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