10/15/2013 October 15, 2013During today's class the entire 8th grade was present in the lab due to a group run planned for phys. ed. Because of an upcoming social studies project/presentation, and our eventual sharing of our Genius Hour presentations in the second semester, I used this opportunity to review what makes a good PPT presentation (or a good slide show presentation since for one or both of them we will actually use Google Presentation). Our topics ranged from colors and fonts to the use of graphics and minimal text. Along with this students have an assignment that is found in their Discovery Streaming student accounts (Digital Space 4) which will give them insight into tips for general presentation skills. The assignment involves creating a Google Doc, sharing it with me, and summarizing the tips in their own words. This should be completed no later than October 29. After the group discussion on PPT skills, students worked independently to catch up on whatever was necessary from previous assignments. Several students are late in completing Digital Space 1, the table assignment. Most have gone on to complete or have just about completed Digital Space 2, moving the html code from the old blog to the new for at least 3 posts. The next Genius Hour class is October 22, next week, at which time students should have a decent body of information gathered in their Google Doc along with an "essential question" for their research. There will be at least 2 additional Genius Hour days during the second quarter. We have quite a variety of topics chosen by students based on their own personal interests. Here is a sampling of current research topics: How to get into Julliard The Oil Crisis and alternative fuels Arthritis Anastasia Romanova Advancements for the visually impaired Nike business practices Plasma propulsion The mystery of Amelia Earhart How the Armed Forces evolved Diamond formation Autism There will be several open lab periods before the end of October for students who need help or are behind on projects. Comments are closed.
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