Productivity!

I feel super accomplished.  Just finished setting up assignments for next week via PBS Learning Media.  This site really is brilliant.  There are many ready made lesson plans as well as media resources to build your own.  I really like the Lesson Builder, it makes everything a snap.  Chase is enjoying the ease of it as well.  It is way more interesting than Scootpad or any other lesson resources we've used in the past.  I can export all his handed in work to Google Drive.  So grading his work should be a snap.

I still need to come up with the DIY project and an art project, but otherwise, the next week has been prepared.  Last week we did storyboarding and character portraits.  I want to keep everything related to his gaming project for now.  Perhaps we will do some pixel art for art class, I know he'll really enjoy that.  I'll probably have the two assignments be relevant to each other.

Here's my PBS Learning Media Dashboard.  It is looking pretty spiffy.  I have assignments, a puzzle, a quiz and a storyboarding assignment readied.  For the storyboard, he'll be making a pictorial of things we have learned so far.  I'm only asking for one key feature of each topic.  Just to familiarize him with the storyboarding mechanics.

Glogster Contest

I'm a bit behind in posting anything.  We've been busy here.  November, it was Chase's birthday followed by a 4 day power outage.  Which meant restocking the refrigerator.  Then, of course, Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping (we did Cyber Monday, no way we were stepping out on Black Friday).  So, now time to get back to maintaining the blog.

We've switched to a more relaxed 'class' where he works on a clipboard in a comfy chair instead of always at his desk.  He seems happier with that.  Legos have become a good educational tool.  During the power outage, we worked hard on assembling some of the Lego kits he got for his birthday.  And he was doing a superb job of following directions and staying on task.

Onto this Glogster Contest.  It is a chance to win $1,000 cash for your class.  Your students can participate as well.  You submit a Glog to their contest by tagging it.  Please RT my twitter status and possibly win a Glogster license.

Win a perpetual @GlogsterEDU license by supporting me in the $1k contest: http://t.co/Hc9tVzctkF Please RT! #1k4Glog #12937685
— Gillian Ivy (@GillianIvyArt) December 5, 2013

Ms. Gillian Ivy's Class

Ms. Gillian Ivy's Class

The Classroom site is up and running.  We're using Google Sites, as that seemed the easiest as far as handling things like privacy and connection to the blogs.  Though the RSS feeds aren't as easily embedded as I would have hoped with both of them being Google.  And I couldn't find a decent widget to work with their sites.  So many codes like javascript do not work there.

So, here is how I'll be running it.  I'll have my blog here where I'll host my TpT items and just general about homeschool.  The assignments, etc for Chase to read will be on the class blog.  And he will have his blog that I co-admin to post his assignments to.

I'm nearly finished designing his blog.  It is red and dark themed as well, though not as dark as here.  His has a screenshot from one of his favorite games to play, Sanctum 2.  I'll have to teach him how to easily swap his backgrounds when he wants to change them.

In order for the RSS feed to work from his blog to the class blog, his blog is Public, however it is not listed on Google's blog lists.  Also, commenting is restricted and will go through me.  His online persona is XtroyX0r because he used to say 'Xtroy' instead of 'Destroy'.  And it's a cool name!  Obviously, he loves action and fighting games where destruction is a goal.  If you like Shooter/Tower Defense games, then Sanctum 2 is definitely recommended.  I used its mapping for Chase's class one day, with him designing a defense.  Well, here is XtroyX0r's Blog.  Unsure if he'll want to rename it.

XtroyX0r's Blog

Chasing Grades Redux

I've just finished a complete overhaul of the blog template.  I really loathe using default templates.  The bg is two textures I've made tweaked a bit and made tiling, then added a bit off CSS to fine tune the theme.  I love coding.  Had been meaning to do this for a while but hadn't really decided what direction I wanted to go.  I wanted to reflect my style and aesthetics a bit.  I'm not into all those hot pink and chevron teacher blogs.

Chase's favorite color is red, so I wanted to add that.  I'm working on a blog design for him as well and a new website to host the 'Class' blog.  I didn't really like KidBlog, though it served its purpose.  They've now updated their plans to actually reduce the things that were free before.  And there is now a premium option for custom blogs.  But we weren't able to post some of the embeds I wanted Chase to learn how to do.  Blogger is way more flexible and offers the same level of privacy.

I'm still tweaking Chase's blog preferences and privacy levels, so I'm not linking to that just yet.  Comments there will be moderated, and he will  be getting another discussion on internet safety, etc.  I want him to be able to use social media fluently, but he won't be allowed a Facebook until he's 13, as Facebook rules allow.

I'm trying to interest him in writing and blogging in different styles, such as audio and video and adding images.  Also, I'll be giving him assignments that teach him how to use the internet as a research tool whilst accrediting sources.  We watched a great video on Brain Pop about copyrights and attribution instead of copy and pasting.  It taught him about paraphrasing, and had a quiz at the end to remind him what everything meant.

Wednesday, I'm planning to do School Pictures.  We need to do something for Grandparents Day as well.  My Mom has been waiting for us to visit for too long.  And she is very sad right now, as her little dog of 13 years just passed away recently.  Borrowing the truck is never an easy feat.  We'll have to come up with something.  Her birthday is coming up soon.