December 10, 2012 - LAST CLASS 91 minutes Internet Moment: Students had a chance to explore FreeRice.com today. This website, created by John Breen who also created Poverty.com, gives students and others a chance to practice their vocabulary skills while helping to support the United Nations World Food Programme.  After having time to use the site students were asked if the site is bogus or real.  They were also shown websites like this one about the California Velcro Crop as an example of a completely fake website that looks real.  We then did an activity to demonstrate how to research the validity of any websites by independently verifying the facts. Students also had a chance to explore snopes.com and UrbanLegends.About.com as an examples of websites where they can verify internet rumors.  Make-up Time: Since this is our last class all students have time to make up any work they may have missed. All projects were handed back and students could submit anything they missed or re-submit a project that they hadn't finished for full credit.  Computer Class Rubric: We completed a rubric that gave students an opportunity to reflect on their own computer skills and their performance in this class. Closure to Computer Class: Students were reminded that computers are constantly changing and that they had to learn to adjust to new programs, new hardware and new ways of using technology all the time. We are all constantly learning to adapt to new technology. December 6, 2012 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 experimented with the Loan Calculator and talked about how car loans work and what a credit score is. Finally we used the Cost of Living Calculator to experiment with the  effects of inflation over time by comparing the current cost of a school lunch to what their parents and grandparents might have paid. Students were then given some time to explore other calculators on their own. Finished History of Computers Presentations:  The remaining 3 groups did their presentations today. Changing Passwords: Before the end of class all students had to create a new password today and they were reminded of some good password practices. Student passwords must fit the following parameters:
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 several segments of a TED talk given by University of Pennsylvania researcher Vijay Kumar concerning small flying robots that he and his team are working on. December 4, 2012 91 minutes  Finish History of Computers Slide Shows: Each team had some time to complete their slide shows using Google Presentation. We then downloaded the slideshows as a PowerPoint. Each group then had 10 minutes to make any final adjustments to their shows and to practice their presentations. History of Computers Presentations: After having time to practice we started the student presentations. The first two groups presented today and the remaining 3 will present next week. During the presentations the rest of the class completed an online peer evaluation survey to give feedback to the presenters. The presentations were also broadcast over the internet using Ustream.tv so other teachers elsewhere in the world (an in our school) could view the presentations.  Changing Passwords: Before the end of class all students had to create a new password today and they were reminded of some good password practices. Student passwords must fit the following parameters:
Technology Current Event Video:  We watched a short video from NBC News that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first Text Message. November 30, 2012 104 minutes Finish PowerPoint Projects: Students completed their Day at School PowerPoint presentations. There was time to complete the narrations that we started last class but several students still had problems getting their microphones to work. We did a final evaluation rubric and activity and then the projects were turned in using our network. Typing Practice: Students were given some time today to retest their typing speed at typingtest.com. Most students showed some improvement since the first class.  Technology Current Event Video: We finished class with a video about how simple robots are being used in England to help educate autistic children. Unfortunately the sound didn't work today. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy November 28, 2012 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. Technology Current Event Video:  At the end of class we watched a short video about job interview techniques using webcams. November 26, 2012 94 minutes Internet Moment: Today students were introduced to the idea of online education by exploring the Open Course Ware that is available from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology. Students were shown a presentation about college that included vocabulary terms such as major, syllabus, and different higher education degrees (associates, bachelors, masters and doctorate). We then went to ocw.mit.edu and students selected a program to explore from the courses by department. As an example of a college level lecture we visited Physics I: Classical Mechanics by Professor Walter Lewin. We tried a sample exam and watched part of Lecture 11: Work, Energy, and Gravitation. You can view the last segment of the lecture that we watched in the video above. Each student then had some time to explore the website on their own and they were encouraged to check it out at home also.  Continue PowerPoint Project: Students worked on their 6-9 slide show for the 6th graders.   Students added action buttons, turned shapes into hyperlinks, added text to and edited points on a shape and inserted a video into their show today. For our break today we did a gallery walk activity so students could share ideas about how to improve their shows. Technology Current Events Video:  As a follow-up to our Internet Moment about online education at the college level we watched a video from 60 Minutes about KhanAcademy.org which offers free 10 minute video lectures in mathematics and many other academic subjects. November 19, 2012 44 minutes* Internet Moment: Today we explored Google Earth and discussed how a 3 dimensional virtual environment can be used to augment human memory. We started by discussing how people had to memorize much more before technology gave us so may ways to store information (books, calendars, pictures, the internet...). Students were introduced to the memory palace or method of loci as an effective way to use 3 dimensional visual imagery to help you remember large amounts of information. We then talked about how the most popular video games that students play are so engaging because of the 3 dimensional visual imagery that is used in them. Students then opened Google Earth and we began a tour of the earth and the moon. The whole class followed a specific list of locations. Afterwards students were challenged to list everywhere they had gone and what they had seen on their tour of the 3 dimensional visual imagery in Google Earth. This activity helped to demonstrate the effectiveness of using 3D spatial references, such as the virtual environment of Google Earth, to augment memory.  