The due date will be announced this week. I am watching to see how well kids take to the website building tool. So far, most have responded superbly and seem to be quickly understanding well how it works.
The due date will be posted on this website after it has been announced in class.
Of course! Students are working on this project in class, but they are also expected to work on it every school night, and sometime over the weekend too.
So, what should they do?
1.) Write a catchy, informative introduction on the homepage of their website.
2.) Add a new, blank webpage for every topic, subject, chapter and/or question that they have on their note taking blogs.
3.) Also make a new blank page entitled “Summary”. (They should write this page last. I guide them in class for how to do this.)
4.) Open their KidBlog account in a web browser. Open a second tab in their browser for their website. Start copy and pasting content from their blog into the relevant webpage on their website.
5.) Start hand making original informative art, graphics and photos to include on their webpages.
6.) Add media to accompany the text on their webpages.
How to do all of this is being taught in class….
* Students are allowed to change the “page layouts” on any of their webpages, except for the Home (or Introduction) page.
* No students should be changing the graphics in the header of their website.
* Student last names, identifying personal information or photos and videos with student faces must not be included on the website.
* Students may continue to do research on their research topics and make notes in their blogs.
Today our hardworking class was introduced to the Marking Matrix for their Research Websites. Each student was given a copy on pink paper (unless they were in Track & Field – they will get their copy tomorrow) and we reviewed all of the requirements.
Here is a PDF of the
… and now it’s time to take their work to the next level!
Today it was announced that each student will be making a full multi-media website about their research topic!! Students will populate their individual websites with information and media that they have been posting to their blog research notebooks over the last month or so. It’s time to turn all of those notes and draft paragraphs into “Research Websites”.
Today, students were introduced to some of the basic tools that are in the website building tool we plan to use for making the websites – Google’s free “Sites” app. It’s part of the Google apps package that our school is moving towards. The complete toolkit is called “Google Apps for Education” (GAFE) and it is a district-wide initiative that soon all Victoria schools will have access to.
This afternoon, all of the students were taught how to write a succinct and catchy introduction to their research website. They also worked to organize their research topics and questions into a logical order. Students with access to an email account (their own or their parent’s) were also individually sent an “invitation” to become editors of their own websites (I had set up these up for them over the weekend). I believed that using the link in the email I sent to them would allow them to access and build their websites.
BTW – No students are to use their last names on the websites, to include personal information, or to post recognizable photos or videos of anyone on their websites.
I discovered today, though, that this particular tool only works with “Gmail” email accounts. In other words, students with a Gmail email account (or access to an account sponsored by their parent) could begin work right away. Today these students were able to add their introductions directly into their websites, and to begin building individual webpages for each of their research topics. The other students wrote their introductions and organized their topics on paper, for now.
If parents are comfortable, it would be helpful if every student in the class could have their own Gmail account (or access to an account sponsored by their parent). This is the easiest, tech-friendly, school district supported way to help students use the “Sites” app to make their research websites. It (and the other “GAFE” tools) is a tool they will likely be using throughout their whole school career in the Victoria School District. I would like my class to get started now, and help them become familiar with one of the tools in the GAFE suite!
For this project, however, students are not required to have a Gmail email account (or access to an account sponsored by their parent). For those parents who may not yet be comfortable with doing this, I will be able to provide students with some other means for building their websites.
No student will be denied the opportunity to build a website if they do not have a Gmail email account. And, again, no students will be allowed to use their last names on the websites, to include personal information, or to post recognizable photos or videos of anyone on their websites.
PS. Tomorrow I will be posting on this blog
the two page marking matrix for this exciting project.
Quite some time ago the class voted to celebrate everyone’s birthday – on a day when no one is having a birthday! We’re calling it the “Un-Birthday”. We’re doing this so that everyone in class, even those whose birthdays fall in the summer or on a school holiday, can celebrate their birthday in class. For some reason the class chose Friday, May 13th as the date for our “Un-Birthday”!
On that day, students are preparing to bring to class deserts that are birthday-like – cupcakes, muffins, cookies, cakes, brownies, etc. Drinks, veggie, fruit and/or cheese plates are welcome too! There is no need for everyone to bring enough for 28 children. A dozen or so items it just fine. And please remember that we try to be a “peanut free” zone.
It’s going to be fun – and a “Happy Un-birthday to You, too! ”
… on Thursday. The students each have a folder with work and directions. A letter has been sent home about it today.
It should be fun afternoon, especially since the kids are leading the event! We hope everyone can make it. It’s an open house, so you and your child can come when it works best for you.
…next Thursday, Jan. 14th. It’s chapter 6 in the textbook. Basically any of the Q & A in the student’s Science duotang for this chapter could be on the test.
Here is a link to help students to study the material!