Heads up: Allusion Megamix

Many of you have been asking what's the next step here. What are doing next? I can't tell you just yet, but here is some of the stuff we've just done.

Projects with author research, Poetry terminology, poetry analysis, 16th century perspective, presentations :) Hmm so by the way 16th century and poetry vocabulary quiz the 16th sound good? Tone vocabulary quiz the week after that maybe....

Soon there will be rewriting and in that there will be discussion of senior essays. Also we'll be getting into our allusion megamix--which will make your kungfu backpacks so heavy you'll need even more will power just to carry it :) The allusion megamix is something like a scavenger hunt. I look forward to it because like your author research it becomes this game of hide and seek with information and people.

For those of you eager to know, you will need to be like the Renaissance Courier. Informed on not only Christianity but also Mythology and Folklore. You will know so much crap by the time we're done it'll boggle everyone's mine :) You'll be like a quality wikipedia with feet.

The Allusion Megamix will probably run parallel to Othello. so double duty my loves--but by that point you won't be presenting :D It'll be a nice change of pace. I look forward to it so much. I may give it to you in pieces.

Also for those of you who feel I haven't been doing a lot of "teaching" it's honestly because you guys are intelligent and can figure things out alone with a little push in the right direction. I mean Mack and Cheese proved that her Fu was killer today. Also I think you guys had a better time hearing it from her than me lecturing. Trust me, you guys are the authority, I'm just here to keep the authority in the realm of rhyme and reason :) If any of you need to talk to me after school, I'll be in the media center from 3-3:30 and then I'll be in my tin can on Thursday.

Free Technology You May Need

Microsoft Word Alternatives
First of all we need to address the lack of Microsoft Word on everyone's computer.
Now there are a lot of programs that are free that can replaced it, and I've tested a few. One that most people like is Open Office. I wasn't wild about it ( because it was more like word pad and not word) but some people swear by it. Jarte is also similar to word pad, but I believe it may let you save things as word documents.  Other alternatives include Abiword and Qjot. I haven't tested the last three so I can't speak to their functionality.

Now, of course, there is always out happy little GoogleDocs which I like because it's automatically accessible anywhere.  Another web based word processor, that works with your google log in, is ThinkFree. I haven't tested this one, but some people like it better than Google Docs.


Flash Drive Alternatives
First, of course I advocate google because it's more likely to be stable than other places. You COULD make a google site page and upload your files there like I do assignments. That aside we have synergy at school, but that one isn't always functioning. Now other things you can use might be Drop Box. I'm currently testing that one this week. So far it's pretty comfortable and also you can link more than one computer and a mobile device. On the internet "cloud based" or server based uploading is really taking off, While 5-10 years ago, Hernandez had to turn the internet upside down looking for a web based free server, they're in abundance now. A few I can't speak for but have heard some buzz about are Dmailer (this is a more a back up your computer files then really a online place to constantly access your files) Syncplicity ( be careful with this one. I'm not sure you can access these files if the computer source is not always online) Sparkle Share (Only for Linux and Mac right now) Sugar Sync (which is suppose to be amazing because a friend of mine bought an account for me to play with, but I haven't activated it yet)  Box, Wuala and Spider Oak

Now things to look out for, if you don't have to upload it anywhere that means that more likely than not your computer has to be on while you're away to be able to access your information .

If you ever are looking for an alternative program you may wan to stop by Alternative To. Net. It's a good place to read and compare.


Pirated Music Alternatives
This is a fun one for you guys. I like being able to get whatever music I want whenever I want. So with Piracy being bad and killing record companies I got with music sites. Most of these sites pay to play their music and thus will once in a while have an advertisement like the radio. The big difference is that it has a lot of music to choose from.
Spotify is a great one, but it's by invitation only. Usually you can just ask for an invitation and in 3 days you will have one. It allows you to find music, things that sound like that music, and listen to entire new CDs before buying them. I like it a little better than Pandora just because when I KNOW what I want I can go get it. Now I run Pandora all the time though because it allows me to just hit play and hear things that match a style of music. Also since I don't have to look for variety it allows me to find new things I like by accident. Stereo Mood is good for wanting something to suit a mood, and  Groove Shark is another.

