December 3, 2013 - LAST CLASS 94 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 (DHMO Awareness, Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs, Tree Octopus) 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.  (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 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. 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.  Students were also reminded that this was their only required computer class here at Council Rock and that should they wish to learn more about computer technology they should look carefully at the High School Program Planning Guide for the many elective classes that incorporate computer skills.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.6.8.M, 15.2.8.E) Technology Current Event Video:  For our last current event this year we watched a TED Presentation by Gary Kovacs, the CEO of Mozilla, about how internet users are tracked.  He demonstrated how many companies were following him and his daughter when they were online during a typical day.  During the presentation he demonstrated how a free download for Firefox called Collusion can be used to find out who is tracking you online.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A, 15.5.8.J, 15.9.8.L, 15.9.8.M) November 26, 2013 22 minutes* Internet Moment:  We 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. We discussed how a 3 dimensional virtual environment can be used to augment human memory.   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.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A, 15.6.8.M) Video Chat about Memory Techniques:  We then talked with Mr. Sherman of LivingMaths.com in Cape Town, South Africa.  He had meet and talked with the U.S. Memory Olympics Team and shared with our class some techniques he learned from them. We did an activity where we matched up a list of 10 items in our classroom with a list of 10 unrelated words.  (PA BCIT Standards:  15.3.5.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.3.8.M, 15.7.8.I)  * Class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule November 22, 2013 86 minutes*  Internet Moment:  For our internet moment today we explored the world using Google Maps.  We started by visiting Manchester, England to see where the Audenshaw School was located.  From there we went to Las Vegas and students experimented with getting directions to Zion National Park and using the 3D feature.  We then traveled to Singapore and tried out the Street View feature.  We also watched a short video about the Google Street View cars.  Finish First Aid Posters:  All students had time today to finish their First Aid Posters.  Everyone was asked to print a rough draft in black & white and review it with the teacher before printing their final draft in full color.  All finished projects were 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, 15.3.8.H, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.B) Computer Vocabulary Quiz:  After our break today students had an opportunity to study Computer Vocabulary List #2 before taking the online quiz. Technology Current Event Video:  Unfortunately we ran out of time for a video today. * Class time was shorter today due to the morning circles meetings November 20, 2013 104 minutes Internet Moment:  Today our students had an opportunity to view zoom.it which demonstrates how Microsoft is using some new internet technology 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 and the Yosemite Extreme Panoramic Image Project. Work on First Aid Posters:     Technology Current Event Video: To finish class today we watched a short video from GCFLearnFree.org about using Google Drive to collaborate.  Unfortunately due to the problems of our students had with using the shared Google Drawings we weren't able to finish the video. November 18, 2013 44 minutes Live Streaming Video of Mars Probe Launch:  We started class today by watching the live launch of NASA's MAVEN Mars Probe on Space.com via UStream.  The link to the streaming video was shared with students and though the actual video was blocked they were able to read about the MAVEN Mission to Mars.  Finish Full Page Ad Project:  All students had time today to finish and turn in this project.  Technology Current Event Video:  As a followup to the live video stream we watched at the beginning of class we watched a CNN Tech story about the MAVEN Mission to Mars. November 14, 2014 77 minutes* Internet Safety Assembly Followup:  As a followup to today's Internet Safety presentation by FBI Internet Specialist Cerena Coughlin, all students were asked to take a few minutes and search for themselves on Google.  Full Page Ad Project: All students had time to work on their full page ad project today.  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.  About half the class finished this project 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) Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched a short video from School Lane Charter School about the FBI Internet Safety assembly that will be presented for parents at Newtown Middle School at 7:30 tonight.  Students were asked to remind their parents about this presentation. November 12, 2013 104 minutes  Finish Basic HTML:  Students finished creating a basic webpage in HTML code today by adding images and hyperlinks.  Students were also shown how to insert free Javascript from DynamicDrive.com and how a video could be inserted into a webpage using embed code.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.S, 15.4.8.H)   Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched the first part of a TED presentation by Rory Sutherland about the importance of small details in advertising. In the talk he gave several examples of good marketing and behavioral economics.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.9.8.A, 15.9.8.E) * Class time was shorter today due to the FBI Internet Safety Assembly November 8, 2013 25 minutes* Check Grades:  Since we are at 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 had to go to the Newtown Middle School website and follow the directions at the bottom of the webpage to create a student account.  All students were shown how to access the directions online. 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 China 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, 15.6.8.M, 15.7.8.A, 15.7.8.F, 15.7.8.H, 15.7.8.L) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from the Today Show about the most popular social networking sites among teenagers.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A) Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy * Class time was shorter today due to the Veterans Day Assembly and a fire drill.November 6, 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. Introduction to a Web Conferencing:  Students were introduced to what a webinar or web conference is and what online education could look like for them in the future.  AnyMeeting.com was used to project presentations from the teacher's desktop to the student's screen and the use of webcams in a webinar was also demonstrated.  During the presentation today two teachers from Illinois, Mrs. Barnstable and Mr. Karnoscak, also visited our webinar briefly.     Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today by watching a short video from EuroNews about Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of HTML code and the world wide web.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A) November 1, 2013 104 minutes   Finish Brochure Project:  All students had time to finish the copyright brochure project in MS Publisher today.   Students were also shown how to print on both sides of a sheet of paper and how to trifold a brochure.  Each student then had an opportunity to review a rough draft of their project with the teacher.  Everyone turned in this project today.  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 a TED presentation by designer Bastian Schaefer in which he discussed changes in aircraft design and construction in the future using 3D printers.   October 30, 2013 94 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 Font Guide:  All students had time today to finish the font guide project in Publisher that we had started last class.  Click here to enlarge the project description.    Office Yoga Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers.  Breaks should be taken at least every 30-40 minutes.  For our break today we practiced a simple yoga stretch for your neck and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room some. Start 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.  We will finish this project next class.  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 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) October 28, 2013 91 minutes   Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers.  Breaks should be takes at least every 30-40 minutes.  For our break today  Publisher Logo Project: We started with an introduction to MS Publisher 2012 today. Students were reminded that learning basic graphic design skills are important in communicating your ideas effectively. Students then became familiar with Publisher 2010 by making a simple logo. We saved this project and shared them with the class. Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.2.K) Font Presentation:  In this presentation the development of the two basic font families (serif & sans serif) as well as the best uses for each of them was covered. Students were also shown how they read primarily through identifying sight words and why it's so hard to spell and grammar check your own work.  (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. We will finish this project next class.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.2.K, 15.3.8.X) Technology Current Event Video:  We ran out of time for a video today. October 24, 2013 104 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.  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 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:  42.3 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  We also discussed this graph:   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.Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from Telegraph.co.uk about some of the gadgets at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A) October 22, 2013 44 minutes Internet Moment:  Students were asked to compare three popular news aggregator websites:  Google News, Bing News and Yahoo.  We looked at their home pages, their features and their overall appearance.  Though the results were split, a plurality of our students said they preferred Google News when looking for current events online.  (PA BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.E, 15.6.5.L) 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 will finish the presentation next class. (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.1.5.B, 15.3.5.V, 15.3.8.T, 15.6.8.M) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class by watching a video from the Today Show about the competition among tablet computer manufacturers.  We only watch the first part of the video.   (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A) Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy October 18, 2013 - FIRST DAY 71 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.Fire Drill:  Class was interrupted today by a routine fire drill Log On & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. 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:
 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) 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. We will review the results next class. 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 Standards:  15.4.8.A) * Class time was shorter today due to routine fire drill |
