Internet Safety - 2 days left! Alice programming introduction

There are 2 days left to work on (in class) your Internet Safety project.  Tomorrow is the last day you will be allowed to work on it and it should be done by the end of the hour.

If you are done you are going to begin working on Alice - an Educational software program that teaches you computer programming in a 3D environment.  To use Alice, go to Finder on your computer.  Next, double click on the Alice folder.  Then, double click on the icon labeled Alice - you will need to agree to any user agreements.

Once you have opened Alice come back here and go to the following video and watch an introduction on how you will interact with the Alice interface.

Alice introductory video

Once you have watched that video you will begin working in Alice with Oracle Academy.  You will work through a series of Lessons that will help you to better understand how Alice works and how to manipulate the Alice programming environment.  Here is where you need to go:

Oracle Academy

Once at that website, click on "Get Started with Alice 3" under the red rectangle on the left side of the page (the red rectangle says "Self Study: Getting started with Java using Alice").  Work through each of the sections of that lesson - if you complete all of the sections move to the next lesson ("Add and Position Objects"); if you complete the different sections of that lesson move on the next lesson, and so on.

We will be using Alice often in the last quarter - you will be getting a head start on learning the software.

Internet Safety

Please continue to work on your Internet Safety project with your partner if you have not yet completed your 4 topics.  There have been several people asking about length - there is no minimum or maximum time that your video (or videos) need to be - you just need to clearly explain 4 of the topics of Internet Safety.

If you are done with your project today I want you to go to the practice websites on the blog - you will use your speed skin as you type.

Internet Safety - last week; Vocab week #5; missing assignments

This will be the last week that you will be allowed to work on the Internet Safety project.  It will be due at the end of the hour on Thursday.

Additionally we have another list of vocab words this week - list #5 (it is the first of 3 Internet lists).  As usual the vocab definitions need to be completed by Tuesday night and we will have our quiz on Friday.

Lastly, I have printed out new missing assignments lists - if you haven't checked Skyward recently you may want to look at the new sheets posted on the wall.

Vocab Quiz #4; Internet Safety

You will get a few minutes at the beginning of the hour to review for the vocab quiz.  Do not go to Classmarker until I say it is ok to do so.

Again...once you complete your quiz get with your partner and keep creating videos!

Internet Safety project - continues!

We are still working on our Internet Safety project.  Since I haven't said anything about it in a while, please make sure to check the rubric at the bottom of the Internet Safety page on the blog to remind yourself what you need to accomplish.  Also, keep in mind the theme of "Would a 3rd grader understand what you are creating?"  In other words, make it simple.

Vocab definitions due! Internet Safety project

For those who have vocab definitions due please remember that your definitions needs to be posted to the Wikispaces webpage by tonight!

We will be working on our Internet Safety project during class today.  I have new login information for you - please be sure to write this information down!!  You will have to start over with a new video, but you should be ok because you would have only had a maximum of 30 seconds from your last video.

Continue Internet Safety project; vocab definitions due by tomorrow (week #4)

We will continue working on the Internet Safety project today.  You should be gathering information and forming what you gather into a cohesive movie.  If you have questions about Go Animate! I will do my best to answer your questions.

This is a vocabulary week - definitions are due on the Wikispaces page by tomorrow night.  This week's theme is Software.

Crossword Puzzle due; Internet safety

Please hand in your crossword puzzle to the gray tray on my desk.  You will need to make sure your name is on the handout!

Today you will use the hour to work with your partner(s) on your Internet Safety project.  If you haven't created an account at GoAnimate! you may want to get that done ASAP.  

As you are creating your movies/videos, here is a suggestion to help you simplify what you create:  list the topic you are going to cover, next explain what the topic is, then provide as many details as you can about the Internet safety topic, and if you haven't already provided details on how a person can avoid having that happen to them.  

There has been a change to the vocab lists - I found out yesterday that the week of ISAT is the week of March 10-14.  Originally the ISAT testing was scheduled for the week before, and when the vocab weeks were setup the week of March 10-14 was a vocab week while March 3-7 was not a vocab week.  We will now have to switch those weeks - for those of you who were originally responsible for week 5 vocab words you are still responsible for the same words, it's just that you now have one less week to complete your definitions.  If you had followed my advice early in the semester and entered your definitions for all of the weeks as early as possible you have nothing to worry about.  If, however, you have not posted your definitions for week 5 you will need to have them posted by Tuesday, Mar. 4th.

