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Mr. Winter's Whiteboard - Last Updated 04/02/2007

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My email: rswinter(at)jeffco.k12.co.us

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Since I’ll have different rooms, this will count as your white/chalk board. Check this everyday for prizes, news, etc.

Assignments are not optional unless they say they are, all emails must have a subject and your name at the bottom. If you are absent, read the whiteboard for that day and do the assignment, if not optional.

3/23/07 LAST DAY -- Hooray. Spring Break Tomorrow!

Step 1 Clean area (all students)

Due by 10 minutes after class starts: Clean your area. You will be graded on the area around your seat as well as your group's area. Send me an email when the group is done cleaning. I will grade anytime between now and the beginning of the next class.

Step 2 Final.

Finish your chapters (this is 50% of the final) and must be done before step 3. Continue on to step 3 only if you finish the chapters. Print out our assignment sheet again and circle the items you did for your final. Write final on the top and your name and put it in the inbox.

Step 3 Final.

Click on the class below to download the final for your class and follow the instructions. Print this out and mark it as you complete each step. Put this in the inbox for your class when done.

	Office 1
	Office 2
	Flash
	Dreamweaver
	HTML

3/22/07 Last day for assignments is Today, Final tomorrow

Double-points day. Positive as well as negative!

I wasn't selected to sit in the juror's box for yesterday's jury. The trial was for a lady charged with drunk driving. I thought the process was interesting. There were about 60 of us there (they eventually chose 6). They asked the people in the box a lot of questions like what is your job, what kind of education do you have, do you have friends or relatives in the police, do you think she's guilty (without any evidence shown yet), and is it OK to drink and drive.

	If you haven't filled out the course evaluation, make sure you do this now. Click here.
	At the end of the period, print out your Assignment sheet on your Goals&Effort workbook. Make sure to mark or add what items on your assignments you did as extra credit. Make sure all your files are on your H: drive and named correctly so I can grade them.
	I'm letting you get as much work done as possible today. I won't grade your stuff with you unless you ask.
	Make sure you turn in your books today (or tomorrow if you check them out again).

3/21/07 Last day for assignments is Thursday, Final on Friday

	Email: Sub
	Send to: me
	Send me an email with the substitute's name and how well he or she did (each day you have a sub).
	Read the notes below and tell me if you understand the notes. I'll look at your emails in the evening to see if I can help answer questions.

Notes for the last few days:

Have a great spring break (1st priority).

Click here and fill in the course evaluation.

When you get done with the assignments, click the Check Assignments link in the second cell above at the top of this page (underneath Filenames, Save, DocID) to make sure you have everything you need.

Double-check to make sure your files are named correctly and in My Documents in the correct folders. Check this against your Goals&Effort workbook Assignment page. Remember, if I can't find an assignment, it won't count even if you did the work.

After you're sure you have everything, print out the Assignment page and put it in my box.

Here are things you can do when you finish all assignments. I've collected ideas from your emails. Note: You cannot play games. If you do, I'll ask the substitute to take off minute points. Whenever I have a substitute, the minute points count double.

	Go back and check to make sure you have all files done correctly. Look on Infinite Campus for the items I've already put in your grade. If you do assignments in any chapters that I have already graded, make sure you send me an email and tell me what you did. For example. In Excel 3 I finished the Tamiami workbook and the WhatIf document.
	Make sure you put the correct dates on the Assignment page of things you finished this week.
	You can do extra credit of a topic that interests you in any application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Dreamweaver, Flash, HTML). Name this ExtraCredit1, ExtraCredit2, etc. with the long filename for the class. Note: Any extra credit you do will only add to your grade, it won't go down, even if you make a lot of mistakes -- it just won't go up a lot if there are a lot of problems.
	For extra credit you can also do additional chapters past the required ones in the book.
	Send me an email telling me the filenames of any extra credit you did.
	You can help other people (except during the final). Please keep your conversations focused on topics in the book and be careful not to distract others.
	You can do homework from another class.
	Whatever you do, make sure you record what you did in your Goals&Effort workbook.

On Thursday, print out your Goals&Effort Assignment page at the end of class. Make sure you have the proper document ID in your footer. Put the page in the inbox for your class.

3/20/07 Tuesday - Last day for assignments is Thursday, Final on Friday

Remember, it is possible that I won't be here the rest of the week because of jury duty starting tomorrow. If I don't see you, it was great having you in class. Please read the whiteboard each day for special instructions.

	Email: When Finished
	Send to: me
	What are your suggestions for students to do when they are finished with all the assignments this week? I want students to get all their minute points and perhaps even earn extra credit to bring their grade up. I will be giving instructions to the substitutes. I have my own ideas, but I wanted to get some from you too. One rule is that students cannot play games, they have to do something productive. Whatever solutions you come up with, students have to learn or grow and not disturb the students who will be finishing assignments and taking the final on Friday. I will put instructions tonight on my Web site and give these also to the substitutes.

