Rules and Expectations

Rules

1.            All participants will maintain a proper use of the classroom, the laptops, and the time we have in class to ensure success over time.

2.            All participants will keep up with the reading calendar and overall submission quantities/due dates.

3.            All editors will “serve” the groups, not dictate how things are done.

4.            All teams will focus on each individual’s strengths (rather than weaknesses).

5.            All individuals will ask for help by teammates (to support their weaknesses).

6.            All blog entries (and suggested links) will remain in “draft” mode inside the website’s database until carefully reviewed a) by the “contributor” and b) by the “editor” of that week.

7.            All in-coming comments will be carefully reviewed before being published by the team’s “editor” of that week.

8.            All technical changes to the team’s website (i.e. template design, etc.) will be agreed upon by the entire team (not just an individual doing it privately).

9.            All participants will create a NEW Twitter handle to be used specifically for this project, and this project ONLY!

10.        All participants will use their Scorpion Twitter accounts solely for this project and will not follow anyone not directly involved with this project.

Expectations

Individual students will:

• Keep up with the reading schedule to enhance and support our learning community through regular round table conversations and content quizzes.

• Come prepared to inquire and wonder about the novel.
• Round Table Conversations: in order to ensure that blog entries are not on the same content, and are thoughtful and insightful, groups will meet to discuss each topic.
• Conversations may be recorded with your laptop, orchestrated using VoiceThread, or recorded in some other fashion that will allow you to document, post, and refer back to your conversations.
• Requirements for posted conversations are ongoing so please stay tuned for details.

• Create blog entries that will demonstrate unique ideas, thoughtful connections, prompts, questions, discoveries etc.
• Blog Posts: each individual group member is responsible for writing one post per topic.  Entries should be 300-400 words.
1. Literary Connections to Other Texts
2. Theme
3. Characterization
4. Connections to Political Systems
5. Connections to Economic Systems
6. Conflict
7. Setting
8. Film Study 
9. Freebie

• Use Twitter to share their observations, ideas, wonderings and more outside of round-table conversations (at least 1/day)
• Tweets: all group members will be expected to tweet regularly under their group's hashtag to contribute thought provoking ideas, questions, and the like outside of round table conversations.

• Comment an average of 3 times per week on other student-group blogs, other than their own, over the duration of the inquiry
• Provide thoughtful, well-written reactions that will invite others to leave comments (or even inspire blog entries of their own)

• Contribute at least 1 comment on each of the other student-group blogs from your pod during the project's duration (a record in your personal Google Doc would help to organize this)

• Support his/her team ‘editor’ (a role that rotates every week)

• Use and reference the Internet appropriately (in MLA format) — including the content / value of all entries, links, comments, and behind-the-scenes administration of the web site itself

• Sign up for relevant web collaboration tool accounts (when necessary)

• Submit a final response detailing what they have learned through this project, and how they personally enhanced and supported their learning community. 

     ‘Editors’ will:

• Each student in the group will be required to be the 'editor' for one week during the project
• Maintain the team’s blog during the length of one week
• Monitor the group's Twitter feed so it is not being abused
• Support individual requests re: the publication of their entries, the validity of their content, and any wishes they have re: the actual web site itself
• Collaborate with Mrs. Waite & Ms. Groeller re: the publication of all links and comments, and any troubleshooting that may be neccesary
• Encourage team members to maintain regular participation
• Keep an accurate team Google Docs record (i.e a spreadsheet) of all team members’ contributions to-date

Teams will:

• Successfully create a blog that demonstrates insight and analysis re: House of the Scorpion
• Create a unique name and look for the blog by the end of the project (without it becoming a distraction in terms of the quality / analysis of content that is published)
• Use at least 2 web collaboration tools (beyond the blog and Google Docs) to demonstrate a unique way to share knowledge / discoveries
• Use class time in an appropriate manner at all times
• Present to the class on 2 occasions what has been ‘learned’ and what has been ‘created’: 1) sometime during the process and 2) on the final submission day

Mrs. Waite & Ms. Groeller will:

• Create a working web site to house the project (the one that you are at now)
• Create a manageable reading calendar
• Create a classroom / work environment that will allow students to successfully work as teams and complete the overall project
• Provide behind-the-scenes technology support (and advice)
• Share the student-groups’ work / projects with professional educators and related colleagues