Know your Twitter spam

Periodically I try to create & post resources that I hope the entire PS 10 community; students, staff, and parents alike, find valuable. This is one of those posts. Spam comes in many forms but since we use Twitter so extensively here at PS 10 I wanted to create a Twitter-specific resources for recognizing and protecting yourself from Twitter-related spam.

Twitter has it's moments of Costco-sized spam deliveries.

We've all seen it. Or more to the point you got a Direct Message (DM) saying "wow, have you seen this post about you?" with a on-so-not-suspicious link attached. Or the ego enhancing "I've lost weight with this, and you could too!"

When this spam comes through I immediately delete it and let the sender know they most likely have been compromised. It's not always the users fault, though. Recently Pinterest was compromised and was sending out tweets to those users who had connected their Pinterest and Twitter accounts.

I created this quick tutorial for the PS 10 community to help everyone recognize and identify suspicious DMs and tweets:

3rd Grade - Spring Break 4/2014 - Building the biggest

Have you ever seen a very large boat? How about a big cruise ship? Often, out in New York harbor you can see very large ships carrying containers. They are shipping goods throughout the world.

Have you ever seen one of those giant container ships being built....?

4th Grade - Spring Break 2014 - Pinokio

We live in interesting times. Technology is all around us. Some technology is passive, meaning it only does what we make it do. Other technology works on it's own...



Can technology talk to you? Can technology play along? The robots of the movies, are they possible in today's technology filled world?



Watch this video and answer the questions below:

5th Grade - Spring Break 4/2014 - We are technology

Technology is everywhere. Often, we think all things are created with things like computers. We also tend to think computers are what make everything better. But that is not always the case. Sometimes the greatest technology is the human mind and it's creative potential...

Where we are...

Here is a quick update as to where all classes are in the Computer lab...

2nd grade

• finishing their work on their History documents
• writing
• editing & revising
• formatting
• searching for relevant & appropriate pictures
• downloading & inserting pictures into their documents

3rd grade

• beginning Google Presentations
• taking History document and converting essay content to bullet format
• adding slides
• discussing the difference between conveying information on slides versus an essay

4th grade

• building personal portfolio websites (using Google Sites)
• used Microsoft Word to begin building a site map
• creating pages within Sites
• beginning to add content to pages
• discussing he importance of safety and security of personal details and information
• discussing the importance of creating a positive digital footprint

5th grade

• building personal portfolio websites (using Google Sites)
• used Microsoft Word to begin building a site map
• creating pages within Sites
• beginning to add content to pages
• discussing he importance of safety and security of personal details and information
• discussing the importance of creating a positive digital footprint

As always, feel free to contact me at any time with any and all questions.

Thank you!

Mr. Casal

Grade 5 - Yosemite

5th graders,
Since Mr. Casal is absent you will watch the video below and answer the questions. When you are finished, and have successfully posted a comment you may continue to work on your "Me2013" Google Presentations.

Remember, you will not be watching the video on your computer, only on the Smartboard. Mr. Waisome will play the video a few times as you read the questions and post your answers to the questions.

The United States has many National Parks. Yosemite is one of them.

First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

The video:

Yosemite HD II from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

Some informations about the video:

A 200+ mile backpacking experience through Yosemite National Park captured by Colin Delehanty and Sheldon Neill. This project was filmed over the course of 10 months. We spent a combined 45 days in the park capturing the images in this video.

If you want to read more about the makers of the video, click here

Your questions:

• Have you ever been to a National Park?
• Have you ever been to Yosemite?
• When you watched the video, what stood out to you the most?
• What did the video make you think about?
• After watching the video, would you want to go to Yosemite?
• What are your overall impressions of Yosemite after watching the video?

Remember - Comment as "Name/URL" and use your first name and last initial (proper capitalization, no URL). Please respond in full and complete sentences. Double check your work before posting your comment.

When you are finished, and have successfully posted a comment you may continue to work on your "Me2013" Google Presentations.

Grade 4 - Panorama

4th graders,
Since Mr. Casal is absent you will do the following assignment, answering the questions as comments.

Once you have successfully posted a comment you can finish work on your "Me2013" Google Presentation.

Have you ever wanted to look at something from above? Have you ever wanted to look at a monument of city from every angle?

Grade 3 - New York Day

3rd graders.
Since Mr. Casal is absent you will be watching a short video and answering a few questions related to it as comments. You must answer all of the questions.

Remember, you will not be watching the video on your computer, only on the Smartboard. Mr. Waisome will play the video a few times as you read the questions and post your answers to the questions.

Grade 2 - History of Typography

2nd graders,
Since Mr. Casal is absent you will watch this video and then answer the questions below. After you have posted your comment you can open up Word and continue on your History document.

Remember, you will not be watching the video on your computer, only on the Smartboard. Mr. Waisome will play the video a few times as you read the questions and post your answers to the questions.