Note: If you want me to grade your assignments with you to make sure my list of items that you've done for the whole course matches what you think you've done, add this to your email early in the period. If you think you are completely done, make sure you send me an email too so I can let you know if I have everything listed.

Extra Note: On Friday I'm going to have a grade for how neat this room is when I see it after classes. This will be a group grade. All chairs should be pushed in. All books placed on the bookshelves on either side of the room and stacked according to the class (all same books together). No trash anywhere -- that includes in drawers under computers, on the floor, behind the computers, along the window sills, etc. I will give a grade for the entire class and for each work area.

3/19/07 Monday - Last day for assignments is Thursday, Final on Friday

	Email: New Majors
	Send to: me
	I think one of the points of the article you will read is that the world is quickly changing. Do you have the skills that you can adapt? Click here to read the article. Tell me which major most appeals to you and why. I'm not counting off for spelling, capitalization, complete sentences. I'm only looking for your thoughts.

Make-up notes: I possibly won't be here Wed-Fri because of jury duty.

3/16/07 Friday - Last day for assignments is next Thursday

Announcements

	I have a meeting with my son's teachers after school today so I won't be here after school. He's having motivation problems like some of you are. If you have any suggestions for a dad, send them to me.
	Monday is the day I'll determine the 93% grade and who will/won't take the final. If you are going to do a lot of work this weekend, please send me an email.
	I won't be here Wednesday because of jury duty and possibly Thursday and Friday, so plan your time here before and after school and lunch accordingly. However, make sure you tell me if you're planning on being here, so I can let you know if I have any updates to my calendar.
	Many of you did much better on your Oral and Productivity/Work Ethic grades yesterday (see Wednesday's note).

Email Subject: Teamwork 2

Send to: me

If you don't know by now, I want you all to succeed in school and get the best jobs possible. The Hawaii job in Wednesday's whiteboard would obviously be coveted by most high school students. What I had you do could be part of a cover letter. Because most of you didn't really do the kind of work I was expecting, I'm going to try to give you help in what you should do if someone asks you for specifics to describe an instance where you demonstrated a skill. This should help you with applying for jobs or college. You can start with your email from Wednesday and improve on it with the notes below.

The best emails I received Wednesday had the following:

	They were long enough to really answer the question. In order to do this, they needed at least a normal size paragraph.
	They used a good structure -- topic sentence, supporting evidence, and a conclusion.
	They were very specific about what makes a good team and their part in it.
	They had no obvious errors. A lot of you are still using lower case i when you need to make sure you type I. Many didn't take the time to put this first in Word and spell-check.

Here is an example I want you to look at:

At my old job at McDonald's we always had to work together to get the customers what they wanted the way they wanted it. One person took the order, another made it, another bagged it and made sure it's the right thing in the right bag, and the last person handed it out. Together we got our job done. If one of us was having a hard time or were new at the job, we all pitched in it to help them and keep everything running smoothly. Teamwork played a big part in our job because we all needed each other to get the job done and work together to make sure it gets done.

Although she had some grammar errors (I corrected them for you), this is what I wanted. Her first sentence is a good topic sentence. Notice she talks about teamwork (we had to work together) and tells me where this happened (McDonald's) and that this was her old job. Her last sentence was a good concluding sentence. She mentioned teamwork (what I was looking for) and how important it was in the job. She also didn't just repeat the topic sentence (used work together in the first sentence and teamwork in the last sentence). She says some specifics on what the job of each person and describes a team well. Although it is assumed that she was a team member and did the things she said, she should have touted what she did in a specific instance to make her "application" even stronger. So in her case, she caught my attention by describing a good team. I would have added another sentence or a second paragraph to say specifically what she did as her part of the team. For example, I would have added something like this as a second paragraph:

One day, we had two new workers. My boss asked me to come in early to show the first one how to bag and check the order. During my shift I ran the fry machine and helped make sure she bagged and check each order. After she got her job down well, I continued on the fry machine and answered all her questions. Another of the experienced workers showed the second new person how to flip hamburgers and we all worked extra hard because we were training these two new people. We had no mistakes on orders that day and our cash registers balanced because of how well we collaborated.

So here are the points I'll give 25 points total:

	1 point off for each word, spelling, capitalization, or punctuation error.
	Topic sentence that sticks to teamwork. (5 points)
	3 or more specific examples or sentences on how your team worked as a team and how you fit in to the team (15 points)
	Closing sentence that summarizes how you or the team worked together (5 points)

3/15/07 Thursday, CSAP - last day!

