January 23, 2015 - LAST CLASS 91 minutes  Make-up Time & Checking Grades: 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.  All students were asked to log into the HAC and check their grades for this class. The few students who could not log in to check their grades were reminded one more time that they have to talk to their parents about getting their email address registered in the system. 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 ankles and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room some.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class with a short video from Fox 5 News in Washington DC about a school district in Maryland that's monitoring everything their students do online.  Unfortunately we ran out of time to watch the whole video. January 21, 2015 104 minutes  History of Computers Slide Show - Students continued working on their final PowerPoint project which is a 6-8 slide show that they will present to the class. Students worked in groups of 4-5 and used the internet for research.  In this project students were introduced to online collaboration using Google Drive. 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.  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 by watching part of Don McMillan's famous presentation: Life after Death by PowerPoint.  (PA-BCIT Standard:  15.3.8.D) January 16, 2015 91 minutes  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 thigh. 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. Students were challenged to think about how they could use online presentation software like this to collaborate on future projects at home or with partners elsewhere in the world.  Students will have more time to work on these shows next class before they present.  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 a short tutorial video about how to collaborate on a slide show using Google Drive.  January 14, 2015 Internet Moment:  Students were shown GeoGuessr.com today and we spent about 5 minutes playing the game at the beginning class today.  The highest score in our class today was Sidney with 14,160 points.  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:  We finished class today with a short video from Audio-Technica about doing voice recordings.  Students were reminded that getting professional level voice recordings does involve considerable technical knowledge, skill and practice. January 12, 2015 104 minutes  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 arm. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a James May video that explains how searching on the internet works. January 8, 2015 44 minutes  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 systems (circuit switching) and the internet system (packet switches) that has replaced it. The development of an emergency communication system within the United States (ARPANET) into today's worldwide internet network was also described and how webpages like this one are sent through the internet. We also discussed how webcams work the same way by sending 30 pictures per second through the internet. Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add additional features to make this the "greatest PowerPoint" our students have ever made. Students were reminded to finish making hyperlinks to the internet and introduced to using action settings and internal hyperlinks.  We finished by adding video to the end of our show.  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 short video about how packet switch technology works on the internet. January 6, 2015 87 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 Technology. 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 watched part of Lecture 11: Work, Energy, and Gravitation. You can view the segment of the lecture that we watched 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)  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, 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)  Khan Academy: The future of education? December 19, 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. 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 Munich, Germany and used the street view feature to explore the city.  It was explained to students that in Germany people can ask to have their residences removed from Google Maps. We also traveled to Tokyo, Japan 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)  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.  Today students were shown how to collect old yearbook photos from the S: drive for their shows and how to prepare their narration for each slide by typing into the notes at the bottom of the screen.  Most students have completed at least 6 slides.  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:  Unfortunately we ran out of time for a video today. December 17, 2014 91 minutes  Finish the Final Word Project:  All students had  Office Yoga Break:  For our break today everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room and review each other's work.  Then, before getting back to work, we practiced a simple yoga stretch for your neck. 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.  Next class students will be shown shown how to collect old yearbook photos from the S: drive for their shows and how to prepare their narration for each slide by typing into the notes at the bottom of the screen.  all students will need more time next class to complete their first 6 slides. 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)Formal Interviewing Using Skype: Our students practiced formal interviewing techniques by video chatting with Mr. Marx, who is a Science Teacher at the Stadtische Realschule Sundern in Sundern, Westfalia, Germany. He talked to our students about the upcoming holiday break and asked our students how they would be celebrating.  Our students explained that they would be celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah with their families.  We showed him a picture of a menorah and one of your students explained what that was.  We also talked about Christmas trees and special holiday dinners with family and friends.  He asked our students about the gifts that they were hoping to get. He told us that the iPhone 6 and Mac Book were considerably more expensive in Germany compared to the U.S.  He also told us about his plans for the holiday break, grading papers and marking exams. We finished the conference by singing Jingle Bells together.  Before the interview we talked about the differences between web chatting with friends and participating in a formal video conference like this one.   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)  December 15, 2014 104 minutes   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. 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.  (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.E, 15.8.8.C, 15.9.5.M) 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) December 11, 2014 44 minutes   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) December 9, 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.  Start 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. Everyone will have time to finish and print this project next class.  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.   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 numbers, letters and symbols together.  Student passwords must be at least 8 characters long and fit the following parameters:Â
Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video that was shared by a student in our class.  The video by Austin Evans is about what the world would be like if computers disappeared. December 5, 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) Finish the Introduction to Computer Class Presentation: We finished this presentation today by discussing internet safety and strategies to avoid identity theft. What is a Computer Video:  We watched a short video today that was shared by a student about what exactly a computer is.  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:  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:  34.6 WPM  Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.     Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today by watching the launch of the new Orion rocket. December 3, 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.  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.   |
