Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Community Middle School students became a part of the growing field of public participation in scientific research (PPSR). The will help collect data as part of a larger citizen science program aimed at tracking the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Ecology majors from Rutgers University visited the PRISM room on December 22, 2014 to explain their work in tracking the EAB as a new invasive species in New Jersey. The students learned how to identify ash trees, how to spot the invasive species, and how they can share their findings with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and researchers in the field. The CMS students were the first group of citizen scientists trained to help collect data on the ash tree population in NJ. To learn more about the EAB and how you can track ash trees in NJ, please visit: http://njtreeid.weebly.com/

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

The PRISM room at Community Middle School hosted a Lunch and Learn using Google Hangout with software engineer and Toy Physics App creator Alex Papasavas on December 19, 2014. Students asked questions and engaged in a virtual conversation with Mr. Papasavas as an extension of their Hour of Code lessons and to explore different career paths. 

Thanks to all the students who attended the event and to Alex for sharing his expertise!

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

FPS members: You should be researching the types of propaganda and techniques. Develop a team list on how propaganda is related to:

1. Business and Commerce

2. Transportation

3. Social Relationships

4. Environment

5. Education

6. Technology

7. Recreation

8. Government and Politics

9. Religion and Ethics

10. Arts and Aesthetics

11. Physical Health

12. Psychological Health

13. Basic needs

14. Defense

15. Economics

16. Law and Justice

17. Communications



NHD members: You need to review the NHD evaluation sheet (shared in Edmodo) as you work over the break. Your deadline for your draft is 1/5/15 regardless of your entry type.

If you are writing a paper or creating a website, your deadline for NHD is 1/31/15. It is due to me on 1/26/15. 

All others have a draft process paper deadline of 1/5/15, sketch/storyboard of 1/26/15, revised draft and annotated bibliography due 2/2/15. Commit to your research! 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

On Friday, we will be joined by a computer game and app developer at 11am. Please come join us and hear more about careers in computer science and gaming! 

On Monday, at 9:30am and 11am we will be joined by two Rutgers students who will introduce you to their citizen scientist program and how you can help with invasive species in NJ. 

Join us in the PRISM room. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

FPS - It is time to start thinking about the QP. The topic is propaganda, but what does that really mean?

• Scholars, journalists, and politicians have long argued about how to properly define propaganda and distinguish it from other forms of mass communication. 
• Propaganda is biased information designed to shape public opinion and behavior.  http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/resources/

The playlist below provides you with background information on the different techniques and how they are used to shape your opinion and behavior. How many of these ads have you seen? How is this shaping the way you will look at ads in the future? 






Your mission over the break is to: 

1. Review the video playlist and identify the different propaganda techniques with examples. 

2. Snap a pic of an advertisement or share a commercial and be sure to explain the type of propaganda used. List 2 reasons why it is important to study why it is important to study propaganda.

3. Investigate and describe the difference between white, black, and gray propaganda (http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Pr-Re/Propaganda-Uses-and-Psychology.html). 


Please actively share your ideas and what you are learning in Edmodo to encourage collaboration and post at least twice between now and January 3 as a self-directed learner following through on your commitment to FPS. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Our middle school Maker Ambassadors are attempting to use Stanford's d.school philosophy of design thinking to their creations in order to explore out of the box thinking and empathy.  We are changing our mindset to focus on the process and emphasizing that we must incorporate diverse perspectives to solve human needs. As we work through the stages, the students will be blogging to share their experiences. It is going to be messy and we will push through it together. 

Looking for resources?

Design Thinking for Educators Toolkit

d school K-12 lab wiki

K-12 Lab Network Resource Guide 

They will be working through their first design challenge to construct a winter wonderland while raising awareness about an important issue. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Practice problem #2 is due this Friday at 5pm. Make sure your group is using FLEX time wisely uploading the elements to the site to ensure there are no glitches. Print out a final copy of what you have uploaded to the site based on what happened with PP #1. 

Are you still looking for resources to help you with your solutions and action plan? Check out our Diigo list - https://groups.diigo.com/group/cmsfps 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Watch the short video and discuss why your in-depth research is so important to properly telling the story of your leader. What are the five aspects of historical thinking and how are you applying them in your own research? Discuss this with a partner in PRISM. 



Who have you selected as your leader?

Why is your individual or group significant?

What are you doing to gather primary and secondary sources on your leader?

