HWC Day 14 - Becoming Part of the FCP Community

Objective:  Establish a safe, professional, appropriate presence on the FCP Ning which will be used to share work and artifacts throughout the Flat Classroom Project.  Explain the six senses of the conceptual age presented by Dan Pink in A Whole New Mind.  Compare and contrast the portrayal of Africa and Africans in American popular culture to political, cultural, and social realities.

Task 1:  As we wade into the FlatClassroom Project, we need to become comfortable as a part of this digital community.  You will need to develop an appropriate persona that reflects  your individuality while respecting the professional nature of this project.  Follow the steps below to establish your presence in this project:

1. Request to join the SVHS HWC Fall '12 Group - Scroll down the Ning page.  On the right side you will see "Groups," go to the bottom of that section and click on "View All."  In the search box, type in "SVHS" and click on the "SVHS Fall '12."  Once you are at the group page, request to join. 

2.  Personalize Your Page on the Ning - Add a photo or avatar to your profile and adjust the appearance of your page.  If you would like to create an avatar, here are some useful links: http://www.voki.com/ or http://illustmaker.abi-station.com/index_en.shtml or http://www.mms.com/us/becomeanmm/

3.  Introduce Yourself -   Go to your page.  

                  a.  Make a brief blog post to say hello to the FCP community. 

                      

                          b.  Post your handshake video.

4.  Monitor Ning Activity - Subscribe to the FCP Ning in your GoogleReader and check regularly.

Task 2:  The Flat Classroom Project "mashes" the 10 "flatteners" presented by Friedman in The World is Flat and six senses of the conceptual age from Dan Pink's A Whole New Mind.  We've already examined the flatteners, now we need to look at the six senses.  Thus, you've been been assigned an excerpt from "A Whole New Mind."  Read this excerpt, identify the main argument/thesis and evidence used to support this argument.  Use the VoiceThread below (also sent to you via e-mail) to post your summary.

Directions for VoiceThread:

1. If prompted to create an account, create a FREE account using your SVHS e-mail address.
2. Create an "identity" by replacing the iron with the same image that you used as your profile picture on the FCP Ning.
3. Press "play."  Listen to the directions in the title slide and go to the slide that corresponds with the "sense" that you read about.
4. Press "comment" on your slide to post an audio or video summary of your section. 

 
Task 3:  We'll begin our exploration of Africa by discussing Part A of the regional study and watching a video entitled "What Do We Know About Africa?"

Homework:

• Tuesday, 9/18 - Digital Literacy Quiz
• Tuesday, 9/18 - Part B of Africa Regional Study due
• Wednesday, 9/19 - FCP Handshake, Ning page personalization, blog post (suggestions at: http://flatclassroomproject.ning.com/group/whs-flat-classroom-12-2/forum/topics/getting-started), and group membership due by 3:00 pm
• Thursday, 9/20 - "Whole New Mind" summary due on VoiceThread by 3:00 pm
• Thursday, 9/20 - Africa maps due in class
• Monday, 9/24 - "Whole New Mind" reflections due on VoiceThread by 7:35 am
• Monday, 9/24 - Africa map quiz
• Monday, 9/24 - African nationalist readings due in class
• Tuesday, 9/25 - Part C of Africa Regional Study due
• Wednesday, 9/26 - Parts D-F of Africa Regional Study due
• Thursday, 9/27 - Textbook reading (pp. 172-183) due
• Friday, 9/28 - Unit 2 Test