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Today We Have Presentations!!

Good Morning!!!  Today we find ourselves in the middle of Finals week here at Menlo-Atherton High School.  Here are some clues on how to give a great presentation and how to be an outstanding active audience member!!

• Presenters:
• Be calm
• Show your knowledge of the subject
• Focus on and engage your audience
• Speak clearly and make sure your audience understands what you are presenting
• Be prepared to answer questions and respond as best you can
• Audience:
• Offer your full attention to each presenter.
• Ask thoughtful questions of the presenter
• Complete your Audience Feedback Form for each presenter
• Be supportive of everyone present!

Lets have a great day of presentations!! 

Farewell for '15!

Good Morning, Happy Monday, Welcome to June!!  We made it ... this is the final week of the school year!!  Here are a few reminders to make sure your finals week goes swell:

1. You must attend ALL finals and be ON TIME!!  That means that if you have an Academy class you are either presenting OR you are an active audience member!  If you have a non-academy class - you have to prepare yourself to do the very best you can on that final!
1. you can see the presentation and audience schedule here: https://goo.gl/8sFYZy
2. On the day of your presentation, make sure you have SHARED your presentation with the teacher whose room you'll be presenting in AND that you come DRESSED TO IMPRESS!!
3. Presentation should be well thought out and clearly prepared.  Presentation should be impressive with an image on each slide if possible!  You should definitely have note cards or a print out of some sort to navigate your presentation.  Face and Engage your audience!
4. Work Hard, Do Great on Every Final!! Many are worth 20% of your grade and can significantly help you!!  Leave here Thursday feeling great about your efforts and looking forward to an even better year next year!!

Thank you for a great 180 school days!!

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

As the title says, TODAY IS THE DAY!!  It is the last day you will be working on your Academy Portfolio Presentation with teacher support before presentations begin!!  In addition, it is your LAST chance to include any papers that you have been certified for in the binder -- that means it's critical for you to print and submit them to me by the end of 4th period -- no exceptions!!

A reminder that all of the information you need can be found online ...

• Here is a link where you can confirm what portfolios you have certified to date!
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QIkAf6fIL6agIpZrll6vWxYctztjsJSnCxkImcTMhiI/edit?usp=sharing
• Here is a link https://goo.gl/AV3nGF to a presentation with information on:
• how to complete your cover letter
• the requirements for your presentation
• the presentation schedule
• To make sure you know when you present and have an adult there to support you, you can also simply click here: https://goo.gl/kup6a0

Please work hard ... as hard as you can ... you know you are capable of doing an amazing job - find the energy, put in the effort and wow everyone on the day of your presentation!  Go Sophomores!

Agenda for 5/21/15

Good Morning and Happy Block Day!!  Our second to the last of the year!

Here is the agenda for today:

1. Complete the blue handout I have distributed.
2. Complete, Print and Sign your Cover Letter
3. Review and Print only your final draft of your Certified Portfolio for English, Science and History
1. I highly recommend downloading the file to your computer from your Google Drive or Turnitin before printing!!
4. Work on completing your Presentation!! Make it thorough, make it thoughtful and make it look fancy!!

Helpful Links for today:

• Here is a link where you can confirm what portfolios you have certified to date!
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QIkAf6fIL6agIpZrll6vWxYctztjsJSnCxkImcTMhiI/edit?usp=sharing
• Here is a link https://goo.gl/AV3nGF to a presentation with information on:
• how to complete your cover letter
• the requirements for your presentation
• the presentation schedule
• To make sure you know when you present and have an adult there to support you, you can also simply click here: https://goo.gl/kup6a0

Please work hard ... as hard as you can ... and show what you are made of!

Blog for the Block!

Agenda Items for Today, 5.14.2015

1. If you are eligible (B or better both semesters) and have not completed your CTE transition form, I must have it by the end of class today for you to receive 4.5 units of college credit
2. You need to be done with your revisions for all 3 of your Academy Core Courses (English, History and Science)
3. You need to be working towards having a completed Cover Letter. See the Blog for an example with proper formatting. Your cover letter should be thorough or thoughtful but should not be longer than 1 page!
4. You need to check the presentation schedule and find your name where you present and where you are an audience member and complete the Google form at: https://goo.gl/FQnjZy … be sure to click at the bottom where it says “ Send me a copy of my responses” so you have them handy at all time J 

**Note – today is a work day. You have had and will have plenty of time to complete this process. It is critical for your academic success that you get this done!

** Below is a sample of the formatting you should use for your cover letter.  You may use the M-A school address in your header.  Be sure to address your audience, thank your reader and leave space between "sincerely" and "your name" so you can sign the letter before submitting!

Academy Portfolio Presentation!

Good Morning and Welcome to the week of May 11th- May 15th.  We are just a few short weeks away from the end of the 2014-15 school year and it is important that youfinish the school year as strong as you possibly can!!  With that said, below is a link to all of the information you would ever want to know to ensure you are successful on your end of the year portfolio process.  A remind that this is your opportunity to showcase what you are capable of academically.  An important piece to you presenting yourself as ready to take on the responsibilities and challenges that come with your pursuit of college and/or career.

To locate this information, please simply click here: https://goo.gl/AV3nGF.  This link will provide you information about:

• when you present
• what needs to be included in your presentation
• and suggestions/requirements you need to follow on presentation day!

A reminder that one of the many requirements is that you have an adult present for your presentation.  This could be your mentor, a non-academy teacher able to attend, an administrator, parent, cousin, uncle, aunt, etc!  Be sure to give them plenty of heads up!!

Thanks and please don't hesitate to ask any of your academy teachers for help if you need it!

Monday May 11th!

Good Morning Sophomores!  I apologize for being absent today, I'll be back tomorrow, but it is important that you make progress with your end of the year portfolio process today!!  Here is a link to the cover letter requirements:

• https://goo.gl/j38tcD

Please make sure that you are done with your revisions and that they are submitted.  As soon as that is done, focus on the cover letter!! Remember - our goal is to have all of this done and assembling our class binder this Friday!!  I promise ... your hard work now will ensure a smoother, easier and more successful finish to the school year!!

Thank you and see you tomorrow!!

Oracle Reflection

Good Morning and Happy Monday!!  Woohoo!  It's May 4th and we are one month exactly from the end of the 2014-15 school year!

