Mr. Bruns went over his class room rules and expectations. He went over for the new students how you create daily blogs and fourm posts.
Mr. Bruns' Educational Ideology:
1. My classroom is student centered.
2. My focus is on building life-long skills for students-problem solving, research, writing, communicating, collaboration, critical thinking, reading and technology.
3. My classroom allows for student choice.
4. My classroom stresses the Iowa Core.
5. My classroom stresses the use of technology on a daily basis.
6. I pledge to be fair, kind and positive at all times.
7. I understand people/students make mistakes and fail sometimes. My question is how do you respond to failure?
8. I have high expectations of myself and of my students.
9. I strive to improve each and every year through self reflection and student feedback.
My Websites
I will be using Haiku and Ning this year. Haiku will be used for giving out basic information. Ning will be used for most of what we do in class.
When signing up for my Ning website, please use the same Gmail username and password that your use to sign in for your school Gmail account.
When you have the option to choose a username, choose the period you have this class followed by your first name. For example:
1Billy or 7Jacie
If you have the same first name as someone else in the class, please add the first letter in your last name.
My websites will provide valuable information to help you succeed in this class. It has daily summaries, podcasts, powerpoints, email, live chat, message boards, blogs, etc. Please take advantage of it.
Assigned Blogs/Podcasts/Video--Discussion
You will be assigned an assigned blog occasionally (your choice of written/podcast/video). Each blog will be worth 30-50 points. Blogs are always due on Sunday night at 11:59 PM. Be sure to hyperlink your sources, follow copyright laws and above all else, do not plagiarize!!
Click on the link to see a checklist on how to do assigned blogs well:
Assigned Block Checklist-Click Here!
Most Monday’s will be our blog discussion days. You will be expected to discuss your blog entries in class. Notes are not allowed. Each blog discussion will be worth 10-20 points.
Daily Blog
During class each day, you will be expected to take notes on what we are discussing in class and reflect on what you have learned. Each day is worth 2 points.
These will always be due even if I do not mention it in class. I will try to give you time in class to do this but can not guarantee it every day. If you are absent for the day, you would simply type “Absent” for the blog entry. If there is no school that day, simply type “No School—Snow Day(or other reason). Each day must have it's own entry unless we have several days where we are doing the exact same thing.
**If you have fewer than 20/30 on your daily blog grade, you will lose access to your laptop when discussion is being done in class for one week. You will be expected to turn your notes in on paper at the end of each period during that week.
Here is a link showing you how to to a good job on these blogs entries:
Tips for Writing Good Daily Blogs--Click Here!
Please title the entries with the date. For example:
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 or Monday-Wednesday, August 12-14(if doing the same thing)
Forum Posts(From the Main Webpage)
Every week there will be two students chosen from each class to be the forum leaders of the week. These students will need to select two topics relating to US History or current events and do a forum post on each. Overall, there will be around sixteen new forum posts per week as I have four classes. Choose your topics carefully and be sure that someone else hasn't already created a forum post on the same topic.
Expectations for forum post leaders(50 points).
For everyone else, you will be expected to reply to five of these forum posts per week(two points each) from the topics that the forum leaders created. Your forum posts should be meaningful and add to the discussion. Regular forum posts will be graded once every three weeks and will be worth 30 points.
**You can earn extra credit for being very active on the forum!
Your Website and the Three Week Cycle
When you sign up for my Ning website, you will automatically be given your own personal website. This site will serve as your e-portfolio. Everything you do in class should be put on or linked on your website.
Every three weeks, you will be graded(80-140 points) on all the content that you added to your Ning website during that time. The content should include the assigned blogs(1-3 of them), 15 Daily Reflective/Notes blogs(30), 15 forum posts(30) and any powerpoint/podcast/video project that was completed during that time(this does not include videos or podcasts you make for assigned blogs). Your website should also look neat and orderly as well(20). Be sure to play around with all the options to make your website look the way you want it to.
Tests/Quizzes:
Most tests will be done in groups. In order for you to participate in the Unit group test, you must average a D or higher on the individual quizzes we take during that specific unit. Most quizzes will be done on paper!!
If you do not average a D or higher on quizzes or are absent the day(s) of the test, you will have to take an individual test. You may also opt out of the group test if you so choose and take an individual test.
When taking an individual test(including the semester test), you will be given three options :
*written essay test
*oral test
*video documentary with your voice included(not included for map tests)
As I want students to ultimately learn the material, I will allow students to retake any test to replace the test score already in Powerschool. This must be done in a timely manner and can only be retaken once per test. You are allowed to take an individual test to replace a group test score if you so choose. The Semester Test is not included in this policy.
If you choose to retake a test, it will be done on your own time and be subject to my free time. You can not choose to do a video documentary as a replacement test, only oral or essay. You can also only redo oral or essay tests, not video documentaries.
