Alligator Lego Robots

            This week in technology Mr. Gersten's 5C class is building alligator Lego Robots, which is super fun! Some of the the Lego vocabulary that we will be focusing on this week is belts, motion s
ensor, and pulley. Right before we started building our Lego Robots we watched a video of what we will be building. The video was about two little kids Max and Mia who were at a beach, Max was wearing a hat, and his hat got blown  away and then went into the alligators mouth.

     
        I asked the class if they were having fun, and I got an immediate response YES! Were definitely keeping up the good work.

Fifth Grade Technology Class Coding

This week. our technology class is focusing on computer science.  During computer science, we type lines of code.  Code is pretty much a type of computer language. For example if you were creating an application you would use code.  To use code, you would program lines of commands. Most common demands for an application is to take a step forward or turn right.  Using these commands (and many more types of commands) you link it all together and you just wrote a line of code.  Also, when your coding there is something called a  loop is when you type a line of code, and you want your program to repeat that. You put those commands on a loop so it replays it without typing all of those codes over and over.  A loop is a shortcut and makes your code easier to run.  That's only a little part of code to make an application or a program.  Remember, computer science is very tough and takes practice to get familiar with code. 

Voila...Digital Citizenship Film Fest: Rollling Out the Red Carpet

We finally finished all of our videos that are meant to teach our parents about digital citizenship.  I mean why not flip the learning, right?  As Grace stated in class today, "I was surprised by how much I learned about this topic.  There was so  much I didn't know".  We enjoyed making our movies so much that we didn't even realize that we were learning.  We could have spent days and days editing but since time doesn't grow on trees, we had to accept that a movie is NEVER done and appreciate the process as much as the product.  One thing became clear though, when Mrs. Brown said that we were going to share our videos with the world, we must not have believed her because some of us forgot to omit our last names from our movies.  Alas, we won't be able to share them on our blog and now we know we absolutely cannot include such personal information.  It is for our own safety.  Therefore, we will be sharing and reflecting on our videos and their content within the confines of our classroom.  However, we now know that to share with the world we must follow some simple rules to stay safe.   As we reflect on our creations, we will focus on the following questions:
1. What was most challenging about this project?
2. What was it like to work on a team and really have to rely on each other?
3. What would we do differently next time?
4. What aspect of this project was most challenging?
5. What did we learn about technology, in general?
6. How will we continue to be leaders in teaching our peers about digital citizenship?
7. What was most fun about this project?
8. What surprised us most in doing this project?

Now that we know more about being digital citizens, we look forward to creating a digital footprint that we can all be proud of as we grow.

Lights, Camera, Action by Mrs. Brown

Today I find myself guest-blogging on my student's blog so that they can work diligently on their projects without missing a beat.  Right now, they are in the process of filming their scripts to teach our parent community about how to "protech" themselves and be star digital citizens.  Some groups are using ipad 2's to film and some are using Flip cameras.  Each of the six groups are taking different approaches to their short film.  Some students are using text effects to get their points across whereas some students are filming scenes that outline what to do and what not to do in being good digital citizens.  One group is interviewing adults that have good digital footprints and can shed some light on ways to stay safe online and be proud of their online persona.  The possibilities are endless but one thing remains clear: the students are invested in getting their points across.  As we wrap up our filming, tomorrow we will begin editing with iMovie.  We look forward to sharing our finished products!  Stay tuned....

 

 

Starring Digital Citizens

Today we are finishing are digital citizen movie scripts. The chart below is what we are using to make our scripts more meaningful.  We are taking what we know already and what we are learning and teaching our parents about digital citizenship. Tomorrow we will start filming our movies with the flip cameras. We hope that our videos will impact people everywhere.

Cyber Bullying

Because our class is making short films about digital citizenship, my group is focusing on cyber bullying. We are doing this because there has been a lot of cyber bullying around the world to kids. To make it fun we are creating a two minute clip and editing it in iMovie.  Today we are making our scripts on google docs. As a class, we came up with a timeline to complete the project.  Our scripts should be completed by end of class tomorrow (we hope!).  We are enjoying using Google Docs because we can edit at the same time as our other group members. 

Joining The Homework Club

I feel silly being a guest blogger to my student's blog but alas, here goes because I never deny a good challenge (well, almost never).  Thank you to @ugafrank for this particular challenge.  Well, here goes:

11 Random Facts About Me:
1.  Many assume I am an extrovert but I'm actually a big time introvert.
2. I love a good potty joke.
3. One of the things I am most proud of is that my dad reads Hebrew with a Texas twang (wish my accent had stuck around sometimes).
4. My daughter and I have a dream of owning our own bookstore one day and brainstorm catchy store names in our free time.
5. One of my favorite things to do is white water rafting.
6.  I enjoy fishing for sharks.  (I've caught two!)
7. I still think about my grandma's everyday.
8. When I was 9 years old, I went to Vinnie Johnson ("The Microwave") basketball camp.  That's pretty random.
9. One of my most favorite movies is Almost Famous.
10.  When I'm with my camp friends, I regress back to age 10.
11. I am very proud of where I work.

My Answers to Drew's Questions:
1. What is your favorite movie of all time?
Besides Almost Famous mentioned above, I love Some Kind of Wonderful.
2. If you could have attended any concert anytime in history, what would it have been?
Don't laugh but 10,000 Maniacs
3. What do you do for fun?  Hobby?
I love to read, see movies, bake sweets, and travel.
4. What two guests would make the best comedic pair as co-hosts for the Oscars?
Chevy Chase & Ben Stiller
5 .Cat, Dog or Goldfish? Why…
Not just any dog but a yorkie because they are so cute and little
6. How do you caffeinate?
Coffee and diet coke
7. Favorite twitter chat?
#tlchat
8. Best place you ever vacationed?
Hana, Maui
9. Best book you’ve read in 2013?
That is tough!  Seriously tough.  I'm going to go with Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys because it is a perfect love song to New Orleans.
10. Favorite television shows?
Sadly, just Homeland.  Waiting for more quality T.V.
11. What is one thing you never/rarely share that you are exceptionally proud of?
The fact that I was able to give birth to two precious children.

The Eleven Bloggers That I Nominate to Join The Homework Club:
1. Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
2. Karin Schreier Hallett at Liquid Literacy http://liquidliteracy.wordpress.com/
3. Cynthia Alaniz at Librarian in Cute Shoes http://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com/
4. Lisa Johnson at Tech Chef 4 U http://www.techchef4u.com/
5. Lee LeFever at Common Craft http://www.commoncraft.com/blog
6. Tony Vincent at Learning in Hand http://learninginhand.com/blog/
7. Erin Klein at Kleinspiration http://www.kleinspiration.com/
8. Jennifer LaGarde at The Adventures of Library Girl http://www.librarygirl.net/
9. Joyce Valenza at Never Ending Search http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/
10. Kelly Tenkely at I Learn Technology http://ilearntechnology.com/
11. Vicki Davis at Cool Cat Teacher http://www.coolcatteacher.com/

Questions for My Nominees:
1. What is an app you like and why?
2. Where is the most exotic place that you have visited?
3. What is one thing that you want to be remembered for?
4. If you were to do a TED talk now, what would it be about?
5. What is most precious to you?
6. What book do you think everyone should read?
7. What was your most rewarding professional development experience?
8. If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
9. Who is your favorite actor or actress?
10. If you could meet anyone in the world that is currently living, who would it be?
11.  What is the best compliment that a student has ever given you?

Here is your Task
1.Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2.Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3.Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4.List 11 bloggers.
5.Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you