Homework: Podcast Proposal (Due 5/18)

If you have not finished it already in class, please finish the proposal for your podcast for homework. You will not be able to do the podcast project in class without a finished, approved proposal!

Your proposal should consist of a paragraph, using full sentences, that includes:

1. Who will be creating this podcast (you alone, or are you working with others?)
2. How long will your podcast be?
3. Is this an audio podcast or a video podcast?
4. What is the format and content of your podcast? For example, is it a talk show (format) about Middle School rules and discipline (content), or is it a radio program (format) about local hyphy artists (content)?

Please write your proposal (clearly), or type it up and print it out. Turn it in to me (or my mailbox) by next Friday, May 11th.

Homework: Media Ownership (Due 5/4)

Please read one of the following articles (copies handed out in class if you prefer to read on paper rather than online):

Making Music
Why Media Ownership Matters to Kids

and answer the following questions in a comment:

1. List three reasons (in a full sentence) why it is important for people to be able to access t.v., music, etc. made by a variety of different people.
2. Does the media do a good job of presenting different types of information or opinions? Why or why not?
3. Are there any types of music on the radio, television shows on TV, or magazines in stores that you wish were available but aren’t?

Feel free to respond (respectfully) to other students’ comments and add any opinions or thoughts you have on this topic.

Homework: Turn Off TV Week is April 23-29

Are you up to the challenge? This week you have a choice about your homework. You can either:

1. Give up TV cold turkey for one full week. This includes videos, and watching TV shows on the Internet. Just get a note from your parent or guardian certifying that you abstained from staring into the eerie blue eye for one full week and consider your homework done.
2. If you simply can’t live without TV, you will need to chart your TV watching habits. For the entirety of the next week (starting today, Friday, April 20th), you must record the name, duration and personal rating (on a scale of 1-5) for every single show you watch. **Note: usual TV watching rules at your home still apply. You may not use this assignment to force your families to allow you to watch more TV.

I will have TV diaries to hand out in class. If you lose yours or are absent, you can download and print another copy from the Homework Site. Please see me with any questions.

6th Grade Computers Homework Policy

Okay, before you get nervous, there is NO homework over spring break.

Exhale.

Now, here are some general guidelines (some slightly revised) about blog homework for this class.

• Grading/Credit: To receive full credit (check plus/5 points) for homework posted to the blog, it must:
  • Be turned in on time
  • Answer all questions in the assignment
  • Be written using complete sentences
  • Explain the reasons behind your opinions
• Absences: If you are absent unexpectedly (due to illness, for example), you are expected to read and complete the online homework within the week of your return. If you are planning an absence (to travel, for example) you are expected to complete the online homework before you leave, or within two days of your return to school. If you have concerns about these deadlines, please speak with me individually.
• Late Homework: One half of a point (out of five) is subtracted for each day your homework is late, up to six days. After that, some homework might no longer receive credit at all. Homework that you can turn in for partial credit, any day before the end of the trimester includes:
  • Homework you use in your projects
  • Homework that we don’t discuss the answers for in class
  • Homework that asks only for your opinion and not for factual answers

  Homework for which we do discuss the answers in class may not be turned in after that class.

• Extra Credit: Occasionally I will offer up ways to earn extra credit on your homework. One way you can always get extra credit is by responding to a classmate’s post. Each thoughtful (i.e., backed up with evidence) and considerate response to a classmate can earn you up to two homework points.

If you have any questions or concerns, please see me during break, Monday Lunch Lab, or after school. I’m always happy to help.

–Lauren

6th Grade Organization/Homework Support Guidelines

These guidelines apply to the entire 6th grade curriculum. You should have received them from Morgan already, but I thought it would be helpful to have them up here, too:

• Teacher signs assignment book every afternoon to ensure that all assignments are written down; student is responsible for approaching teachers (including substitute teachers)*
• Family/Student will have a specific hour that homework get started every night (example: 6pm after extracurricular activity)
• Homework gets done at a specific desk/table every night
• When homework is completed, it is shown to family and they sign the assignment book ensuring that all homework was completed.
• Family helps to clean out homework folder and transfer any graded work to binder so only homework that needs to be turned in is in the folder
• Homework folder and binders are put in backpack by the door ready to go in the morning. Family verifies that Homework folder is in backpack.
• Calendar with long term projects posted near homework desk
• Family and students break down long-term projects into smaller tasks and mini-deadlines.
• Family helps to monitor progression of project and check off tasks on calendar as they are completed.

*If teacher signature is not obtained, family/student will check homework website or call classmates

If you have any questions about organization/home support, please feel free to contact Morgan @ mlcostanzo@windrush.org

Be careful where/how you comment

Ladies and Gentlemen, please be careful about which post you are writing a comment for. A lot of homework responses are ending up at the bottoms of other, unrelated posts. I will start moving them to their correct locations but if you want to make sure you get credit for your comments being posted on time, it’s best if I don’t have to hunt for them all over the blog.

Also, though your new nickname may be well-recognized by your classmates, I may not know to whom to give credit when a post is made by “pee wee” or “tink.” Therefore, please also include your first name (remember, no last names!) in addition to any nicknames/handles/usernames you are using.

Homework: Creative Commons (Due 4/6)

You’ve learned about copyright. You’ve learned about fair use. You’ve even argued about it a little with each other. Isn’t there anything in between? I’m so glad you asked. There is, and it’s called a “Creative Commons License.” “Wait,” you say, “what the heck is that?” Your homework this week is to find out and to give your opinion on it.

Click the link below to watch two short videos about Creative Commons. Watch the one titled “Building on the Past” first (2 min.) and then watch the one directly above it called “Get Creative.” (4 min.)

http://creativecommons.org/support/videos#gc

When you are done watching the videos, please post a comment below that answers the following questions:

1. What is a creative commons license and what makes it different from a regular copyright?
2. Why was creative commons created in the first place?
3. Do you think it is important to have creative commons licenses along with regular copyrights? Why or why not?

If you cannot see the videos from your computer, you will need to watch them here at school. The lab will be open at lunch on Monday, as usual.

Homework: Fair Use (Due 3/9)

This week your assignment is to briefly research “Fair Use.” Some copyrighted materials can be used under Fair Use provisions, without asking the creator’s permission or compensating them. When (or for what purpose) are you sometimes allowed to use copyrighted work?

There are two main things you are allowed to use copyrighted works for. Please write both in a comment and add a link to the web site where you found the answer.

Homework: Copyright Law (due Fri. 3/2)

Did you know that rules about copyright in the United States are written in the very first article of the U.S. Constitution?

Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, known as the Copyright Clause (or the intellectual property clause) empowers the United States Congress:

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

1. What is the purpose of copyright, according to the founding fathers?
2. Do you think copyright is important? Why or why not?
3. How long do you think a copyright should last, and why?

Please answer all three of these questions in a comment with at least one full sentence each.

Welcome, 6th Grade Windrush Computer Students!

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You can see our class blog. Please read the blog rules page and then leave a “Lauren was here” kind of comment (with your own name, of course) at the bottom so that I know you found (and read) the right page.