Hmm... to steal or not to steal???

My dear bloggers,

Your blog posts this year have been amazing as they showed your reflective side and let me understand your excitement, concerns, frustrations, and successes as you learned more about Flash and collaborated in groups. However, while doing a great deal of research lately, it has become easier for some of you to copy and paste the information you have been reading up rather thatn putting it in your own words (a.k.a. paraphrasing) and giving credit to the source.

Today, I would like for us to discuss the issues of plagiarism and the consequences for using somebody else's work without their permission. For this purpose, I would like for you to explore the following websites and discuss
1. What copyright law is and what the importance of Fair Use section is for you as a student.
2. The works that are and are not protected by copyright.
3. What public domain is and how it can affect your work.
4. How much text, video, or music you can use in your work (in your games as well!).
Copyright Kids and Cyberbee websites will be a great tool for you in your exploration. When you finish this part of the assignment, go to the following TUTORIAL, choose Emma's character and answer a series of questions about her actions regarding work at school. List THREE things that you have learned after playing that tutorial.

Good Blogging!
Mrs. Barker

Leading the horse to the water...

Student motivation has become a more prevalent issue throughout the years of my teaching. Working in a high poverty area, I frequently deal with the issues of students not seeing sense in getting education due to the cultural perceptions at home or community. Additionally, many students become easily bored in their classes as they are subjected to the same teaching strategies educators used with their parents without regards to the changes that have occurred in many spheres of adolescent life.



Web 2.0 technologies the students use outside the classroom let them create content, socialize, learn, and manage the wealth of information pertinent to their lives. When dealing with reluctant learners in my middle school classroom, I try to explore the ways to make their learning relevant and fun to them and help them see how they can apply the skills acquired to the real life situations.

"'It's a game, isn't it, Mary Poppins?'
Well, it depends on your point of view. You see, in every job that must be
done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and - snap!- the job's a
game. And every task you undertake becomes a piece of cake..."

Disney motion picture: "Mary Poppins"

Fortunately, in my Globaloria classes, I don't have many motivation issues as the students regard this class as relevant to their lives and are happy that they are doing something cool. However, motivation issues arise with older students who lag behind in curriculum, feel overwhelmed, and, therefore, want to quit. Spending extra time and giving students opportunities for catching up, agreeing on mutually set goals, and showing them that you care about them and their work helps raise motivation. I also feel that constant communication and provision of constructive feedback are extremely important, as they help educators establish relationships with students, and within our cultural environment where many students do not have caring adults in their lives, this aspect significantly contributes to the student motivation.

Our History

We have been slowly moving forward, creating Flash files following the tutorials and adding extras to our scene files as well. Good job learning from each other, from the tutorials, as well as asking me for help when needed! Your projects pages show your progress, so the more you upload, the more work you will show off for other students and teachers in WV and NY.

Please, keep up with the commenting assignments for each other's blogs as well as the blogs for EGMS. Some of you have started on commenting EGMS blogs, and some are still behind :) Remember, though, start with POSITIVE comments. Everybody wants to hear something good about what they are doing. If you have any suggestions, then you can add those suggestions! Reread your comment to see if you would have liked what is written if it was addressed to you. Our goal is to help, not make somebody angry and give up!

Your prompt for today is about American history. Think back to the events in our history and write a blog about what even in the history was the most influential. Why was it important? What were the details of the event? How did it affect the way we do things today? Don't forget to add research to back up your points and supply some videos or pictures!

Good blogging!
Mrs. B.

Constitutional Amendments

My dear 7th grade bloggers,

Before you go on to enjoy your Thanksgiving break, I want you to ponder about the upcoming prompt. Take your time discussing, researching, and talking to your peers to write a good blog!