	Email Subject: CSAP
	Send to: me

9th and 10th graders: Tell me how you think you'll do on the CSAPs in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science (10th graders). Copy each and write Advanced, Proficient, Partially Proficient, or Unsatisfactory. Tell me why you think you did that way.

For Seniors and Juniors tell me how you did in 10th grade and how well you think Jefferson Academy prepares you for the test. If you weren't at JA, let me know what school(s) you did have in 7-10th grade.

3/14/07 Wednesday, CSAP again

	Email Subject: Teamwork
	Send to: me
	I'm trying to come up with some assessments of your workforce readiness (click here for notes). The That's so Gay assignment (second one) measured how I feel you would fit in with a diverse group of people, specifically how you might react in a workgroup that might have one or more gay people. Today's assessment is about collaboration or your ability to work in a group. Pretend that I'm the one hiring you. This job is amazing. You're required to go test all the beaches and give your impressions. It is in Hawaii and pays $100 per hour plus all your travel and lodging expenses. I'm looking for a group of people that can really work well together and can help each other get the job done. Describe a real event where you can show me that you have great teamwork skills and experience. This could be for a school project, scouts, a religious group, sports team, or whatever. How did you help the group work as a group and get the job done?

On-going assessments

	Math 3 = Complete Goals & Effort (see yesterday's whiteboard)
	Oral = How appropriate you are with your speaking during class. Are you quiet enough so you don't disturb me or make me listen in on your conversation? Do you speak clearly when I talk to you?
	Professionalism/Work Ethic = How hard you work in class. Are you talking about the assignments or just chatting and accomplishing little? If you're behind, do you set up a time and come in or complain? This will include your minute points from now until a week from Thursday.
	Diversity 2 = 100 points as of right now. Any slurs that I hear against any group of people count off. I've I hear "that's so gay", racial slurs, "that's retarded", or any put-downs from now until the end of the quarter, I count down.
	Note: The final will be on Friday, March 23. 93% grades by Monday, March 19 and parent note don't have to take final. I will be at a leadership meeting Thursday, parent-teacher conference with my son on Friday, and jury duty a week from tomorrow.

3/13/07 Tuesday, CSAP again

Today, send me an email only if you want candy. Tell me how you say printer in Spanish.

Note: On this weekend I'm going to count your Goals & Effort workbook as your third Math grade in this class (each quarter I'm required to have at least 3 math and 3 English grades). I will count how "full" your workbook is. If you don't know what you did on a day, say "I don't know" for at least half credit on those days. The purpose of the Goals & Effort workbook is to introduce you to time and project management. This is going to count as much as a chapter (100 points). If you have been filling this out daily, you should have no problems. If you haven't, you'll have to make estimates.

Grading on Goals & Effort: 100 points total 1 point off for each blank where you should have something - on all sheets. 10 points off if any words are found in the spell check (in other words, spell check now and on Friday).

Schedule Monday & Tuesday

8:00-9:30 CSAP
9:35-10:42 Block A
10:45-11:05 Block B
11:05-11:43 Lunch
11:48-12:35 Block B
12:38-1:45 Block C
1:48-3:00 Block D

Wednesday & Thursday

8-11:05 CSAP
11:05-11:43 Lunch
11:48-12:33 Block A
12:37-1:22 Block B
1:26-2:11 Block C
2:15-3:00 Block D

3/12/07 That's so Gay II

Email Subject: That's So Gay II

Send to: me

I was interested to see your responses from Friday's whiteboard. If you haven't done that yet, please do that first and then come to this assignment.

Here are some of the things I noticed from reading the responses, listening to the conversations, and thinking about my own background. I was surprised about some of the reactions I felt.

	One of the thoughts that I thought I heard: "Gays deserve to be punished by saying rude things. It is OK if gay people are hurt because they chose to be homosexual and being that way is wrong." I wonder where these statements come from and what is behind them? Was this person or someone in their family hurt in some way? Is this person just being honest and many people feel this way and just don't show it?
	Another item I thought I heard: "My gay friends don't get bothered by "That's so gay" so it's OK to say it around everyone." I wonder if all those gay friends are honest enough to tell you if they are bothered or not. I also wonder how many of your friends are gay that you don't know are gay. Maybe they would not say anything because of how you would would think about them.
	My own mother was in a wheelchair and talked with me about saying things that hurt other people. For example, we would go out to dinner, and the waitress would say, "what would she like" as if my mom couldn't talk or was stupid or something. My mom would talk to me about statements like this. My grandfather couldn't speak and had the same type of reactions from other people. My uncle was gay and died of AIDS, but I cared a lot about him. I have two cousins that are also gay. I know my own background has created what I see as being tolerant and what I see as "politically correct." This differs from what others see as a first amendment right to say whatever they want regardless of how this makes other people feel.

