September 11, 2011 Dear Parents, This year in computer class the students will be using various online

tools. We have our own Google Apps for Education domain. This gives the students access to all of the many Google tools, including email, calendar, documents and sites. Students usernames and passwords will be shared with you, so that you may monitor this account. Their suite of tools has been slightly modified. Their start page is locked and all personal gadgets used on it must be whitelisted by me, rather than having access to all of the gadgets on the internet. They have a mybcd.org email address, Google docs, Google calendar, Aviary, Offisync and access to other Google tools. It is important for students to begin to understand how to utilize digital tools in their schoolwork and by having an account that is only to be used for school, much as you may have a business account, I hope to help them learn to effectively and ethically use these tools for their schoolwork. Googles terms of service (TOS) include a clause that users must be at least 13 years old or have parental permission. This also applies to many of the other services we use. Students in grades 4 & 5 may use Edmodo for one project. Seventh and eighth graders may use Wix or Weebly for web site projects later in the year. At the bottom of this page is a link to the digital form which must be signed in order for your student to access these tools. It is also embedded below. All students in grades 4-8 will receive a sheet with all their usernames and passwords to bring home. If you would also like a copy to be emailed to you for your records, please email me.

VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments. We have a BCD account at http://bcd.ed.voicethread.com . Students log in with their mybcd.org credentials. Glogster EDU is the education version of Glogster, where the students can make digital posters and embed many different types of mulitmedia, including images, video and audio. This is a teacher controlled site, where I can see into each account and manage student information. Students in grades 4-8 have accounts, which can be accesed with their mybcd.org credentials. Some students had different usernames and passwords last year, so they may need to use a special first login, which will be provided at school. Animoto is a fast and easy way to produce a video from a series of images or very short video clips. We have an all access pass which allows students to create longer videos. The TOS requires students to be 13+ or have permission from their parents. Students log in with their mybcd.org credentials. Toon Doo Spaces is a comic strip creation site. These are shared accounts with 2-3 students associated with each account. Our school page is located at http://bcd.toondoospaces.com . Because these are shared accounts, they have a different password. I keep copies of these at school; students do not need to memorize them.

Big Huge Labs tagline is Helping you do cool stuff with your digital photos Teachers can allow students to associate this account with the BCD Flickr account to access the images taken at school. Student sign in with an ID and a password. They use the ID in lieu of their email address. We dont have control on how usernames and passwords are generated- thus the alphabet soup. I keep copies of these at school; students do not need to memorize them.

Diigo is a social bookmarking tool. Students have accounts and are assigned to class groups to share resources when researching. This makes it easier for them to access their bookmarks and annotations from any computer. Students log in with their mybcd.org credentials.

"Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. The link on the image takes you to a scratch gallery of projects that BCD students have created.

Blabberize is a site used to make images talk. In the past I have allowed students to make a talking image by logging them into my account. At times there has been objectionable material on this site, but the owners will usually take it down if requested. Students age 13 and up may create their own accounts using their mybcd.org credentials. Younger students with parent permission will create accounts with their mybcd.org credentials.

Xtranormal is a site to make movies with animated figures. The figures talk with computer voices, and can speak different languages. The TOS of the site requires students to be 13 or older or have parental permission. Accounts created will use the mybcd.org credentials.

Prezi is a presentation tool that allows you to Create astonishing presentations live and on the web. It is somewhat like a non-linear PowerPoint. The TOS states that you must be 13+ to use this, but I have checked with them and students may use the site with parental permission. Accounts created will use the mybcd.org credentials.

Wikis are editable webpages. We have many different wikis for different classes. Most of the time I put student work on them, but at times students will be asked to work on them as well. They will use their mybcd.org credentials to do so and wiki addresses will be posted on the appropriate class blogs.

Vokis are talking avatars. They can be used to explain a concept, give a report, record a dialog in French or Spanish, or just as a way to introduce yourself. Voki enables users to express themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters animals, monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload, or phone.

GoAnimate4Schools is a site used to create animations. Students can create amazing animated stories using our studio. Students can upload pictures, add voices to their creations. With our character creator, teacher and students can animate versions of themselves and star in their own stories. They can also create other characters according to professions, historical figures or celebrities. These are shared accounts.

Students in 4th grade and 5th grade may also be using Edmodo, a secure social networking group in their work on the FlatClassroom project. The group code is:

May be used by 7th grade for one project

May be used by 8th grade for one project

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Maureen Tumenas mtumenas@berkshirecountryday.org

*** Please click here for permission forms or fill in the form in the blog post.