Monday, June 4, 2012

Reflections and Anticipations

As we wrap up your sixth grade year you are about to experience the closure of an important year and the beginning of another important year.

Reflect (look back) on your sixth grade year.

Anticipate (look forward) towards your seventh grade year.

In your final project your will create something that show at least three accomplishments, or ways that you've grown during your sixth grade year.  It will also show three goals or apprehensions (concerns) that you have about your seventh grade year.

There are three ways that you can show your reflections and anticipations.


  1. Write a piece about your reflections and anticipations using Microsoft Word.
  2. Create a slide show using Power Point.
  3. Create a drawing or graphic design using Inkscape.

Today is a brainstorming day.  More details about lengths and requirements will be given as we get started.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Typing Friday

Log onto the typing tutorial site and work through the next lesson.  Everyone should be at least to the "Easy Home Row Words" lesson.

Remember, for most of you your username is your first and last name together.  No caps, no spaces.  Your password is your student id.

Typing tutorial link:

www.typingweb.com

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Thursday-Canvas Rider

Let's try designing our tracks again.  This time, if you want to save your track log in using the following username/password:

www.canvasrider.com

username: lanejournalism
password: lanejournalism

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Wednesday-Canvas Rider

Let's try another form of graphic design today.

Canvas Rider is a program that allows you to create your own cycling track and then try riding a bicycle through the track.  Click on the link below to get to the design program and begin designing your own track.  For the last fifteen minutes of the period you will demonstrate your track to the rest of the class.

http://canvasrider.com/draw

Friday, May 25, 2012

Typing Friday

Today's periods have been shortened because of the dance.  Let's try and make it through the next level on our typing tutorials.

Here's the link:

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Thursday-Inspirational Quote Presentations

We will present our Inspirational Quote illustrations and share a bit about our authors.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Wednesday-Famous Quotes Wrap Up


Spend some time finishing up your Inspirational quote/Inkscape Illustration.  Then, find out a bit of information about the person whose quote you illustrated.  You should find out at least three things that made them famous.  Use Wikipedia, or a simple Google search.
Then, click on the link below to record your findings.  Tomorrow you will share your illustration and the facts that you found out about your speaker.

assignment link:

Monday, May 21, 2012

Monday-Inspirational Quote


Famous and important people become famous and are considered important from their words and actions.  Today, you fill find a quote from someone who has become famous through their words and actions.  Follow the steps below to start your project:

Step 1
Find an inspirational quote.  Try the links or search methods below to find your quote:

http://www.inspirationalquotes4u.com/
http://www.inspirational-quotes.info/
Google Inspirational Quotes

Step 2
Complete the docs form with the following information:  Your quote; who said it; when that person was alive; why you chose the quote.

Docs link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEVfVHdyRlhwbGhBQTZhWUcyWVdYVmc6MQ#gid=0


Step 3
Illustrate your quote using Inkskape.  Use the tools that you've learned this quarter to embed your quote in an Inkskape design.  I created an example below.  Choose a good quote and enjoy.




Friday, May 18, 2012

Typing Friday

Log onto the typing web site.  You may do the next exercise, or skip the exercise by scoring an 85% or better on the lesson's test.

http://www.typingweb.com/

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Tuesday-Scavenger Hunt

Lane Middle School has its own home page.  It's full of all sorts of information that can be helpful to you and your family.  Some of the information available includes:

  • announcements
  • who to go to for help with conflicts
  • addresses, phone numbers
  • school data
  • teacher contact information
Use Lane's homepage to complete the scavenger hunt.  Click on the link below to go to the questions, and the link for LMS will be towards the top.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Wednesday-Power Point Wrap Up

Finish up your Power Point presentations today.  When you think you are done you should:
  • experiment with entry, emphasis and exit animations
  • slide transitions
  • fine tuning such as-spelling, background and information you present
Students will be presenting their presentations to the whole class on Thursday!  So practice, practice, practice!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tuesday

Continue working on your Power Point presentations.
Your presentation should contain:

  • at least six slides with accurate information
  • a unique font or fonts
  • various animations when transitioning from slide to slide

Friday, May 4, 2012

Typing Friday (3)

Today is the third day of our keyboarding practice-TYPING FRIDAY!  If you've been here all three Fridays then today you will work on the bottom row keys.  Click on the link below to access the TypingWeb Portal.  Your user name is your first and last name together-no caps, no spaces.  Your password is your student ID.
Example:
username: ericjohansson
password: 123456

http://www.typingweb.com

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Power Point Tutorial

Once you have completed your research, create a Power Point presentation that creatively shares the information that you recorded.
Your presentation should consist of at least six slides, have various transitions and animation effects.  Six slides should share the who, what, when, why, where, and how of your research recorder on your graphic organizer.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Researching Your Topic

You will use the Wolfram Alpha web site to find a topic to research.  Once you have decided on a topic, search the website to gather information about it.  Information that you find about your topic will be saved on your graphic organizer.  Once you get to the Wolfram Alpha website type in the word Today.  A list of historical events will appear.  Choose one of these events for your topic.

