The Homework Dropbox

As I mentioned to my seventh graders yesterday, I have created a way for students to “turn in” their digital homework throughout the year. It’s one extra step for students to take, but it could save the teacher (that’d be me!) up to an hour of time per assignment! So I greatly appreciate my students taking that extra step; one that won’t take more than a minute, I promise!

Here’s what I want you to do. Go to this link on the Seventh Grade website:

Homework Dropbox

First, you need to enter the basic information: your name and which subject the assignment is for. For the Name of Assignment box, enter the name I have given you for the assignment or, if I haven’t given you a specific name, use a name that properly identifies the assignment.

Next you will need to copy and paste the URL (web address) for your assignment into the box on the form labeled “Link to Your Assignment.” Be sure it’s the URL that goes directly to your assignment, not the URL to the page of your blog.

The last box on the form is optional; it is for any information you may need to share with me regarding the assignment. For example, if you were absent the day it was assigned or if you had any questions about completing the assignment, you would enter that information in that box.

So, if you’re having some downtime this weekend and looking to get ahead for next week, try using this form to “turn in” your first two literature responses from your blog and/or your vocabulary sentences. You will need to use the form three different times to turn in each assignment separately.

If you have any questions, please send me an email.

Are You Ready?

Welcome to Camp Caritas!

Are you packed? Have you checked your list? Have you checked it again? Do you have your dress uniform washed and pressed and ready for mass Monday morning? 😉

Kidding!

If you have questions over the weekend, please email me. I’ll check in frequently in between getting myself packed and giving George extra scritches and smooches. Biggest question for me as I get myself ready: What book shall I bring?! I’m leaning toward The Magician by Michael Scott. Any other suggestions?

If you’re looking for a good book to read, check out the Books! page on this blog. I’m adding reading lists for all levels to that page as I find them. You’ll also find two websites at the bottom of the page that let you type in the name of a book you really liked and they will offer you a list of book suggestions you might like. Pretty cool!

What’s even MORE cool is that I noticed some of you have started talking about your favorite books on your blogs! I LOVE IT!!!!!!! You’ve made this teacher very happy!

The Giver Questions

I’ve created a new page on my Assignment Blog for all of the questions related to The Giver. I’ve also added a new question for you to respond to by Friday. Yes, you may comment on your classmates’ blogs as they add their responses to the question. Here’s a direct link:

The Giver Page

Just So We’re Clear…

Any homework assigned today will be due Thursday as our day tomorrow is pretty full with other activities. Other work notes are as follows:

• The Google document for adding your notes is here: Chariot Race Notes
• Blog assignments can be found here: Miss McMillan’s Assignment Blog
• Writing prompts for your My Journal page are here: Journal Entries
• Links for you to start researching Climate Change are here: Links Page
• The survey form you’re supposed to fill out regarding email use can be found here: Guidelines for Using School Email

I hope that helps. Be sure to email me with any questions. As for tomorrow, you do have free dress, but keep in mind you need to be able to run, jog, walk, and/or skip in whatever outfit you choose.

Also, I will be posting a new question for The Giver later today that will be due by Friday. Be on the lookout!

New Screencast

I’ve created a screencast that I hope will help my seventh graders in setting up their Google Sites blogs. You can find it on my Assignments Blog. It’s longer than I would like it to be and I apologize in advance for the popping noises from the microphone, but it’s a start! If you click on the image below, it will also take you to my Assignments Blog.

Miss McMillan Screencast

A Change to Your Blogs

As we’ve discussed in class, when you leave a comment on a classmate’s blog your first AND last name will show up. What we’d like to do, for now, is to contain our blogs within the CTK school community only. What each of you will need to do is make a change in your blog’s settings. Don’t worry…it’s supremely easy!

• From any page on your blog, select “More actions” and then “manage site.”
• On the manage site page, select “Sharing” under “site settings.”
• Under “Advanced Permissions” uncheck the box that says “Anyone in the world may view this site.

There are actually a few blogs that are already set to only be viewed within the CTK school community, so if your box is already unchecked…perfect!!

This is going to be perfect, my friends! We’ll have plenty of practice in our own safe community, and when we’re ready Mrs. Massi will create new accounts
for us that will allow us to collaborate with the world! In other words…

It’s all good!!

Let’s Get Started!

I know all of my wonderful seventh graders are ready to get started blogging, so let’s finish setting up our pages. In case you’ve forgotten already, start here:

Google Apps for Education

You will sign in using the same information you used in the computer lab this afternoon. If you need more help with the sign-in, please send me an email.

Once you log in, click on “sites” and you will see your student number, that’s the link to your Google Site page. Click on it and let’s get to work.

Moving Pages

If you need to move a page, it’s actually quite simple. From your Sites Home page, click on the page you wish to move. For example, if you have “The Giver” showing in your sidebar then it needs to be moved so that it’s located off your Literature page. If that’s the case, here’s what you do:

• From the home page, click on “The Giver” in the sidebar
• Click on “More actions” at the top of the window on the right-hand side (right next to “edit page”).
• Under “More actions” there is an option to “Move page”. That’s what you want!
• Click on “Move page” and a new window will open with a page highlighted in yellow. That is where your Giver page is currently “attached”…if you will.
• Now, click on “Literature” and it will become yellow.
• Finally, click on “Move” (at the bottom of the window).

That’s it! Easy, right?

Adding Pages

Ready to add some more pages? Of course you are! Let’s start with a Language Arts page. This will go off of the Home page, just like we did with literature. Got it?

Now let’s add a Vocabulary page, but this will go off of the Language Arts page…not the Home page. To do that, remember you need to click on “Choose a different location” when creating the page. Then select “Language Arts.”

How we doing?

OK? Great! Now, add the following pages off of the Home page:

• Religion
• My Reflections
• Writer’s Workshop
• Social Studies

If you’d like to see what it looks like, you can visit my practice page. But check back frequently as I’ll add STUFF as I think of it!

Your First Blog Assignment

Ready to write something? Sure you are! Hopefully you noticed that I added a “My Reflections” page to the list above. I’d like you to write your reflection about blogging. What are your thoughts as we start this blogging journey together? Are you excited? Anxious? Thinking you’d rather be using that old fashioned tool…oh, what’s it called?

Oh yeah…a pencil.

What are some ideas you might have for using the blog? What do you think some of the guidelines should be for using blogs? Every reflection you write should be at least a paragraph, but you may always feel free to write more!

Be sure to save the page now and then. Once you do, you’ll have to click on “edit page” in order to write more.

That’s it for now. What do you think?

🙂