Look at the broader context. Was your individual significant in his or her time period? Is your individual more significant and relevant now?


Looking for more ideas? Check out http://100leaders.org/ 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

What visions come to mind when you think of winter?

Russian poet, Anna Akhmatova saw:

The city is caught in the grip of ice--
Trees, walls, snow, are as under glass.
Over crystals, I and the patterned sleighs 
Go our separate, unsteady ways.

For Robert Frost it was,

Whose woods these are I think I know. 
His house is in the village though; 
He will not see me stopping here 
To watch his woods fill up with snow. 

My little horse must think it queer 
To stop without a farmhouse near 
Between the woods and frozen lake 
The darkest evening of the year. 

He gives his harness bells a shake 
To ask if there is some mistake. 
The only other sound’s the sweep 
Of easy wind and downy flake. 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 
But I have promises to keep, 
And miles to go before I sleep, 
And miles to go before I sleep.

What do you see? Collaborate with a small group of 2-3 makers to create a winter scene that promotes awareness about an issue. Use the littleBits, Legos, Play-Doh, and anything else you might need to design our own Maker Winter Wonderland. The choices are yours and you can use items from the room and home. 

"Do you want to build a snowman?" I bet you can find some cool instructables. Now is the time to upcycle items we might normally thrown in a recycling container. 

What questions do you have for me and for your partners?

Draft out a quick KWLHAQ chart to brainstorm some ideas! We will be applying design thinking to this next week, but think about the different options. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Next week is Hour of Code. We are going to start today and you can tinker around with all of the tutorials and lessons over the course of the week. Computers are here to stay. You use smart phones and computers all the time. Let's learn their language!

http://code.org/learn

http://code.org/learn/beyond

http://scratch.mit.edu/hoc2014/

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Learn more about Orion here from NASA. 

"EFT-1 mission diagram" by NASA - http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/631631main_12-03_HEOC.pdf. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EFT-1_mission_diagram.jpg#mediaviewer/File:EFT-1_mission_diagram.jpg

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Reflect on your experiences yesterday. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Please go to your regular FLEX today. FPS will meet on Tuesday to review scores. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Don't forget to keep working. Anyone who needs to work in the computer lab (619) on Wednesday should pop in!

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Please remember that if you are going to be more than 2 minutes late to PRISM, you need a pass from your teacher to enter the room. If you consistently arrive late to PRISM, or are absent from your research days, you should consider revolving out this year or changing your research track to something that you are more interested in for the remainder of the year.

Find your motivation. If it is not there for PRISM this year, that is OK. You have to pursue your passions!

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

By popular demand, you will have your own spaces. The PRISM page will be for random, positive quotes and generic questions for all PRISM students. Join only the group you are actually a part of and remember to keep your posts academically-focused, appropriate, and engaging. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Please complete this reflection journal each month. Do not erase your previous entries. Just keep adding to the document so we can review your progress during conferences. You will be able to log back in each month and update your entry.

http://goo.gl/forms/dPrR9nB4oq

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

There are at least five teachers at Millstone River Elementary School who would like you to share your expertise on all things maker! They have littleBit kits and are looking for you to assist their classes with designing fun projects, inventing new things, and facilitating Genius Hour. We need to assign mentors and have you create your video biography about you! Make sure you stop by or email me ASAP!

Dr. MC

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

NHD has compiled student projects for your to review. Please review two sample projects thoroughly and post a comment based on the entry your are selecting this year using Edmodo. Use the NHD Project Prescription to assist you with your review.  You should be concise in your review. There is no need for you to post a three page review on Edmodo. :)

What did you notice about the samples provided?
Describe what made them a winning sample based on the rubrics for the entry.

http://www.nhd.org/StudentProjectExamples.htm

Are you creating a website for NHD? You can sign up for the NHD webinar to learn more at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/957...

Using Weebly to Build an NHD Website

This webinar is open to any NHD student creating (or considering creating) a website, along with any teachers or parents who want to support their students in this process.

Want to build a great website for the NHD contest? Richard, our Professor of all things Weebly, is hosting a free online training session to teach the fundamentals of Weebly's NHD Site Creator. He'll walk you through, step-by-step, the creation of an excellent site you'll be proud to share, as well as provide tips on how to properly organize all of your text, pictures, videos, and other content.

By the time the training is over, you should be able to put your own site together with relative ease. The presentation is 50 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.


Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Time: 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Open to: all NHD students, teachers, parents, and coordinators

Save the Date!

NHD Google+ Hangouts



A Google+ Hangout is a live video conference where students can directly connect with experts. The event happens live, and students can tweet their questions and we ask them live on the air. You can see last year's hangout series at http://www.nhd.org/hangouts.htm.

Save the date on your calendar! Get more information here:http://www.nhd.org/ClassroomConnection.htm

Ask an Archivist with the National Archives

Tuesday, December 2, 2014, 6pm ET / 3pm PT

Ask the Expert Series with the National Endowment for the Humanities

Papers

Monday, December 15, 2014, 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Websites

Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Performances

Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Documentaries

Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Exhibits

Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 7pm ET / 4pm PT

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

This week you will explore the history of processed foods and  food additives in order to better understand the future of food for Practice Problem #2.


Make sure you join our DIIGO group NOW! You will have access to a variety of articles and resources to help you with the issue of Processed Foods.




Explore the history of processed foods first to help you answer the essential question - How and why do we process foods?

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/factsheets/food_pres_hist.html 

http://www.partselect.com/JustForFun/Food-Preservation-Basics.aspx


Take a look at the common additives found in our food through the following resources and answer these three essential questions with your team through a chart:

What are the ten common additives we consume?
What is the function of each additive?
How does the additive impact human health?


https://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm 

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-seven-common-food-additives

http://www.weather.com/health/natures-freakiest-food-additives-20130729

http://www.rodalenews.com/food-additives

http://www.nutrition.gov/whats-food/food-additives

http://umm.edu/health/medical/ency/articles/food-additives

http://chemo.net/food.htm

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

In order to conduct research more efficiently, we will be using the computer labs in the Media Center throughout the remainder of November on set dates. On some highlighted dates, anyone may attend from FPS/NHD/INQUIRY/ARIES/MAKER to conduct research.

11/10 FPS
FLEX 8 616
FLEX 7 616
FLEX 6 Media Center computers

11/11 FPS
FLEX 8 616
FLEX 7 616
FLEX 6 Media Center computers

11/12 NHD
FLEX 8 616
FLEX 7 616
FLEX 6 PRISM ROOM

11/13 NHD/INQUIRY
FLEX 8 PRISM ROOM
FLEX 7 PRISM ROOM
FLEX 6 PRISM ROOM

11/14 FREE FOR ALL PRISM STUDENTS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
FLEX 8 619
FLEX 7 619
FLEX 6 619

11/17 and 11/18
NO PRISM - REPORT TO YOUR TEAM FLEX

11/19 FREE FOR ALL PRISM STUDENTS WHO NEED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
FLEX 8 619
FLEX 7 619
FLEX 6 619

11/20 and 11/21 CONFERENCES - NO FLEX

11/24 DUE TO A SHORT WEEK - FREE FOR ALL PRISM STUDENTS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
FLEX 8 619
FLEX 7 619
FLEX 6 619

11/25 FPS
FLEX 8 PRISM ROOM
FLEX 7 PRISM ROOM
FLEX 6 PRISM ROOM

11/26
NO PRISM - Enjoy your break!

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Hello my little geniuses. I love our in class discussions so much and it makes me very sad that I only see you for one or two days per week. You are all incredibly talented individuals and the whole world needs you! They need your wisdom, your talents, and your ability to think outside of the box. Our PRISM classroom is very unique. The success of our program and your individual progress relies on your motivation, ambition, dedication, and creativity. Let's help each other through our research paths and grow as a commUNITY!

In a highly digital, rapidly changing world, you need to be aware of tools that will help you collaborate and share your expertise. In our flipped environment, we are currently using Edmodo, Diigo, and Google Drive. These tools allow you to collaborate with your peers, get and give immediate feedback even when you are not in room 814, and help you grow as a self-directed learner. You are already ahead of the learning curve by nature of your birth. You, my friends, are digital natives and with great powers, come great responsibilities. My expectation is that you will log in and contribute to our Edmodo group in the following ways:

1. Respond to at least two posts a week using academically appropriate language and demonstrate analysis of others’ posts. Your response should extend the discussion by building on previous
posts. As often as possible, you should cite a reference to back up your post.

2. Post questions for your peers at least one time every other week regarding information you are finding interesting, curious, or the like. Your goal is to engage the community with your post. More engaging posts typically include a video, a link to a thought-provoking article, an image related to a topic your are researching.

