Today’s goals:
- Both classes: Review tools needed for class and how to log into computers. Also, check out my goal poster for our class (hanging on wall but just click here to see it)
- Period 2: participate in first Harvest of the Month graphic design challenge
- Period 3: begin learning WordPress and check out Wednesday’s featured website: http://typetodesign.com/
Quick PSA for job-seekers:
- Save the dates- job fairs at Assembly Row on Sept. 28 & Oct. 1
- On Wednesday, September 28 from 5-7PM and on Saturday, October 1 from 12-2PM bring your resumes and meet the retailers and restaurants currently hiring at Assembly Row! Job seekers will check-in on Assembly Row East and will receive a list of merchants currently hiring on the Row. Job seekers will have the opportunity to talk with representatives of merchants from the Row and will receive on the spot information about available jobs, applications and more! See Mr. Klein in Guidance with questions
Tools for every class:
- Your laptop, which you will take great care of this year!
- Chrome or Firefox browser (your choice unless I specify which one I want you to use)
- Class website: www.mhswebdesign.com, click on Class Work from top menu, then click on that day’s post at very top of page
- Notepad++ (when coding)
Logging in:
- Lenovo Thinkpad ONLY– just click your name. Your password is whatever you made it on Wednesday. If it’s your first time logging in, it’s your initials, lower case, and then you can change it.
- Other computers: on log-on screen, hit ctrl alt del. Then choose switch user.
- Your user name is MHS-WEBCLASS-S#\First Name.
Example: MHS-WEBCLASS-S9\Jen. Check for your computer number on the front of your laptop cover on a white sticker. Unfortunately, the tech made an error and a couple of you have only one “s” in class; make sure to type exactly what you see on that white sticker followed by a back slash (found above the enter key) and your first name only. - Your password is whatever you made it on Wednesday. If it’s your first time logging in, it’s your initials, lower case, and then you can change it.
- Since your are sharing your computers with another class, you will have to go through this log-in process every time. Please make sure you log out of your computers every class!
PERIOD 2- HARVEST OF THE MONTH
Today’s goal: Create an infographic, interactive image, or collage to promote September’s Harvest of the Month, tomatoes.
Key skills you’ll practice: graphic/visual design, use of digital media creation tools
Harvest of the Month digital media promotion
- You’re going to create images for the school webpage and social media to promote the school lunch program’s Harvest of the month
- Important: only use photos from the sources below and make sure you’re creating something you are proud to have on the school site and in your portfolio!
- Where your stuff will go: school webpage, school/city Facebook, school/city Twitter
- Septembers’s Harvest of the Month is tomatoes. Today school nutritionist Retta Smith is visiting us and we’re going to sample tomatoes and visit the school garden.
- Working in teams of 2, choose 1 medium to work with today:
- infographic (sign up for free account)
- interactive image (sign up for free account)
- collage (no account needed)
- Get images:
- https://unsplash.com/
- https://www.pexels.com/
- Bing.com (do image search, then search for free to share and use)
- Tomato facts to potentially include:
- Local tomatoes can be found at the Medford Farmers Market, which is every Thursday from 3-7 pm behind City Hall until mid-October.
- Local tomatoes are being served in our school lunch on September 7, 14, and 29.
- Where our tomatoes are from (name of local farm or company)
- Info from the Harvest of the Month website
- Popular recipes (title and maybe a link to a recipe)
- Nutritional benefits (make sure to cite your source)
- Details from Ms. Smith’s presentation
Checklist for Success
- Make sure you do the following to end up in the “wildly successful”, A-range category.
- Wildly successful (A-range):
- Models: this infographic and this interactive image
- Completed collage, infographic, or interactive image
- Images came from sources listed above
- Strong, obvious attempt to create an appealing visual theme
- Images chosen carefully to go along with visual theme and to be as visually appealing as possible
- Text information included is helpful and descriptive, and includes dates served, nutrition facts, and origin of the local produce.
- Text is easy to read
- Moderately successful (B/C-range):
- Completed collage, infographic, or interactive image
- Images came from sources listed above
- Images somewhat appealing; evidence of some attempt made to create visual theme.
- Text information included is helpful and descriptive, but doesn’t include everything listed in the wildly successful model.
- Text is somewhat hard to read
- Not so successful (C or lower-range):
- Incomplete graphic
- Little effort put into creating visual theme
- Images from sources other than those listed
- Minimal text that provides little information
- Text is hard to read
PERIOD 3- WORDPRESS
Today’s goals: Begin learning WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems in the world AND start planning your page on the class website.
Key skills you’ll practice: planning content for a webpage, WordPress: logging in, editing a page, and adding text, images, and links
All About WordPress
- Each table of two students will be assigned a question to investigate:
- What is WordPress?
- How many websites use WordPress?
- Can you find examples of major sites that use WordPress?
- What is a website content management system?
- What is the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?
- Is WordPress free to use?
- What are WordPress themes?
Planning your page on the class website
- Every student will have his/her own page on our class website so you can learn how to use WordPress and create a digital portfolio for your work this year.
- Before you begin planning your page, check out what last year’s student pages looked like here.
- Now, begin thinking about what you would want to include on your page and make a list (pen and paper, or create a list on your computer in Notepad or with a desktop sticky note). Potential things to include (everything is optional; you choose what to include):
- Facts about your self, such as where you went to school before MHS, where you grew up, what languages you speak, sports you play, clubs you participate in, family members, pets, favorite foods, job, etc.
- Your interests and hobbies, how you like to spend your time when you’re not in school
- Random thoughts, quotes that inspire you, etc.
- Media: images and links for your page. Download and save images from your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Link to your YouTube page or a website or video that you like or that includes you. Link to your social media accounts. Other images: try https://unsplash.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or go to Bing.com, do image search for something, then on the results page, under license, choose free to share and use. Download and save any images you want to post on your page later.
- If we have time, we’ll review how to log into the site and find your page to edit, and each student will create a user name and password to log into the site.