Semester Test:
The semester test will be taken individually and is worth 14-16% of your semester grade. There are two parts to your semester test.
The first part requires you to write a blog entry over the USH/CWI driving ideas. No pictures or personal thoughts are required for this entry. You may start writing this blog entry from day one if you so choose. If you update this blog entry frequently(based on the units we do in class), it will make things a lot easier for you come semester test time. Be sure to save this entry as a draft. Do not publish it until the end of the semester. This part is worth 10% of your semester test grade.
The second part of the semester test will be an individual oral/written test or an individual video project over all of the driving ideas that we covered. You will basically discuss/write/create what you wrote about in your blog entry.
*If you choose to take this as a written test, you will come in during the scheduled class time.
*If you take this as an oral test, I will schedule a 10-15 minute time frame for you to come in.
*If you make a video project, you need to have the video on your website by our scheduled class test time. You do not need to come in at all.
Extra Credit-50 point limit each quarter
You may earn extra credit in one of four ways:
1. Video Interview or Story
A. -you can do a video interview of someone about some aspect of history.
-an example of this would be to interview your grandfather about the
Korean War(assuming he served in it).
-this extra credit option is worth up to 15 points.
B. -you can also do a video documentary on some aspect of history.
-an example of this would to do a video documentary on the history of
Harlan.
-this extra credit option is worth up to 25 points.
2. Make the top twenty in Leaderboards. Top ten gets you three points, 11-20 gets you two points.
3. Taking pictures of historic events or current events. Up to two points extra credit if picture is history/current events related but not related to the "driving idea" or current topic. Up to four points extra if the pictures relate to the "driving idea" or current topic. **Pictures must be taken by you!
4. Social Studies ITED Results(2nd Quarter only)
Team Work
Students will be getting into groups of three-four in order to collaborate on projects, etc. from time to time. Do not be a freeloader or an enabler!
**You will usually be graded on how you do individually.
Chat Room
Ning offers a chat room which can be very helpful. Feel free to use the chat room when needed for school purposes.
Do not use the chat room during class time when I or someone else is presenting.
The chat room can be used during work time if it helps with communication.
I may pose questions that I want answered via the chat room.
Evaluations
After every student presentation, your peers and I will give you feedback. Please give positive comments as well as constructive criticism. Don’t be mean or rude please!
You should have a pretty good idea where you stand gradewise after these discussions. You will not get a written rubric back after your presentation. See me if you do not understand your grade.
Your daily blog for the day you present should be a self-reflection of how you think you did as well as comments from students and myself. You are expected to email that link to me and it will be part of your project grade.
Late Work
I do not accept late work in most circumstances. With that said, late work is built into my system. For example, you have assigned blogs and message board posts due every week but will only be graded once every three weeks. Also, I start grading websites on Monday. You have until the time I grade your website to get it done.
If you find yourself in a bad situation in my class that will leave you ineligible for school activities or even grounded at home, you can request that I grade your assigned blog, website, or message board posts early. I can't grade daily blogs early.
Email me what you would like me to grade and I will get it done ASAP. Don't ask me and expect me to grade that minute.
I should state that you should be sure to have everything done well otherwise me grading it may not help you. Also, consider doing your work well in the first place so you don't find yourself in this situation!!
Mr. Bruns’ Classroom Rules
1. Be happy and have a positive attitude.
2. Be responsible.
3. Do your part when working in groups. Don't be a freeloader!
4. Do not be an enabler.
5. Follow copyright laws.
6. Do not plagiarize.
7. Be honest.
8. Master the art of communication!
9. Follow all school rules as mentioned in the student handbook.
-tardies, cheating, inappropriate/vulgar language
10. Don't be average. #dontbeaverage
11. No headphones are allowed once I or students are presenting or leading class.
Consequences will follow the handbook.
For minor issues, points will be deducted from your grade.
Technology Rules
1. No cell phones in class unless for educational purposes and with my permission.
-1st offense-lose phone for day plus detention
2. Do not use your full name or give out any personal information.
3. Anything put on my website at anytime needs to be school appropriate.
4. Do not harass or put down other people or other people's opinions down. Let me know ASAP if you encounter this.
5. Do not plagiarize and follow copyright laws. Be sure to always hyperlink your sources on your blog/presentation.
8. Only go on websites that you need for class-no games or Facebook, etc.
9. Do not install or download anything that is not needed for class.
10. Your personal website/avatar and all pictures should be school appropriate.
11. My website is an extension of school and anything put on there at any time that is inappropriate will be taken down and consequences will be given out.
12. Be responsible for your computer.
Many of these rules are listed on page 15 of the Student Handbook. The consequence for breaking these rules can be removal from class and an "F" for the semester.
HCHS Grading Scale:
A 100-94
A- 93-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-84
B- 83-80
C+ 79-77
C 76-74
C- 73-70
D+ 69-67
D 66-64
D- 63-60
F 59 and below
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