The assignment: Answer any of the following questions. This time I am counting complete sentences and spelling. You need at least three complete sentences. You can answer one question with three sentences, three separate questions, or write in more general about the topic. Don't forget to use Word to help you get all the points you can. Note, even if I disagree with you, you still get the points as long as you write your email in the format I expect.

How much choice do gay people have at being gay?
If people choose to be gay, why do you think they make that choice?
Do you think that someone can just say or have 3 weeks of therapy like Rev. Haggard and say they are not gay?
If your boss, co-worker, teacher, or fellow student were gay and did not want anyone to know it, especially employees or students, how do you think they would feel by the gay comments going around in the school? How could they react to you if you were one of those people that made those comments or even the ubiquitous "That's so gay" phrase?
I believe that "political correctness" is ... (complete the thought).
If you were gay, would you tell people in this school?
Does your first amendment right allow you to say hurtful things to other people?
I'm more than 30 years older than you all, older than most of the teachers here, and feeling older right now as I approach 49 this week. I wonder if my own dislike of a phrase like "that's so gay" is a generational thing. Do you know other people besides me that don't like this phrase? If so, how old are they? Do you think saying the phrase or dislike of the phrase has to do with age?

Schedule Monday & Tuesday

8:00-9:30 CSAP
9:35-10:42 Block A
10:45-11:05 Block B
11:05-11:43 Lunch
11:48-12:35 Block B
12:38-1:45 Block C
1:48-3:00 Block D

Wednesday & Thursday

8-11:05 CSAP
11:05-11:43 Lunch
11:48-12:33 Block A
12:37-1:22 Block B
1:26-2:11 Block C
2:15-3:00 Block D

3/9/07 No CSAP today!

	Email Subject: That's So Gay
	Send to: me
	Click here to read this article
	Copy these questions and answer them in your email. You do not have to use complete sentences if you copy the questions. How did the student justify saying the putdown, "That's so gay," was OK in court? Why did school officials take a strict stand against the putdown? What does "derogatory" mean in the sentence, "Derogatory terms for homosexuality have long been used as insults? What percentage of gay students report hearing "That's so gay"? Why did Eliza Byard say the phrase bothers gay students?

3/8/07 CSAP Day 3

You seem to work better when there is a whiteboard. There are more than the usual number of students not getting their full minute points. I wonder why that is.

	Email Subject: Page number.
	Tell me your current chapter and page number.

Note from one of my former Flash students:

Hi Mr. Winter!

I found a really, really, really cool site that I think would help your current/future flash students learn it better!!! (I know it was sometimes hard for me)

This site gives movie demos that a live person demonstrates how to do stuff inside and out with flash in a really good way. Hey, and maybe you'll even learn something!

The site is http://www.freeflashintros.com/developers/flash-tutorials.html

Let me know if you like it! Enjoy!

Hunter

3/7/07 CSAP Day 2

No whiteboard. Work, work, work.

Freshman, Sophomores -- we're counting on you to show us what you have.
Juniors -- enjoy the colleges.
Seniors -- enjoy being lazy.

3/6/07 CSAP Day 1

Schedule Today - Thursday

A 11:48-12:33
B 12:37-1:22
C 1:26-2:11
D 2:15-3:00

Please note: This week is 'Amnesty week' in the library - please encourage your students to return ALL library books (no matter how overdue!) by Friday and there will be NO fines! (could you write this on your white boards??) THANKS!

Graphics make Web pages visually stimulating and more exciting than pages that contain only text. However, you should use graphics sparingly. If you think of text as the meat and potatoes of a Web site, the graphics would be the seasoning. You should add graphics to a page just as you would add seasoning to food. A little seasoning enhances the flavor and brings out the quality of the dish. Too much seasoning overwhelms the dish and masks the flavor of the main ingredients. Too little seasoning results in a bland dish. There are many ways to work with graphics so that they complement the content of pages in a Web site.

	Email Subject: Metaphor or Simile
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Read the text above and answer the following in complete sentences: In one sentence (not more) summarize what the paragraph is saying. Does the author use a simile or a metaphor and describe what they are comparing to what. Why do you think the author used the simile or metaphor?

Tony grading:

	Correct subject 2 points
	First & last name 2 points
	Bring into Word and do a spell check.
	5 points for each complete sentence that makes sense and is correct
	One point off for spelling, punctuation, or capitalization error
	Respond to each student with how you graded and copy me.
	Send email to students in class who you didn't get and let them know they got 20 points off, but can get partial credit if they turn it in by Thursday.

3/5/07 Musical Algebra

From Megan Kash, a teacher in Brandon, Mississippi:

"In my Algebra 2 class, when teaching students the quadratic formula, I teach my class how to remember the quadratic formula by using the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel":

x equals negative b
plus or minus the square root
of b squared minus four a c
all over 2 a.

