Questions!

Most recent questions from students posted at the top of this page (Week of May 1: Final Exam questions)

 * **If we got full credit for a specific question on our pre-final and the same question is on the final, can we use our original answer?**
 * Yes, you can reuse your original answer, but personally I'd like it if you tweak it, even just a little. Make it slightly different from the pre-final exam by adding some information about what we learned during the month of April or you can speak to some other work you've accomplished. Maybe you can change the wording slightly to make the response stronger. Think of this as an opportunity to revise what you wrote before to make it as good as it can be.


 * **I was just finishing up the last few questions on the final and I was wondering if on question 6 we could use one of the cases from our last workout?**
 * For number 6, you can use one of the student profile cases that we mentioned in our lab or you can create your own student with special needs. One thing to keep in mind is that you have to address your **communication proposal**, which is different from your AT blog which dealt with your content exploration proposal.


 * **I was also wondering, do we always have to reference lectures? Sometimes, my answers seem ok without adding anything else. Some of the questions dont even reference lectures. Right?**
 * In the rubric, it mentions referencing course materials, which could be what we covered in the lab or the lecture. The lectures cover information that we didn't necessarily hit on during lab. I would personally suggest going back to the lecture and lab slides and seeing if you can pull an information that would be appropriate to include if the instructions tell you to do so. I know it requires some time on your part, but that is probably the main difference between the pre-final and the final exam.


 * ======**I have a question regarding the final, it's the last question about copyright and it says to define copyright, fair use and creative commmons, but on part B I do not understand what it is asking? Can you clarify it for me?**======
 * ======Here was my response: Try to follow me here as I go through my explanation of part B. In part A, you were asked to give a definition. You probably had to go somewhere on the web to get it and you probably cited the source. Question B switches gears entirely and want you to address the situation given in the first part of the question: //During your student teaching experience, your principal is nervous about teachers violating copyright laws. **He uses one teacher as an example, who has his students create mash-ups that mix pop music and news clips to comment on the world around them.** **The school’s policy is not to show them on the school's closed-circuit TV system because it might be a copyright violatio**//n. Basically, question B is asking about that part in bold. Is the __product that the students create__ an example of:  1) Violation of copyright  2) acceptable under fair use  3) acceptable under creative commons NOW you can't forget to mention __the projection of that particular work on the school's closed-circuit TV system__. Is that public showing of the work a: 1) Violation of copyright   2) acceptable under fair use   3) acceptable under creative commons  SO the question is confusing because you really need to hit on both issues. You should talk about why you think the product (video clips with music) fits into one of those three categories and why the __projection of the work__ is or isn't o.k. depending upon what you decide it falls under (options 1, 2 or 3). You may have similar or different options for each part. You may find that the principal was overreacting or maybe the principal wasn't. You have to decide. Was the creation of the product o.k.? Maybe it was, but it depends on how it was made. You can talk specifics there. Maybe if the product was good, it could be projected to the school. Maybe it couldn't be projected because it violates copyright policies. **Again, depending upon which way you go, you have to justify your reasoning** (I'm looking for logic here).  For more information on those three categories, check out the pages on our W200 Google Group that touch on copyright violations, what is fair use (in all of it's forms) and creative commons for more information to guide your decision. **Remember, other classes wrote pages too!** //READ those pages!// __I'm mainly going to be looking at how you defend your decision given the scenario__. The scenario isn't terribly detailed, so again, you can talk about what would the students would need to do to make the product properly (BUT if can't be made properly, say why). Talk about the issue of projection to the school if the video was made right or if it wasn't.======

> 1. Begin by editing your Artifacts page > 2. Add in an item that mentions your Professional Development Plan and highlight the text you want to have as a link (in this case "Professional Development Page" would be appropriate). > 3. Click on the link button > 4. Instead of pasting in a web address, When you select a link, you want to choose an existing page. Simply select "Professional Development" as the page you want to link to.
 * **I have a quick question: How do I link to my Professional Development page from my Artifacts page? Thanks!**
 * You should be able to link to your professional development page in a similar fashion to our other links.


 * **I was wondering how to copy and paste my professional development plan from Word without all of your comments and corrections coming up on my ePortfolio after I paste it to there.**
 * When you are viewing it in Word, you have options on how you view the document. You will see that you are viewing it as "Final Showing Markup." Instead, select "Final" and it should look normal. Copy and paste that into your ePortfolio page.


