Choptank Technology Club

This week the Tech Club focused on the appropriate way to use blogs and how to access their own blogs.  We also learned the functions of maintaining our blogs.  Our focus for how to use our blogs responsibly is by using the rules below:

Make sure to follow the following rules when posting a comment/reply to a blog:

1. Your comment/reply should be about the post you are reading.  If you want to say hi or ask the person a question that does not have to do with the post you should email them.
2. Make a point.  It’s great to hear comments like “Wonderful!” or “Great Job!”  Comments like this are fine, but try to make a more meaningful contribution.  Why is it wonderful?  What was great about the post?  If you disagree with ideas in the post don’t write “Your Wrong.”  Explain why you disagree in a respectful way.  Do not make your disagreement personal. (From Grammar Girl)
3. Check your spelling and punctuation before you submit your reply.  Remember your writing is a reflection of you.
4. Use the Living Room Rule.  If you went into someone’s living room as a guest you would not be rude.  If you are rude  your comments will not be posted and your privilege to post a comment/reply will be taken away.
5. Pretend your mom is in the room.  Comments/replies that are intentionally misleading, contain false information, threats, verbal abuse, inappropriate statements or pictures, or personal information about others are not allowed.  Remember what you have learned about Internet safety.
6. Be yourself.  Don’t pretend to be anyone else.  However, remember not to give out personal information.  Again, remember your Internet safety.

During our meeting this week students have broken up into groups to create webpages.  We will be using the Wix site to create our webpages.  Members of the Gentlemen’s Club and Girl Scouts are creating a webpage about their clubs.  These members will be maintaining their club webpages under Mrs. Travis’ supervision for the rest of the school year.  When the sites are ready to publish they will be able to be accessed by going to the the Choptank Elementary website or the Choptank Technology Club website. 

For those Tech Club members who are not in one of the above clubs, they have begun to create webpages based on their own interests.   We already have topics ranging from bullying to video games.  It’s a very exciting beginning!

Members have also requested that next week we also focus on how to use their blogs.  Over the next few weeks we will be working on our sites.  I look forward to publishing the kids hard work for all to see!

Welcome to a new year of the Choptank Technology Club!  Our first meeting will be a review of Internet Safety.  Members will be signing an Internet Safety contract.  Look for the parent addition of the contract to come home after the meeting. 

Today in our 4th grade Tech Club meeting we learned about ways to keep ourselves safe online.  We also learned about our personal blogs, how to add posts, and how to leave comments for others. 

Students also made the decision for their first tech project.  They will begin making educational games using the site http://classtools.net/.   Students will determine the topic they would like to make their games about and begin creating them at their next meeting.  Look for their games to be added to their blogs and the Choptank Tech Club Webpage at a later date.

Interest forms have gone out to all 4th and 5th grade students for this year’s Tech Club.  Permission slips went home with children who expressed an interest in joining or continuing to participate in the Tech Club.  Slips are due Friday, September 24th.  The Tech Club has received 52 slips showing interest in joining.  Due to the large number of students we will again form 2 groups that will meet every other week.  Once I have a final tally of students who have turned in their permission slips I will send home and post the schedule of meetings. 

During Tech Club the 4th grade members decided to switch from creating a webpage to creating a glog using http://www.edu.glogster.com after evaluating their webpages.  A few students have decided to do both.  Students will either be completing an Enrichment class project about sharks using the site or will create a glog on the topic they were going to cover in their webpages.  Look for their finished projects to be posted soon.

The Blabberize projects have hit a snag because of a problem with the site recognizing the school’s recording devices.  This was not a problem while 5th grade was completing the project and hopefully will be resolved soon. 

A quick reminder for Tech Club members:  Don’t share your user names and passwords.  If you believe that anyone has your user name or password let Mrs. Travis know and they will be changed.  Always remember what you have learned about Internet safety and ethics.

Pikikids is a free site that allows you to create comics with your uploaded pictures or your own art.  You can select a layout, add fun effects, and share your comic.  You can also explore the gallery of comics to get ideas.

See the example below that I made in a few minutes.  It shows a comic of what the Science class has been doing in their Powders and Crystals unit.

Students in the 4th and 5th grade groups will be working on creating a webpage over the next few weeks.  They are going to choose a topic of their choice to create a webpage.  While working on their webpages, students who have not completed their Blabberize projects will be finishing those projects as well.

We will be using the site http://www.yola.com to create our webpages.  This is a free site where students can build a webpage without having to know computer code.  Students are welcome to work on their pages at home also.

Thank you for your patience during February when the Tech Club did not meet for 3 weeks.  If you see Mrs. Outten and Miss Dean please make sure to thank them for taking the first meeting in February so it did not have to be cancelled.