Here's the quadratic formula if you don't recognize it:
x = [-b +/- square root (b^2 - 4ac)]/[2a]

It has now caught on to all of the teachers in our whole school, and students come back years later still remembering the quadratic formula and the song! A HUGE hit!

	Email Subject: Musical Algebra
	Send to: me
	Do you think the musical algebra mentioned above would work for you and other math students at JA? Tell me why or why not.

3/2/07 College Anyone?

	Email Subject: My Strengths
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Click on this link and read the article.
	In your email, list your strengths in the classroom and outside the classroom. You should have at least 6 strengths.

Tony Grading:

	Correct subject 2 points
	First & last name 2 points
	One point for each strength.

3/1/07 First Day of March

No whiteboard today.

2/28/07 Pushy Enough?

I want to support all of you in your goals. Sometimes I feel like I don't push my students enough or am too forgiving if you make a mistake. I also try to lay out the consequences Please answer the following questions:

	Email Subject: Pushy
	Send just to me
	Copy the following and answer the questions:

Do you feel like I'm pushing you hard enough to achieve your best?
Why or why not?
Do you feel like I help you learn from your mistakes instead of "punish" you?
Why or why not?

2/27/07 Last 1/3 of class

The time is going to fly by until the end of the quarter. Even though it seems longer, we have six days of CSAP testing between now and the end of the quarter, so don't let that Mar 21st deadline fool you. On some CSAP days we'll have shorten classes. On other days, we won't have other classes. This quarter is about 50 days instead of the normal 44 days because of the CSAP/ACT etc. schedule. Some of you are doing awesome, I hope you keep it up. Remember, a 93% by the end of the quarter means that you don't have to take the final.

	Office 1 you should start on Word today if you haven't already.
	Office 2 you should start on PowerPoint today if you haven't already.
	Everyone else continue with the chapter you are on.

Assignment

	Email Subject: ReadingGoals
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Do the following Click here to download the reading goals that you all are supposed to know before you leave here. Add your DocID and save this document with your long filename ending in ReadingGoals. The "chapter" is 0, just like the files at the beginning of class Use the Highlight tool and highlight any words or items you have no idea what they are talking about in red. Use the yellow highlight tool of things you have an idea, but aren't certain. Highlight things you definitely know in blue. Attach your document to the email. If you want candy or extra credit points, tell me one thing that any student can do to earn the best score possible on a CSAP test (and tell me whether you want candy or extra credit).

Tony: I'll need you to keep a spreadsheet with all items (1, 1a, 1b, ... through 6d). See separate email. Highlight the same colors with where students say they are. Copy words in the cells if there are only words. Grade the assignment as follows:

	Correct subject 2 points
	First & last name 2 points
	DocID 3 points
	Filename correct 5 points (e.g. O1-0-Q3C-LastNameF-ReadingGoals). Make sure O vs. 0.
	All items in color 8 points (or -16 if document isn't attached)

2/26/07 - Deadline is here

At the end of the period, print out your Assignments sheet of your Goals & Effort workbook. Don't forget you get 3 points off your progress grade if you don't have your Doc ID.

2/23/07 - Monday (Feb 26) really is your next deadline

I talked about phishing in yesterday's whiteboard. This is stealing your identity on the Internet. There is a new twist now. The phishers are trying to get high school students' identity and then use this because you haven't established credit yet and you often won't check your credit for years until you buy a house or try to get a credit card. By the time you try to get credit, your rating is totally messed up and it could take months or even years to straighten out. During that time you might not be able to buy a car or anything else on credit.

One of my students told me about another event that is happening with phishing. He logged on to MySpace and clicked one of the ads. They told him he had to login again so he did and so they stole his MySpace ID and password. They then changed his orientation to gay and swinger. You can imagine the explaining he had to do to his girlfriend. This was a prank, but much worse things could have been done when someone poses as you and breaks the law. The Internet is a great tool, but "with great power comes great responsibility."

	Email Subject: Phishing/Credit
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	What are things you might want to buy on credit in the next 10 years?

2/22/07 - Next Monday (Feb 26) still is your next deadline

Warning: Potentially Dangerous Web Site Detected!

You have been redirected to this Web page by the McAfee AntiPhishing Filter. The Web site you requested is in our list of Web sites that are potentially trying to obtain unauthorized confidential information. If you proceed to this site, you may be at risk, especially if you have clicked on this link from an e-mail.

Remember: Financial institutions will never ask you to confirm personal information through the Internet.

	Email Subject: Phishing
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	What is phishing and why should you be concerned? (If you don't know what phishing is, read the note above and/or look it up online).

Block B -- If I can hear announcements (everyone is quiet each day) I will add 5 minute points for all students.