Flash Drive Alternative

Hey I've already had 2 people have a flash drive failures. I found this online the other day. It words with Mac, PC, Droid, and iphone. I DON'T know about it's security, and I won't be takin assignments this way, but it might be useful to some of you. 


http://db.tt/UQpCbvt

Google Docs Tutorial

So when you get to Google Docs-click on Upload

Then click Files

Find wherever the file is on your computer

Make sure your Boxes match mine 

Wait unil in the bottome right it says 100%

Your document should show up near the top. Click on it

Next go to share in the upper right. 

Type in the e-mail address of the person you want to share with. 

Make sure your options match mine (can view, sent each person a copy ETC)

And click done.

MLA Format Sample Essay

SOOOOOoooo some people don't know/remember what MLA looks like. Don't worry Hernandez is here to help!
Click the link to get a sample of and MLA formated essay!
LINK!

Baby are you down, down, down, down, down. *Hernandez Dance*

A little guidance on paper

Okay so a few people were asking about how it should be formatted. One 1 was are the first few paragraphs history and then the book or what.
That's a rough way to do it. We want seamless synthesis. For example, if your writer is from a specific part of the country and the book takes place there then the life has affected the art in regards to setting.
If your author believed in woman's rights and was an activist what character strongly reflects those ideas ?
As for literary criticism- this is not the same thing as a review say on amazon. Literary criticism is woe that a professional has done that you can sight to back up your opinion. Google scholar is a great place to start. College level Galileo is also good which will have sites like Jstor.
This post has been brought to you by Kel and Chon who asked great Qs. Maybe bug them for more info.
Posted from cell phone please do t judge me harshly until I correct this.
Also- no you don't have to do the questions on the scan copies. Diction and tone due tomorrow !
Also VOTE

Hdz Thought: Mood, Tone or Something Else?

Every so often, when left unsupervised, I do this crazy thing called think. It's dangerous, I know, but many times it's when I get my most interesting ideas :)

The point of this Hdz thought is to discuss the following--so please comment. No this isn't mandatory and no this isn't for a grade, but any time you can expose yourself to a new training opportunity it's a good thing. Due to the explicit lyrics though, I wouldn't pursue this if you know your parents would not approve. There will be other opportunities. 


My iTunes library is huge and diverse. I make a point of keeping it well organized too. Now with over 8,000 songs floating around to hear the same song twice on shuffle is a little odd. That aside, this is one of my favorite songs( please take note that there are references to sexuality, drug use, and profanity. If you or your parental figure find these things unacceptable DO NOT pursue this activity):

This song is a cover--circa 2006--and the original--circa 19995--is below

NOW, the lyrics are the same, which means the ____________ is the same( this would be a good place to look at your readings for the word) The question is is it the tone or the mood or something else that is different?

"Advisory." Explicit Content-Sexual Lyrics. Web. 14 Aug 2011. <http://www.thecampussocialite.com/explicit-content-sexual-lyrics/>.

"Biggie Smalls Big Poppa(lyrics)." YouTube. Web. 14 Aug 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3GYbqEULk4>.

"Mindless Self Indulgence Big Poppa." YouTube. Web. 14 Aug 2011.<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnxQB5HBXoU>.

Research Paper and Literary Criticism

Hey Guys,
Many of you e-mailed me Thursday and Friday night asking about the paper. Friday is my official night off--it's when I go to football games or basketball games or hang out with my people. So if you expected an e-mail back last night, sorry, but,as you can see it's before 9 am on Saturday, and I'm back. First of all, the official due date IS the 19th. Second, we're going to do some workshopping on the paper during class. About half the class will be spent on Connotation, Denotation, Tone and Diction--from the readings, and the other half will be discussing how to execute the research paper. Also I think I'm going to scan some information on what literary criticism is for us to read and discuss. Also, news flash, Monday if your phone or Ipod doesn't have a dictionary--please find a cheap one! Dictionary Thesaurus combo is best for obvious reasons.

If you got some Q's e-mail me.
Keep Calm and Carry On,
KHdz

Files, Calendar, and SHOUT OUT

Shout out, honor and praise to Avis! For finding Carly for me.
Files
Calendar

Avis, the person finder,  is a master of  "I got your back" Fu!
Secondary shout out to RL--practitioner  of "I'll help too" Fu!

Depth of Knowledge or...

The newest educational propaganda.  I call it propaganda just because it's the new buzz word we're hearing in all our meetings. So not really propaganda in the strictest sense, but I always wonder about things being pushed hard.

