June 18, 2014 - LAST CLASS 94 minutes
 Finish First Aid Posters:  All students had time today to finish this project and print a rough draft in black and white.  Each student had a chance to review their rough draft with the teacher before printing their final draft in full color.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  Almost everyone finished today.  (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) 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.  Many students in this class needed to finish or re-submit projects and everyone had time for that today. 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 (now called Lightbeam) 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) June 16, 2014 91 minutes Video:  We started class today with a short video about the one roller coaster that our students couldn't ride last week because it was closed. Internet Moment:  Today all students had a chance to visit www.SOS.FBI.gov and try the online learning activities for 8th graders. 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 safe internet habits.  After having 10 minutes to try the online activities our students took the exam. The average score for this class was 93% on the exam.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.B, 15.4.8.A)  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 arms.  Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video from SafeInternetBanking.be about an amazing mind reader and how he knows so much about his clients. June 12, 2014 44 minutes  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.  Most students 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:  After finishing the full page ad project we watched an 11 minute whiteboard video about the universal principles of persuasion to introduce students to some basic marketing concepts. (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.9.8.A, 15.9.8.E) June 6, 2014 86 minutes*   Brochure Project: 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.  Not everyone turned in this project today.  There will be time to print this project out 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 he became a graphic designer and how he used technology.  He also did a presentation about content & form that demonstrated the use different of different fonts to convey meaning. Students were encouraged to watched the rest of the video on their own.  (PA BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.K, 15.9.8.A) June 4, 2014 104 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 China over the last 200 years.  We also looked at how 8th grade math scores had changing in Japan, Canada and the  United States in the last several years. 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) 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. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from the BBC in which Hans Rosling describes how GapMinder.org can be used to identify trends and misconceptions by looking at the data. June 2, 2014 44 minutes Internet Moment:  As a follow-up to our work in the Blockly Maze Tutorial students were shown Code.org and asked to explore the online tutorials where they could learn more about computer coding on their own.  Students were also given time to explore Scratch from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   Finish Basic HTML:  Today we finished creating a simple webpage using HTML code. Students added a background color, font color, font style, and inserted images.  The use of hexadecimal numbers to create specific colors was also explained. We finished the webpage by adding hyperlinks and JavaScript from DynamicDrive.com. Students had some tie to experiment with the Javascript. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.S, 15.4.8.H) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from How Stuff Works about Tim Berners-Lee and the invention of the World Wide Web. May 29, 2014 91 minutes Internet Moment:  Today we explored NewsMap.jp which is a graphical interpretation of the top news stories on Google News that was created by Marcos Weskamp, a self described software architect.  He is was also part of the team that founded Flipboard which seeks to bring the design experience of magazines to web and tablet technology.  Students had a chance to explore Mr. Weskamp's website and learn a little about how software engineers work with design and computer coding. (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.2.5.B, 15.2.5.C, 15.2.8.E)    Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from code.org about what most schools don't teach - computer coding.  This video featured many famous and not so famous people talking about how they learned to code. 2nd Grade Student Presentations:  To finish class today we watched 2nd grade students in Mrs. Harris's class in Florida.  Her students did group presentations about animals and they used a Google Hangout to broadcast them to us.  Our students were reminded that they should expect to be doing presentations like this in the future.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.J, 15.3.5.K, 15.6.8.M, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A)  May 27, 2014 104 minutes Internet Moment:  Today we looked at two online resources for fonts. DaFont.com offers over 24,000 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.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.E, 15.6.5.M, 15.4.5.A)  Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers.  Breaks should be taken every 30-40 minutes.  For our break today we did a gallery walk to share project ideas.  We then practiced a simple yoga stretch for your shoulder. Hour of Code:  Today our class participated in the Hour of Code. We started by viewing the source code on this webpage.  Students were told that this code, a mixture of HTML and JavaScript, was the list of specific instructions that tell your web browser how to display the webpage.  We then watched the tutorial video below to introduce the online coding activity.  Students then went to the online Blockly Maze Tutorial to write JavaScript. Font Conference Video:  As a follow-up to the Font Presentation we watched a short video from College Humor about a fictitious "Font Conference": May 22, 2014 44 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.  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 directions feature to get directions to Zion National Park. We also traveled to Singapore and students were shown how to check live traffic data.  Students were shown how to view photos others had added to Google Maps and how to view street view photos.  We also found the Realschule in Sundern, Germany.  Finally, all students had some time to explore the world on their own. (PA-BCIT: 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A) Video Link with a Middle School in Germany:  During our class today we demonstrated how we can use free video conferencing software such as Skype to connect with a classroom at the Stadtischen Realschule in Sundern, Germany.  Their school is a middle school in the Sauerland region of Germany and they were having an orientation night for the parents of 5th graders. During the orientation they able to see our computer lab and watch our class presentations about fonts.  This online meeting was organized by a Science teacher at their school, Mr. Marx.   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 were unable to have a technology current event video in class today. * Our computer class was moved to the Tech Lab today due to the PA Keystone Tests May 20, 2014 44 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    screen zooming technology:  The NMS Mosaic Project and the Deep Zoom image of Yosemite National Park.  Students had time to explore these websites.  Technology Current Event Video:  Today we watched a short tutorial video by Stephen Looney of GraphicDesignerTips.com.  In the video he talks about the specific steps he goes through to design a logo.  We also discussed the use of Adobe Illustrator in graphic arts. * Class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule May 16, 2014 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 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 MLA Paragraph:  All students had time today to finish typing and then print their MLA Paragraphs.  (PA-B.C.I.T. Standards: 15.3.5.A, 15.3.8.A) 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: 41.1 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School. We also reviewed the graph below:   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.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.  Technology Current Event Video:  As a followup to the online collaboration project we did today we watched a 2010 TED Presentation by Jane McGonigal.  In this video she shared her ideas about Online Computer Gaming and the importance of online collaboration skills.  We watched the first 10 minutes of the video in class.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.4.8.A) May 14, 2014 91 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) Finish Basic Computer Knowledge Presentation:  We completed the review of basic computer knowledge by discussing tablet computers, the history of Microsoft, online safety and the importance of managing the information & pictures we put online.  Students were reminded that the things they put online will always be online and that it's very possible that everything will someday show up when their name is searched.  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:  We finished class today with a video from 8nownews.com in Las Vegas, Nevada about the use of social media searches by colleges and universities.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.2.5.M, 15.2.8.K, 15.8.8.M, 15.5.8.J, 15.4.5.A, 15.4.5.B)  May 12, 2014 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 were reminded that it's important to also get used to helping each other.  Pixlr.com Project: Students were shown how to use the online photo editor 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)  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 be at least 8 characters long and fit the following parameters:Â
 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:
Technology Current Event Video:  At then end of most computer classes we watch a current event video about emerging trends in technology.  Today's video was inspired by a presentation that was created by a high school teacher in Colorado, Mr. Karl Fisch.  This 2014 revision of the presentation was created by Jose Esteves, a professor of Information Systems at the IE Business School in Spain.   |
