October 15, 2013 - LAST CLASS 90 minutes* Mr. McNulty is not here today but students will be doing teh following activities: 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. * Class time was different today due to the 8th Grade Battle of Bunker Hill Re-enactment October 11, 2013 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.   Office Yoga Break:  Students are always reminded to take breaks and not spend more than 30-40 minutes in front of a computer.  For our break today we also practiced simple yoga stretch for your back.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a promotional video from the Corning Corporation about some of the uses for their products that they anticipate in the future. October 9, 2013 104 minutes Finish Day at School PowerPoint:  Students finished up their shows today.  They were given time to  add voice narration to at least three of their slides.  Everyone also had time to make any final adjustments to their shows. We then did a final evaluation activity and everyone submitted their finished shows by dragging and dropping them in a specific network folder.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U)  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 neck.  After the break everyone had a chance to get up and walk around. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Boston Dynamics that shows their most recent creation.  A robot called Wildcat that runs like a cat. October 7, 2013 104 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 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 watched the beginning of a video from  NBC News about a law that was proposed in California that would give minors the ability to erase potentially embarrassing items from their social network profiles. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy October 3, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Today all students had a chance to visit www.sos.fbi.gov and try the online learning activities for 7th graders that are there.  This is part of a monthly competition that is run by the FBI and the intent of the online activities is to help students develop internet safety awareness.  Technology Current Event Video:  We ran out of time for a video today. October 1, 2013 104 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. (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)  Formal Interviewing Using Skype: Our students practiced formal interviewing techniques by Skyping with Mr. McCutcheon and his 2nd grade class at Archie Stouffer Elementary School in Minden, Ontario, Canada. We learned about their weather, favorite foods, his school, and his students.  We were surprised to learn about their Balanced Day Lunches program which gave them two short lunch breaks during the school day.  Mr. McCutcheon's students then asked us some questions about our community and the wild animals in our area.  We learned that moose and bears and common in their area.  Before the interview we talked about the differences between web chatting with friends and participating in a formal video conference. As a group we also prepared our questions in advance so we could learn more about Mr. McCutcheon and his school. After the interview we reviewed what went well and what we could improve next time.  (PA-BCIT: 15.3.8.K, 15.3.8.M, 15.7.8.I, 15.7.8.J) 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 back and spine.  After the stretch all students had an opportunity to take a short break and move around.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.4.5.D,) Technology Current Event Video: Unfortunately we didn't have enough time for a video today. September 27, 2013 44 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.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.2.8.E, 15.8.8.K) Work on Day at School PowerPoint:  All students had time to finish up their 6-9 slide show. We continued to add additional features to make this the "greatest PowerPoint" our students have ever made.  Images and words were turned into hyperlinks to the internet so 6th graders could find more information on their own. All students also had an opportunity to insert a video into their PowerPoint show.  Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Event Video:  We watched a short video from NBC News about why we use CTRL+ALT+DEL on our computers. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy September 25, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment:  We looked at zoom.it today which is a free screen zooming service that is owned by Microsoft.  Students were then shown two other online examples of the Work on Day PowerPoint Shows:  All students had time to work on the slide shows that we started last class.  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.  After making the first 4-6 slides students were shown how to add the NMS master schedule to their showing by dragging & dropping the slide from another PowerPoint.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from TechnoBuffalo.com about the gadgets and technology shown by Samsung at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last January. September 23, 2013 104 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 will be 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:  15.8.8.K, 15.8.8.S, 15.9.8.F)  Office Yoga Stretch & 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. As part of our break today we practiced a simple yoga stretch for your shoulders.  After the stretch everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room. 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. We just started this project today before we ran out of time.  Click here to enlarge the project description.Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today by watching a current event video from MSNBC about the introduction of the new iPhone 5. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy September 19, 2013 94 minutes Internet Moment:  All students went to maps.google.com and explored it by doing each of the following activities.
Flyer Project:Â Â All students used a pre-made template in Microsoft Word to create a flyer for an upcoming event at our school (approximately 20 minutes). Â The directions are listed below.
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. September 17, 2013 91 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.  Finish Business Letter #2:  All students had time to finish this project today. Students were also shown how to insert and manipulate tables and how to copy and paste.  We also reviewed how to add your name to the header and print the finished project.   Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched a 2007 TED presentation by Blaise Aguera y Arcas who is one of the Microsoft project managers who involved in the technology that was demonstrated in our internet moment today.  In the video he demonstrated Photosynth.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.4.8.A) September 13, 2013 104 minutes Field Trip to the Cafe Computer Lab:  Today we held the first part of our class in the Cafe Computer Lab.  This gave our students an opportunity to tour our building and see one of our other computer labs.  We also used this opportunity to check that all the computer hardware in that lab was working.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.4.5.D, 15.4.2.B, 15.4.8.F)  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.  For our break today we traveled back to the regular computer lab. Online Typing Activities: As a follow up to the typing test we looked at the typing speeds for the whole 7th & 8th grades in Excel.  Students were also shown the graph below so they could see how student typing speeds have been increasing over the years.  Students then 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 finish projects.   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) September 11, 2013 44 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 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. 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 in other languages so they could get perspectives on current events from different nations. 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) 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:  30.2 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  We will review past typing speeds next class. Technology Current Event Video:  Unfortunately we ran out of time for a video today. September 9, 2013 91 minutes 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: Technology Current Event Video:  As a wrap up to the earlier presentation about the development of computer technology.  The family in Canada banned all technology that came out after 1986.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy September 3, 2013 - FIRST CLASS 75 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. Setting up Student Passwords: Each student had to create a new password today and they were reminded of some good password practices.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.4.8.F)  Student passwords must fit the following parameters:
Log On & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. CRSD Acceptable Use Policy: Students were shown how to access the CRSD Acceptable Use Policy and they were reminded that they are in a network environment where their actions on the computer can be easily tracked. 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. 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) *Class time today was shorter due to the first day schedule and a fire drill |
