Keying In

6th Graders -

This assignment will: 1) provide keyboarding practice; 2) teach internet navigation skills; 3) review internet search skills; 4) review cut and paste; and 5) provide reading and reflection practice on current events.

Follow these instructions to complete the activity:

1) Click on the link (below) to read the current event article (in a new tab or window!)

2) Come back and reflect

3) Search from the article’s page to find another article somehow related to the original (same topic, same author, etc) The new article can be from anywhere on the internet

4) Come back and paste the link into your comment and give a short description of the new article and how it relates to the original

You can not have the same article as anyone sitting next to you - dig deeper! See Mrs. Olson’s example comment for guidance when completing the activity.

Current Event Article: Millions Bring in the New Year

Tags: currentevent search keyboarding

Came upon this neat search engine - PageBull - which displays screenshots of the sites found rather than just a description. I really like the ability to see what a site looks like before deciding to visit it. Great for school (and me)!

Tags: pagebull search

Just a quick Christmas Eve post to check in with everyone - thanks to the students who’ve visited already over break! I’ve been doing a lot of exploring on really exciting Web 2.0 (internet) tools today (and will share these as I test them out), and I’m wondering where you spend your time online……..what sites do you visit daily? Why? (Non-student readers VERY welcome to comment here!)

As for me, I’ve spent a lot of time on Snapfish and Google (gmail + Google Reader) today. Not a day goes by that I don’t check my gmail account and after setting up Google Reader today, I’m sure I’ll be glued there as well. As most of my students already know, I’m not a mySpace or FaceBook user, but I do belong to several educational communities. I’ll keep you posted as I fall in love with new Web 2.0 tools and free keyboarding resources to share with you!

Enjoy break!

“Think Before You Post” is an ad campaign by the ad council. The videos below demonstrate how truly wide-reaching any information posted on the internet can be. Of course, the majority of people online are viewing your mySpace pages just to learn more about you as a friend and have no bad intentions……. (oh wait, remember how I said today that you HAVE TO BE 14 TO HAVE A PAGE? 6th graders, remember that by lying about your age to get a page, you’re violating the terms of use with mySpace - make a responsible choice.)

Thoughts? Are adults making too big of a deal about this? Do you feel safe online?

More on this at a later date………

Download Video: Posted by edtecher at TeacherTube.com.

Download Video: Posted by edtecher at TeacherTube.com.

Tags: internet, myspace, Safety

Some language purists believe that text/IM language is ruining formal writing. This article from The University of Toronto (“Instant msg-ing messes with grammar? As if! lol!“) disputes that. Check out what Grammar Girl has to say on the topic! (Students - click on the Grammar Girl link and then listen to the podcast)

Thoughts? Theories? Will formal language ever disappear?

Tags: grammar girl, Language, text, Toronto

I’m fairly sure no one outside of keyboarding is going to want to comment on this :-)  Here’s your assignment for keyboarding practice today: Comment on this post and in your comment, you’ll:

• Key the following (you’ll see the pattern really quickly!):

a

ab

abc

abcd

and so on all the way to z

• Then, submit your comment and I’ll get it and be able to give you a grade!  Simple as that and NO PAPER NEEDED!  How cool, huh?  We’re saving the environment and learning keyboarding all at the same time

Tags: alphabet, Keyboarding

This is the first post in the collaboration with Mrs. Veglahn’s 7th grade class…..but anyone is welcome to post!

So, some of us are teachers, some of us are 6th graders, and some of us are 7th graders. Let’s share what’s great about where we are in life and why it’s better than where we were last year!

For you 6th graders, why is middle school better than elementary school? Or is it worse?

7th graders - why is 7th grade better than 6th grade? Or would you rather be in 8th grade already?

Teachers - are you doing anything cool this year that you weren’t last year? Anything you miss about last year?

Remember, give details!

Make sure you share whether you’re currently a 6th grader, 7th grader, etc. Or maybe you’re a visitor! If so, share where you are in life

Welcome to our blog!  We’d love to hear where you’re from, how you got here, and why you love to blog!  Now remember, if you’re a student, NEVER put your full first and last name on the internet - please just use your first and last initials.  Also, remember not to share any personal information (address, phone #, email address, etc).  We’d love to see where our visitors are coming from!  Please feel free to comment on ANY of the posts!  Check out the blogs on the 6th grade page as well.  You can contact me, Mrs. Olson, by going to the “About Mrs. Olson” page.

Again, welcome to our blog!

These videos are very powerful messages about cyberbullying. If you have a minute after watching, could you reflect on them or share some personal experiences with cyberbullying? Thanks

Download Video: Posted by adcouncil at TeacherTube.com.

Download Video: Posted by adcouncil at TeacherTube.com.

Download Video: Posted by edtecher at TeacherTube.com.

Ok, here’s your chance to take a look at all the 6th grade blogs and pick your favorite! Remember, you’re choosing your favorite blog based on topic, appearance, and posts, NOT on whether or not you like the owner of the blog. You already knew that, right? Now, tell us your favorite blog and why it’s your fave!