Ideas for Your Post

The class scribe has the responsibility of documenting the lesson of the assigned day. This will be done by creating a post for our class blog site. The post should document in considerable detail the activities that occur and explain the concepts, principles and mathematics of the lesson. For certain, the documentation should take the form of writing. But other forms can be included in addition to the writing. Consider the possibility of including:

  1. links to pages at our course space
  2. links to web pages which were referenced or shown during the lesson
  3. links to web pages which you found on your own that complement the lesson
  4. scans of completed packet pages
  5. still pictures of a demonstration
  6. short video footage of a demonstration
  7. still pictures of lab equipment or lab results (please do not include student faces)
  8. short video footage of a lab procedure or of lab results (please do not include student faces)
  9. still pictures of whiteboard notes
  10. relevant graphics which you created or have found on the internet
  11. embedded YouTube videos which were shown during the lesson
  12. embedded YouTube videos which you found on your own that complement the lesson
  13. mathematical formulas, chemical formulas and chemical equations
  14. embedded PowerPoint Presentation.
Directions for each of these inclusions are provided below.

Short cuts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Links to Pages at our Course Space
You may wish to reference a page at our gbschemphys.com website and link to the page. It might be the home page or a page from The File Cabinet or from The Laboratory. To do so ...

  1. Find the page you wish to link to. You can open a new browser window (File menu ... New Window) and navigate to the page.
  2. Highlight the URL (address) of that page. 
  3. Copy the URL (Edit menu ... Copy). 
  4. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Type in a phrase which you wish to become clickable. For instance, you could type View Lab if you wish to link to a lab page.
  5. Then highlight the phrase and click on the Link button. A new box appears.
  6. In the Web Address field, paste the URL (Edit menu ... Paste) of the page you wish this phrase to link to.


Links to Pages that were Referenced During the Lesson

Some lessons will include the viewing of pages on the internet. The pages might be part of the lesson presentation or a central part of a class activity. Since your responsibility is to detail the activities of a lesson, you will likely be discussing the page which is visited. You might even choose to include a link to the web page. To do so ...
  1. Find the page you wish to link to. You can open a new browser window (File menu ... New Window) and navigate to the page. The addresses of these pages are usually kept at the Honors Chemistry Home Page.
  2. Highlight the URL (address) of the page that was viewed in class. 
  3. Copy the URL (Edit menu ... Copy). 
  4. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Type in a phrase which you wish to become clickable. For instance, you could type Visit the Such-and-Such website.
  5. Then highlight the phrase and click on the Link button. A new box appears.
  6. In the Web Address field, paste the URL (Edit menu ... Paste) of the page you wish this phrase to link to.


    Links to Pages that You Found that Complement the Lesson

    As you prepare your scribe post, you will likely find yourself reading your textbook more carefully and even visiting websites to improve your understanding. In the process, you might find a particularly useful website that you think others might wish to have access to. Consider including a link to the website in your blog post. To do so ...
    1. Find the page you wish to link to. You can open a new browser window (File menu ... New Window) and navigate to the page. 
    2. Highlight the URL (address) of the page that was viewed in class. 
    3. Copy the URL (Edit menu ... Copy). 
    4. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Type in a phrase which you wish to become clickable. For instance, you could type For a great explanation, visit the Such-and-Such website.
    5. Then highlight the phrase and click on the Link button. A new box appears.
    6. In the Web Address field, paste the URL (Edit menu ... Paste) of the page you wish this phrase to link to.
      Finally, providing such a link does not relieve you of your responsibility to explain the concept yourself in your own words.



