The class is designed to teach students about web applications, digital citizenship, personal network building, and social media responsibility and practice. This blog will be used to share with our readers the tools, websites, and web resources that students are learning about. We hope that you find a tool that you can utilize.

There are so many web applications available on the Internet that students may not even know exist. In this course, students will explore the Internet and take advantage of all that it has to offer. Students will learn that Google is more than just a search engine. They will discover various web applications that will help make their time on the Internet more effective and efficient. The web applications that will be explored include, but are not limited to: sharing buttons, blogs, avatars, RSS, social bookmarking, photo sharing/editing, audio and video, presentation, drawing, collaboration tools, and screencasts. Internet marketing and shopping sites will also be explored. Students will explore applications of which they can utilize to enhance both their learning and social experiences. Students will learn and practice digital literacy and responsibility, collaborate, share, create, socialize, and organize content, while demonstrating internet safety. Upon leaving this course students will be informed digital learner/citizen!


I LOVE LOVE LOVE looking for new tools to share with my students! I explore the web daily in search of new tools. I also gain knowledge from other Social Media blogs/websites who have found resourceful tools. Thank you to all of those experts who share their love for technology with the rest of us!


I also enjoy looking at the students creativity - through their blogs! My students love exploring Social Media! And will walk away with a collection of tools (their own Personal Learning Network) that will enhance their Internet experience both personally, educationally, and professionally.

Web Tool Exploration

We have covered a variety of Web 2.0 tools but there are so many available. Have you used a website that has proven to be helpful? If not, take some time to explore different tools until you find one that you might actually use in the future.

Stykz

Frame-based Animating Done Right

  • Stykz is frame-based, letting you work on individual frames of your animation to make it just right. Onionskins let you see what was in the previous frame so you can make adjustments to your current frame easily. 
  • Stykz is completely free to download and use to create animations that you can show off to others or import into other applications.
  • New frames can be created by clicking on the "Next Frame" button in the Frames palette, or by simply hitting the Enter key... in fact, you can use the Enter key while you're manipulating a figure! It's kind of like taking snapshots of the current frame while you're moving or pivoting segments... this feature makes it very easy to get smooth animation.

Activity:

  • Create a frame-based animation using Stykz. Be creative! Export your final animation to be posted on your blog!

Google Gravity

Google Gravity - another cool feature!!!!

The effect behind the  creation of the Google Gravity is actually javascript with the extension box2d-js. It allow you to play with the element from Google homepage where all the things in the site will simply breaks apart and fall down. And yet you can’t stop searching what you need you know.

Click here to try it now!


8 Tricks of Google Gravity

What kind of tricks you can play with the Google Gravity?
Trick 1. Move Them Around
If you thought that once the elements fall down, that’s the end of the magic – you are wrong, its the beginning. Try holding any piece. To hold a piece click and hold the element and drag then around the screen. You can grab and move all the pieces.
Trick 2. Drop Them 
In addition to the above one, you will see that once you un-grab the elements (by leaving the mouse button) it falls below. Well its like the real world you see, gravity is acting over here.
Trick 3. Hit Them Hard 
Its the fun part. Grab any piece and use it to hit others. Fun. Also the size of the element you are using has effect on the force it generates. Try using the logo or the search-bar.
Trick 4. The Pendulum
Hold the Google logo by one of its sides and hold it up and shake it, It starts to oscillate like a pendulum. Try spinning it around!!!
Trick 5. Shake Effects
Restore the window to a smaller size. Now hold the window and try shaking it around. Didn’t expected the elements to move around that way? ;) Well it does!!!
Trick 6. Enlarge Effect
While the window is still restored to a small size, maximize the window and see the elements jump.
Trick 7. It’s Alive
If you have not realized it already, all the elements in the screen is actually working. All the links, buttons, radio-buttons work exactly in the same way they meant to be. Try typing on the search-bar,,,

Trick 8. Search Still Working
This is the one which very few people actually know. Try typing any query into the search-bar and click the search button (or if you cant find it in the debris hit the enter button). WOW! Right? The results are dumped into the screen as if by some invisible hands. Again these links are actual results and are working.


Stykz


Create animated stick figures.
Stykz is a 3.0MB download and it runs on Windows, Mac OS X
stick figure animation
You can export your creation -  (GIF, PNG, transparent PNG, MOV) than Pivot. You can not add a background graphic.


Instant Audience Feedback - Poll Everywhere 

Create a poll and have your audience (class) answer it using their cell phones or on their computers.  Results are live!



Poll Daddy

Polldaddy
Create surveyspolls, and quizzes in minutes. Collect responses via your website, e-mail, iPad, Facebook, and Twitter. Generate and share easy-to-read reports.