Today I would like to take a moment to do a quick reflection on our day at Oracle Friday.  Please respond to the following questions:

• What did you think of Oracle as a company, their buildings, staff, etc?  What was your impression when you walked in?  How about highlights throughout the day?
• What was your favorite part of the activity on Friday?
• Did you meet anyone from another school site?  What is good about making these connections with other people?
• Could you ever see yourself working at Oracle?  Why or why not?
• Lastly, if you could say thank you to Oracle for one thing on Friday what would that be?  Please write a one sentence thank you to Oracle at the bottom of your blog that I can copy and paste into a card!

Once finished with the blog, please complete Unit 2, Lesson 11.2 in edutyping!

Thank you!

Blog Post Thursday 4/30!

Recognize the buildings in the picture above?  If you drive from here north on 101 you can't miss them as you cross the redwood city - San Carlos border!  Oracle is valued at 193 billion dollars!!  Can you even comprehend that number?  I can't!  And believe it or not, tomorrow they are opening their doors to us and the rest of the Sequoia Union High School District.

For today's blog post, please respond to the following:

1. What is Oracle and what do they do?
2. Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle and CEO from 1977-2014 is a very interesting man.  Take a moment to look him up and describe one thing you find interesting about his "life story."
3. Tomorrow we will focus on the idea of entrepreneurship.  What is an entrepreneur and what are some important skills somebody interested in being an entrepreneur must have?
4. Lastly, tomorrow is a professional day.  We are visiting a high profile company.  Why is it of critical importance that you be here on time (8:15) and dressed to impress.  Think about ways tomorrow can affect you, your school, your district and even all students of your age, background and experience!

Thank you for a thorough, thoughtful response.  Once complete, please finish Unit 2, Lesson 11.1 in edutyping!  We will continue with Adobe Flash shortly!

Tuesday 4-28, The Power of Animation

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!

This morning we are going to cover a few topics and still make a bit more progress on our Bouncing Objects project!  I have been asked to show you a brief video in preparation for our field trip Friday, Ms. Escobar is going to come by with permission slips to a pretty incredible college fair being held next week, Thursday, and we will have a quick blog post and lesson of edutyping.

For today's blog think of your favorite animated show or movie.  Certainly not all animated shows or movies are made using flash which, in general, represents 2-D animation BUT the ideas of what is involved in the making of a movie aren't much different.  For your blog respond to the following:

1. What is your favorite animated show or movie
2. What is it about the show or movie that you particularly like?  Name 3 things at least.  It could be the characters, the story line, the humor, the animated movements themselves, etc.
3. What skills that you see in a show like the one you discussed above would you like to learn?  For example, would you be interested in learning how to make a character walk? talk? fly?  Explain why this skill would be particularly interesting to you to learn and what you would want to do with it if creating an animation of your own!

After completing the blog, we are on to Unit 2, Lesson 10.2.  The short video clip we will be watching can also be found online at: https://vimeo.com/125276725 in case you are not in class for this.  You will probably recognize Sharon (the speaker) from one of our trips this year, she wasn't able to make it to all sites in the district and so this was the best way to dissemenate the information to all students :)  Thanks for your attention!

SPRING BREAK!!! Is over :(

Good Morning, Happy Monday and welcome (believe it or not) to the last week of April and the final stretch of the 2014-15 school year.  Next year you will be juniors and upper class-men!  I bet it seems pretty crazy how quickly your first two years went all of a sudden!!

Today we are going to kick off the morning with a quick reflection of the following:

1. How was your Spring Break?  What was the most fun thing you did and what is one reason you are excited to be back at school?
2. How are your grades?  I know it's never something you want to kick off your first morning back at school thinking about BUT you have to get back to reality at some point!  Are they good, bad, ugly?  Which classes are you doing well in?  Which classes do you need to get focused in and really work to improve?
3. Believe it or not, we are a mere 6 weeks until everything is said and done.  The school year will be over and you will be headed off to summer vacation!  What are your goals between now and then?  Be specific!  What grades do you need to get?  Are you still working on getting stuff lined up for this summer?  Have you registered for your classes for next year and do you know what they are?

That should be enough for today's post BUT keep in mind it should be just a starting point for you to start thinking about success and how you are going to ensure you get there!!  Thanks for your thorough, thoughtful response ;)  Before we get into our lesson for today, please be sure to complete Unit 2, Lesson 10.1 in edutyping!

A Mere 2 Hours of Classtime until Spring Break!

Good Morning, Happy Thursday and Happy (almost) Spring Break!!!

Here we go - here's what's on the line between the moment you login today and the time we check out tomorrow for Spring Break!!

1. Complete one of the two module options in CodeAcademy.  This can be either the "Make a Website" OR the "Make an Interactive Website."
1. One of these must be 100% complete - if you are stuck, try to bypass that step as you make your way to the finish - remember to double and triple check your code for any mistakes!
2. Complete through Unit 2, Lesson 9.2 in edutyping!  No less, no more!
3. Check School Loop and make sure you received credit for your Career PowerPoint (some people are missing that assignment)
1. email it to me at crubin@seq.org if you did not receive credit
4. Email me if you completed any blog posts during my 2 week absence.  I am offering extra credit for those posts but they must have been done between March 23 and April 3.  To receive the extra credit, simply email me at crubin@seq.org and tell me you completed blogs during my 2 week absence.

Thank you!!

Work, Work, Work!

Per our discussion yesterday:

• By Next Friday you must:
• Complete Unit 2, Lesson 9.2 in Edutyping
• Complete the Make a Website or Make an Interactive Website
• Remember you absolutely must complete the unit without any errors.  If you have errors you must go back and attempt to sort out what went wrong.  There is a "hints" button on the left side panel when you scroll down.  In addition, don't be shy to ask your neighbors.  I designed the seating chart so there would be "experts" nearby at all times.

This will be our agenda, nothing more - nothing less, between now and Spring Break.

Monday April 6th Update and Outlook

Good Morning, Happy Monday!

I apologize for my absence over the past two weeks, mainly the fact that there was not consistency with the sub in my place.  That is unacceptable.  There are certain things that may not have been clearly communicated and, while frustrating, it is clear that, at miniumum, it was made clear you were to be working with the website codeacademy.com.

With that said, you are responsible for completing the 5 Unit "Make a Website" program in CodeAcademy.  This will be due on the Friday before Spring Break meaning you will have 2 full weeks to work on this still (plenty of time).  While there were blog posts and edutyping requested of you during my absence, I do understand that this may not have been clearly communicated.  With that said, each of you who posted a blog during my absence will receive 5 extra credit points for each day you posted.  You may not go back and make these up.  They were either posted during the weeks of 3/23-27 and 3/30-4/3 or they were not.  As for Edutyping, although you were also responsible for a lesson of edutyping each day, again, I recognize this may not have been clearly communicated.  For that reason, I wish to make it clear that you will have until next Friday, April 24th, to be completed with Unit 2, Lesson 9.2.  That would be one lesson for the 8 days I was gone and 2 lessons over the next two weeks.