2/21/07 - Next Monday (Feb 26) is your next deadline

I hope many of you are watching the calendar for the next deadline. I'm trying to help you determine what you need to do, but I can't do the work for you. Some of you need to come in outside of class hours, but few of you are making any arrangements with me so I know when to plan to be here or I can tell you if that time is not available. This kind of homework is new for many of you, so I want you to be informed.

I'm still deciding what to do for my sister. I'm sure I'll call her tonight.

No whiteboard today. If you want candy, give Billy a piece of paper with your name. He'll collect them all by 12:15.

2/20/07 - Patty's Birthday

The sub was impressed with most of you. Nice job. I'm almost all recovered :). I heard some of you were sick too :(. I hope you're better.

	Email: Patty's Birthday
	Send to: Me
	My sister's name is Patty. She'll be 48 tomorrow. Any ideas on what I should get or do for (to) her? I have teased her our whole lives. She teases me because I'm so much older than her. I'm 48 until March. We're called Irish twins because our birthdays are less than a year apart. My mom had 4 kids in 5 1/2 years, but I'm closest to her.
	Many students in Block A were too NICE. I'm not looking for a nice gift. I'm her older brother after all. I want to TEASE her.

2/15/07 - 4 Day Weekend!

The next deadline is 2/26. Have a wonderful weekend. See you Tuesday. Click this link if you need to see the deadlines for 2/26: http://www.rickwinter.com/MyClasses/Technology/Common/2006-7Syllabus.htm#Deadlines.

	Email: Deadline 2/26
	Send to: Me (see top of Whiteboard)
	Answer the following questions: What do you have due on 2/26? Do you think you'll meet the deadline? If you don't think you'll meet the deadline, what are you going to do so you can?

2/14/07 - 100% Capacity

Note: Remember those minute points? Many of you are still doing a great job of working the whole period. Some others.. well, let's just say I'm taking more minute points off than I used to. If you are going to talk, make sure you do so quietly. I was having a problem concentrating during block B. You see the trick to earning all your minute points is to not distract the teacher or the people around you and have stuff related to Office, Flash, etc. on your screen when I look up. The other trick is to be here and on time which almost all of you have mastered. Wahoo!

The following is an email that was forwarded to all the teachers yesterday. Answer the questions below the box.

From: Jeffco Service Desk
Sent: Tue 2/13/2007 10:21 AM
To: DL All Principals Secretaries; DL All Financials; DL All Principals; DL All Assistant Principals; DL All School Technicians; DL Department Secretaries; DL All Central Administrators; DL ESC All Floors; DL Quail Building 1; DL Quail Building 4
Cc: DL IT All Staff
Subject: Internet Performance and Site Access Problems

What’s the issue?

This morning, the district’s Internet access is at 100% capacity. During this time you may experience extremely slow Internet access or “page cannot be displayed” errors.

What can you do?

The following activities also consume large amounts of bandwidth and should not be conducted on District computers:

	Internet radio or streaming radio
	Streaming video or television
	Music, video or other media downloads that are not intended for instructional or business purposes

To clarify: You are “streaming” video, radio or TV when you are logged onto a website and receiving a steady “stream” of sound or video from that website. In other words if you are listening to the radio through your computer, you are streaming radio. The radio show is being passed through our Jeffco infrastructure, using the Jeffco bandwidth, to be delivered to you.

	Email Subject: 100% Capacity.
	Send to: Me.
	Copy the following questions and type your answer after each one. You do not have to write in complete sentences, but I do expect correct spelling. Give me a person's name this email originally went to in this school before it was forwarded to me and how did you figure this out? What does 100% capacity mean in this case? When we reach 100% capacity, how will this affect you when you are trying to use the Internet? What is bandwidth? What can students do to help with this issue?

2/13/07 - Invesco Field Trip Response

Here is what Pat Jordan from the Broncos said about your emails:

We all appreciate the kind words from your students. I hope we have enlightened and educated your students. We enjoyed your visit and are open for any future tours.

	Email Subject: Lincoln
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Answer the following questions in complete sentences: When and where was President Abraham Lincoln born? Describe what he looked like. Why was he an important president?

If you need a free 3-ring binder let, me know today. I just got 10 boxes from my client, Wells Fargo.

Guess what if you didn't know, let me be the first to tell you -- no school this Friday and next Monday.

2/12/07 - Invesco Field Trip Thank you

Please write a thank you email to Invesco Field and the Broncos. I'll forward the emails to Pat Jordan, one of the people that gave us the tour. In your email, don't forget good spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Put this in Word first and spell check it. We want Jefferson Academy to have a good reputation. Who knows, one of you might want a job there some day. All you need is a couple of sentences -- maybe say one thing you liked and then some sort of thank you.

