October 16, 2013 - 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 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. We then looked at a website about the 1993 Velcro Crop Failure in California. This bogus website and others like it serve as a good reminder to students that they have to be very skeptical of what they find online and to always independently verify the facts themselves.  We also looked at the Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs, Dihydrogen Monoxide, and Petrol Direct.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.I, 15.4.8.A, 15.6.8.L) 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 have 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.  All students were also reminded that this was the "Basic Computer Skills" class and that there will many more opportunities to learn more about computers at the high school, but those classes will be electives.  Students should study the High School Program Planning Guide to find out about the opportunities to learn more next year.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.2.8.E, 15.8.8.K) October 14, 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. 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 Standard:  15.6.8.M, 15.4.5.A)  Using Google Drive to Collaborate:  To make this Venn diagram our students used an online Google Drawing that was set-up by their teacher in advance.  Students were shown how they can easily make their own online Google Presentations (if they have a Gmail account and access to Google Drive).  Sharing presentations with others was also practiced.   Office Yoga Break:  Today we practiced a simple yoga stretch for your wrist.  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers and that they should take breaks every 30-40 minutes.  After the stretch everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room. Computer Vocabulary Quiz:  After our break today students had an opportunity to study Computer Vocabulary Lists 1, 2, & 3 before taking the online quizzes.  These quizzes give many of our students credit for the computer knowledge that they already know. Editing our Homepage with MS Expression:  Students were introduced to the Microsoft HTML editing software Expression 3 today.  First, students were shown hoe the school's intranet page is easily edited using Expression.  Everyone then opened their own index page in Expression and began making the following changes:  A table was added, the names of projects we created in class were put on the table, each project name was turned into a link to that project. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished with a TED Presentation by Gary Kovacs about free software that Firefox is offering called Collusion that enables you to see who is tracking you while you are on the internet.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A, 15.9.8.L, 15.9.8.M) October 8, 2013 91 minutes  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from CNN in which they discuss the legalities of a public school district's decision to hire an outside contractor to monitor their student's use of social media sites such as Facebook. October 4, 2013 104 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.  Finish Full Page Ad Project: All students had time to finish their full page ad project today. Each student had an opportunity to print a rough draft on scrap paper that they could review with the teacher. Final drafts were printed in full color and turned in today.   Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.G, 15.9.8.A)   Using Google Drive to Collaborate:  To make this Venn diagram our students used an online Google Drawing that was set-up by their teacher in advance.  Students were shown how they can easily make their own online Google Presentations (if they have a Gmail account and access to Google Drive).  Sharing presentations with others was also demonstrated.  As an example of how online collaboration works we looked at the 121212-1212 Project which was organized by a teacher in Denmark and involved 30 teachers from around the world. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from GCFLearnFree.org about collaborating online using Google Drive. October 2, 2013 22 minutes* Full page Ad Project: Today students had time to work on their graphic arts project in MS Publisher.   Click here to enlarge the project description. We will finish and print this project next class.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.G, 15.9.8.A) *Class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule September 30, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Today we discussed what a wiki is and visited the largest wiki in the internet: Wikipedia. Students were shown how easily a wikipedia article can be edited and we discussed some of the reason it can't be used in academic work.  However, students were shown what parts of a wikipedia article they could use to help them when they are doing research for school projects.  We also looked at an edited version of Wikipedia that is intended to be used by students.  The Wikipedia Selection for Schools which was created by the SOS Children's Villages which is a not for profit group in the United Kingdom.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.G, 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.T, 15.3.8.I)   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 students were challenged to try a simple yoga stretch for shoulder flexibility. 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: We finished class today by watching a TEDx Presentation by Ward Cunningham, in which he discusses his invention of Wiki. He also discusses his most recent ideas about how to share data on the internet. September 26, 2013 104 minutes   Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.S, 15.4.8.H) Technology Current Event Video:  Today we watched the first part of a TED presentation by Tim Berners-Lee about how and why he developed the World Wide Web and HTML code 20 years ago. September 24, 2013 44 minutes Internet Moment:  Today we looked at two online resources for fonts. DaFont.com offers over 20,000 fonts that are either freeware, shareware, demo versions or in the public domain.  These fonts can be downloaded and installed but students were also shown how they can use the Snipping Tool to get images of the fonts they might like.  Students were also shown how they could make their own font using a website like YourFonts.com.  Finish Brochure Project:  All students had time today to finish the copyright brochure project in MS Publisher.   Each student also had an opportunity to review a rough draft of their project with the teacher.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.1.5.B, 15.3.5.A, 15.3.8.B, 15.3.5.D, 15.3.8.D, 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.G, 15.3.8.U, 15.6.8.L) Technology Current Event Video: To finish class today we watched part of a TED presentation by Daphne Bavelier concerning the effects of video games on the brain.  