Finally, for today's blog post, please respond to the following:

1. How was your weekend?
2. How have you been doing in school, academically, over the past two weeks?
3. What struggles have you had? What areas have you been doing particularly well in?
4. What was your impression of codeacademy and making a website?  What challenges have you faced?  Successes?
5. How well did you use your time during my absence?  Be honest!!  Were you here everyday?  Focused? Working hard?  Could you have been more on task?

Thanks for a thorough, thoughtful response.  Glad to be back!

Thursday 3/19 - Back to Normal!

Good Morning and Welcome to a Normal Day of School!  Perhaps the only one of the week since tomorrow is a Wednesday Block!!

I hope CAHSEE testing went smoothly for you!  I know testing is never fun so to say but it is a reality in our current educational system and it is an important skill to have!  Like it or not, you have a lot more tests coming your way!  Not only in your academic classes, but you will likely take the PSAT, the SAT, possibly the ACT all in an effort to get into a 4 year university!  In fact, even to go to the community college you have to take a placement test to determine what math and english levels you qualify for - the higher you place, the less of that subject you need to take before you can qualify for your degree!!

Heck, you will even have to take tests in college and may even have to take an exam for the career you plan to pursue!  I have told you that to actually become a lawyer you have to pass the Bar Exam - actually, just to get into Law School you have to take the LSAT, business the GMAT and so on and so on!!

That said, what do you think the keys are for being successful on a test?  What did you do the last two days to ensure you did the very best you could!  What are the tips and techniques you would offer!?!?  Feel free to also discuss as part of your blog how you could prepare well for the test.  Did you do anything in particular? Feel free to also address how you think you did!  Did you do well?  Was it easy? Was it hard?  Do you have no idea?

After completing today's blog, here is the agenda for today:

• Complete the blog
• Complete lesson 5.2 in edutyping (UNIT 2)
• Register for CodeAcademy (we are only registering today - see a friend if you miss the tutorial)
• Complete your PowerPoint and Submit it in Schoology
• At the beginning of the class I am going to do a refresher on how to add a table of contents.  If you were late and/or not here today, you must do this.  You can seek help from a friend!
• Check School Loop.  Aside from your blogs, if you are missing ANY assignment you need to email it to me by the end of today's class period otherwise it will be a thing of the past!!  If you need to make up edutyping, once complete, take a screen shot of your completed lessons and submit to me via email.

If you have any questions you need to come see me and ask!! Otherwise I will assume you are doing fine and content with the grade posted in SchoolLoop!

Thank you!

Mr. Rubin

Monday, March 16th - The Beginning of the Last Week of Q3!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!!

Today I am off campus with my seniors helping them with college registration.  That means you are on your own today.  You have three tasks, all of which should be DONE by the time you leave here.  These tasks include:

Blog: Tomorrow and Wednesday you will be taking the CAHSEE exam.  Obviously this is an important test in regard to your graduation from High School.  With that said, what are some important things you can do between now and the test that might help you?  What are some suggestions your Math and English teachers have given you for doing well on the test?  Why is getting a good night sleep and/or eating a good breakfast important?  Is there anything you can still do to practice for the exam?

Edutyping: Please complete Unit 2, Lesson 5.1 in Edutyping.

Career PowerPoint:  You should be nearing completion on your PowerPoint.  Work on it!  Do anything you can to make it AMAZING!!  While it does not need to be submitted today, you should be done with it today.  You must turn it in this week on the block day (Thursday) for credit.  You will be submitting the project in Schoology so if you feel like you are done today, GREAT!  You can submit it any time!!

Thanks!  Please be great for our substitute teacher today and I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow and Thursday during CAHSEE testing!!

Mr. Rubin

It's Friday!!

Good Morning and Happy Friday!! I don't love this whole quote but I like my own abbreviated version which is "The only way to get people to like working hard is ... [for them] to understand why they're working hard.  Every individual ... is motivated by something different." When I saw this quote I though it might be a perfect way to kick off our Friday.

• What are you motivated by? 
• Are you motivated?
• How hard would you say you work?
• Could you work harder?
• If you did work harder do you think it would benefit you?  What else would you do with your time and/or energy?

After you have completed your blog, please complete Unit 2, Lesson 4.2 in Edutyping.  

Thanks!

Mr. Rubin

Block Day 3/12

Good Morning!  Happy Block Day!!

Today we are going to work towards finishing our final powerpoint of the 3rd quarter.  Don't worry, we're not going to finish it, finish it today but we're going to get mighty close!  That means we will have a short blog post, a quick lesson of edutyping and will dedicate the remainder of the class period to working on your presentation.

For today's blog post, check out the slideshow highlighting the 7 Occupations With the Highest Hiring Demand - http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/7-occupations-with-the-highest-hiring-demand - and respond to the following questions:

• Which of the 7 careers listed on the presentation are most interesting to you? Explain why.
• What career did you choose to focus on for your presentation and why?
• If the career you are interested in pursuing is listed in the slideshow, how does that make you feel?  Does the expected job growth motivate you to pursue the career even more?  What do you think about the salary?
• If the career you are interested in pursuing is not listed in the slideshow, how does that make
  you feel? Does this concern you about the career you are interested in? Why or what not?
  List 2 other details that you found interesting about this slideshow and/or the information it contained!

After you have completed the blog please quickly complete Unit 2, Lesson 4.1 in Edutyping and then login to Schoology and keep moving forward on your presentation. A reminder that we have completed:

• Your Title Slide, Career Interest Profiler Slide, My Matching Occupations Slide, the Exploring One Career Slide, and are currently in the process of completing the "Linking Your Career to School Slide."
• Today's task is going to require you to look back at the college you chose in your college powerpoint and determine if they offer the major you are interested in for your career ... if it does not, you might have to reconsider the school you are interested in attending ... use Naviance to locate this information and complete the "Exploring Majors and Colleges" slide.
• You are also expected to complete the "Wrap Up" slide today as well.

This will give you a complete PowerPoint. We can touch it up tomorrow and submit it!! Woohoo!

Zuckerberg's Take on Employment!!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!  Given the theme of college and career this quarter, I couldn't resist sharing the following article with you. The article was published in Time, PC Magazine, in the Washington Post and here:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243660.  There are two main points that Zuckerberg addresses in the article.  The first is about his hiring practice.  The second is about how he delegates tasks in his company.

