January 29, 2013 104 minutes The History of Computers PowerPoint Presentations:  Students had 10 minutes to practice their presentation at the beginning of class today.  Then all slide shows were saved to a network drive so they could be displayed for the entire class on the SMARTBoard.  There was a demonstration about how to use the SMARTBoard to present and the students in the audience were shown how to access the online surveys so they could give feedback to the presenters.  Students were also advised that their presentations would be broadcast over the internet using Ustream.tv so a select group of educators in other countries could watch them present and give them some feedback.  Several educators from around the world watched the shows and gave our students specific feedback using an online form.  Some teachers in our building from the Phoenix Team also watched the shows and gave our students some feedback.   Start Excel Multiplication Table Project: We started making a multiplication table in Excel using relative and absolute formulas. After an introduction to columns, rows and cells we started making a multiplication table. Students were also shown how to create addition formulas and to copy/paste formulas across a cells in a sheet. We did not  Excel Pie Chart Project: Students created a data table of the different elementary schools we all went to and the number of students that attended each school. Then each student created a pie chart of the data and formatted it for printing in black and white.  Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Event Video:  We watched a short video about some new 3D transparent flat panel TVs that were displayed at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. January 25, 2013 44 minutes Finish the History of Computers Slide Shows:  All groups had time today to finish there slide shows.  Students were also shown how to download the shows as PowerPoints.  Each group had time to make any final adjustments to their shows and to practice their presentations.  The class was also shown how to use the SMARTBoard to present and how the webcam and microphone would be set-up to broadcast their presentation online.   All presentations will be done first thing next class. January 23, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Students explored Google Books as a resource for free ebooks and they were shown how to search the text of a book. The legal controversy surrounding the Google Books Project and copyright laws as well as the settlement to date was also discussed. Downloading ebooks from Google Books to various devices such as ebook readers, tablets, computers and smart phones was also discussed.  Continue the History of Computer Slide Shows:  Students continued to work in groups of 4 to create a 7 slide show about the origins of computers.  There was also a demonstration about how to use easybib.com to create a correctly formatted works cited slide.  Next class we will move the completed shows to PowerPoint and begin the presentations. Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched a short video about a Lego robot competition that recently occurred right here in Pennsylvania. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy January 18, 2013 107 minutes* Internet Moment: In continuing with the theme of protecting yourself online students were shown the website OnGuardOnline.gov and given an opportunity to try some of the games in the Video & Media section. Some of the games were:  Phishing Scams,Invasion of the Wireless Hackers, Cyber Criminal & Invest Quest. Evaluate and Turn in Day at School Slideshows:  Students had one more opportunity to finish adding narration to their shows.  We then did a final peer evaluation activity and then turned in their slideshows using the school network today. Office Yoga Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time in front of computers and to take breaks every 30-40 minutes. Today we practiced a simple shoulder stretch.  After the stretch all students had an opportunity to take a short break and move around. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from OnguardOnline.gov about what exactly malware is and how to avoid it. * Class time was longer today due to a special assembly schedule January 16, 2013 94 minutes Internet Moment:  As an example of how to use the the internet to learn independently we went to DrCalculator.com to learn about some basic money concepts and vocabulary. Students experimented with the compounding calculator to learn about interest rates and did an activity to see how much money they could save up for their graduation. We also attempted to experiment with the Loan Calculator but it wasn't working.  Finally we used the Cost of Living Calculator to experiment with the  effects of inflation over time by comparing the current cost of today's school lunch to what their parents and grandparents might have paid for lunch.  Students were then given some time to explore other calculators on their own.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class with a CNETTV about wearable technology that was displayed at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. January 14, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment: Today we explored Bing Maps and Google Maps. We started by finding our school on the map and experimenting with getting directions. Next we headed to Las Vegas, NV to check the street views and 3D views of the city. We then used the 3D directions to see what a trip to Zion National Park in Utah would look like. Finally, students had some time to explore the world on their own. Continue Day at School PowerPoint:  Today students added some additional features to their shows for the 6th graders.  Students were introduced to using action settings and internal hyperlinks by taking a survey that was made in PowerPoint. The computer term "infinite loop" was also introduced as part of this demonstration. Students then added a table of contents and action buttons to the shows so 6th graders could navigate through the finished shows on their own. This is known as a kiosk or self-running PowerPoint presentation set-up.  Students were also shown how to adjust the colors of their hyperlinks and action buttons.  We also inserted a video into their shows and used edit points to create a unique start button on the title slide.  Technology Current Event Video:  Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to watch this video about highlights from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. January 10, 2013 104 minutes  Office Yoga Break: Students are always reminded to not spend too much time in front of computers and to take breaks every 30-40 minutes. Today we practiced a simple yoga stretch that helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.  Before the stretch the causes and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome were explained to the class.  After the stretch all students had an opportunity to take a short break and move around. Technology Current Event Video:  At the end of class we watched a short video about job interview techniques using webcams. January 8, 2013 44 minutes Internet Moment: Our students watched a presentation about how VOIP and webcams are combined to make video chatting possible. Streaming video from the internet was demonstrated and we watched live video from Cocoa Beach in Florida. The increased use of security cameras was discussed and we also discussed privacy rights and exactly where people should not be video recorded. We also visited EarthCam.com to view some online webcams from all around the world. PowerPoint Introduction: Almost all students identified that they had suffered through some bad PowerPoint presentations in the past. As a catharsis activity we made a list of all the bad & ugly things our students have seen in PowerPoint. We then prepared a short list of good things to do in PowerPoint. View a sample T-chart here. Technology Current Event Video:  We ran out of time for a video today. January 4, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Students looked at a website from Microsoft today called PhotoSynth.net. They were able to view 360 degree, high resolution images, from all around the world. Finish Internet Treasure Hunt Project:  To complete this project today students inserted images, turned images into hyperlinks, laid everything out on a table, added color to the table and saved the project as a single file webpage.  