 * **I just have one quick question. Where can we find the second professional development plan template?**
 * There is no template, but rather an update on your first version. You should fix anything I suggested and go straight to your goal section. After each goal you made, answer the following questions:
 * 1) What have you done?
 * 2) What challenges have you faced?
 * 3) What successes have you had?
 * 4) What do you think you still need to do?
 * 5) How might you maintain these skills once you’ve achieved them?
 * 6) Link to things that you’ve actually done as evidence of progress
 * 7) May include screenshots or photographs as evidence of progress
 * **When all your revisions are finished in Word, go ahead and do the following:**
 * 1) Make sure you have a page on your ePortfolio called “Professional Development”
 * 2) Link to the PDP page from Artifacts page (think of this as a safety measure - serves a dual navigation function)
 * 3) **Paste the text of the revised PDP to the body copy of your Professional Development Plan page**

(Weeks of April 6 to April 18 2009)

 * **Sorry I know you went over this in class, but how do we take the excel version of the feedback form and turn it into the regular, easy to read version? I'm trying to look at the feedback the others gave me and I am just wondering.** (asked April 7, 2009)
 * Ok, so when you open the spreadsheet, click on "Form (0)." There is a drop down box and you can select "Summary" to see the feedback you received. If you need to view it in the form that you sent out to others, you can view it again under the Form (0) button by selecting Edit Form, Go to Live Form, or Embed Form.


 * **I already provided feedback for my classmates. My issue was that I was not provided feedback for my e-portfolio and I was just worried about that because I was hoping it would be helpful. What should I do?** (asked on April 7, 2009)
 * Go ahead and email your partners. Be upfront with them. Say, "Hey, did you happen to get my email form that I sent out? I was looking forward to getting your feedback and wasn't sure if you got around to it yet." Hopefully a little reminder will help your partners take action :-)

> In terms of fixing your ePortfolio based on their feedback, you may want to make quick changes (e.g. spelling errors, grammatical adjustments), but if they are telling you to overhaul major things, I don't expect you to do them before midnight on Wednesday. Again, this is the ePortfolio draft. The feedback you receive from your peers will be critical to integrate in your FINAL ePortfolio submission at the end of the semester.
 * **I was just wondering about the peer evaluations of our e-portfolios. If we are supposed to have ours ready for Wednesday, but their critiques are also not due until that day when are we supposed to go over their critique and fix our e-portfolios?** (asked on April 7, 2009)
 * Go ahead and provided feedback to your peers (regardless of whether or not they are still working on their ePortfolio). Your feedback to them should be done BEFORE class tomorrow. We are going to spend time IN CLASS summarizing their feedback. I will teach you how to do that as a class together.

> In question 3a, you just need to identify at least one tool. Parts 3b, 3c, and 3d will really get you to think about how the tool can be used in many ways to address things such as Production, Content Exploration, Communication, etc.
 * ** I just have a couple questions about the pre final exam. **
 * ** In question number two parts D and E what book is it referring too. Is it the ones that we bought offline? **
 * ** In the pre final question three part A do we need to just identify one tool or tools? **
 * Ok, so in the pre-final exam (for questions 2d and 2e), the book being referenced is indeed the chapters that you should have bought online.
 * **SO is there any way that the deadline could be moved to Thur. at midnight for the assignments?** (April 6, 2009)
 * Ok, so that deadline you requested. Yeah, that's not going to work because it's a time sensitive deadline. The midterm is an exam, so there are strict restrictions on that. Your Artifact Proposal #5 needs to be INCLUDED in your ePortfolio draft, so that's why they are both due at the same time. I know this week is rough, but you can do it! I have faith. If I had one word of advice, get in your Midterm exam before midnight (remember, submit through assignments).
 * Ok, so that deadline you requested. Yeah, that's not going to work because it's a time sensitive deadline. The midterm is an exam, so there are strict restrictions on that. Your Artifact Proposal #5 needs to be INCLUDED in your ePortfolio draft, so that's why they are both due at the same time. I know this week is rough, but you can do it! I have faith. If I had one word of advice, get in your Midterm exam before midnight (remember, submit through assignments).

Week of March 30 to April 5, 2009

 * ** I was just wondering if there was an extension due Wednesday (April 8), and if so what area it is supposed to focus on? **(asked on 4/5/09)
 * No, there is no artifact extension due Wednesday. You just have the midterm exam, your ePortfolio draft, and Artifact proposal #5 (productivity). Don't forget, you also have to review your partners' ePortfolios and submit feedback. I think that is plenty, don't you? :-)


 * **I was just wondering where the document that you pulled up in class with all of our Artifacts was. I am trying to work on my NETS-T standards page but it would be really helpful to have that list!** (asked on 4/4/09)
 * Go to Oncourse (lab 11) and open up the PowerPoint that I showed this week for the complete artifact list. There are two items in bold (with an asterisk) that are not necessary to include in your artifacts page unless you want to. Be sure to check out the file folder that I posted of example e-Portfolios on Oncourse. One last note -- really try to cite your artifact proposals and extensions that you've done in your NETS-T section. Our workouts in class are good, but they are relatively minor in comparison to the work you've done outside of class.


 * **I cannot get the rubric for the eportfolio draft to load. I was just wondering if it was my computer or what I need to do to make it load. It says that it keeps having an error.** (asked on 3/31/09)
 * I posted a word document of the ePortfolio draft rubric on Oncourse in two different place (just in case). You can find it in the Grading Rubics folder and the ePortfolio example websites and general info. Rubistar was TRULY being problematic. Hopefully all should be well now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.