Please read the article (it is short) and discuss the following:

• How does Mark Zuckerberg make hiring decisions?  How does this keep his company successful?  How does this contrast from other companies hiring practices (opinion)?  What do you think you would need in order to qualify for a job at Facebook?  What are some of the attributes you think Zuckerberg (or any employer really) would be looking for in an employee based on your reading this article?
• How does Mark Zuckerberg delegate tasks? What does delegate mean? Do you think this is an important skill to have? As a CEO do you think it is important for him "to do as much work as possible himself." Is this a good or bad trait?
• Lastly, there is discussion about mentorship within his company. He notes that "the most influential figures in his life are the colleagues he sees on a day-to-day basis." Do you think this can apply to you and your classmates in a school setting? Why or why not?

Thanks for a thoughtful response.  Please read and respond quickly but thoroughly in a minimum of 10 sentences!  Once you have finished this, please complete Unit 2, Lesson 3.2 in Edutyping before continuing on in your Career PowerPoint

Thank you!

Mr. Rubin

Monday - March 9th!?!?

Good Morning, Happy Monday!!!  I hope you had a great weekend and that you enjoyed our final mentor meeting of the school year on Friday.  Today we are going to kick off the morning with a quick reflection of your weekend and that event!!

• You know, back in October, before our very first mentor meeting I asked you what a mentor was.  Based on your experience this year, what is a mentor?
• What was your favorite part of the mentor meetings (besides the food!!)
• What was one thing you wish was different about the program?
• If you could work with anyone on anything who would that be and what would you be focusing on?  Do you think it matters who you are working with?  Why or why not?
• Do you think you would want to work with a mentor again in the future?  Would you want to work with the same mentor?  Why or why not?  Remember - this is a public post so be conscious of that as you write it up.

Now, that we've got that out of the way, here's what we are moving onto today.  First, please complete one lesson in Edutyping.  You should be on Unit 2, Lesson 3.1.  In addition, we are going to continue with our career PowerPoint.  You can find all of the details and directions in Schoology.  Today you will be taking the 3 matching occupations you found after completing your career interest profile and you will narrow that down to 1 occupation.  For that one occupation I am requesting that you:

• Click on that career & explore all the information in the new window for that career.
• Explore the career under all the tabs: 
• Read the Job Description, and Watch the video (under Overview) 
• Go to the Tasks & Activities Tab and read all that you’ll do 

I recognize this is time consuming and requires focus (you have to read) but this is something that is valuable for you as you start planning your pathway to your future. On your PowerPoint slide you will need to summarize what this job, or career, does based on your readings including adding data about the amount of money people in this career earn in California ... an important factor to make sure it will support your lifestyle.

A Busy Tuesday!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!!  Here we go!!  Today, while our focus is still on our Career PowerPoint, which I will more formally introduce today, we also have a few other agenda items to touch on first!!

1. Today we are going to begin getting prepared for our final mentor meeting of the 2014-2015 school year which is, yes, this Friday!! That means it is the last chance you will be meeting with your mentor and is the last opportunity you have to leave a lasting impression - and you want that lasting impression (or their memory of you) to be a positive one. Discuss a few things that you can/should do in preparation for this last mentor meeting that you feel will help leave a good impression on your mentor. Why do you think it is important to finish the year with your mentor on a positive note and how could it benefit you down the road?  Put in a little critical thinking as you complete this blog post. Come up with some good reasons, perhaps work towards having the best in the class :)  In addition, please write a sample "Thank You" letter to your mentor.  This letter should at minimum include the following and be incredibly NEAT AND CLEAN!!:
1. Dear "NAME",
2. Thank you so much for taking your time to work with me this year
3. 3 ways they really helped you this year OR things you enjoyed working with them on OR why you enjoyed meeting with them!! BRAINSTORM!  This shouldn't be too difficult!
4. Again, I really appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you again in the future.
5. Sincerely
6. YOUR NAME!
2. The presentation schedule has formally been released for the Spring.  You can access the presentation schedule at http://tinyurl.com/portfoliopresentations.  Be sure to write this presentation schedule time down in your planner, send an email to yourself, anything - whatever it takes.  If someone asks you from this date forward - parent, mentor, teacher, administrator - you need to be able to respond to them with your presentation date and time!!  I also have an invitation for your mentor which will go inside the Thank You Card!
3. Please complete lesson 2.2 (unit 2) in Edutyping and then refer to Schoology for instructions on the Career PowerPoint - our last presentation for 3rd quarter!!

It's March!!

Good Morning, Happy Monday, Happy March!!

March is a great month! The beginning of Daylight Savings Time, The First Day of Spring (Spring Equinox) 2015, My Birthday ... the list just keeps on going!! :)  Today we are going to kick off the day with a couple of things before jumping into our last PowerPoint for our Computer Applications course.  

• First, how was your weekend?  Did you do anything fun?  Anything exciting coming up this week?
• What are you looking forward to about this Friday's mentor event?  What are you hoping to get out of it?
• What type of career did you say you were most interested in learning about on your resume?

After completing the blog, please complete lesson 2.1 (unit 2) in Edutyping.  You will also need to make sure you have completed and printed your resume and submitted it in the back of the classroom - don't forget to sign your name on the roster!

Next, in preparation of our final PowerPoint which focuses on Careers (and you can see the example on Schoology) we are going to complete an online Career Interest Profiler on Naviance.  

• Login to Naviance, click on the careers tab at the top and then select "career interest profiler" under "what are my interests."

Today there is nothing you have to complete on your PowerPoint but you will need to complete the career interest profiler on Naviance.  Being done with that today will help you make sure you stay on track and are able to complete the PowerPoint on time.

The Day You've Been Waiting For!!

Good Morning and Happy Friday!!  Today is the day we will print our final Resumes!  Of course, we will go over it together first so don't click the print button yet!!

Before we get into that, please take a moment and reflect on your resume writing experience.

• What do you think of your resume?  Would you consider what you are about to print out "outstanding" work?  Would you hire you based on what you see on paper?
• What did you learn from this experience and what are some things you could do in the next year that would help you "fill out" your resume and make you a more desirable candidate for future jobs?  How does taking advantage of different opportunities presented in class create more opportunities in the future?
• What is one thing you see in your resume that you could improve right now?  Is there anything in the formatting?  Spelling/Grammar? Content?  Be specific!