Examples of postings that demonstrate higher levels of thinking:
• “Some common themes I see between your experiences and (a specific reference for your research) are….” (Analysis)
• “These newer trends are significant if we consider the relationship between ….” (Synthesis)
• “The body of literature should be assessed by these standards ….” (Evaluation)

I also expect our NHD and FPS students to join Diigo and save at least one article per week to their respective group in order to build the our group database of articles on the related topics. Save the articles under your group. You can even start your own sub group for your research team to share articles specific to your research track. Diigo is an awesome tool for researchers!

 https://groups.diigo.com/group/cmsfps

 https://groups.diigo.com/group/cmsnhd



As PRISM students, I am looking for you to fall into the "meets" or "exceeds" standards for the project rubric. Please review it and talk to me if you have any questions.

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

More information can be found at: http://www.instructables.com/contest/ornamentdesignchallenge/ 


When you’ve got a big house to decorate for the holidays, advanced planning is wise. So naturally, the White House is already thinking about this year’s holiday decor, and we're going to help them deck their halls. Instructables is excited to partner with the Smithsonian and the White House in this 3D Printed Ornament Challenge. Some of the winners of this challenge will have their work printed and hung in the East Wing of the White House during the holiday season. Additionally, those selected to be displayed at the White House will be featured on the Smithsonian’s state of the art 3D data platform, 3d.si.edu and will join a small collection of White House ornaments in the political history division of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

You don’t need to have a 3D printer to participate — design an ornament with any 3D modeling software and up to 8 winning designs will be 3D printed and shipped to the White House for you. New to 3D modeling? No sweat! Head over to Tinkercad and play around with making 3-dimensional shapes. It’s really fun, and you’ll learn an awesome new skill, to boot. This is your chance to make White House history and have your art featured in their first-ever maker challenge.

The model should be no larger than 3”x 3” and reflect the magic and wonder of the holidays, so think ornaments that represent winter sports, toys, activities, symbols, and anything that inspires you during the festive winter season. Want to incorporate a little twinkle to your designs as well? Design a piece that fits or clips onto a string of lights!

To qualify, you must be a U.S. resident and create an Instructable for your ornament — and be sure to include the .stl file.

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

As you research the topic, add your resources to our Diigo list for processed foods. Apply to join the group and you will be added to use our crowd-sourced resources!

Questions to consider: How have the ways we produce food changed? What is processed food? What are examples of processed foods?

What are some of the pros and cons of processed foods?

How will our food change as the needs of humans change?

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/new-3d-printer-dinner-article-1.1545538

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Join us if you dare! 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

We need you to become a Maker Ambassador.

What is a maker? What is the maker movement? Check out this quick clip:






Ambassadors will tinker around with their projects, help the 4th grade teachers and students at Millstone River and present at a Maker Faire in the Spring. You will be blogging about your experiences and sharing what you learn with the world.

What is the maker movement?

@msbuggescience Ss working with ES students to create a @ScreenChomp about their schoolyard habitats. #njed #edtech pic.twitter.com/fQ55kC5JN3
— R. McLelland-Crawley (@RMCscience) February 27, 2014

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

If you are not failing, chances are you are not trying. Step outside of your comfort zone and don't be afraid. We are all here to help you move forward. Keep up with your research. It will lead you down several pathways, but all are worth your time because you will keep growing!

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Pick a leader in the field you are interested in researching. What is his or her sphere of influence? Why should anyone care about or remember your leader? 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Are you being overwhelmed by the Edmodo notifications and updates?

Change your settings! If you do not want any updates sent to your email or phone, make sure all of the buttons are left unchecked.

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Please do not forget that you signed a contract stating you would attend all sessions. If you are unable to make the sessions repeatedly, you will revolve out of the program. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

SPAM is a cultural icon of sorts. As we delve into the world of processed foods for FPS, I thought you might appreciate some British humor from Monty Python. If you start singing SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM in your classes, it is sure to bring a smile to the face of your teachers who understand the reference.

We will be collecting Spam for a Wall of Spam (lots of Spam - Spam-a-lot) and then donating them to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. If you would like to donate a can o' Spam, it would be appreciated!

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley

Review these NAGC standards. What do they mean? How do you exhibit these? How will you improve through your role in PRISM? 

Discussion questions:

Reflection questions:

Send me your reflective responses through a Google Doc. 

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Rebecca McLelland-Crawley