      Scans of Completed Packet Pages

      Many class periods will involve doing work from our packet. The packet is provided to provide exercises in thinking and practice with applying concepts and principles of physics. It is not unusual that we spend several minutes in class working through a couple of packet pages. Since your goal as scribe is to document what took place in class, you might want to include the packet pages with answers and explanations. One way of accomplishing this is to scan the packet page and include it as a picture in your post. To do so ...
      1. Acquire a scanned image of the packet page. Many home office printers have built-in, one-touch scanners which scan and save an image to the computer. If not available at home, you can visit a school computer lab, the IMC's technology center or the teacher's office to obtain a scan. A final alternative is to use a camera to take a still picture and to upload it to your computer.
      2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor at the location where you would like the packet page to be inserted
      3. Click on the Insert Image button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
      4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the scanned image. Double-click on the image file. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds. 
      5. Once uploaded, a faint outline should appear. Click OK.
      6. The image will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).
        Other alternatives to including scanned packet pages in your post involve:
        • saving the scanned image as a Google Doc and linking to the URL of the Google Doc. (See information about linking to a web page above.)
        • downloading the blank file as a PDF from The File Cabinet at our course site and completing it using an Adobe Acrobat product.



        Still Pictures of a Demonstration

        Many class periods will include chemical demonstrations. These demonstrations are an integral part of the lesson. Since your goal is to document in detail the activities of a lesson, you may want to include a still photograph (or several) of a demonstration. These can be included in your post and discussed. To do so ...
        1. Acquire an image using a cell phone camera, camera or the Flip video camera available from Mr. H. Upload the image to your computer.  (CAUTION: when taking pictures, it is VERY IMPORTANT to not include pictures of the faces of classmates. Student faces should not appear on our class blog.)
        2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor at the location where you would like the picture to be inserted.
        3. Click on the Insert Image button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
        4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the scanned image. Double-click on the image file. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds. 
        5. Once uploaded, a faint outline should appear. Click OK.
        6. The image will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).
        Often times a video is a better means of documenting a demonstration. Consider the next note if interested in including video footage.



        Short Video Footage of a Demonstration

        Many class periods will include chemical demonstrations. These demonstrations are an integral part of the lesson. Since your goal is to document in detail the activities of a lesson, you may want to include a video footage of the demonstration. A video should be relatively short. Because Mr. H often prefaces a demonstration with a discussion, you might want to avoid capturing this part. Use this time to set up the camera while Mr. H is talking. If you wish, you can ask Mr. H to indicate to you when the best time is to start the camera. The video footage can be embedded into your post and discussed.  To do so ...
        1. Acquire a video (short is preferred) using a cell phone camera (if capable), camera (if capable) or the Flip video camera available from Mr. H. Upload the video to your computer.  (CAUTION: when taking video footage, it is VERY IMPORTANT to not include the faces of classmates in the video. Student faces should not appear on our class blog.)
        2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor on a separate line at the location where you would like the video to be inserted.
        3. Click on the Insert a Video button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
        4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the saved video. Double-click on the video file. Then click the OK button. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds to a couple of minutes (depending on the length of the video). 
        5. Once uploaded, a an embedded video box should appear. It will also take some extra time for the Google website to process the video once uploaded.  Progress is indicated below the editing field.
        6. The movie will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).



          Still Pictures of Lab Equipment or Lab Results

          Many class periods will involve lab work. Often times, the lab work takes a considerable amount of time. Your goal as scribe is to document the activities of that class. Thus, you will be discussing details associated with the lab. As part of your documentation, you may wish to include some pictures of the lab equipment or some final results or observations. These pictures can be included in your blog post and discussed.  To do so ...
          1. Acquire an image using a cell phone camera, camera or the Flip video camera available from Mr. H. Upload the image to your computer.  (CAUTION: if taking pictures, it is VERY IMPORTANT to not include pictures of the faces of classmates. Student faces should not appear on our class blog.)
          2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor at the location where you would like the picture to be inserted.
          3. Click on the Insert Image button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
          4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the scanned image. Double-click on the image file. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds. 
          5. Once uploaded, a faint outline should appear. Click OK.
          6. The image will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).
          Often times a video is a better means of documenting a lab procedure or result. If uncertain, you can ask your teacher for an opinion since he/she might be more familiar with the lab phenomenon. Consider the next note if interested in including video footage.