After completing your blog, please double and triple check your resume.  It must be:

• Well formatted as demonstrated at the beginning of class.
• Checked and double checked for spelling/grammar errors
• It must include each of the sections highlighted and be outlined in the 3 bullet system
• Must only be one page

You can print using the 2050/2055 printer.  After printing please place your resume on the back counter and sign the roster stating you have submitted the final copy of your resume.

Thank you!

It's Thursday!! 2/26

Good Morning!  Happy Thursday!!

Today we are going to continue with our resume.  For your blog post today please think about the Objective section of your resume.

• What is an objective?  (You can do a quick Google search)
• List 3 objectives that you could put on your resume
• Have one be a short term goal/objective that is easily within your reach
• Have one be a short term goal/objective that would be a stretch for you
• Have one long term goal/objective that you hope to explore as a career
• What do you think the purpose of listing the objective on your resume is and do you think it will change each time you apply for a job?

In addition to the above, I'd like to continue with the discussion of opportunities for you.  Here are a couple that you could explore right now:

Learn how to code this March - it's a 3 day course on March 14th, 15th and 28th!!

codenow.org/apply

Be a role model, earn community service credit and build your resume!

Email Mr. Rubin Today at crubin@seq.org with Questions or If You Want to Sign Up!

Transportation is provided and you can choose the dates and times that work best for you!

Want to go to Electronic Arts for a Fieldtrip on Friday March 20th?  Email Mr. Rubin at crubin@seq.org and discuss in one paragraph why you would like to join this trip.  Your response should also include whether your grades reflect your ability to miss your classes on that date.

Remember - in the past 2 months alone we have had opportunities to apply for Girls Who Code (closed now), an internship at Facebook (paid - $1,500), the opportunity to apply for a new computer, the chance to step inside a multi-million dollar business on the top floor of a business district company, the chance to tour a California State University, the chance to receive extra support after school at our Academy Homework Center, etc.  What are you doing to help yourself?  How are your grades?  What opportunities are you taking advantage of?  How are you going to ensure you are successful?  Remember - nobody is going to do that for you - you have to do that for yourself!!  I am proud of those of you taking advantage of all of these opportunities and hope you know that!!

By the end of today you should have an outstanding, perfectly done, double/triple checked resume ready to be printed!!

You've Got the Skills!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!  Today we are going to continue working with our resume - this time we are working with the skills portion.  Before we even touch on that, I need you to make a list on your blog,  Your list should include 3 skills you have.  Skills, simply stated, are the abilities that one possesses.  In other words, what are you good at?

Attempt to think of 3 different things that you are particularly good at ... some skill you have that the person right next to you might not have.  You could even do a quick internet search for skills at http://www.quintcareers.com/job_skills_values.html.  Perhaps that will help you brainstorm a few things.  

The second part of your blog will be to explain how that skill would be helpful to your future employer and/or how it would make you a more desirable person to hire!  You might be a really good BMX biker which is an awesome skill but if you are hoping to work at Jamba Juice that might not be the skill they are looking for ... get it?

After you have completed your blog post, please complete Unit 2, Lesson 2.1.  THEN ... open up your resume and keep making progress ...

By the end of today you should have your contact information updated at the top of the page, your education updated and complete, 1 example under Experience of a responsibility you have held and a minimum of 3 skills listed under the skills portion of the resume.  You can look at what is listed on the resume I shared as well but make sure you only list what is pertinent to you!

Thanks ... 

Monday 2/23

Good Morning and Happy Monday!  We are into the final week of February!!  What better way to kick off the week than a blog post and a lesson of edutyping?!?!  Before we get into my class, please take a moment for your blog this morning and address the following questions:

• Can you believe it!! Although second semester is undoubtedly longer than the 1st, grades are already posted for the 1st quarter progress period and we are less than 4 weeks from the end of the quarter!! In SchoolLoop, check all of your progress grades.
• What grades did you receive in each course? (make a list) 
• Next to the grade you received, list one thing you could have done to improve your grade in each class. If you received an A, how would you explain your success to a classmate?
• Finally, what is your current term GPA?  In addition, how are you feeling about this GPA? About school? About finishing off the 2014-15 school year strong?

Thanks for your thoughtful response.  After completing the blog today please complete Unit 2, Lesson 1.2 in Edutyping.  Now that you're done with that, the rest of the time is all about building your resume.  Remember, we began this task Friday and discussed it for the majority of the period.  Today I would like you to finish the following:

• Complete the Education part of your resume
• Add at least 1 job or responsibility you have had under the "Experience" Category.

Please remember to be short and concise.  Please also refer to the handouts in Schoology for suggestions.  We will continue with this assignment tomorrow and your final draft needs to be complete on Friday!

Thanks!!

Let's Talk About a Resume 2/20

Good Morning and Happy Friday!!  Even though it was a short week, it still always feels good to make it through the week and feel like it was a productive one!  Hopefully you are feeling really good about your progress in the class and were able to submit a lot of work yesterday!  A lot of people brought their grades up a full letter grade, maybe even more!!  If you still see that something doesn't look right with your grade, you need to talk to me - but that conversation should happen today!! Don't be shy!

Today we are going to take a moment to discuss what a resume is and the importance of having one!  While some of you are probably familiar with this,  I am going to ask that before we have this conversation you do a brief internet search and respond to the following:

1. What is a resume?
2. What is it used for?
3. What are some of the details that are listed on a resume?
4. Why would it be really beneficial for you to have a resume at this point in your life?
5. Lastly, why is it important that your resume be good looking, well organized and full of interesting information?

Thanks for your thoughtful post - also - it's been a little while!  Let's sneak in a lesson of Edutyping!  We are on Unit 2, Lesson 1.1!

Did I mention ... Happy Friday :)

2/19!! You Gotta Do It

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!  Today we have a block day!!  The theme of today's block day is JUST DO IT!!

On Tuesday we watched a great TedX talk by Andrew Williams.  We ran out of time near the end of class but I really wanted to get your opinion on the video.  What was your reaction to this video?  When you reflect back on watching the video what does it make you think about the various opportunities available to you right now and what is the importance of you taking advantage of them?

Today is a work day for you.  For my class and for your other courses!  Here's the deal:

1. You need to make sure you have completed all assignments for my class.  The good news is that some of you are smooth sailing with REALLY HIGH A's!  Others of you are a little behind!  You absolutely must turn in any missing or late assignment by the end of class today.  After today we are moving on and I will not accept them.
1. To receive credit for an assignment you must complete it and email it to me at crubin@seq.org! 
2. If you complete your edutyping through lesson 22.2 you must email me and confirm what lesson you completed.
3. The one thing I will not accept is people making up missed blog posts.  Only if it says missing will I accept your link so I can get a grade in the gradebook!
2. You need to confirm you are ROCKING your other classes!  Check Schoolloop, check your planner, check your brain - what can you be doing in your other classes to ensure you are getting the highest grade possible!!