Internet Safety and passwords

Today we will be covering passwords.  Below are 4 different websites that offer the ability to help you generate a password for a website.  Having unique passwords on the various websites you have usernames for will be very valuable in the future.  Right now you probably don't have a bunch of websites that you have a username with that protects your private information...but you will in the future, and using different passwords on those websites will be crucial for your Internet Safety, and for your financial safety as well.  Imagine someone who has the same password for their checking account, savings account, retirement account, cell phone provider, cable provider, etc. - if a person were to figure out what their ONE password is they would really be able to make that person's life completely miserable!

Here are the four websites:

Norton Password Generator
Random Password Generator
New Password Generator
Password Bird

After looking at these websites we will begin looking at Go Animate!  This will be the website we use to create your Internet Safety video.  The website has some pretty cool characteristics that we will go over...my guess is by the time you get done creating your video you will be much better at using the website than I am.

You and your partner will need to create a username and password.  You will be solely responsible for remembering what that information is - I am not going to ask what your username and passwords are so make sure to keep them written down in your Google Doc that houses your passwords.

There are some restrictions with the website, the most notable of which (at least for our cause) is that you only are allowed 2 mins per video.  To further restrict our goal of creating an Internet Safety video in which you cover 4 topics, you can only have one action and one character talking per scene. I would recommend thinking about creating 2 videos where you use each video to talk about 2 of your topics (this is not a requirement, but after looking at the following instructions you may find that creating 2 videos will make your job easier).

As for your video, you will want to keep the following in mind as you create your video:  would a 3rd grader be able to understand your video?  Do you explain your topic in easy to understand terms (terms that a 3rd grader would understand)?  Do you provide a lot of details so that a 3rd grader could watch your video and then NOT have any questions afterwards?  If you can keep those things in mind as you create your video you will go a long way towards solving the first two criteria of your grade (Clarity of Presentation and Depth of Understanding).

Start Internet Safety Project

Today we will begin working on the Internet Safety project.  You will be working with a partner on this project, so we are going to discuss how you can make sure that you both have access to the same information using your Google Drive and documents.

Once we complete that we will take a look at the Internet Safety page on the blog.  Here you will find all the information you will need for this project.  You are welcome to do your own search outside of what you find on the blog, but my research has shown me that what is listed here is plenty to help you cover what you will be doing with the project.

You and your partner will need to decide on 4 areas of Internet Safety to present on.  You can choose among these areas to research:

IDENTITY THEFT
PASSWORDS AND PASSWORD PROTECTION
SOCIAL NETWORKING AND USING SELF-CONTROL
RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION FOUND ON WEBSITES
CYBERBULLYING AND/OR HARASSMENT
ACCESSING INAPPROPRIATE WEBSITES (WHAT TO DO)
EMAIL AND/OR PHISHING AND/OR SPAM (PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID)

If the Internet Safety page has a link to a website that no longer works, or takes you to a website that doesn't have anything to do with Internet Safety please let me know so I can fix it (or delete it, depending on the situation).

Embed your Internet Safety project movie

Today you are going to embed your Internet Safety Project video onto the blog that we made yesterday.  After embedding your movie on your blog, you will need to send me an email with the link to your blog.

Internet Safety project

Today will be the last day, in class, that you will have to complete your project.  Because we are going to embed your video on your blog, you actually will have through at least tomorrow to get it done.  Since we have not yet created your blog you obviously cannot put your project on your blog.  Once we create your blog (that's what we'll do on Tuesday) then you will be able to embed your movie on your blog...but since that won't be until at least Wednesday you will still have a little time outside of class to work on your movie if needed.

If you are done with your project you need to choose one of the practice websites and practice.  Make sure to use your speed skin while you are practicing!

**New missing assignments lists have been posted!  If you have a missing assignment it currently is listed as a 0 on Skyward.  If you want to change that you will need to complete the missing assignment before Friday and get it submitted.  If your missing assignment is a vocab quiz that must be completed in my room - you may NOT complete these at home!

Continue Internet Safety project

Today you will continue to work on your project with a completion date of Monday.  If you are done you can go to the practice websites that are listed on the website resources page on the blog.  We are currently planning on finishing in-class work on the project on Monday.

Internet Safety video; work on project

CHOOSING QUALITY PASSWORDS:

After watching the above video you will be given time to work with your partner on your Internet Safety project.  Please make sure you are working towards completing your project by this Friday.