We only had time to watch the first 5 minutes of the video in which she dispelled some commonly held assumptions about the effect of video games on the brain. September 20, 2013 91 minutes Internet Moment: Today our students were introduced to the "joy of statistics" by viewing GapMinder.org which is a free online resource where statistics from all around the world are presented in an easy to understand visual format. We looked at the "Wealth & Health of Nations" chart. As a demonstration of how the website works we tracked the life expectancy and income changes in the USA and Japan over the last 200 years.  We also looked at how 8th grade math scores and changing in Japan and the United States.  Students then had time to explore the website on their own.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A, 15.6.5.L, 15.6.8.M, 15.7.8.A, 15.7.8.F, 15.7.8.H, 15.7.8.L, 15.7.8.F) Finish Brochure Project:  All students had time today to finish the copyright brochure project in MS Publisher.   We reviewed how to find images online that were not copyright protected and the importance of respecting copyrights. Students were also shown how to print on both sides of a sheet of paper and how to trifold a brochure.  Each student also had an opportunity to review a rough draft of their project with the teacher.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.1.5.B, 15.3.5.A, 15.3.8.B, 15.3.5.D, 15.3.8.D, 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.G, 15.3.8.U, 15.6.8.L)  Technology Current Event Video:  We watched the first 6 minutes of a TED Presentation by Hans Rosling, the creator of GapMinder.org about how studying statistics can be used to help people better understand the world.  In this video he was explaining how generally believed mindsets don't match the statistical data sets that are out there.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.7.8.F, 15.5.8.H) September 18, 2013 69 minutes*  Technology Current Event Video:   We watched part of a TED Presentation by John Maeda, the President of the Rhode Island School of Design.  In the video he talked about how different font choices can be used to convey meaning (up to about 7:20).  Students were encouraged to watched the rest of the video on their own.  (PA BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) *Class time was shorter today due to the Magazine Drive Assembly September 16, 2013 94 minutes Internet Moment:  Today we looked at NewsMap.jp which is an online graphical interpretation of the top news stories in Google News.  We discussed how we work hard at school to prepare students to communicate using text (academic papers) but that students also have to be mindful of the importance of communicating information visually.  This website was used as an example of this. Publisher Logo Project: We finished the Logo Project today by opening the file and saving it as a JPEG file.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.2.K)  (serif & san serif) and the best uses for each category students proceeded to make a Font Guide in MS Publisher. The final student project should look just like the original. We also discussed the concept of WYSIWYG in graphic design on computers.  Click here to enlarge the project description. All students had time to finish this project today. Office Yoga & a Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend more that 30-40 minutes at a computer without taking a break.  During today's long class class we took a break and everyone had an opportunity to get up and move around.  At the end of the break we all practiced a simple yoga stretch for your arms. Font Conference Video:  As a follow-up to our last activity (the Font Guide Project) we watched a short video from College Humor about a fictitious "Font Conference": September 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 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.   Online Typing Activities: As a follow up to the typing test we looked at the typing speeds for the whole 8th grade in Excel and looked at graphs of past speeds for NMS students. Students were then 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. Internet Moment:  Today we explored three popular  popular news aggregator websites:  Bing News, Google News, and the Yahoo homepage - Students were shown how to use these sites to find current event stories and how to search the news for specific topics.  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)  Publisher Logo Project: We started with an introduction to MS Publisher 2012 and a  Technology Current Event Video:  We watched a TED presentation by Keller Rinaudo about a smart phone powered mini robot and some of the things it could do. (PA BCIT Standards:  15.4.5.A, 15.4.8.A) September 10, 2013 104 minutes Basic Computer Knowledge Presentation:  Today students were shown a presentation based on the student computer knowledge survey that they had taken.  This introductory lecture covers basic background information that every student should know about computers such as the development of desktop computers (Apple, IBM & Microsoft), different computer operating systems, internet connection options, developing computer devices (like smart phones and tablet computers) and protecting yourself online.  We finished the presentation today. (PA BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.E, 15.4.8.B,  Typing Test: All 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:  42.7 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  We also discussed this graph:  Technology Current Event Video:  Unfortunately we ran out of time for a video today. September 4, 2013 - FIRST DAY 70 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. 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. Middle School Technology Use Video: Information about the Council Rock School District Acceptable Use Policy, and a quick review of the Facebook Privacy Policy.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.3.8.T, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.B) Direct link to the Technology Use at the Middle School Video 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  Pixlr.com Project: Students were shown how to use the online photo editor  http://www.pixlr.com to edit a photograph. Students then shared their modified photos using various district network resources and demonstrated basic skills such as drag & drop. The best use of the H:, S: & X: drives was also explained.  We also discussed professional digital photo editing with Adobe PhotoShop. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.F, 15.4.5.G)  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. *Class time was shorter today due to the second day schedule and a fire drill |