            Short Video Footage of a Lab Procedure or a Lab Result

            Many class periods will involve lab work. Often times, the lab work takes a considerable amount of time. Your goal as scribe is to document the activities of that class. Thus, you will be discussing details associated with the lab. As part of your documentation, you may wish to include some video footage of the lab procedure, methods, observations and results. This video footage can be included in your blog post and discussed.   To do so ...
            1. Acquire a video (short is preferred) using a cell phone camera (if capable), camera (if capable) or the Flip video camera available from Mr. H. Upload the video to your computer.  (CAUTION: if taking video footage, it is VERY IMPORTANT to not include the faces of classmates in the video. Student faces should not appear on our class blog.)
            2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor on a separate line at the location where you would like the video to be inserted.
            3. Click on the Insert a Video button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
            4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the saved video. Double-click on the video file. Then click the OK button. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds to a couple of minutes (depending on the length of the video). 
            5. Once uploaded, an embedded video box should appear. It will also take some extra time for the Google website to process the video once uploaded. Progress is indicated below the editing field.
            6. The movie will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).




            Still Pictures of Whiteboard Notes


            Whiteboard notes occur relatively frequently. You may wish to capture a section of the whiteboard and include it in your post. To do so ...
            1. Acquire a picture of the whiteboard using a cell phone camera, camera or the Flip video camera available from Mr. H. Upload the image to your computer.  (CAUTION: in taking pictures, it is VERY IMPORTANT to not include pictures of the faces of classmates. Student faces should not appear on our class blog.)
            2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor at the location where you would like the picture to be inserted.
            3. Click on the Insert Image button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
            4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the scanned image. Double-click on the image file. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds. 
            5. Once uploaded, a faint outline should appear. Click OK.
            6. The image will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).
                Do keep in mind that including a picture of the whiteboard is simply a way to complement your discussion and explanations. Including such a picture does not relieve you of the responsibility of discussing and explaining in your own words the concepts that were related to the picture.




                Relevant Graphics which You Created or Found


                Graphics are an outstanding way to convey a point. The simplest graphics can be created using the graphic tools of Microsoft Word. These graphics can then be saved as a picture to your computer. Once saved on your computer, they can be included in the blog. As an alternative, public domain graphics can often be found on the internet. WikiMedia Commons is one of the best locations for public domain graphics. Graphics found there can usually be included on your blog provided that you reference the page where they were found. (For instance, you could write: The above graphic was found at WikiMedia Commons. ) To include graphics in your blog ...
                1. First create or acquire the graphic and save it to your computer.
                2. Return to your blog post which you are editing. Place your cursor at the location where you would like the picture to be inserted.
                3. Click on the Insert Image button located in the formatting bar along the top of the editing field. A box will appear.
                4. Click on the Choose File button and navigate through the directory window until you find the scanned image. Double-click on the image file. The image will be uploaded to the blog website; this may take a few several seconds. 
                5. Once uploaded, a faint outline should appear. Click OK.
                6. The image will be inserted at the cursor location. Several options exist for how to size it (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) and position it relative to surrounding text (to the Left, in the Center, to the Right).
                7. Once the image appears in your blog, you can click on the Caption button. This is an excellent location for citing the source of the graphic (if it is the property of WikiMedia Commons).



                  Embedded YouTube Videos Shown During Lesson


                  You Tube videos are occasionally shown in class. Links to these videos are usually kept on the Course Page. These videos can be easily embedded into your post and played by a blog visitor. To embed a YouTube video ...
                  1. Visit the YouTube page with the video of interest. Survey the page for the so-called Embed Code. You might need to click on a button titled <EMBED> (usually found below the video).
                  2. Copy (Edit menu ... Copy) the Embed Code. (The Embed Code is a unique code which directs any visitor to that specific YouTube video whenever clicked.)
                  3. Return to the your post page and position the cursor exactly where you wish the video to appear. 
                  4. Click on the Edit HTML button found above the typing field. The appearance of the page instantly changes. Do not worry about all the things you do not understand on the new appearance.
                  5. Paste (Edit menu ... Copy) the Embed Code into this HTML view of your page.
                  6. Click on the Compose button found above the typing field. The appearance of the page will change back to its original form. An embedded video should appear at your cursor location.