Additionally, believe it or not the 1st Quarter is quickly coming to a close.  Next Friday, October 11th, is the last day of the 1st Quarter.  I would highly recommend that you get any missing work submitted (not just in my class but all classes) so you can avoid having zeroes as part of your averaged grade.  As we have already talked about - zeroes kill your average!

Vocab quiz #4; Internet Safety project

Today we will take vocab quiz #4.  I have to admit I was extremely disappointed with the number of individuals who did not post their definitions to the wikispaces page.  Remember, this is a graded activity, and you cannot make up the points you miss if you don't post your words.  Everyone knows what words they have and what week their words need to be posted - it should just be a simple matter of you posting them.

After the quiz today we will go through a few things on Go Animate, then you'll have time to work with your partner on your Internet Safety project.

Internet Safety; Go Animate!

STEERING CLEAR OF CYBER TRICKS:

Copy and paste vs. cut and paste

Software vs. program

File extensions

I will also be taking some time today to show you how to use Go Animate! - the website you will be using to create your video.  The important thing with the website is that you remember that you are working with a deadline - if you spend all of your time playing with all of the different possibilities on the website you're going to end up not getting your project done on time.  I understand the want to look at all of the different possibilities that are available, because the website is really cool - just remember you're working on a project here.

Internet Safety video; Learn 3, 6, and 2; vocab posting; research

Staying Safe Online:

We will learn the 3 (L2), the 6 (R1), and the 2 (L3) on the keyboard today.  After this we will be done with learning numbers on the alpha-numeric part of the keyboard - yeah!

You will be doing more research today for your Internet Safety video project.  I will try to have a short demonstration ready for how to use the website that we will use for the video creation by tomorrow.

Lastly, if you have vocab words you need to define those must be posted on the Wikispaces page by tonight - please make sure to get this done!

Numbers 5 & 7; working on Internet Safety project

Before we begin working on our Internet Safety project today, we are going to continue with learning the numbers on the keyboard.  Today we are going to learn the 5 (L1) and the 7 (R1).  If you turn to page 30 we'll start with a warmup of the other numbers we've already learned before we learn these two new numbers.

After the numbers you'll be given time to get with your partner and start researching for your Internet Safety project.  Unfortunately, as I found out this morning, Xtranormal is no longer an active website.  So, I've got another website that will work but I want to go through that website to see how it is different and if it will work for us.

Vocab quiz; Internet Safety project

We will begin with taking several minutes to review for the vocab quiz (Vocab Quiz #3 - Windows). After reviewing we will take the quiz.

Then, we will begin working on our Internet Safety project project by joining another website - this one is called Xtranormal. Here is an example of what Geico has done, using Xtranormal, to create a TV advertisement:




You will be working with a partner to complete this project, so the first priority will be to find someone you trust to work with.  Groups must consist of only 2 people!

As a group you will be researching information on Internet Safety.  You may use Google to do your research, or you may use the many websites that are on the Internet Safety page on the class blog.  You will need to compile your information with your partner, and then you will create a story/animated movie using Xtranormal that will explain what you have learned about Internet Safety.

Vocab Quiz #5; embed internet safety movie on blog

You will be able to spend the first couple of minutes reviewing for the vocab quiz - you will want to go to your wikispaces page to review.  Do NOT go to Classmarker until you are told to go there.

Once you have completed your vocab quiz you will want to embed your Internet Safety video on your blog.  I am going to include those instructions below.

1. Log into your Xtranormal account
2. Click on the "My Stuff" tab
3. Click on your movie
4. The click on where it says "<  >   Embed the Xtranormal player" (see image below)

5. In the window that pops up, you want to choose a size of 480X270.  
6. You cannot change the title, and you do not need to include anything in the description bar.
7. Click in the "Copy this code" box; it should select all of the text written there - copy it 
8. Open your blog and create a new post.  At the top of the screen you will see where it says "Post title" - click on this.  The post should be titled Internet Safety movie.
9. Next, click on HTML (see image below).  Then paste your copied code from the Xtranormal website.

10. Once you have copied your HTML code, then you can click on the Publish button at the top of the page.  
11. Go to your blog - you should see your movie on your blog!  If you see the HTML code you copied from the Xtranormal website then you did not click on the HTML button when you were creating your blogpost.  You'll need to go back to step 8 and start over.