ClassPortals 2 Day Workshop

Welcome!

Please begin by using the comments link on this post to introduce yourself.

After adding your comment, you might like to download handout packet for this 2 Day Workshop or Tom’s Web 2 Tools Overview handout.

Activity 1: Examples from previous Studies of Asia Workshops

To get a sense of what we will be creating over the next two days, please explore the work created by participants in previous sessions.  Try to notice the features, strategies and benefits gained from such a learning platform.

• Melissa A
• Finley S
• Anne G
• Prep T Rocks!
• Maffra Indo
• Chris E
• Wild’s Epic Nihongo Blog!
• Japanese Culture

Brainstorm what you noticed using a shared Stixy board

Activity 2: Creating Your Smart Online Space

• Get a WordPress Blog
• Change the theme
• Make a Post
• Embed YouTube (remember &rel=0)?
• Try TubeChop.com (see the Tubechop Update tutorial)
• Get Firefox for extensions like the video downloader?
• Embed all kinds of media in WordPress (maps, images, documents or polls?)
• Great Tutorials from WordPress.com or WordPress Lessons
• WordPress Shortcodes 

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  – sample

Fine-tuning your Blog

• Comment Settings
• Siderbar widgets
• Various How-to Videos from WordPress
• Add as a link to your Sidebar (video) or Add a link (page)

Activity 3: The ClassPortal Twist

Tom’s Intro

ClassPortals…

• Focus on one compelling topic (with all its interesting connections to others)
• Embody a passionate interest of the teacher and students
• Continue in the background of class activities drawing attention when something in the real world provokes it
• Act as a platform for things like writing, podcasts, videos, photos, cartoons, data collection, etc.
• Make a contribution to the world’s learning

Links

• Child Slave Labor News
• Possible Topics?
• Brainstorm your passions
• Contribute to Wikipedia? – Simple English Wikipedia on China vs.  regular China page

References:

• What is a ClassPortal? (versus a Great Class Blog)
• Chapter 1
• Why ClassPortals?
• Web 2.0 terminology

For Ideas

• Change.org: Social Network For Social Activism
• Change.org – Causes in Need
• OXFAM – Reshaping our World – Poverty Maps (+ Complete Story Library from OXFAM)
• Idea Index from the Buckminster Fuller Challenge
  

For Inspiration

• The Girl who Silenced the U.N. for Five Minutes
• End Homelessness
• 10 Revolutionary Acts of Courage by Ordinary People
• 50 Items That Should Change the World

Activity 4: Developing your ClassPortal

• Download the worksheet.

Look to Learn : : Learn to Look

• Look to Learn – overview
• Look to Learn Web site
• Look to Learn Sample Prompts
• Thinking Routines overview
• Thinking Routines from the Visible Thinking team at Harvard
• Article on Making Thinking Visible by David Perkins

Online Samples

• 1984
• Miniature Earth
• VisionShift: Whose Future?
• “I Can”
• Nuclear Giving
• There’s Data in them ther Kids (cartoon)
• The Global Rich List (interactive site)

Task: Create 2 – 4 Look to Learn Activities for your students

Activity 5:  Enrich your site with content and media

RSS Feeds

• RSS in Plain English (Common Craft)
• Netvibes – Lindy’s Cambodia Resources
• Tom’s Strategies and Studies of Asia Resources
• Tutorial: Add a Netvibes Feed
• Tutorial: Add a Link

Other Media

• Consider using Podcasts (Add a Podcast Player to WordPress and review a Podcast Booklet from Tony Vincent)
• Upload a Podcast (through Jotform)
• Consider how students will author (register & add as “category”). See the tutorial Invite Users to WordPress.com.
• Add Flickr images through Creative Commons Advanced Search
• TED / YouTube Channels
• Add the Tools Panel for your site (and use these icons to edit it for yourself?)
• Use Dropbox for online file storage (podcasts)

Managing Links

• (Social Bookmarking explained by Common Craft)
• Diigo Social Bookmarks: get the toolbar, login and start bookmarking!
• Consider joining or pinching from the Look to Learn Diigo Group
• Lindy’s Diigo Studies of Asia Group: Join this Group.

Activity 6: CEQ•ALL – Student-managed Learning

• Pedagogies slides (download and play)
• CEQ•ALL Rubric (pdf)
• CEQ•ALL Rationale article
• CEQ•ALL Profiles (pdf)

Feedback

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