The bottom line is I typically hear from your other teachers that the reason you are not doing well is you are missing work...the same is true for my class.  It's why I believe high school is all about building responsibility. It's also why the UC's and CSU's give you a break and don't look at your grades during your Freshman year - they give you a chance to get adjusted ... BUT YOU'RE SOPHOMORES NOW - NO EXCUSES - JUST DO IT!

Monday 2/17

Before posting your blog, please complete this link:

• http://goo.gl/28VXSW

Good Morning and Welcome back from what I hope was a nice, relaxing 4 day weekend!!  I hope you enjoyed it!  We are about to hit the toughest stretch of the school year with no breaks for the next month.  For today's blog, please respond to the following questions:

1. How was your weekend?  What did you do that was fun?  Did you do anything productive?  Did you have to work?  Was anything not fun?
2. How can you stay motivated through the end of the 3rd quarter, exactly one month from this Friday?  What would you describe to someone as the 3 keys to success in staying focused on your education?

Thanks for a quick, but thorough and thoughtful response!  Today we are going to take a moment to watch a TED talk. Ever seen one? Dr. Andrew Williams speaks at TEDx and shares a surprising revelation Steve Jobs made about the number of black engineers at Apple and his determination to make a change. As you know, just last week we were discussing opportunities that are being created right now by large corporations for women and men who are underrepresented in the field. Dr. Williams also shares his journey and the journey of the SpelBots and how they overcome obstacles in technology. It shows the importance of being creative and persistent if you want to be successful!! This is an inspirational and positively encouraging TEDx talk and I hope you enjoy it.

As you watch the video, please complete the following worksheet: http://goo.gl/HqFcNb

You can find the TED talk at http://youtu.be/Xv544iQi1GE

Tuesday 2/10

Good Morning!! It's Tuesday!!  Today your sole focus is on finishing your PowerPoint Presentation!  A reminder that you will have time to fine tune everything; add pictures, check for spelling and make it beautiful after I run through how to create your Table of Contents with links.

To maximize your time, there is NO blog post today ... I am only posting here to remind you there are two forms you MUST complete by the end of the day today:

Please complete this form: http://goo.gl/HwYQJQ (it literally takes one minute and helps us with your course schedule)

and

http://goo.gl/q6Xojg (your updated blog site so I can give you credit for your posts - remember, it should have .blogspot.com in the address!)

After that, your task for today is to finish your PPT. To be on track, today, Tuesday, you should be done gathering all of the information for your project and have 12 slides.

Happy Monday - 2/9

Good Morning! Happy Monday! It's a block day!! Today we are going to continue working on our College PowerPoint Project. This assignment is due Thursday so you will want to make sure you are making great progress each day this week!!

For today's blog I would like you to write a 5-8 sentence summary of your experience at San Francisco State on Friday.  Be sure to discuss the following:

• What did you take away/learn from the speaker and panel at the start of the tour
• What did you take away/learn from the tour of the campus
• What was your overall impression of San Francisco State?  What did you like and what did you not like?

After completing the blog, there is no edutyping today.  Please make sure you completed this form from Friday:

Please complete this form: http://goo.gl/HwYQJQ (it literally takes one minute)

and, I need you to complete this form as well

http://goo.gl/q6Xojg (your updated blog site - remember, it should have .blogspot.com in the address!)

After that, your task for today is to simply focus on your PPT. To be on track, today, Monday, you should be finishing slide 11.

Block Day - 2/5

Good Morning!  Happy Thursday!  It's a block day!!  Today we are going to continue to make progress on our College PowerPoint Project.  This is such an amazing opportunity for you to look at the many opportunities that are available to you!!  I mean, look at the picture, there are 3,899 colleges to choose from!  Could you even name 20 off the top of your head??!?!?  Seriously!!

For today's blog (and since we are going to SF State tomorrow please answer the following questions:

1. What are 3 things that would be AWESOME about going to SF State for college?!??!
2. What are 3 things you would like to know about SF State (or other State colleges) that you don't feel like you quite understand!
3. Finally, here's the million dollar question, WHY do a lot of people say it is better to go to a 4 year college than a community college straight out of High School?!??!?

Thanks for a great blog response.  Please focus on the following today:

1. Please complete this form: http://goo.gl/HwYQJQ (it should only take you a minute ... literally)
2. Finish Unit 1 of Edutyping - that means you are done with lesson 22.2 (I'm grading these next week)
3. Watch 2 quick Lynda.com videos - they're actually about 10 minutes combined but will help you as you put together a visually appealing presentation!!  These videos are: 
1. Working with Slide Layouts
2. Working with Slide Masters
4. Back to your College PowerPoint - by the end of today you should have completed slides 3 - 10. That means next Monday we will work on slide 11, Tuesday slide 12, block day final touches, table of contents and title page and Friday DONE!  Make sure you stay on track and remember that while this is an assignment, it's also an OPPORTUNITY to learn about some great options for YOU to explore after M-A!

What Can I Say ... I Like Sports!

Good Morning and Happy Monday -

Our blog today relates specifically to the "discussion" we had on Friday!  A huge thank you to any of you who have taken the initiative to help yourselves!  Today I would like you to take a look at the following quote and take a moment to analyze exactly what Michael Jordan (one of the most respected NBA players of all time and star of Space Jam) means with the following quote.

To receive ANY credit for this post you must discuss the following with a minimum of 6 sentences:

• What does the quote mean to you
• What effect does this quote have on you and your life
• What does this quote motivate you to do (if anything)

Thanks!  Lets start this week, and the month of February, on a positive note!  We will be working on the following today:

• Edutyping Lesson 22.1
• Watch Lynda.com, PowerPoint 2007 Essential Training, Using Font Schemes & Creating Your Own Themes.  Here is a link that should take you there: http://www.lynda.com/PowerPoint-tutorials/Using-font-schemes/257/25065-4.html
• Continue your work on: PowerPoint Assignment #2 - Looking at College!! By the end of the class period today you should have completed slides 4, 5, & 6 which focus on the 3 colleges you have chosen (you do not need to be done with slides 1, 2, & 3 as we discussed last week.

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!!