During the Holiday Break:  Students were encouraged to download Google Earth at home over the Thanksgiving break and spend some time learning some geography. * class time was shorter today due to the half-day conference schedule November 15, 2012 44 minutes Video of 6th Grade Student Presents:  We watched a live streaming video from Gunter Middle School in Texas as their students did their presentations about countries in Central America. We also experimented with giving then feedback and questions using Google Docs but our students had lots of difficulties using it. 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 PowerPoint Project: Students worked on their 6-9 slide show for the 6th graders.   Students added a Table of Contents to their shows today.  Technology Current Event Video: We watched a videos today from NBC News about  the drop off in sales of ereaders.   November 13, 2012 94 minutes Internet Moment: Today we explored 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 traffic and weather. We then used the 3D directions to see what a trip to Bryce Canyon in Utah would look like. We then went to Singapore to see street views of the city and explore it in 3D. Students were shown a short video of a Google Street View Car. Finally, students had some time to explore the world on their own. Continue the Day at School PowerPoint Project: Students continued their slide shows for the 6th graders. Today they added graphics to all their slides. There was also a demonstration on adding hyperlinks the the internet in PowerPoint.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 for your neck. Computer Class Survey: To demonstrate the use of hyperlinks and action setting in a PowerPoint students too the Computer Class Survey today. Next class we will be adding hyperlinks to slides and using action buttons in their presentations. Technology Current Event Video: To finish class today we watched a TED presentation by Blaise Aguera y Arcas, a software engineer at Microsoft, about creating augmented reality maps. November 9, 2012 104 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 games were:  Phishing Scams, Invasion of the Wireless Hackers, Cyber Criminal & Invest Quest. Finish Final Word Project: All students finished the Gettysburg Address project today. They printed them out and turned them in. 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. A Day At School PowerPoint Presentation: Students started a 6-9 slide show about a topic that they are all experts at, being 7th graders at Newtown Middle School. These shows are made for 6th graders who will be transitioning to our school next September. After making the first 6 slides students were shown how to make adjustments to their entire show using the slide master.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched a video from the Today Show about protecting yourself from online hackers. This was a follow-up to OnGuardOnline.gov which we had started class with. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy November 7, 2012 44 minutes Internet Moment: Today our students had an opportunity to view zoom.it which demonstrates Windows Azure and Microsoft Silverlight 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.  Technology Current Event Video:  Today we watched a Wall Street Journal video about a new way to telecommute using robots. November 2, 2012 91 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.  Finish Business Letter: Once we regained access to our H: drive students completed and printed the Business Letter Project that was started last class.  Technology Current Event Video: We watched two short videos from NBCNEWS.com. The first one was about the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the second one was about the recently released iPad mini. October 29 & 31, 2012 Classes Cancelled due to storm damage in our area. October 25, 2012 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Students were shown this website (TodayInComputerClass.com) and told that they can check here anytime to review what work was done in class. Their parents will also be sent an email with a link to this website so they can also review what we are doing in computer class every day.  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.  Business Letter #2: Students practiced professional communication and typing by making a second block format business letter. To make this letter students started by copying text from Business Letter #1.  We only started this project today and will finish it next class.  Click here to view the project description. Technology Current Event Video: We ran out of time for a video today. October 23, 2012 104 minutes  Computer Class Survey: All students take acomputer 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 we started today.  This introductory lecture covers basic background information that every student should know about computers such as the development of desktop computers (Apple, IBM & Microsoft), internet connection options and speeds, and protecting yourself online. See the video below for a summary of the entire presentation. Introduction to Computer Class Presentation: CRSD Acceptable Use Policy: Students were shown how to access the CRSD Acceptable Use Policy online and they were reminded that they are in a network environment where their actions on the computer can be easily tracked. Middle School Technology Use Video: Information about the Council Rock School District Acceptable Use Policy, and a quick review of the Facebook Privacy Policy.  Technology Current Events Video:  We watched the start of a video from the BBC about how 3D printers were being used to help people with problems walking in Scotland.  October 19, 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. 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. |
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