	Email Subject: Thank You from Jefferson Academy (If you didn't go, subject is Didn't Go)
	Send to: Me
	Alternative if you didn't go on the field trip: Look up 3 interesting facts about the Broncos. List the facts and where you found the information. Say something like, I'm sorry I didn't get to see the field trip, but here is something I found that I like or found was interesting about the Broncos.
	A Block -- Put your signed registration info in A inbox.

2/9/07 - Field Trip Day

Field trip will gather at 9:00 in my room. Block A will work for an hour. My Block C will go to library when we get back (I have a school board event). We should be back around 1:00.

	Email Subject: Pages
	To: me
	Tell me which page you started on today and what page you ended. If you weren't here, tell me why.

2/8/07 - Gen X Trial

	Email Subject: Gen X Test
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Many of you said you felt you were Gen X's, but a lot also felt they were Gen Y and Gen Z or a mixture. I'm going to try something especially for those of you that have Gen X tendencies. Everyone quickly pair up with someone in a different class than you are. For example an Office 1 person pair up with Flash person. I want each person to show one favorite thing you've learned in your software. You can go in threes but it might take longer and you have to have all three people listed in the email.
	Open one email for the two (or three) of you. Write your name, the software you demonstrated, and the feature you showed. Do the same for the second person.
	At the end of the email, tell me if each of you liked doing a whiteboard this way. We're going to have a hard time in Block C because most of the class is in Office 1. So, if there are no Flash people left, pair up with another Office person and tell me something for two different programs (Excel and Access, for example).
	Don't forget field trip on Friday. Tomorrow bring $2.50 if you haven't yet. Bring forms if you haven't. All students that are not going on the field trip are required to go to the library during their class time.

Do you like to shop? I asked Cortney if she would be willing to help lead a "shopping" group. Basically, we have $30,000 to spend on computer stuff, library furniture, etc. All the items are picked out, we just need a group that would be willing to find the best prices. If you are interested, give Cortney your name or send me an email (subject Shopping!). We'll probably have to do this one or two days after school next week.

2/7/07 - Map of Future Forces Affecting Education

	Email Subject: Future of Education
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Click on this link and answer the two questions: Based on the description of Gen X, Gen Y, or Gen Z, which do you think you are in and why? How should I adapt my teaching for any of these three groups?
	Close the box and explore the education map further. If you want 5 bonus minute points extra credit or candy, click on one of the other boxes. Tell me the title of the box and what you think the content in the box means. Also tell me if you want the points or the candy. The best email will get to pick from the Big Bag tomorrow.
	Don't forget field trip on Friday. Tomorrow bring $2.50 if you haven't yet. Bring forms if you haven't.

2/6/07 - Selling Yourself

I'm concerned about you all. You are going into a very competitive world -- much more so than when I graduated from high school. There are first year Indian engineers willing to earn $7,500 per year just as qualified as our $45,000 first year engineers (see The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman). They can easily do the work over the Internet that our engineers can do. This is true for many, many different industries and is even getting to places like McDonalds where people are taking orders in a different location and doing it quicker and more accurately than local workers. No one is going to give you a job on a silver tray. You are going to need to be creative, think hard, and work hard. Most of the responses to yesterday's whiteboard were very timid and didn't stress what you all can do. Many of you have great backgrounds and great skills. Learn how to sell yourself. Take some pride in who you are. Show me and show your other teachers the talent you have. Here was the best example from yesterday's whiteboard. Your assignment for today is to tell me what is in this email that made me want to hire this teenager or admit her to my university.

	Email Subject: Competition for Jobs
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	List three things about the leadership example in the box below that makes it stand out. Why would I want to hire this person or accept her at my university?

What makes a good leader is the fact that they’re able to win the respect of those around them to make them cooperate. Leaders are able to teach other people how to do things instead of just knowing how. They’re able to encourage and help push a team to success. When it comes to communication, leaders have to be the best at doing so, since they are the ones making the calls and explaining what the plan is. They have to be organized, strong in will and determination, strong in communication, strong with a team, and strong in teaching.

A boss creates fear, a leader creates respect.

I have been in girl scouts since I was in the first grade and I am working on getting my gold award, which is a leadership achievement. I’m also in CAP, a 1^st Class Cadet Airman already, and planning my Mitchel award with them. CAP (Civil Air Patrol) is based on teaching leadership, as well as aerospace education.

All my jobs in the past have required some amount of leadership. At the moment I am working with The Wooden Shoe, which is a child’s daycare center. It requires leadership and respect to work with younger kids. As my other job I am an assistant guitar teacher at Chodosh Guitar, teacher ages 6 and up. It’s a job that means I have to relay information to those that I am working with so they can do it on their own.