Woohoo!!!  It's Friday!!!!  Who's excited??  Incredibly, today is also the last SCHOOL day in January!  I'm telling you, while June is still 4 months away, it's going to be here before we know it!!  Okay, I am off topic!

Yesterday you got to spend about an hour taking a look at your future after high school.  You looked at 3 different colleges (a community college -2yr, a 4 year California Public School - CSU/UC, a California Private, Out - of - State Private, or other 4 year school of your choice).  Ideally, these schools would represent a safety school (you can all go to community college) but the other 2 should represent schools that you might imagine yourself attending after M-A!

For your blog today please respond to the following questions:

1. What 3 schools did you choose?
2. For each of the 3 schools, explain 2 reasons why you chose that school!
3. How likely is it that you COULD/WOULD be able to get into that school? (look at the GPA requirement and give me the likelihood you could accomplish that on a scale of 1:10)
4. How likely are you to ACTUALLY apply to these universities - specifically the 4 year school - when you are a senior at M-A?  Again, give me your response on a scale of 1:10!

Thanks ... did I mention it's Friday???!?!?!  Woohoo!!

It's a Block Day ... and the LAST ONE in January!

Good Morning and Happy Thursday Block Day!!

The past two days have been dedicated to you taking care of some things that you feel will benefit you!!  For me this is always a great feeling - what about for you?  Did you get a lot done the past two days?  How exactly did you spend your time?  Do you feel like you were productive?  What is one concrete thing you accomplished - if you accomplished more than one thing, what were they?

Today we are going to take some time to think about a college education.  I know this is a discussion we have had before, but certainly not one I get tired of.  Looking at the chart below, what does it make you think about a college education.  Be sure to discuss a minimum of 3 things you have learned from looking at the chart below and discuss why this demonstrates either the importance of a college education or the opposite.

Thanks and I will look forward to reading your response!

Click this link to go to Naviance: https://connection.naviance.com/family-connection/auth/login/?hsid=mahs

Today and Tomorrow are For You!!

Good Morning -

Today and Tomorrow are for YOU!  It's an opportunity to make sure your City PowerPoint is done (it better be), to make up any work you missed from your classes while we were gone at Univision, a chance to follow-through on some of the things you discussed with your mentor on Friday and/or a chance to take care of some business for yourself!  Before I give you a dedicated work period, please respond to the following quote:

As you can see from the image I posted, the quote above is from Wayne Gretzky.  Who is Wayne Gretzky?  What do you think he meant by this quote and how can you relate it to yourself and your academic goals?  Can you think of any shots you could have taken but didn't and you now regret it?  Any shots you took and it paid off? Any shots you should be taking right now?  Remember, we're not just talking about sports here!

Thanks for your thoughtful response.  We'll take a second to discuss before getting started with our task for today!  If you're stuck and not sure what you can work on, consider familiarizing yourself with Naviance.  You can access it at mabears.org and click on the link at the bottom that says Naviance.  Your @seq.org and password should get you onto the site without a problem!

A Block Day Post!

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

Today, as promised, our class period will be dedicated to you working on your City PowerPoint project.  Before you begin, please respond to the following:

Tomorrow we have our 3rd mentor breakfast of the 2014-2015 school year.  Most importantly, I need you to be ON TIME to school and report to Mr. Olsson's class at the very beginning of 1st period.  Please don't be late.  For today's blog, I would like you to think of three things that you could use help with from your mentor.  Ideally these three things would have something to do with you doing well in high school, being prepared for college, looking for a summer job or internship, etc!  Again, three things you would like to work on or need support from your mentor with.  For each thing you list, explain what they can do for you and how it would help you!!

After completing your blog post, please complete one lesson on edutyping.  After that, the rest of the time is yours to work on your city powerpoint project.  We are aiming to be done with the powerpoint presentation at the end of class today!  Remember to double check the requirements on Schoology and if there is anything you are unsure of how to do, check the attached document on schoology or login to Lynda and get some ideas from the poster video!

Thanks and looking forward to going to Univsion at 9:00AM with the other 1/2 of you today!!! Tuesday, in my opinion, was a great experience!

Blog Post for Tuesday 1/20

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!  I hope you had a great 3 day weekend and are rejuvenated and ready to focus on school for a couple of weeks!  The amazing thing is that we have 18 days of school until another long weekend - 4 days next month!  The goal should be to stay focused, work hard and be in great shape as you enter the final stretch of the semester!

Today, as promised, our class period will be dedicated to you working on your City PowerPoint project.  Before you begin, working on your presentation, take a moment to think about the city you chose for your project.  What made you choose this city?  Who would you want to go to this city with and what would be the top 3 things you would want to do.  You can write this blog based on your knowledge of the city or based on some of the research you have done.  How likely do you think you are to visit this city you are researching someday in your life?

After completing your blog post, please complete one lesson on edutyping.  After that, the rest of the time is yours to work on your city powerpoint project.  Remember to double check the requirements on Schoology and if there is anything you are unsure of how to do, check the attached document on schoology or login to Lynda and get some ideas from the poster video!

Thanks and looking forward to going to Univsion at 9:00AM!!

Univision Continued! A Blog Post for 1/16

Good Morning and Happy Friday!!!  I don't know if you realize this, but Monday is a holiday!! Hey, enjoy the day off!!

Today we are going to continue our prep for our Univision trip.  I know sometimes it can be difficult to brainstorm questions without being on site but it's really important when we are there that everyone is engaged.  One way to make sure you are engaged is to think of questions you would be interested in learning the answers to when we are on our trip.

For your blog today, please simply brainstorm 3 things you would like to know about Univision.  These could include details about working there, their broadcast schedule, the various shows they have on the air, etc.  Take a look at the Univision website and it might trigger a few extra questions for you that you could ask!!

Thanks.  Agenda for the remainder of the day is below!

Agenda:

Blog Response
Edutyping 20.2
Continue w/City PowerPoint Project - Due next Thursday!

(no required Lynda.com videos today, however, don't be shy to watch one or two to learn how to accomplish certain techniques on your presentation!)

Block Day Thursday 1/15

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!  Today we are going to work on making some serious progress on our PowerPoint City Project.  Before doing so, I want to take a second to start thinking about our trip to Univision.  Visit the Univision website at http://www.univision.com/.  While we will be going there to learn about the various types of technology they use, we will also be going to learn about the various careers available to you when you get out of high school.  Please respond to the following questions as we prepare for the trip:

1. List some skills you have.  Both hard and soft skills.  Note hard skills are teachable abilities like you would find on a resume while soft skills are your "people" skills or more interpersonal skills.
2. Describe what Univision does?  Every company has to produce a good or service.  What does Univision produce or what service do they provide?
3. Describe as many career positions as you can think of that might be available at Univision.  After coming up with a list of your own, click HERE to see a few current job postings. How did your list match up?  Would this ever be a place you might consider working?  Why or why not?

