2013-14 7-C.6

June 17, 2014 - LAST CLASS
104 minutes

Student Presentations: Students had about 10 minutes to practice their presentations at the beginning of class today. The presentations were then broadcast live through the internet using Ustream.com so other teachers elsewhere in the world could watch. We were fortunate to have Mrs. Barnstable, an educator with the Global Virtual Classroom in Illinois watch our presentations and give our students some feedback. During the presentations our students in the classroom audience completed an online survey to give the presenters immediate feedback about their performance. Feedback appeared as bar charts at the bottom of this webpage. In the images below you can see screen shots of the groups as they presented online. Notice the difference that high contrast and a large font makes for an online audience. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.G, 15.3.8.H, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.8.K)

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 full 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.

Formatting in Excel: After a brief introduction to Microsoft Excel students practiced formatting text and cells in excel by doing this online activity: Click here to practice formatting in MS Excel.

Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video about a recent DARPA Project to create a humanoid robot called Atlas.

June 13, 2014
94 minutes

Internet Moment: We started class today by exploring the Skyscraper Page which had diagrams of skyscrapers. Students could view the tallest buildings in cities all over the world such as: Philadelphia, Shanghai, New York, and Dubai. Students could also view the skyscrapers that are currently under construction.

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. Students were also shown a presentation about time management, group projects and the business concept of "Man Hours". After the presentation students had time to prepare and practice their slide shows. 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 by watching the first part of a tutorial by Anson Alexander, of ansonalex.com, about how to collaborate online using Google Drive. Next class we will start an online collaboration project.

June 11, 2014
91 minutes

Internet Moment: Students had a chance to explore PlaneFinder.net which is an online resource that displays the locations of all the commercial airliners in the world. This website is an example of what it possible when huge amounts of publicly available data is presented in an easy to understand interactive website. We also discussed how the information about airline locations is collected by a government agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, and is therefore in the public domain. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.V, 15.4.8.A, 15.6.5.L)

Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add features to our shows to make them "the greatest slides shows" our student have ever made. We used the record audio option in PowerPoint, a free program called Audacity and the sound recorder in Windows 7. Unfortunately there were several technical difficulties and not everyone was able to add sound to their shows today. We then completed a final peer evaluation activity and next class all students will be shown how to turn in their slideshow using our network drives. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.5.M, 15.3.5.H, 15.4.8.G, 15.3.8.S)

Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a review of the Microsoft Office Suite on the iPad from ABC News.

June 9, 2014
91 minutes

Internet Moment: Today we explored 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 is used in the 7th Grade Technology Education Manufacturing Unit to develop and market a product for mass production. Though it is available at school, Sketchup is currently 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)

Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add features to our shows to make them "the greatest slides shows" our student have ever made. Students were shown how to remove the background from a picture and we made an interactive quiz question at the end of the slideshow. Everyone's show was also set in kiosk format so it can only be navigated by using the action buttons and hyperlinks we made. All students participated in a peer evaluation activity so they can practice giving each other meaningful feedback and improve their own shows. Students were also shown how to add sound to their slide shows. Unfortunately there were several technical problems with adding sound using our classroom equipment. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.5.M, 15.3.5.H, 15.4.8.G, 15.3.8.S)

Video Conference: During class our students interviewed Mr. Steve Sherman, the founder of LivingMaths.com in Cape Town, South Africa. Our students asked him many questions about living and teaching in South Africa as well as what school is like for the students there. Our students learned that the grades and different schools are pretty much the same there. They were surprised to hear that class size was much larger and that some schools in poorer areas could have as many as 40 or 50

students in a class. Our students were also surprised that their school year started in January and went until December. Since they are in the Southern Hemispheres their Summer break is when we have our Winter. Mr. Sherman also asked our students several questions about our school. He asked if our students wore uniforms, used cell phones in school and if our school had a metal detector for security. Our students also talked about where they might travel to during the Summer Break. We were also surprised to learn that Mr. Sherman had been to Newtown, PA when he worked at a camp in Bucks County. Before the interview we prepared a list of things to do and not to do in a formal video interview. We also prepared our questions in advance so we could learn more about school in South Africa. (PA-BCIT: 15.2.8.H, 15.3.8.K, 15.3.8.M, 15.7.8.I, 15.7.8.J, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.B)

