Recording Your Responses and Sharing them with Me!

I have all but one person added in to our ELA circle on G+ now. So, the next steps are as follows:

1. Download the Google Drive app on your phone if you are using a phone
2. Find a free app that will record your voice response. I use one on my Android phone called "Easy Voice Recorder". There is a good one for Apple called HD Plus Recorder or something like that. It is also free.
3. Record your answers to the reading selection "I Didn't Know I Was Different". I shared this pdf reading document with you last week. The questions are at the end of the selection. You can also find this reading selection in the Tan or Gold section of your reading manual.
4. Once you are done recording you should be able to "Share" the recording and your phone will have Drive as one of the options - save your file there. You may want to create an ELA folder there for all work that you are going to do in this class.
5. When you have added the file to Drive, you can then open up Drive and Share the file with me by selecting "Send Link"... then you will be promped with some different options... select "G+", and then be sure that only my name appears in the To box before you select "Share". When you only see my name, hit "Share"!

And that is it! You should be able to share with me on an Android phone in that way. I suspect the iPhone is very similar to that... please explore and try to send me those audio files! I will be waiting anxiously to hear your responses!

Friday's Class

For those of you who missed class on Friday, here is what you need to do:

We set up Google Accounts and created a Circle for ELA 20. Then we added each other to that circle. You can do this process using any smartphone or you can also use a computer. My instructions should work similarly for both options. To begin, you can check out the picture of the whiteboard that will help you to see the basic process.

If you need a little more direct, step by step instruction than the photo, then please follow the instructions below:

1. Go to Google.com and at the top right of the screen select "Sign In". Then use the email address that the GSSD has set up for you (this address is listed in the post below... you will have to look it up there). Your password information is also listed in that post. Raylene, you will need to email me for that information. My email address is listed in that post as well.

NOTE: You must use the GSSD email that has been assigned to you even if you already have a google account. I know this is a pain, but it is for security reasons and to protect the school system from viruses, etc.

2. Once you have signed in it will ask you to change your password - please do this and be sure to remember it! I can't get it back for you if you forget what it is. You may also want to write down what your email address is so that you remember.

3. Work through the steps in setting up your profile. You may add a picture, etc...

4. At the top left of your screen you will see a tab that looks like "+You" or "+Your Name". Click this. Then click the dropdown "Home" button and you will see an option that says "People"... click on "People".

5. Now you will see some options listed across the top of your screen... select the one that says "Your Circles"

6. Now you will see a circle that has a + symbol in it. Click on this circle. It should create a new circle for you - please name this circle "ELA 20".

7. Now for the fun part - add me to your circle - at the top right of your screen you will see a search box where you can type in my name "L Stanek-Sebastian". It will then find me... you should see my picture and when you hover your mouse over it you can "Add" me... it will then require you to select a circle to add me to - select the ELA 20 circle. Once that is done, go ahead and find the rest of our class and add them to the circle in the same way. Hint: you can see a list of all of our class names in the post below where you found your email address.

8. From there, you will now have the ability to post messages to only our class, etc.

9. I will also then share a document with you that you are to read and respond orally using a voice recording app of some sort. This is where we ended on Friday - we will explore the recording apps and how to share your recordings with me on Monday - but, don't let time hold you back from trying to figure it out on your own!

Hopefully you are all able to get set up in Google+ this weekend and we will explore how we can integrate it into our classroom in the coming weeks!

Have a great weekend everyone!

How to set up your Google Account

The task on Friday will be to set up a Google account. The school division has already created an email for you with a password. Below you will see your name and the email that is associated with you.

If you are going to be in class on Friday, then don't worry about completing these steps. We will work through it together tomorrow.

If you are away tomorrow, please go to Google.com and then at the top right of the screen there will be an option to SIGN IN. Please sign in using your email address as shown below. The password is yrhs1234... unless your name is Raylene! Raylene, please email me at stanek74@gmail.com and I will tell you what your password is.

Once you have logged in it will ask you to change your password - please do so. Don't forget your password - I can't get it back for you if you forget.

Then, there will be steps to work through in setting up your profile, etc. I believe once you have worked through the necessary screens that you will be able to add people. Please add me! You should be able to search me through my name Mrs. Stanek-Sebastian or by using my email address as shown above.

Once you are to this point, try to create a Circle and call it ELA 20.

After that we will see what happens! There will be some issues I am sure, but once we get going I think you will like using this with Google Drive to store your essays, handouts, etc.

If we are successful, then those of you who are away Friday will be able to access the assignment for tomorrow. If not, don't stress about it. We will figure it out on Monday.

The default password is yrhs1234.  You should change your password at your first login.  To login you can go to www.google.com and login using your full email address above with the default password.  You will be asked to change your password on login…make sure you choose something you can easily remember as your teacher cannot recover your password should you forget it.

Welcome to the 2013/2014 School Year!

Welcome to ELA 20! The start of a new year is always exciting as we begin new classes with both new and familiar faces. It is also a time to set goals that will help to ensure your success in your new classes. I hope that you take the opportunity to reflect on what you will do in order to make this your very best school year!

You will find a course outline located to the right under the "Pages" heading. This outline will give you a good idea about what we will be reading, discussing, etc throughout the semester. ELA 20 involves a number of readings and writing assignments. It is important for students to stay on top of the readings and to do the required homework in order to be successful in this class. I plan to use Remind101 as a tool to help remind students about important homework, tests and assignment deadlines. I hope you choose to sign up for Remind101 as it has proven to be an easy way to communicate with students and parents about what is happening in class. This blog is a third method that you may use in order to stay on top of these reminders as I have a Remind101 widget to the right of the screen.

Here's to a great school year! 

June Calendar

With June being a very hectic month I have uploaded a Calendar for the Month of June. This will help everyone to stay on top of the reading and questions that we will be covering through the next couple of weeks. We are in the homestretch now... let's make it count! :)

Give Poetry a Chance

Five Reasons Why We Need Poetry in Schools | Edutopia I know, I know you are saying, "I don't get poetry; I dont know why we have to learn this stuff." However, when we think about poetry what we need to realize is that it is not as difficult as you think and not all of it has to make sense. The fun part of poetry is trying to figure out the meaning or sometimes just enjoying the image or ideas that the poet leaves you with. How many times have you been listening to a song that you love and wondered what the song is really about? Have you searched the lyrics to find out? Have you debated what the song means with friends? These songs are poems and the fact that they leave you wondering what the artist is saying, means that you do indeed have an appreciation for poetry! Poetry is something that influences us throughout our lives whether we realize it or not... you may never read another novel after you leave high school, but you will experience poetry in the form of music for much of your life. This form of poetry will hopefully provide you with comfort, energy, inspiration and insight into the world that you create for yourself.

It's All About the Title!