5th Grade - February 2/2014 - The Science of the Winter Olympics

The Olympic Winter Games are currently happening. They started on February 7th and go until the closing ceremony on February 23rd.

Below are a few videos about how some Olympians compete in their sports...

4th Grade - February 2/2014 - New Winter Olympic events

The Olympic Winter Games are currently happening. They started on February 7th and go until the closing ceremony on February 23rd.

Below is a video describing the new events at these Olympic Games. These are events that have never before been Olympic events.


Watch the video and answer the questions below...

3rd Grade - February 2/2014 - Which Olympic sport is for you?

The Olympic Winter Games are currently happening. They started on February 7th and go until the closing ceremony on February 23rd.

Below is a video of celebrities and athletes (not Winter Olympic athletes) answering the question: "In which Winter Olympic Sport would you want to compete?" 

We tweet @P10Brooklyn. A lot

Tweeting @PS10Brooklyn has become a core component of many classrooms. It has been great to see teachers, students, and parents alike embrace the power of Twitter as a communication, collaboration, and connection tool.

For example, @MsKertesz in the 4th grade has used Twitter to connect with a class in Liverpool, England. They do weekly Skype sessions and our 4th graders have developed a great working partnership with their English counterparts. Without Twitter these two classes, separated by an ocean, would never have connected.

Twitter has also gotten PS10 recognition outside of New York City...

Class 5-404 blogs...

Class 5-404 blogs...

These blogs were originally created in the computer lab under the direction of Mr. Casal using their PS 10 Google Apps for Education accounts. Since their initial creation the students have taken 100% control of the direction and content that appears on their blogs (while meeting the guidelines of the PS 10 acceptable use policy)

These blogs were started in 2012 when the students were in the 4th grade. It was the first foray of any class into the world of student-driven blogging. Prior to this students comment on teacher-written posts. This was an opportunity to give students control of their digital publishing.
(roughly 10 students are new to the class this year, so their blogs are not as robust and populate yet)

Some posts are on specific topics with specific guidelines set forth by Mr. Casal. Some posts are entirely independent free writes, completely inspired by the students alone. The layout and design of the blogs is similarly guided, some layout elements are required, but for the most part the students are free to design as they see fit.

When they leave PS 10 if they would like to keep their blogs they will be able to change ownership to a personal Google account.

These blogs are intended to be student directed & controlled creative outlets to showcase their talents...

Grade 2 - New Year's Eve in 2 Minutes

2nd graders,

I am out of school at an educational technology conference. I am being a student, learning from other teachers about new tools, ideas, and how I can be a better computer teacher. Learning never stops, even if you're a teacher.

Today you will watch a short video and then comment on it.

Grade 3 - History of Typography

3rd Graders,
I am out of school at an educational technology conference. I am being a student, learning from other teachers about new tools, ideas, and how I can be a better computer teacher. Learning never stops, even if you're a teacher.

When we are typing we are entering our text using a particular font, or style of writing. But fonts aren't just fonts, they are "typography" or the art or technique of arranging type in order to make language visible.

Before computers there were typewriters and before that, handwriting. In order to make writing universally legible there needed to be typography.

Watch the video below and answer the questions as comments...

Grade 4 - Time Lapse: Earth

4th graders,

I am out of school at an educational technology conference. I am being a student, learning from other teachers new tools, ideas, and how I can be a better computer teacher. Learning never stops, even if you're a teacher.

You will watch the video below and answer a few questions...

Grade 5 - People of New York

Grade 5,

I am out of school at an educational technology conference. I am being a student, learning from other teachers new tools, ideas, and how I can be a better computer teacher. Learning never stops, even if you're a teacher.

You will watch the video below and answer a few questions...

Class 3-311 blogs

Class 3-311 blogs...

These blogs have been created in the computer lab under the direction of Mr. Casal.

The purpose of these blogs is to lay the foundation of a living portfolio, a place where students can post their work and publishing their writing, ongoing, during their time here at PS 10. The hope is as the begin the middle school application process in two years they will be able to show their blogs as timelines of their life as students, examples of the writing, and authentic demonstrations of their growth as students and people over the years.

Some posts are on specific topics with specific guidelines set forth by Mr. Casal. Some posts are entirely independent free writes, completely inspired by the students alone. The layout and design of the blogs is similarly guided, some layout elements are required, but for the most part the students are free to design as they see fit.

These blogs are intended to be student directed & controlled creative outlets to showcase their talents...

Perspective is an intersting thing

This post is not an assignment, just something I found I thought folks might find interesting.

In life we tend to get use to seeing things a certain way. We expect things we see to look & act the same, the way we're use too, all the time. Sometimes, however, it is possible to look at things differently. Looking at things differently, from different angles or with a different mindset, is called perspective.

I found this great video that I think demonstrates the importance of perspective....