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. We ran out of time for this video last class. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.H, 15.3.8.M, 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.M)

June 5, 2014
44 minutes

Internet Moment: Today 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. Students were also reminded that we have several security cameras in our school building. We also discussed privacy rights and exactly where people should not be video recorded. After the presentation students visited EarthCam.com to view some online webcams from all around the world. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.U)

Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add additional features to make this the "greatest PowerPoint" our students have ever made. Students added action buttons and a table of contents to their shows so they could be set-up in a kiosk format. Next class students will make a custom start button on the first slide using the edit points feature. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.5.M, 15.3.5.H, 15.4.8.G, 15.3.8.S)

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.

June 3, 2014
91 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: 15.2.5.B, 15.2.5.J, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.8.E, 15.2.8.F, 15.8.8.K)

Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add additional features such as animated gifs to make this the "greatest PowerPoint" our students have ever made. We also accessed and used the Slide Master. Students were also 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. Images and words were turned into hyperlinks to the internet so 6th graders could find more information on their own. Next class all students will participate in a peer evaluation activity so they can practice giving each other meaningful feedback. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.5.M, 15.3.5.H, 15.4.8.G, 15.3.8.S)

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: 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)

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 and how to find additional backgrounds on the internet. Today students were shown how to collect old yearbook photos from the S: drive for their shows and how to use Google Images to find free images that they could even use for commercial purposes. Students were also shown how to drag and drop a slide from one PowerPoint show to another. 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)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMzfuf30fYo

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. As part of 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: To finish class today we watched a short video that explained inflation and the importance of investing.

May 28, 2014
44 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.

Check Grades:  Since we are near the halfway point in this class students were asked to log into the Home Access Center and check their computer class grades. Students were also reminded that if they could not log in their parents could go to the HAC and create a student account.

Finish Final Word Project:  All students had time today to finish and print the Gettysburg Address Project that we started last class. Click here to enlarge project description.

Technology Current Events Video:  We watched a video from OnGuardOnline.gov about protecting your personal information online.

May 23, 2014
91 minutes

Internet Moment: Today we explored some of the features in Google Maps. Students were shown how to find our school and view satellite and aerial photos of their neighborhoods. Students found direction by car, bike and walking from school to their house. We also used the street views and how the Google Maps cars work was explained. We then went to Las Vegas, Nevada and use the photos feature to explore the city. We also traveled to Singapore and students were shown how to check live traffic data. Students then had some time to explore the world on their own. (PA-BCIT: 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A)

Word Logo Project: To get more familiar with the drawing and graphics tools in Word students were asked to create a unique logo as if they were starting their own business. A slideshow of corporate, athletic and national logos was presented to help students understand what a logo was and what visual communication and graphic arts is all about. Students shared their completed logos with the class in a gallery walk activity. Click here to view the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.4.5.G, 15.9.2.I)

Final Word Project: The overall

goal of teaching Word in computer class is to make sure that when students have an idea for a project they are able to make it in word and print it so it looks just the way they imagined it. For the final Word project students are supplied with a specifically laid out version of the Gettysburg Address and they have to make one that looks just like it. The concept of public domain vs. copyright protected was also discussed. All students will have time to finish this project next class. Click here to enlarge project description.

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.

