January 30, 2014 - LAST CLASS 44 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 to prove whether or not this website was bogus or real. After doing some research we learned that though it is a legitimate website (according to snopes.com) another website called the Daily Cow claimed that FreeRice.com does not donate exactly 10 grains of rice for every correct answer.  Students were reminded that they have to be very skeptical of what they find online and to always independently verify the facts themselves. Make-up Time: Since this is our last class all students had 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.  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.  They we would meet again next year for their second and final required computer class here at Council Rock. January 28, 2014 91 minutes  Technology Current Event Video: To finish our PowerPoint presentation activity we watched part of Don McMillan's famous presentation: Life after Death by PowerPoint. (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.3.8.D) January 24, 2014 104 minutes 30th Anniversary of the Macintosh:  To mark this technology anniversary we watched the famous 1984 Macintosh Superbowl commercial to start off class today. 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.  Office Yoga Break:  For our break today everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room and review each other's work.  Then, before getting back to work, we practiced a simple yoga stretch for your neck.   Start History of Computers Slide Show - Students started their final PowerPoint project which is a 6-8 slide show that they will present to the class. Students work in groups of 4-5 and used the internet for research.   In this project students were introduced to online collaboration using Google Drive.  Students were shown how to create and share a Google Presentation and how to collaborate and use the chat feature in Google Presentation to communicate.  Students were shown the 12-12-12 Project that was created by over 30 teachers from all over the world using Google Drive and they were challenged to think about how they could use online collaboration tools like this to work with other students from all over the world in the future.  We will finish up these presentations and then present them next class.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.G, 15.3.8.H, 15.3.8.M, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.8.K, 15.4.5.A, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.F, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short tutorial video from GCFLearnFree.org in North Carolina about getting started with Google Drive and Docs.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.G) January 22, 2014 - SNOW DAY - NO SCHOOL 0 minutes January 17, 2014 91 minutes Internet Moments:  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.  Students were also shown what a book scanner looks like.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.5.8.K, 15.7.8.K, 15.9.8.M, 15.8.8.C)  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Boston Scientific that shows their most recent creation.  A robot called Wildcat that runs like a cat. January 15, 2014 104 minutes Review of our Video Conference:  We started class by watching part of a recording of our video conference with Mr. Sherman in Capetown.  We also watched some of the South African music videos that he promised to share with our class. 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.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.2.5.B, 15.2.5.J, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.8.E, 15.2.8.F, 15.8.8.K)  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 for your shoulders and back.  After the break everyone had a chance to get up and walk around. Technology Current Event Video:  As a followup to today's internet moment about online education and Open Course Ware from M.I.T. we watched a 60 Minutes video about Salman Khan and his creation of Khan Academy.  Students were also reminded that while they are making their slide shows about their day at school for the 6th graders they are participating in online education as an instructor.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.K) January 13, 2014 94 minutes* Internet Moment:  Our students watched a presentation about how VOIP and webcams are combined to make video chatting possible. Streaming video on the internet and the increased use of security cameras was discussed.  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. (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.U) Description of How the Internet Works: The example of phone conversations using VOIP was used to describe the differences between the old dedicated line communication system (circuit switching) and the internet system (packet switches) that has replaced it.  The development of an emergency communication system within the United States (ARPANET) to today's worldwide internet network was also described.  We also discussed how webcams work by sending 30 pictures per second through the internet.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.F) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from RBB Public Relations that features 3 tips for successfully participating in a Skype interview. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.H, 15.3.8.M, 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.M) January 9, 2014 91 minutes Internet Moment: Today we explored Google Sketchup which is a great example of a free CAD program.  CAD, or computer aided design/drafting, has become very common across many fields and students should have some knowledge of what 3D designing looks and feels like on a computer.  We also discussed how this program was used by students in their 7th Grade Technology Education Manufacturing Unit to develop and market a product for mass production. Though it is available at school, Google Sketchup is a free download that students can download at home so they can continue to learn more about this important skill on their own.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.6.8.M, 15.8.8.K, 15.8.8.S, 15.9.8.F) 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.  Students were shown how to access the background templates in MS PowerPoint 2010, how to find backgrounds at office.com and how to find additional backgrounds on the internet. Students were shown how to use Google Images to find free images that they could even use for commercial purposes.  Searching for animated GIF images was also demonstrated.  Students were also told they could use pictures from old yearbooks that were stored on our school network.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.2.5.M, 15.2.5.L, 15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.G, 15.3.8.H, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.8.K, 15.3.8.X, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U)Technology Current Event Video:  We a video from cnet.com about some of the new gadgets, operating systems and TV's that are being displayed at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. January 7, 2014 104 minutes Internet Moment:  As an example of how to use the the internet to learn independently we went to DrCalculator.com to learn 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 to see real costs of borrowing money for a car. The effect of a good credit score was also explained.  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.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.6.8.B, 15.6.8.F, 15.6.8.G, 15.6.8.H,15.6.8.J, 15.6.8.K, 15.6.8.Q)   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, Nevada. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A, 15.5.8.J) January 3, 2014 0 minutes* * no class today due to a Snow Day 0 minutes* * no class today due to the Holiday Programs December 18, 2013 104 minutes Internet Moment:  Students explored PhotoSynth.net today which is an online service from Microsoft that allows you to "knit" digital photos together to make large 360 degree images that you can pan and zoom into.   Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with two short videos from CNBC.  The first video was about the development of new smart watches and the second video was about the efforts technology companies are making to suggest that there should be limits to the surveillance that  the government is doing. December 16, 2013 44 minutes   Finish Business Letter #2:  All students had an opportunity to finish this project today. Setting up tables, merging cells, copy/pasting text, using the header and how to print the document was all demonstrated in class today.   Click here to view the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today by watching part of a TED presentation by Juan Enriquez about some of the recent mind-boggling developments in biology and robotics and how they may be combined in the future.  We did not finish the video today.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.4.8.A) December 12, 2013 91 minutes Class Blog:  Students were shown TodayInComputerClass.com and told that they can check here anytime to review what work was done in class.  We also discussed what a web log or blog was, how blogs developed into microblogs like Twitter and now mobile phone based apps like Instagram.  This website is the blog or web log 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. Online Survey About Natural Disasters:  We visited the class blog for the students at Winners Education, an English language school near Athens in Greece, and participated in their online survey about Natural Disaster Readiness.  Hopefully the Greek students will share the data they collected with us later. 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:  35.3 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.     Office Yoga Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time in front of computers. Whenever we have a long class we always take a break partway through the class so students can get up and walk around some. We also practiced a simple yoga stretch for your neck today. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a promotional video from the Corning Corporation about some possible uses for their products in the future.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A, 15.5.8.J) December 10, 2012 - SNOW DAY - NO SCHOOL 0 minutes December 6, 2013 44 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 access the Google News Archives and we did a search to find out about a major snow storm in 1964 that resulted in 250 students being snowed in at our school overnight. (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.G, 15.6.5.L)  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.  Students were also reminded to adjust the keyboard, mouse, chair and monitor to meet their ergonomic needs.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.4.5.D, 15.4.2.B, 15.4.8.F) 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.  In the video the work of an MIT graduate student, Pranav Mistry, to create a wearable computer was explained. December 4, 2013 91 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. (PA-BCIT Standard 15.2.5.L, 15.3.8.C, 15.3.8.D, 15.3.5.M, 15.8.5.C) 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. (PA BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.F) 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.  Introduction to Computer Class Presentation:  This presentation was a follow up to the survey and covered basic computer concepts everyone should be familiar with. Technology Current Event:  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.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) |