 * **1. When you are creating the google survey form is there anyway to edit it after you've closed the window? Everytime I go back it will only show me the spreadsheet version. 2. I can't get the rubric to open - the e-portfolio draft one - and I tried to go into the e-portfolio folder, but I don't think that is the actual rubric?? 3. One more and I'm done - do you just post it as a link on the discussion page?** (asked on 3/31/09)
 * 1. Yes, you can edit your Google Survey form. Click on the Pencil icon. You should be able to edit any question that you wish. Let me know if that works for you. It was tricky for me to figure out at first, so don't feel bad :-) 2. I just uploaded a NEW eportfolio draft rubric in a Word Doc form. I think it's Rubistar. . . they are a free service, and I think they need to get some investors in on the action as they don't have a speedy recovery of rubrics when you visit their site. 3. You don't need to post the form to your discussion page (though that is a good question). We are going to email it to each other tomorrow in the lab.


 * **I was just wondering what exactly the elementary case means for the proposal..? Does it mean that the students will grow a bean and measure it every week to the nearest half-inch by using a ruler. They will also record observations by using a journal, chart, graph, or another form of recording the information. <<<? Is that all?** (asked on 3/31/09)
 * Yes, that's all. The trick is taking that activity and integrating technology. in a meaningful way. Think about how the students can record the bean growth using technology. There is a digital camera at the teachers disposal. Remember they want to journal, chart, graph, etc. It's all about data collection and analysis.


 * **I don't understand what you mean by we need to have a different type of artifact extension than the 1st one. Can you please explain and clarify?** (asked on 3/31/09)
 * So if you created an online quiz for your students in the first extension, you can't have them do an online quiz for the second extension. In other words, we don't want you guys to do the same thing every week for an extension. If you made a rubric for the 1st proposal, we want you to try something new for your students. Maybe it's a Google form that you create for your students to complete. Maybe it's a tutorial for them on how to use a specific kind of software. Maybe it's a Jing video that you create going over the lesson. Just make sure that you create something that calls you to do something new that you haven't submitted before.


 * **Sorry to bother you again! But for the professional development do we just have to make to corrections?** (asked on 3/30/09)
 * For the Professional Development Plan, you should review the new rubric (titled Professional Development Plan Revised -- look for it in Oncourse under my Grading Rubrics folder). There are new items that I'll be looking for, so yes you want to make revisions, but you actually need to state how you have made progress toward the goals that you said you wanted to accomplish. You can look at the work we've done in class and cite that as progress since I HOPE we hit on several things that make you more efficient, effective, and productive in terms of technology use. I will recap this in class briefly just to clarify.


 * **I was just wondering if for the new template you gave to use we need to fill out every part to it. Like: Provide links to existing examples of teacher or student work related to these tools or the activity you decided to use. Because I know you said we can choose which one to use, the new or the old template, and I know that we obviously have to answer the most important parts but I was wondering about that part.**
 * Good question. You can skip that particular question, but if there is an example out there on the web that gets at what you want to do, I would recommend that you reference it. Many teachers like to post examples of student work, so consider this an opportunity to give a frame of reference to the reader. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. Just write N/A when you are completing the form.

> I bet if you searched the web, you might find something. . . It's tricky though. I think that the technology will advance before you graduate to address this problem.
 * ** I just had a really quick question about wikispaces. Can students work on the space at the same time. I was wondering because I thought it might be a good tool for my proposal, but I didn't know much about it. Also, do you think it would be easy for a fifth grader to use? If you could let me know that would be great. **
 * Good question. Wikis do NOT allow for collaboration at the same time. But that doesn't mean that students can't use them. 5th grade could totally work with wikis. If you have a classroom setting, you could have students work on the wiki at different times during the day (one option). Collaboration is possible on Google Docs (like what we did in class before break), but there is a limit to ten students per time working on the document.


 * **I've been working on the artifact three proposal and I'm not too sure if I'm doing it correctly. Should solely be focusing on a way for the students to communicate with each other or should I also be trying to find a way in which the students can communicate with each other while completing the activity described in my case, which was that the teacher wanted the students to be able to digitally color a map of the United States and communicate while doing it?**
 * Good question. You want to look for ways students can look at a map AND communicate. It could be synchronous or asychronous. A wiki could work because you can look at a map on a wiki, but I don't think people could color it together. What else could work? Think about some visual communication options. Check out this [|website], as it'll give you two options. Google some other options. . . be creative. Remember, there are going to be ideal ways to go about the activity and other ways just may be time consuming (e.g. I could color in a map, send to you as an attachment, you color it, send it along again, etc). It's an option, but it's probably not the best option.


 * **I just wanted to make sure that the Production Artifact Extension in not due this Wednesday [3/25]. Also, I'm wondering what we are suppose to be doing with the professional development plans, is there a new version due soon with your corrections?**
 * The production artifact extension is NOT due this Wednesday. I call it Spring Break recovery week :-) Some of your peers in other sections may have it due, but you do not. Professional Development Plans (revised) are due April 20th. Professional Development Plans were returned via the Assignments function.