Flash

Everyone will be working on Flash now.

Web 3:

Create a 15 or 30 second web-commercial advertisement for "Suzy's Hair Salon". Don't go crazy with this, it is just to practice writing a script and recording sound. We now have 5-6 microphones to use.

Required elements:

• A script.
• Start button and "play again" button.
• Voice-over that you record. Sound tutorial.

Web 2 and Web 1:

You will work on the motion and shape tween tutorials for Flash. I will demonstrate each at the beginning of class then you will play with them.

Wednesday

Today I expect a visting teacher from the middle school in the morning so I may be a bit occupied (be patient). I am working hard on getting the Lulu and Thinkquest assignments ready (I have assigned one person already as an editor) and hope to get those assignments fleshed out this week. I am collaborating with other teachers on all of this so I have to run a lot through them.

Today:

Web 3:

• Be sure you have checked and completed your Flower assignment and the blog entries associated with it.
• Clean up blog entries (spelling, grammer, etc..).
• Progress report check.
• Make at least one substantial and specific comment on a classmates blog that continues a conversation. "Good job" does not continue a conversation.
• Explore and analyze everyscape.com. Is this a fundamental shift on how we search for information? Is this a fundamental change in how maps are produced? Or is it the same concepts--just packaged differently?

Web 2:

• Complete Form/Map Quiz.
• Make any needed changes to improve format of WHS page.
• Progress report check.
• Make at least one substantial and specific comment on a classmates blog that continues a conversation. "Good job" does not continue a conversation.

Web 1:

• Explore and analyze everyscape.com. Is this a fundamental shift on how we search for information? Is this a fundamental change in how maps are produced? Or is it the same concepts--just packaged differently?
• Make at least one substantial and specific comment on a classmates blog that continues a conversation. "Good job" does not continue a conversation.
• Yes, we are going to be in a "holding pattern" for a few days while I get every person done with Project Six. Be patient--but do something. Choices: Scratch, clean blog, help classmate, play 3rd world farmer.

Plan for the next week or so:

Web 3: Project assignment (Lulu, Thinkquest, or both).

Web 2 and Web 1: Flash introduction.

Then:

Practice exams posted around December 15 (we work on them until break)

After break:

Small projects/units and prep for exam. Just a note that I take the exams very seriously and they will be a challenge. I will give you lots of time to prepare. You can get ideas of what to expect by looking at last years exams in the UDrive and the assignments on the wiki.

Tuesday

Web 3:

1. For most users the major difference I see between Flash and Scratch is the simplicity of the actions. You were all able to make your animations do something fairly easily. Of course, the actual making of the animations is easier and more powerful in Flash. But....what if you spent a few weeks using Scratch as you did Flash??
2. Please focus today on actionscripts and buttons. I want everyone's movies to have working buttons by the end of the period. Work together. Try to figure out more than one way to make your button work (script, using menus, different codes, etc...). Post a correct method/tutorial for adding a Start Button on your blog.

Web 2:

Quiz: Add a survey and map/movie to your Watertown High School website.

• Survey/Form: What would a high school use a form for? Keep the form simple and be sure to link back to home page.
• Map: Create a map that gives "directions" from Seymour High School to Watertown High School. This is an adaptation of the skills you learned when you made your RV travel around Florida. You will probably want to create the map yourself rather than trying to download one. I realize this map may be a bit clunky.

Web 1:

1. Bookwork. I want to make sure everyone is comfortable up to Chapter 6 before we move on. If you feel completely comfortable then help a neighbor.

OK.....be prepared, this site is amazing.

Monday

Today we will examine the Scratch programming system. Scratch was developed at the MIT Media Lab (where Negroponte-the inventor of the One Laptop is from). I think it is intended primarily for younger students than you, but it does present some very complex programming concepts.

Check out some of the news about Scratch. Notice that much of the news is another language than English. Is there an assumption in the world of the inventor and business that you speak more than one language??

Here are some ideas to get started. You must do at least one of these.

Here is the Guide to Scratch.

So please test and play with this program today. Read some of the press, search for more information, check for blog references to the program. Be sure you complete at least one of the ideas.

Answer the following questions on your blog (include links!):
1. What did you do with Scratch today? Share any insights to the program that might help your classmates.
2. Is this a valuable program? What criteria should we use? Be specific! Use Web Design terms!!
3. For Web3: Compare Scratch to Flash.

Technorati Tags: Scratch MediaLab MIT

Energy

Recently, I have been obsessed with energy usage in my home. I have been looking at various ways to monitor how many watts I use daily and how certain things draw electricity. I want one of these for Christmas.

I am an Oberlin alum so I have followed their work with the Lewis Environmental Center. Oberlin has been a leader in "green design".

So I thought; "If I can monitor the watts being used in my house, what about at SHS?" So I checked the Oberlin website and I found that they have a website dedicated to monitoring the impact of the Lewis Center AND they monitor the energy use of buildings around campus. Very, very cool!

I did some more searching and found the Lucid Design Group and their page from Williamstown Elementary School. This might be my website of the year. The usability rating for this is through the roof. No extra info, perfectly formatted, speaks directly to the target audience.

I am convinced that these monitors save energy because people instinctively will try to lower the figures on the charts. Do we know how much energy we waste at home or here in school? Could we make a significant impact on our energy footprint? This may become the most important issue of your lifetime. What tools will you create for this environment?

Todays blog entry will be about these websites. Please write about their usability and accessibility. What thoughts do you have about how we can use the web and our global network to find solutions to our growing climate crisis?

Technorati Tags: LewisCenter LucidDesign energy

Things to do...

This will be a crazy week.

Everyone will be working on their projects:
Web 1: Frames
Web 2: Movies and Timelines
Web 3: Flash Movie replicating.

Please also check out Scratch and Squeek programming. I want to start doing more game and simulation programming and I read that these might be the platforms to use. The files are in the UDrive if anything doesnt load. Using this could you create a much cooler "Faces" assignment???

Now its tempting to just play the games they have. I want you to MAKE the games--not just play them. This might be a good project for home as well.

Please make a blog entry each day. What did you do? What did you learn?

Web 3

Web 3 assignment: Replicate this movie in Flash.