Here is your prompt:

You are a West Virginia senator. Your goal is to propose a new amendment concerning the problems, freedoms or rights of your choice through a persuasive blog to convince the Senate at the nation’s capitol to accept your new idea. The writing of this new amendment must be in clear and concise language and have relevant media to accompany the blog to help you render the message. This information must be backed by at least three reasons that are not your opinions but stem out of the facts you have gathered through your research. Don't forget to cite the sources you have used to gather information.

Good blogging!

Mrs. B.

Adding Navigation

We have been working very hard on adding navigation to the scenes for your game. This week has been very difficult for some, but you still have made it! Chuckie certainly added tons of work to his projects page and showed his progress through the week. Check out Clyde's, Josh's, and Angel's pages where they are showing their work following the tutorials, experimenting on their own, and working with me. Garrett can be proud of his drawing and tracing abilities. Check out his page as well!
You all have done a great job, and today is your time to reflect about this week's unit.

• What have you learned about Flash?
• What was easy for you and what was challenging? How did you manage to overcome your challenges?
• What have you learned about the content of your game (what research have you done about civics topic you are covering?)
• What questions do you still have about the unit?
• Do you need more time to work on adding navigation or are you ready to move on?

Good writing!

Mrs. B.

What does being a productive citizen mean?

Being a citizen of a county is a right that is not enjoyed by everybody. However, it is a tremendous responsibility, as a citizen who exercises his/her rights can influence legislation and change many things around. Power of one in the United States cannot be underestimated, as many great changes in this country were started by small groups of forward thinking individuals. When I think about the individual citizens affecting the change by their actions, I think of the story of Rosa Parks, but there are many more other examples of individuals can affect events taking place in our country.



Think for a moment about an issue you feel needs to be addressed in your county, state, or a country (it can be a pressing current issue, such as swine flu, health care reform, tragedy in Ford Hood, or the veterans' life and care after they get back from war; or a pressing global issue, such as finding renewable energy sources, dealing with increasing gas prices, or helping citizens of the countries around the world fight for their rights). Why is this issue of a concern to you? Write a letter to your senator trying to convince him to support your views in legislative vote or new legislation. Remember that your letter shoud be compelling for the senator to read and take action. So, do your research for the facts to back your opinion, or your letter might not be as persuasive as you might think. Use multimedia to enhance your writing!
Watch this video that tells about universal human rights- you might get some ideas about the issue you would want to share in the letter.
This CNN Video tells about H1N1 flu (aka Swine Flu).
Good Blogging!
Mrs. B.

What about Your Game?

My dear students! You have worked really hard on imagining your game and creating a paper prototype. I know that you still have a lot of ideas to put on the paper, but while I am away, and you cannot get to your paper prototyping, I would like for you to write a blog post answering the following questions:

1. What is your game topic and how does it relate to civics?
2. How will a player learn more about civics while they play your game?
3. Where does your game topic fit into the Civics Knowledge Framework? Does it teach about an ideal of government, a function of government or about citizenship? Please explain.

Below, I have outlined the Civics Knowledge Framework. Please, take a look at it and try to match your game to one of the components and talk about it when answering question 3.

1. Ideals: key principles and values underlying US government
· Origins/history of key ideas and values
· Government systems (democracy, dictatorship, communism, monarchy)
· Majority rule
· Minority rights
· Separation of Powers
· Individual Rights and Freedoms

2. Function: How does the US government work?
· Local, state and national/federal levels of government systems
· Local, state and national/federal court systems
· The three branches of government (executive, legislative, judiciary)
· Role of citizens and outside groups (unions, lobbyists, media)

3. Citizenship: How to be an active and effective citizen at any age?
· Stay informed (locally, nationally, globally)
· Explore a variety of sources and perspectives
· Develop a position on local, national and global issues
· Volunteer and participate in community service
· Take action!
· Develop a strategy for achieving results on the ground
· Learn to use action tools: protest, petition, letter writing, town meeting
· Lead and/or support at different capacities and levels (student government, community, local, national, etc.)
· Vote
Good Blogging!
Mrs. B.