We then did a gallery walk to give students time to get up and move around and an opportunity to share their work with each other.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class with a promotional video from the Corning Corporation which highlights some new glass technology and how it might be used in the future. January 2, 2013 99 minutes* Internet Moment:  Today our students had an opportunity to view zoom.it which demonstrates how Microsoft is using some new internet technology to create very large images that you can easily pan and zoom through. As an example of a zoom.it project students checked out the NMS Mosaic Project and the Yosemite Extreme Panoramic Image Project. Print the Second Business Letter:  All students completed and printed this project today.  Break for Lunch:  Due to the adjusted schedule today we had a lunch break partway through our class-time today.  Technology Current Event Video:   Today we finished class with a video from a TED Conference. The concept of TED (Technology Entertainment Design) was introduced to the class and the background of the presenter, Pattie Maes (an instructor at the MIT Media Lab), was also discussed. *Class time was shorter today due to an afternoon assembly December 20, 2012 44 minutes Internet Moment:  Students were shown Weather.gov (the National Weather Service) as an example of a huge online database that's full of real-time and archived information. We checked our local weather and spent a few minutes checking the satellite images and Doppler radar for the whole United States. Students were also shown how to access the hourly weather graphs for our area to get precipitation predictions. As Seen on Facebook:  We started class by reviewing the "As Seen on Facebook" slideshow in the cafeteria.  Students were reminded to check their privacy settings and to "Think before they Post".  Many of our students also use Instagram and they were reminded that Facebook, the new owner of Instagram, changed their privacy policy so they could start selling user's photos without their permission. Second Business Letter Project:  Students had time to finish the project we started last class.  There was also a demonstration by the teacher about how to change line spacing, fonts and make bullet lists.  Most students will have to print this project next year. Technology Current Event Video:  We watched a NBCNews.com story about the controversy over Instagram's recent privacy policy changes. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy December 18, 2012 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Students were shown TodayInComputerClass.com and told that they can check here anytime to review what we did in class.  We also discussed what a web log or blog was and how this website is a blog for our class.  Students were also told that their parents will be sent an email with a link to this website so they can also review what we are doing in computer class each day. Typing Test: All students took a typing test using http://www.typingtest.com. Each student had 10 minutes to take the 1 minute test multiple times. Their best adjusted speed was recorded and graphed in an Excel spreadsheet. The average typing speed for this class was:  37.1 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  Online Typing Activities: As a follow up to yesterday's typing test we looked at the typing speeds for the whole 8th grade in Excel and looked at a bell curve of the speeds. students were given some time to find at least 3 online typing activities (tutorials or games) that they enjoyed. They were to then add these typing activities to their favorites or bookmarks list so they could go back and practice their typing skills in class when they finished their projects. Office Yoga Break: During long classes like this one students are always reminded to take breaks and get exercise. Students shouldn't spend more than 30-40 minutes in front of a computer without taking a break. For our break today we practiced a simple office yoga stretch.  Middle School Technology Use Video: Information about the Council Rock School District Acceptable Use Policy, and a quick review of the Facebook Privacy Policy.  The video can also be accessed at the Council Rock YouTube Channel.  Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched a short video from the NBC Nightly News about two satellites that were crashed into the moon. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy December 14, 2012 104 minutes  Internet Moment:  Google News - Students were shown how to use this popular news aggregator to find current event stories and how to search the news for topics that interest them or might be required for another subject area.  Students were also shown how to search the Google News Archives and we looked at this story from 1964 about students being snowed in at Council Rock High School.Computer Class Survey: All students take a computer class survey. The results of this survey are used to guide the instruction for the class. You can view the survey to the right.  Click to enlarge. We then used the survey as the outline for the following presentation which covers basic computer knowledge that everyone should have as well as advice about protecting yourself online and avoiding identity theft. Introduction to Computer Class Presentation: Assigned Seats: All students have an assigned seat/computer in computer class. Students have a responsibility to report any problems with the machine they have been assigned. In this way we all participate in maintaining our school computers.  Technology Current Event Video:  Today we finished class with a short news video from NBCNews.com about a new contact lens that is being developed in Ghent, Belgium that incorporates a tiny LCD screen. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy December 12, 2012 44 minutes Introduction to Basic Computer Skills Class:Basic rules and classroom procedures were explained. Students were specifically reminded that because technology is constantly changing they should get into the habit of helping each other out and demonstrating the ability to learn new computer skills through experimentation. All students reported that they had helped an adult with computer skills but they also need to get used to helping each other.  An overview of the 7th grade computer class curriculum was also explained. Log On & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. MS Paint Project: Students were shown how to open and use MS paint to make a simple drawing. Students then shared their drawings using various district network resources and basic skills such as saving to a network drive and using drag & drop. The best use of the H: & X: drives was also explained and students were reminded to never leave the only copy of an important file in the X: drive as it may be deleted by anyone at anytime. Technology Current Event Video: Most classes end with a current event video. Today's video was inspired by an original presentation created by a high school teacher in Colorado, Karl Fisch. Here is a link to his blog: THE FISCHBOWL for more information. |