                    Embedded YouTube Videos You Found


                    You may find a YouTube video that complements your scribe post. If the video makes your post more effective, consider including it. To do so ...
                    1. Visit the YouTube page with the video of interest. Survey the page for the so-called Embed Code. You might need to click on a button titled <EMBED> (usually found below the video).
                    2. Copy (Edit menu ... Copy) the Embed Code. (The Embed Code is a unique code which directs any visitor to that specific YouTube video whenever clicked.)
                    3. Return to the your post page and position the cursor exactly where you wish the video to appear. 
                    4. Click on the Edit HTML button found above the typing field. The appearance of the page instantly changes. Do not worry about all the things you do not understand on the new appearance.
                    5. Paste (Edit menu ... Copy) the Embed Code into this HTML view of your page.
                    6. Click on the Compose button found above the typing field. The appearance of the page will change back to its original form. An embedded video should appear at your cursor location.



                    Including Mathematical Formulas, Chemical Formulas, Chemical Equations

                    At some time, you will undoubtedly be in need of including a mathematical formula, a chemical formula or a chemical equation which was discussed in class. To do so, you could use the LaTeX Equation Editor found in the sidebar of our blog pages. The Equation Editor creates attractive symbols and formulae which can be saved as an image and embedded into your post. To use it ...
                    1. Open a new browser window (File menu ... New Window) and navigate to our blog page.
                    2. Scroll down until you see the Equation Editor (see picture at right) in the sidebar.
                    3. Click in the editing box found directly below all the symbols.
                    4. Begin typing text from your keyboard. When you need a special character or math type or symbol, click on the tabs found above the editing box. For instance, you can find the delta or the lambda symbol by rolling your mouse over the Characters tab. You can find special formatting for fractions, square roots, superscripts and subscripts by rolling your mouse over the Math tab. And you can find special symbols such as a reaction arrow by rolling your mouse over the Symbols tab. As you type or select symbols from the tabs, they appear in the editing field.
                    5. Once your formula appears as you wish, click on the image to download it to your computer. It will be located in your Downloads folder (probably).
                    6. Insert the image into your post in the same manner as you would insert a picture or a diagram (see discussion above).





                    Embedded PowerPoint Presentations


                    Occasionally class will involve a Powerpoint Presentation. Including the presentation slides in your scribe post would be an effective documentation strategy. These presentations are kept at a website titled SlideShare. They can easily be embedded in your post. To do so ...
                    1. Find the SlideShare presentation of interest. These are usually linked from the Course Page.
                    2. Click on the Embed button (usually located above the slide show) to display the special code which links a visitor to this PowerPoint presentation. The Embed Code will appear in a separate field.
                    3. Copy (Edit menu ... Copy) the Embed Code.
                    4. Return to the your post page and position the cursor exactly where you wish the SlideShare presentation to appear. 
                    5. Click on the Edit HTML button found above the typing field. The appearance of the page instantly changes. Do not worry about all the things you do not understand on the new appearance.
                    6. Paste (Edit menu ... Copy) the Embed Code into this HTML view of your page.
                    7. Click on the Compose button found above the typing field. The appearance of the page will change back to its original form. An embedded SlideShare presentation should appear at your cursor location.
                    Keep in mind that including the presentation slides does not relieve you of the responsibility of explaining concepts and principles. It is still your responsibility to discuss the content of the lesson.





                    Conclusion:
                    If you think of other items that you can or at least would like to include in the blog post, then let me know. Our list will grow over time as we learn how to maximize the effectiveness of our blog.













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