One of my things as a person and teacher is that I like to let people know where things are coming from. I know that I've posted a bit on Bloom's Taxonomy  and that's something that education has been preaching for years, and I think it's been around about 50 years. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's no longer true, but it does seem like it's about that time for re-evaluation. During the week, your RHS teachers had a meeting about Webb's Depth of Knowledge. Honestly, it's not too different from Bloom's, but I thought I would shoot it at you so you could become comfortable with it. This little system is from 1997, again a little old, but not necessarily a bad thing.

Again this is another system of levels of evaluating learning.

DOK 1: (recall) Recall - Recall or recognition of a fact, information, concept, or procedure..

Webb's DOK 1 Aspects :
Identify Who , What, When, Where, Why
Recall facts, terms, concepts, trends, generalizations and theories
Recall elements and details of story structure such as sequence of events, character, plot and setting
Use a variety of tools
Recognize or identify specific information contained in graphics
Define
Describe
Identify purposees
Label
Measure
Illustrate
Repeat, quote, recite, name, tell, match, state, use

This, to me is a lot like the lower levels of Bloom's.

DOK 2: (skill/concept) Basic application of Skills and Concepts - Use of information, conceptual knowledge, following or selecting appropriate procedures, two or more steps with decision points along the way, routine problems, organizing/displaying data.

Webb's DOK 2 Aspects :
Graph
Classify, Organize, Categorize, Construct
Separate
Cause/Effect
Estimate, Compare, Observe, Interpret, Distinguish, Show
Infer
Relate
Use Context Clues
Describe how or why
Give an example
Solve multi-step problems (A two step problem is not automatically a DOK 2 if the steps require only rote or mechanical knowledge or skills)

DOK 3: (strategic thinking) Strategic Thinking - Requires reasoning, developing a plan or sequence of steps to approach a problem; requires some decision making and justification; abstract and complex; often having more than one possible answer.

Webb's DOK 3 Aspects
Revise, crique, formulate, draw conclusions
Investigate, construct
Hypothesize,
Cite Evidence
Assess
Make ands upport decisions
Recognize and explain misconceptions

DOK 4: (extended thinking) Extended Thinking - An investigation or application to real work; requires time to research, think, and process multiple conditions of the problem or task non-routine manipulations, across disciplines/content areas/multiple sources, requires complex reasoning, planning, developing most usually over an extended period of time.


Webb's DOK 4 Aspects:
Design
Synthesize
Criqute
Analyze
Create
Prove
Apply and adapt information to real-world situations
Complex reasoning with planning, investigating or developing a product that will most likely require an extended period of time-must require applying significant conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking

Anyway long story short, shoot for the top level in things you do for your classes.  You will obviously have to do the first few levels of knowledge to get there, but don't stop until you reach the top.


Crites, Christien. "Depth of Knowledge Information."East Carter R-II School. East Carter R-II School, 14 May 2008. Web. 6 Aug 2011. <http://www.ecarter.k12.mo.us/dept/curriculum/dok.html>.

"Distractions." Web. 6 Aug 2011. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MOk5ui8gKj3FrjoHCkOqMI8E3MzDZjQfD8SO5WhUOQengkvTgwoFmDPhdRIc0Qng4Yb3TRkyhx8pmfeVpAxyklE2bbmjKL8Tl68R2gOCocZ_bOWZRiLl33_HCp0mPbY2UxG297_f6wbo/s1600/distractions.gif>.

Regarding ReGrading

It's that time sport fans! Many people are done with both their novels, and now they are sitting on the other side of their computers b-boy stance style waiting for me to give them feed back. I can not make them wait any longer.

I officially start second round grading today. Second round grading will be done (God please let them fix the internet in my RHS trailer) by Thursday. This is the FINAL time I will give you a glimpse into your academic future for these assignments. This means it's the end game. Now, again I got up this morning and there were 30 new blog posts so just putting this out there:

Anything posted after noon tomorrow will not be counted towards the second round grading.

Procrastination is costing some of you on several levels. Come on, there are people who are going clear to Mississipi today and will still get this done, people in surgery, on top of people who are out of the country, and then there are those really brave people--the ones who have to close every night just because they are a high school student. Interestingly enough--these people who have the most extreme schedules are on their grind.

Keep calm, carry on, and stay strong!
KHdz