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BlueSky Charter School’s Vision Statement
BlueSky is defining education for the 21st century by creating an individualized, dynamic education for all students. We are committed to empowering our community by facilitating relevant learning, skills, hopes and relationships.

Meeting Times: Fall 2009
Regularly scheduled synchronous learning times using ClassLive (Elluminate) will be on Wednesdays from 10 AM - 12 PM or by appointment.

Teacher and Contact Information
Instructors: Joshua Ashton and Gabra Lokken
Office Hours: 10:00 - 2:00
Virtual Hours: By appointment
Meet Josh and Gabra

I. Rational

The Web 2.0 course examines web-based tools for creating school-related projects. The course is project oriented which will not only familiarize students with the Internet and computer technology but will help students apply the tools of a new age in their schoolwork. Check out the following video to learn more about some of the many tools that may be utilized in the course video

II. Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will cover the following objectives as established by the Minnesota Educational Media Organization (MEMO):

  1. Create slideshows as an introduction to classmates
  2. Learn technological vocabulary used in web-based services from file types to software
  3. Create media presentations using free online tools and services
  4. Develop animation skits using online animation tools
  5. Develop a blog showcasing online presentations
  6. Edit digital pictures using a variety of online tools
  7. Create an movie using online clips, pictures and music
  8. Collaborate with classmates on assignments using web-based tools
  9. Present online material to classmates

III. Minnesota Information and Technology Literacy Standards Covered
Participants in this class will gain experience that will help them meet the following Minnesota Information and Technology Literacy Standards:

Technology Use
A. Standard: The student will select and use appropriate technology for educational and personal goals.

Reading and Media Literacy
C. Standard: The student will critically evaluate films, recordings, and other multimedia formats.
D. Standard: The student will create video and multimedia productions.

Responsible Use of Information and Technology
A. Standard: The student will understand ethical and safety issues related to information use including plagiarism and citing sources, copyright, intellectual freedom, acceptable use of school technologies, privacy, and evaluation of information.
B. Standard: The student will use resources responsibly.
C. Standard: The student will use resources and learn independently and in collaboration with others.

IV. Formats and Procedures
This course will use several formats to assist students in their ability to learn and demonstrate understanding of the material.

V. My Assumptions
The online world is constantly changing and this course often incorporates new powerful online tools through project creation. The projects center on student’s individual personalities, values and lifestyles. Consequently, the focus of the course is less concerned with content and tends to emphasize the use of technology tools to improve communication, collaboration and presention.

VI. Course Requirements

  1. Class attendance and participation policy: You will be expected to act responsibly and to fulfill the following duties/roles as a student and participant in this class:
  2. Course readings: (a) No Required text.
    (b) Some readings will be provided in a variety of file formats from images to document files. Contact the instructor if you are unable to access a reading.
  3. Grading: Grades will be determined by the percentage of points you EARN out of points POSSIBLE. For example, if an essay is worth 50 points and you earned 45 points, your grade would be 90% (45/50), which is an A-. Your quarter grade will be based on the points for the whole quarter, so if there are 500 points for the quarter and you want at least a B- (80%), you would need to earn at least 400 points total (400/500 = .80).
    Grading Scale
    A: 94-100%
    A-: 90-93%
    B+: 88-89%
    B: 84-87%
    B-: 80-83%
    C+: 78-79%
    C: 74-77%
    C-: 70-73%
    D+: 68-69%
    D: 64-67%
    D-: 60-63%
    F: 0-59%

IV. Academic Integrity
BlueSky students are responsible for doing their own work & maintaining academic integrity. All students must always submit work that represents his or her original work, words, or ideas. If any words or ideas are used that do not represent origination from an individual student, the student must cite all relevant sources. The student should also document the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but are not limited to, all hardcopies or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. In the online course, all submissions to any public meeting or private mailbox fall within the scope of words and ideas that require citations if used by someone other than the original author. Cheating includes:


What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is to use information or text unknown to you before reading it in an outside source and failing to accurately use citations or failing to accurately list the source information in a Works Cited. Plagiarize: to steal and use (the ideas or writings of another) as one’s own.
Please be sure that you understand what plagiarism is and how you can avoid plagiarizing. It is acceptable to be able to research and navigate information on the internet, but you want to make sure that if you take information from any source, you give the author credit.
Look at the following resources to learn more: What is Plagiarism? The Fraud of Plagiarism Plagiarism Effects
To correctly cite information and images, use the citation machine..
  1. Click MLA
  2. Click the type of source where your information or images came from. For example, if you are using an image from the internet, click Web Page.
  3. Fill in the form using information from your Web Page
  4. Click submit
  5. Copy the citation that appears in the grey box and paste in your document.
    Tips:
  6. The author's name on a webpage is usually found in small print at the bottom of the page.
  7. If an organization is responsible for the website and an individual is not credited with creating the web page, use the organization's name for the Authors First Name.
  8. The Page Title and the Title of Article may be the same if only one title appears on the webpage.
  9. The Organization may be the same as the author's name if an individual is not credited with creating the web page.
  10. The Date Accessed is today's date and it is automatically filled in for you.
  11. The URL is the web address for the web page. Citation Machine


All interactions while attending BlueSky Online Charter School will follow the basic principles for netiquette, online etiquette.

THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE The Core Rules of Netiquette are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. Click on each rule for elaboration.
  1. Introduction
  2. Rule 1: Remember the Human
  3. Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
  4. Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace
  5. Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
  6. Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
  7. Rule 6: Share expert knowledge
  8. Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control
  9. Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy
  10. Rule 9: Don't abuse your power
  11. Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html


VIII. Tentative Course Schedule


The main topics are as follows:

Quarters 1 & 3
Week 1

Week 2
  • Web-Applications 
  • Office Suites 
  • Office Suites
Week 3
  • Online Word Processing  
  • Collaborative Document Project
  • Online Spreadsheets
Week 4
  • Online Painting Tools
  • Online Sketching Tools
Week 5
  • Midquarter Exam
Week 6
  • Image Hosting
  • Image Editing
  Week 7
  • Image Editing
  • Photoshop Tools Online
Week 8
  • Animation Tools
  • Animation Project
Week 9
  • Quarter Review
  • Quarter Exam

Quarters 2 & 4
Week 1
  • Review Tools and Terminology>
  • Hosting Services
  • Blogs
Week 2
  • Elements of Storytelling
  • Digital Storytelling Tools
Week 3
  • Collaborative Storyboards
  • Digital Storytelling Project
Week 4
  • Music Players
  • Embedding Music Players
  • Embed Music Player in Blog
Week 5
  • Widgets
  • Embed Widgets
Week 6
  • Mass Multiplayer Games
  • Educational Mass Multiplayer Games
  • Virtual Worlds
Week 7
  • Movie Editing Tools
  • Downloading Movie Clips and Music
Week 8
  • Movie Mixing Tools
  • Movie Project and Publishing
Week 9
  • Technology Trends
  • Future of Technology
  • Course Evaluation

Mr. Ashton's Home Page BlueSky's Home Page