I’m also a very organized person, who may not appear organized, but I have systems that keep me able to focus at all times and to get done what I need done. Computer classes in the past have helped me meet deadlines and work hard on projects, which is also a very important skill. Playing on a softball team, as well as a competitive video game squad helps me to relay the information needed to help things move slowly and to help the team win. Paintball would also be a good example of working as a team.

The leader is merely a figure head of the team, because a leader is nothing without the people behind them. A good leader doesn’t simply take charge, they incorporate the team with the leading.

Premio Ocultado - Escriba "quiero dulce" en su email. El primero en cada clase puede tomar del bolso grande.

2/5/07 - Mr. Ridgeman's Class

If you don't know how to use the Citation Machine, click here to do the tutorial.
Click on this link to download the Chapter0 document into Word.
Save the document with your name and Chapter0.
Use the Citation Machine to fill in the Chapter0 document with information for your text book.
Create an email to your teacher mridgema@jeffco.k12.co.us - include Subject Chapter0 and your name.

2/5/07 - Leadership

Email Subject: Leadership

Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com

CC: me

Don't forget subject, name, spelling, etc. (some of you have been slacking recently)

You need to prepare for interview questions for a job or college. Here are two that you might be asked. Don't forget to include specific details for the person interviewing you to prove that you have skills to become a good leader.

	What makes a good leader?
	What have you done that shows you are developing leadership skills?

2/2/07 - Thanks for being my students

I just wanted to tell you all again how much I enjoy teaching each of you. Sometimes I get frustrated with or worried about you, and may not always be what you expect of me, but that's part of being human (both you and me).

	Email Subject: Dream Weekend
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	So, we've had a bit of snow and cold this year :). I want you to close your eyes and imagine some place you would love to be over the weekend. Money is no object. Pretend you won a trip to wherever you want to go, but you can only be gone for two days. Now pretend that you are flying back home and writing me this note on the laptop you also won. Tell me in a good paragraph (topic sentence, 4 sentences, good spelling, proper capitalization and punctuation) where you went and what you did.

P.S. Thanks for all the feedback on yesterday's Teen Brain whiteboard. Most students chose to answer the question "am I being strict enough?" and most said that my level was OK. One said that if I didn't give deadlines, many students wouldn't do the work until the last week of class. Many liked that I'm flexible enough to make up work. Another interesting response to me was that if I was really strict, students may do less work. However, a couple students said I'm not being strict enough or giving enough assignments because the work is too easy. My instinct is that for the majority of students the work load is OK, and for some is quite challenging. Let me know if you think I'm not giving enough work.

Most of those that responded about the Chapter Notes liked the idea of colors, but a few thought it isn't necessary.

2/1/07 - Welcome to February

Office 1 & 2 students -- start on Access. The rest of the students continue from where you left off yesterday.

	Email Subject: Teen Brain
	Send to: heres.to.life.27(at)gmail.com
	CC: me
	Click on this link and read my notes on an article I read about the teen brain. Copy the questions below and type your answers below each question.

When do my notes say that the teenage (adolescent) brain stops developing?
My notes say that the prefrontal cortex part of the brain is rapidly developing in your age. Because this is developing so rapidly in your life right now, it may explain why some students have difficult with what?
From my notes, copy the sentence containing one of the items that I've highlighted in yellow and give me some input on what I've asked.

1/31/07 - First chapters due

At the END of period, open you Goals&Effort workbook, click on the Assignments tab, print this out. Don't forget that this needs the proper Document ID. Put this in the inbox for your block when you are done.

No email assignment today.

Notes:

	Flash students, please click on Class Page above and then go to the assignments under your name and make sure each link works.
	I know some of you are interested in careers related to animals. If you are, I thought you might want to know about the career day at the zoo. Both my sons are going.

Career Bunk With The Beasts For Teens! - Denver Zoo’s Career Bunk for 13 – 16 year-olds, on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. – 10 a.m., is a new overnight program that will introduce teens to the ins and outs of landing careers in animal care, animal nutrition, and animal training. Teens will participate in guided zoo and behind-the-scenes tours, animal training sessions, hands-on activities, live animal demonstrations and interactive discussions about preparing for a career working directly with animals. Dinner, evening snack and breakfast are included! Cost is $55 for members or $60 per person for non-members. Learn more! Ready to Register? Call 303-376-4894 or e-mail bunkwiththebeasts@denverzoo.org.

1/30/07 - Snow Days

I heard a few grumbles about the shortening of passing period and lunch. We're required by state law to meet a certain number of hours. Here were some options we looked at:

A. Add a school day at the end of the year (Senior's last day would be May 23 instead of May 22 and everyone else's last day would be Friday June 1 instead of Thursday May 31).
B. Shorten spring break by one day.
C. Extend the school day (start at 7:51 or end at 3:09).
D. Shorten breaks and lunch.

Assignment: