. Then you are going to put the following in your journal.
a) City and State
b) Newspaper Name
c) Article Title
d) Summary of the Article

Remember you are doing this twice. You read one story in one paper and one story in another paper- both papers from the same state. I drew Texas, so here's my sample:

a)San Antonio, TX
b)San Antonio Express News
c)SAISD Gets Closer To Shuttering 13 Schools
d) The largest school district in San Antonio is closing many of its schools. Last night the school board approved this effort, so now they are moving forward. Other schools will get bigger to absorb the students whose schools were closed.

FOR YOUR BLOG
a)Create a new blog entry called "Newspaper Pictures."
b)Search by region on Newseum for a newspaper not in the United States.
c)Find one with an interesting pictures and save the picture to your computer.
d)Put that picture into your blog and the tell us the following information:
1. What country and what newspaper had the picture
2. On what day that picture the picture appeared
3. What you think is happening in the picture
4. Why you selected that image.

Here's my sample:


This picture is from a paper called Al-shrq in the country called Qatar. This picture appeared in the paper on October 27, 2009. It looks like a guy is walking on his hands while people watch him. I selected this picture because it caught my attention.

Web Site Comparion

By now, you have looked at two websites that do the same things. For example, I looked at Dutch Brothers and Starbucks.

Now I want you to write a blog comparing the websites. You need to write one or two paragraphs (complete sentences, good punctuation) saying what impression each site made on you and why. Conclude by saying who has the better site (not product- web site) and why it's better. Be sure you include links to the sites. You can add pictures if you want, but your grade comes from what you write!

Here's my sample:

While I prefer Dutch Brothers Coffee to Starbucks, Starbucks clearly has the better website. The Starbucks homepage shows a video and while it's not a good video, it's better than the guy's picture that takes up the whole main page of the Dutch Brothers homepage.

Starbucks to use better and more technology, and their sit has more links than Dutch Brothers. The Starbucks site is easier to search, except for the locations link. The Dutch Brothers locations link is easier to navigate, and it's a more creative approach, but they have far fewer locations than Starbucks. On the Starbucks site, I can find more things. They have more locations, products, history and general company information than Dutch Brothers. Additionally, Starbucks out does Dutch Brothers in technology. They have flash videos and cool links whereas Dutch Brothers just has images.

Both sites have simple layouts and are easy to search, but the Starbucks site beats Dutch Brothers because it is more visually appealing and more content-rich. Starbucks is a site that feels more developed and more engaging. I, however, still prefer Dutch Brothers coffee!

Classroom Connections

If you teach or like math, this is no less than inspiring. Check it Benjamin's math magic from the TED conference:




And if you're a health teacher or interested in life, this is seven minute video from CNN is great:

Ad Analysis

We've made it through a lot of ads and now it's time to choose one to analyze. The hardest part is selecting one, so here are the guidelines for selecting an ad:
YOUR AD MUST COME FROM ONE OF THESE THREE SITES:
Alcohol
Tobacco
General Ads (Commercials and Print Ads)

Once you choose an ad, make sure you copy it onto your blog, either as a picture or video. Then you need to complete the media analysis questions. If you lost your chart, it can be downloaded here. PUT THE SECTION TITLES IN YOUR POST ...AND... YOUR ANSWERS MUST BE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.

Here's My Sample; Enjoy!

Panda Express - Gentle Giants - (2009) :30 (USA)

AUDIENCE & AUTHORSHIP
AUTHORSHIP
*This message was made by the corporation that owns Panda Express and their ad agency: Siltanen & Partners Advertising.

PURPOSE
*This ad was made to introduce Panda Express’ new Sweet Fire Chicken Breast and to entertain the audience.

*The target audience is people who already eat at this place or would consider eating there because they are talking about a new Panda Express menu item.

ECONOMICS
*Panda Express paid for the ad.

IMPACT
*People who might benefit from this message include regular or potential customers or people who just want a laugh.

*People who are too broke to go out to eat or people who are offended by meat-eating might be harmed by it.

*This message is a way for me to offer my students a sample ad analysis.

RESPONSE
*In response to this message, I might visit panda express or think of the ad next time I see panda bears.


MESSAGES and MEANINGS
CONTENT
*The ad is about introducing the new Sweet Fire Chicken Breast because that’s what the ad says.

*The point of view is that people and bears like this product and they would be willing to fight for it, so it must be good! It’s presented as something tasty and desirable because they show the guy eating it and the bears licking their lips.

*It would be nice to know how much it costs and what type of chicken it is. It’d also be nice to know what’s in the sauce they put on the chicken.

TECHNIQUES
*This ad uses many techniques: humor, fun, nature, and cartoon (bears licking lips).

*These techniques are used because they create a light-hearted, fun ad introducing a new product.

INTERPRETATIONS
*Some people might be opposed to the violence or talking animals. Others might laugh at the humor. And others still might feel hungry and want to go to Panda Express.

*I think it’s a dumb ad, but for fast food, it’s ok. I realize I don’t really eat there and probably wouldn’t get chicken from a fast food Chinese place- I’ll stick with rice!

REPRESENTATIONS & REALITY
CONTEXT
*It was made in 2009, but it was made for TV.

CREDIBILITY
*The fact is that they have a new product, the opinion is that it’s good. The “other” is that it’s a fun experience to try it.

*The guy and the bears aren’t all that credible; I doubt that it’s super yummy.

*The ideas came from the ad writers.

Better Videos

You guys had a very hard time getting videos into your blogs. Today we will practice searching smarter.

For example, if I want a clip from an episode of Sponge Bob, I should search for "Sponge Bob Official Site." From that website, I can easily find clips and select one, like this:

SpongeBob - Spongebob Videos - Spongebob Games

If I want a video of a red train, I go to google and type "red train." But to make my search faster, I click SHORT (0-4 minutes) and VIDEOS ON GOOGLE.COM only. So, I got this:


If I want a clip from Bee Movie, I search "Bee Movie Official Site" and from there, I look for a trailer. Here's what I got:



Now, it's your turn. Make a new blog called "Three Videos" Here's what it needs to have:

1. A clip from a TV show. (For example, I can search "South Park official site" then look for clips, then embed one.)

2. A music video. (For example, I can search "Whitney Houston official site," then look for videos, then embed one.)

3. A video on how to do something. (Search on google videos for "How To" and add a word. I chose "How to walk on water" and this is what I got:



Good Luck and Have Fun!
Oh, and I almost forgot... Check out this neat music video.

Drunk With Bloodshed?

Today I am asking that you read an article. It's ok not to read the whole thing, but read at least one section very carefully. Then, write your own blog agreeing or disagreeing with at least one idea in the article. Here's the article. Here's a sample of what I want you to do:

The article says that as long ago as ancient Egypt, people have been, "drunk with the fascination of bloodshed." This really makes me sick, but I can see that in some of my students love violence as entertainment. A good example would be how Chris and Tony laughed as they showed a cartoon where it rained dead monkeys. I guess some people will always be interested in the most sick and disgusting entertainment out there. Personally, I am more attracted to happy endings and the idea of living a happy life more than bloody violence.

All Of Our Blogs

Go and read other people's blogs. Leave comments on classmates' blog sites. You can also choose to follow them if you want.

Remember to be positive and encouraging!


Here's a list of everyone's blog sites.

http://courtneypoop.blogspot.com

http://sydneyschorsch.blogspot.com

http://chris-blog-zain.blogspot.com

http://tonyandrade979.blogspot.com

http://andrew-maruchan.blogspot.com

http://ohshootitsdan.blogspot.com

diana's blog

http://armandobloggingitup.blogspot.com

http://davidwhitesblog.blogspot.com

http://tommy-tommy04.blogspot.com

http://cynthiarodriguez-cynthia.blogspot.com

http://claro-myblog-claro.blogspot.com/

dakota

http://oss2-skull.blogspot.com

tyler's blog

http://karradruery.blogspot.com

Creating Your First Blog

Today you are going to create a blog. You will need to follow these steps in this order to be successful:

1) Look to the right and click on "Follow" That opens a new window. At the bottom of that window, click on "Create an Account" and create an account. Choose a user name and password that you'll remember; I don't care what it is.

2) Then go to blogger.com and follow the directions to create a blog account. Choose the title of your blog wisely!

3) Email me your blog site. Your blog site will be something.blogger.com Please put your first name in the website address. My email is hpaul@central.k12.or.us

4) Create your first blog entry. Call it "My First Video."

5) Find a video (must be less than 3 minutes and school appropriate) and embed it into your blog. Write at least one complete sentence explaining why you selected that video; see my sample below.

Here's an example of what I want you to do:

This is a cute song but it also features some really good clay animation.