Mystery in Social Media

Mystery in Social Media: It all began on. . .

Make Your Own Poll or Quiz



 
Quibblo online quizzes: Take fun quizzes; create quizzes, fun surveys, polls & personality quizzes. Make your own quiz for your blog or Facebook!




A Scored Quiz can have any number of questions with right and wrong answers, like a test. Create a "Scored Quiz" with at least 5 questions about a topic covered in one of your current classes. Post your quiz to your blog!


A Poll has a single opinion question with no right or wrong answer. Create a "Poll" and post this to your blog.





You can also create a story!  A single author story, a group story, or even a chain story where you pass your book to others to write the next chapter of your book - cook huh!!!






Happy Tuesday to ya!!! April 24

Please go to Pinterest and wait.  Your accounts should be ready to explore!!!


Friday!!!!!! April 20

Please go scroll down to the Pinterest post and read its description.  Please wait!

Today we are going to sign up for a Pinterest account.

Explore and create a poll/quiz on Quibblo and compare the story books on their as well!

Pinterest



Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. "Pinterest lets you organize and share all the things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

Google Docs - Templates

Create a survey using Google Docs - Forms.  5 - 10 questions.

Click here to take Mrs. James' Quiz

Wednesday, April 18


Social Media - Animating with Kerpoof!

The Kerpoof website is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company. Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things and being creative. Although a little elementary, Kerpoof does offer a "Make a Movie" section that allows students to create an animated movie with a timeline, actions, etc.

Activity #1: Kerpoof "Make a Movie" Tutorial
Complete the tutorial for making a movie. You will be asked to set up an account in order to save. Email your finished movie to me at: bizteacherjames@gmail.com

Activity #2: Make a Movie
  • Choose your storyline.
  • Choose your scene.
  • Drag 2-4 characters you want to use into the playback window.
  • Look to see what actions each character can do and add at least three actions (methods).
  • Place your characters where you want them to be when the movie starts.
  • Place "waypoints" in your scene to help the characters find their way to the points where you want them to go.
  • Click-and-drag methods into the timeline to tell your story.
  • Watch your movie.
  • When finished, email your movie to me at: bizteacherjames@gmail.com
Create a post about Google's Search Toolbar - Tips and Tricks.  Knowing these tips and tricks will enhance one's online search experience.  Knowing what to key into the search box will help one find exactly what one is looking for  - save time. 

For all of Googles Tips and Tricks click here!

Google Inside Search






Click here to visit Google - Inside Search


Please go to the website above and wait.

HAPPY MONDAY TO YOU!!!

Bloggif

This website allows you to create a photo collage, animate text, apply effects to photos, create animated GIFs,  to name only a few!  Click here to start creating!


Mounting Bloggif Mounting Bloggif

Google

What all do you know about Google? What all does it have to offer? What tools that Google offers do you take advantage of?

I love Google

Please go to Google.com and wait.

Are you a Googler?

With Google you can: Search, Explore, Communicate, Show and Share.
iGoogle

How do you use Google?

Today we will discuss ways in which students use Google. Search, images, chat, etc. We will browse the other products that Google offers. We will explore the products.

If you are like most people, you use Google's products several times a day to search for information or to check email. Most people don't know, however, how many useful tools Google has to make research and time management much easier.

Activity: Explore different Google tools using the websites listed below. Find at least 3 to explore in more depth and add a post to your blog describing the tools that you chose. (Include pictures!) Some tools, like Google SketchUp, require a free download.

Website that include lists of Google Tools:


You already utilize gmail and blogger and I am sure you use google as one of your search engines.  You have created an iGoogle homepage - however, are you utilizing it still?
Click here to create your iGoogle page!

Google Products - Examples:
igoogle
Blogger
Books
Google Products
Maps
News
Product Search
Web Search Features
Translate

iGoogle
Customize your Google homepage by adding a theme and gadgets. You can switch back and forth from iGoogle to Classic view.

ASSIGNMENT
  • Explore Google Products - create one post called Google Products.  In this post discuss three products.  Explain each product - how do you use it, or how will you utilize this tool - include - pictures, etc.

Compare Anything


Yesterday,  I came across a website where you can key in two items - and it will compare them for you.  I am teaching a renting realty unit in Business Law, so I wanted to compare a Lease vs Rent - see my results below! 







Try it out for yourself!

I compare rent and lease

Hangman Game


I created this game on proprofs! Have fun


April 3 - Good Tuesday to YOU!!!!

Before lunch - Today we are going to revisit the websites from Friday, just to make sure that you were able to explore each one.

Then we are going to look at Google Slam.