May 21, 2014
0 minutes*

* Class did not meet today due to the 7-C Field Trip

May 19, 2014
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. We also discussed how federal government publications, such as the NWS website, can not be copyrighted and are therefore in the public domain. Students were reminded that the NWS is the original source for most of the weather information they receive on the internet, TV, and their phones. This website was also used as an example of "unbiased" information on the internet. Students were also told how predicting the weather motivated early computer pioneers. Finally, students were shown an old video about how early computers were used to predict the weather.  (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.V, 15.4.8.A, 15.6.5.L)

Finish Internet Treasure Hunt:  All students had time to finish this project and save it as a single file webpage. Students finished this project by adding a table, inserting images, turning the images and text into hyperlinks and formatting a table. We did a gallery walk activity so students could share their work with each other. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.5.G, 15.3.8.U, 15.4.8.D)

Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Boston Dynamics that shows their most recent creation. As part of a government funded DARPA project they created a robot called Wildcat that runs like a cat. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A, 15.5.8.J)

May 15, 2014

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.

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)

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GWGm69AYBc

Internet Treasure Hunt: Students used Word to make a simple webpage that is made up of hyperlinks to the internet. Working with a partner in the class, students found the answers to 6 questions and then shared the web addresses using either the X: drive, email or an online chat service such as Skype. This project checks for internet searching skills, inserting and editing hyperlinks and introduces web based collaboration through the use of email, instant messaging and/or network resources. Students will finish this project by adding a table, inserting images, turning the images and text into hyperlinks and formatting a table. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.5.G, 15.3.8.U, 15.4.8.D)

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)

May 13, 2014
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 they can change the top news stories to other countries. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.G, 15.6.5.L)

CRSD Acceptable Use Policy: Students were shown how to access the CRSD Acceptable Use Policy online through a simple internet search. They were also reminded that they are in a network environment where their actions on the computer can be easily tracked. We also reviewed the policies concerning devices (such as cell phones and tablets) that student might bring into school. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.1.5.B, 15.2.5.L, 15.2.5.M, 15.3.8.D, 15.3.5.M)

Business Letter #1: Students practiced their typing and formatting skills in Word by typing a block format business letter. This project required students to demonstrate a list of basic word processing skills that included: changing fonts, changing the size of letters, line spacing and making a bullet list. This project also introduced students to formal business communications as it is a block formatted business letter and it provided everyone with some typing practice. All students finished this project in class today. Students were shown how to make a new folder in their H: drive, name the folder and save their Word document into that folder. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B)

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)

Keyboard History: Students were shown a short presentation about the development of typewriters and computer keyboards. The reasons for the QWERTY layout were also explained and students were reminded that the only way to really improve their typing speeds are to use the home row and learn to touch type.

Typing Test: After ll students took a typing test using 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: 34 WPM Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.

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.

Business Letter #2: Students practiced professional communication and typing skills by making a second block format business letter. To make this letter students have to copy text from Business Letter #1. They have to set-up a table, merge cells and copy/paste text. Next class we will use the header and print the finished letter using one of the network printers in the room. Click here to view the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B)

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.

May 9, 2014
94 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. They were reminded that they also need to get used to helping each other with technology. (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)

Break: Students are always reminded to not spend too much time working on computers and to take breaks every 30-40 minutes. For our break today we conducted a probability experiment about matching birthdays that you can read about here. Everyone was asked to get up and find the other person in the room who shared their birthday.

Setting up Student Passwords: All students were given some suggestions to help them develop good passwords. Some suggested good password practices were: Come up with a collection of passwords to rotate through instead of just one, make a pass phrase instead of a password, mix number, letters and symbols together. Student passwords must fit the following parameters:

Include upper case letters
Include lower case letters
Include numbers
Include symbols/punctuation
* Note that 3 of the 4 options are required.

(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 such as:

Apple vs. PC formats
Origins of Microsoft & Windows
Internet connection speeds (dial-up, DSL, cable and fios)
The accusations that Microsoft became a monopoly by the late 1990's
Online safety, predators, scams & identity theft (be smart online)

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)

2011-2012

Computer Class

Links

2013-14 7-C.6

Did You Know 3.0 ‎(2012 Update)‎