Thanks for your response.  After responding to the blog please work on the following tasks today:

1. Respond to the blog
2. Complete Edutyping lesson 20.1
3. Ensure you have submitted your G# at http://goo.gl/ulno31- see our previous blog if you need the web address for the application still!
4. Go to Lynda.com and watch two short clips in the PowerPoint 2007 Essential Training Series. They are under section 4 and are entitles Using Background Styles and Using Color Schemes.  As you watch the video feel free to either have the sample ppt open used in the video or have your city powerpoint presentation open to make actual adjustments.  Remember, you can always pause the video to play with and pick your backgrounds, color schemes, etc.
5. Continue working on your City PowerPoint (instructions in Schoology)
6. Consider applying for the 2015 Facebook Summer Academy Program. You can learn more by checking out http://facebooksummeracademy.com

IT'S TUESDAY - 1/13!!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday -

For your blog post today please respond to the following questions in paragraph format ...

• How will you be successful this Semester?
• Did you know that there is an Academy Homework Center today (and every Tuesday) after school?
• Have you ever been to the Academy Homework Center and, if so, what was your experience?
• Why would you go to the Academy Homework Center? Why would you not go?
• If you haven't been and don't plan to attend the Academy Homework Center, when do you complete school work outside of school?
• Do you have work that needs to be done outside of school?  Do you have any assignments right now that you are aware of that are due soon?

Thank you.  Remember - this should be completed in paragraph format and all posts should include a picture.  Below is our agenda for today:

1. Arrive in class and Respond to the Blog
2. Complete Lesson 19.2 in Edutyping ** if you are not on lesson 19.2, only complete one lesson.  You can catch up outside of school **
3. Confirm that you have submitted your course articulation with G# on the following form: goo.gl/ulno31 - the application for those of you who have not completed it can be found at: http://home.cccapply.org/ 
4. Go to Lynda.com and watch PowerPoint 2007 Essential Training and select the video entitled Using Themes and Applying Effects to Themes under the "Designing Presentations" Section 4.
5. Go to Schoology and begin PowerPoint Assignment #1

** Also worth noting: 2015 Facebook Summer Academy Program - http://facebooksummeracademy.com/

Monday 1/12

Good Morning and welcome back.  Amazing that we are already in week of the 2nd semester.  I have a feeling this year is going to fly by and you guys will be juniors before you know it.  Today we are going to finish up the application we started Friday for Canada College and we're going to watch the lesson on Printing Presentations in Lynda.com - Lesson 3.  Remember that as you watch these videos it is smart to take a couple of notes so that you know how to navigate through Microsoft PowerPoint once we get going on some projects.  Last week you learned how to create a new presentation, add and remove slides, rearrange slides, etc.  You also learned how to use different layouts and even templates to make sure you are able to create a presentation that is uniquely yours!

For your blog post today I would like for you to reflect on the fact that you are able to earn college credit for the technology classes you are taking in the Academy?  What do you think of this?  Does it motivate you to want to do well?  Are you interested in attending Canada College after M-A?  How would getting college credit for courses taken in High School potentially help you if you choose to go to Canada College?

Thanks for your response.  Once complete, open up your application from Friday.

Friday, January 9th!!

Good Morning Everybody!!  Happy Friday!  Wow - that came really fast.

Today we are going to kick off the day with a quick reflection of your experience on Lynda.com yesterday.  Here are the questions I would love your feedback on.

1. What did you think of this method of learning some skills in PowerPoint?  What did you like about the ability to learn skills in PowerPoint through an online video?
2. Name 3 things that you learned from watching the video on Lynda.com pertaining to PowerPoint?
3. While yesterday we watched a focused video on PowerPoint and the essential tools you can use to create a dynamic presentation, what does something like Lynda.com have the power to do for you?  For me?  For others in our community?  What do you think is neat about this form of technology?

Thanks for your response.  As soon as you are done with this, stay tuned for instructions.  It's going to be a fast paced, important day to follow along!

Post for Thursday 1/8

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

I sincerely apologize for not being here today.  I have been asked to attend an important meeting at the district office.  I will be back tomorrow!!

For your blog today, please take a moment to discuss what presentation software is.  What is it used for?  How can it benefit you?  What is PowerPoint specifically and what other programs exist that people could use as a presentation tool?  Feel free to do a quick web search but remember, time management is important and you need to complete this post in the first 10 or so minutes of class.

Once you have completed your post, please see the directions below for today!

1. Complete your Blog
2. Complete Edutyping lesson 18.2
3. Login in to Schoology and download the folder in the assignment titled PowerPoint 2007 Essential Training.  Many of you have already done this. You need to save the file to your home drive.
4. Login to Lynda.com.  Remember to Click on Log in through your organization (www.seq.org) and then input your username/password.
5. Find the video entitled PowerPoint 2007 Essential Training.  You may be able to use this link to get you there. http://www.lynda.com/Office-2007-tutorials/powerpoint-2007-essential-training/257-2.html?org=seq.org
6. Watch lessons 1 & 2 and follow along with the instructions using the files you downloaded.  I will look forward to hearing your feedback on this.  Regardless, this is a great opportunity to learn about the many tools in PowerPoint.

Thanks for your hard work in advance!

Mr. Rubin

Welcome to 2015!!

Good Morning and Welcome Back!!

It is hard to believe that it has been over two weeks since we have been together!  I bet you missed me :)  In any case, I wanted to start off the morning with a quick recap of your break!  How was it?What did you do?  What was the highlight?  What is one reason you are excited to be back at school?

As a second part to today's post, as you know around the world as the New Year kicks off, people take an opportunity to examine themselves, their lifestyle and goals and are able to focus on how they would like to make a difference starting with yourself in the new year!  Did you make a New Years Resolution?  What are you committed to doing in your life in 2014 and how will it help you be happier, more successful, a better person, etc.  On a secondary level perhaps, what are some goals that you have set for yourself for the second half of the 2014 school year?  Perhaps bad habits you want to break, things you want to do better, goals you want to achieve, etc!  It's a new year, be realistic but dream big :)

Lets kick off the year right with a thorough thoughtful response addressing all parts of the prompt! Thank you and Happy New Year! :)