Here is a link to Wolfram Alpha:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/


Research Assignment

Today you will start researching an event in history.  Your research will eventually be turned into a Power Point presentation.  The first step is downloading the graphic organizer for your research.  Click on the link below for the graphic organizer:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16nugr_QwqtRE3tt-Q0oZqMRbH1Tqwh7Jh5SOhiwdAeU/edit

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Personal Logo-Inkscape Tutorial

Before you start working on your personal logo Mr. Johansson will lead a short Inkscape tutorial that reviews the following tools:

  • gradient
  • layering
  • fill and stroke
Also, please answer two short questions on the following form before starting your work:

Monday, April 30, 2012

Your Personal Logo

In class we watched a presentation about logos.  The logos were mostly for companies, but all told a story.
Think of what your personal logo would be.  Your logo should tell a story, bring about qualities that you value and be unique.
Create your logo on Inkscape.  It should have no more than 3 words and be created entirely from YOU (do not copy and paste images).
Use the tools from Inkscape that we learned in class to create you design.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Typing Friday

Log onto the typing website.  Your username is your first and last last name.  Your password is your student ID.

http://www.typingweb.com/tutor/

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wednesday-Inkscape tutorial

You will spend most of today's period working on the design of your Inkscape creation.  Mr. Johansson will present a brief tutorial that covers:

  • Using gradient
  • Editing paths by nodes
  • Coping images using the spray tool

Tuesday-Inkscape Tutorial

You will spend most of today's period working on your Inkscape creations.  At the start of the period Mr. Johansson will give a tutorial on how to use several of Inkscape's features including:

  • changing font and size of text
  • using the Fill and Stroke tool to change an objects shading and boarders
  • putting text on a path

Monday, April 23, 2012

Poetry Project

April is National Poetry Month!
In honor of this month you will find a poem that you like and illustrate it using Inkscape.


1) Spend the first 10-15 minutes of the class period surfing the following poetry sites and reading some of the poems.  Try finding a few poems that you like.


  • Funny poems written by students:

http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/funny/funny-children-poems.asp

  • Poems by Langston Hughes:

http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/

  • Top 500 poets:

http://www.poemhunter.com/p/t/l.asp?a=0&l=Top500&p=1

  • Chilrdren's Poetry Archive

http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/poemsHome.do

2) Select one of the poems that you found.  Copy and paste your poem and its author to a new Inkscape document or Word document and save it to your Y drive.

3) Illustrate the poem using Inkscape. Be sure to select a different font and use the tools that we learned about this quarter to illustrate your poem.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Typing Friday

Good morning!  Today you will have your first typing practice day.  Click on the link below and log in.  Your username is your first and last name, no spaces, no capitals.  Your password is your student id.

http://www.typingweb.com/tutor/

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Google Zeitgeist

All information that is created and uses a computer is available to other people.  A practice called 'data farming' gathers your information in order to sell it to companies who want to sell you their products.
Google is the #1 used search engine used around the world.
Google Zeitgeist is a part of Google that lets you see what the most popular searches are.  Click on the link below and answer a few questions about searches made in 2011.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHVfRTNkcFlmVDVSTTBkdmJ4NHhCX0E6MQ#gid=0

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Oregonian 2

Yesterday we learned how to log onto The Oregonian website and make our way around the paper. Today, you will practice those skills and answer a few questions using today's Oregonian. Click on the link below to complete the activity:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDhXSzhIbWN6ZXNBUVNuQkM1dnFmN2c6MQ#gid=0

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Intro To Inkskape

Inkscape is an open-source graphic design program. In other words, it's a free program that allows you to create art projects. We are going to wrap up class with an introduction to this program.




  1. Open up the Inkscape program by double clicking the desktop icon, or going to Start > programs > Inkskape

  2. Use the circle tool and create one circle

  3. Use the quadrilateral tool and create one quadrilateral (hint: it has four sides like a square or rectangle)

  4. Use the lettering tool and write your first and last name

  5. Save it to your Y drive and title it: Inkscape Intro

  6. If you have time left try changing the colors on your shapes, make them larger/smaller, copy/paste them

An Introduction to The Oregonian and Inkskape

Agenda:
  1. The Oregonian
  2. Inkscape

Journalism is many things. Newspapers are full of journalism. Today, we will look at The Oregonian and how to navigate around the newspaper. Finally, we will have a short introduction to a graphic design program named Inkscape.

First, click on the link below for the Docs assignment:

Monday, April 16, 2012

Saving To Your Y Drive

Every student at Lane has their own personal storage file. When you log in to your computer you are connected with your own account and drive. This drive is called your Y drive. This is where you will save all of your work for this class.


We will practice saving to your Y drive.





  1. Open Microsoft Word

  2. Copy and paste, or retype this sentence, to the new Word document: This is a test to save to my Y drive.

  3. Save this document to your Y drive. Click on: File > Save As > My Computer > Y drive (the drive extension will start with your user name)

  4. Title this file "Y Drive Save"

Welcome to Quarter 4 Journalism

Welcome to Quarter 4 Journalism
Agenda:
  1. Group Activity: Last Name First
  2. First Day Survey: Google Docs
  3. Saving to our Y drive
Click on the link below (in orange) and complete the survey. This will give me an idea about you and what skills you bring to this class.