2015-16 8-B.2

December 2, 2015 - LAST CLASS
91 minutes

Online game to end hunger 
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). 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 & 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:  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. 

https://sites.google.com/site/todayincomputerclass/8-b/expressionsmall.jpg?attredirects=0&attachauth=ANoY7cqJmzqf6WbYOARYXo4uumQQrW5CNDsS_pZ0DYIVfjThH3OWoHNJz_GFc6N-9-FvabJ9SlyfJMuPmPRuvF_5LKRL9pOJud6grMLbLeHciggvTrhm2Kv1nksCHc650NPcpdjaR6tX8ij-Y9qaa_JW0zUCYbNZ7O3N5hOxo5o3wSkr7jpNxikvPt_75tUg_0EbdK7YiV-PAs91N-28XzKOvv1zrfSKg9u8zGRlTn5aYPq2kyKRfPw%3D
Turn in Websites: Students had a chance to make any final changes to their websites before we turned them in using our district network folders. Accessing and using a web server to update a webpage was also demonstrated. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.F, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.8.K)

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)











November 30, 2015
104 minutes

Google Earth Tour Quiz:  As a follow-up to our previous tour on Google Earth students were challenged to list everywhere they had gone and what they had seen on their tour of the 3 dimensional visual imagery in Google Earth last class. This activity helped to demonstrate the effectiveness of using 3D spatial references, such as the virtual environment of Google Earth, to augment memory. QUIZ: Where I went on Google Earth (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.A, 15.6.8.M)

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.

https://sites.google.com/site/todayincomputerclass/8-b/expressionsmall.jpg?attredirects=0&attachauth=ANoY7cqJmzqf6WbYOARYXo4uumQQrW5CNDsS_pZ0DYIVfjThH3OWoHNJz_GFc6N-9-FvabJ9SlyfJMuPmPRuvF_5LKRL9pOJud6grMLbLeHciggvTrhm2Kv1nksCHc650NPcpdjaR6tX8ij-Y9qaa_JW0zUCYbNZ7O3N5hOxo5o3wSkr7jpNxikvPt_75tUg_0EbdK7YiV-PAs91N-28XzKOvv1zrfSKg9u8zGRlTn5aYPq2kyKRfPw%3D
Editing our Homepage with MS Expression:
   Students were introduced to the Microsoft HTML editing software Expression 3 today.  First, students were shown how 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. Students then turned in their finished website using our network drive.

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 practiced a simple yoga stretch for your shoulder and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around some.

http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/images/onlinecollaboration01.jpg
Online Collaboration Project: Students started work on a group project today. Students used a shared Google Doc to create their travel itinerary for a 7 day trip to Kerala, India. Some group members researched flights, others found Eco-tourism activities, others researched food options. Throughout the project student will have to keep their trip within budget. Next class we will discuss currency conversion, hotel accommodations and important flight information that should be included. Click here for the project directions and here for the project rubric. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.M, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D)

FBLA Presentation:  We had three guest speakers from the Future Business Leaders of America at our high school.  They did a American Enterprise Project presentation about the stock market for our class.



Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video about tourism in Kerala, India.











November 23, 2015
44 minutes*

Internet Moment: Today we explored Google Earth and discussed how a 3 dimensional virtual environment can be used to augment human memory. We started by discussing what spatial memory is and how it is used to make modern video games so engaging. Students were then introduced to the memory palace or method of loci as an effective way to use 3 dimensional visual imagery to help a person remember large amounts of information. We then went to Google Earth and began a tour of the earth, the sky, Mars and the moon. The whole class followed a specific list of locations. Next class all students will take a quiz to see how much of the Google Earth tour they can recall. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.A, 15.6.8.M)
http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/FirstAidPosters.JPG

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. 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)

Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from "Stuff to Blow Your Mind" about  Constructing a Memory Palace.

* Class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule






November 19, 2015
74 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.

Think Before You Post Slide Show: Students were reminded that all the images and videos in the show were publicly available online and available for the whole world to see. The show we watched in class today was created using Google Image  searches and some other websites that compile photos and videos. It was explained to the class that last year 29% of college admissions officers reported using online searches when reviewing applicants and 39% of hiring managers reported researching job candidates online. We also reviewed an article from CareerBuilder.com concerning the kinds of things employers look for online. All students who have posted anything online were reminded to spend some time reviewing their privacy settings and to always "THINK before you POST." Students then had some time to search for themselves, their friends and their family online. Many students reported that they found pictures that their parents had posted. Everyone was reminded to have a discussion with their parents about how their pictures were being shared online. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.H, 15.2.8.L, 15.6.8.M, 15.3.8.T, 15.3.8.T, 15.3.5.V, 15.3.8.Q, 15.5.8.J, 15.6.8.M, 15.8.8.J) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 2c, 3c, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6b)
http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/FirstAidPosters.JPG

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. 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)

Technology Current Event Video: As a follow-up to the think before you post presentation we watched a short video from Kim Komando about some of the negative consequences that have happened from posting photos without thinking first. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.H, 15.2.8.L, 15.6.8.M, 15.3.8.T, 15.3.8.T, 15.3.5.V, 15.3.8.Q, 15.5.8.J, 15.6.8.M, 15.8.8.J) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 2c, 3c, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6b)


* Class time was shorter today due to the Cyber Safety presentation by Special Agent Coughlin of the F.B.I.









November 17, 2015
104 minutes

Review the Blogging Activity:  Students had time today to review the blog entries that they made for the Russian students last class.  We used Google Maps to learn more about the City of Moscow Secondary School with Advanced Study of Foreign Languages, Number 1302. Unfortunately their school webpage is blocked at our school so we couldn't view it.  Students were shown the Children's Internet Protection Act and we discussed that the puzzle of censorship is not just deciding what to censor but deciding when to stop censoring.

Internet Moment:  Everyone went to http://geoguessr.com/ and had some time to try this online geography game that uses Google Street View pictures.  Ethan had the highest score in our class, over 15,000 points.

First Aid Posters
:  This is the final 8th grade project in MS Publisher.  Students will use all the skills they have learned in Publisher to create a series of three first aid posters that share a unique graphical theme that they created.  Students can use information and pictures from the internet but all resources need to be correctly cited on each poster using the correct MLA Works Cited Format.  
Students were reminded to use Noodle Tools  (available to CRSD students) or a free online citation tool like CiteFast.com to make the works cited.  This is a cross-curricular project and students can submit their finished first aid posters to their Health Teachers for extra credit.  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)

FIRST AID PROJECT DIRECTIONS:

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 stretch for you neck.

Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about recent advances in biotechnology and the possibilities for 3D printing body parts in the future.










November 13, 2015
44 minutes 

Internet Moment: To start our class today Mr. McNulty demonstrated how Google and other companies use GPS data from cell phones to track the locations of individuals. In the demonstration Mr. McNulty showed the class a detailed map prepared by Google of exactly where he and his family were in August of 2014. Using location history (now known as timeline) students could see that he was riding Dumbo the Flying Elephant at precisely 1:08 on August 10, 2014. Everyone then had a chance to open their own Google Accounts and check their location history. Students were also shown how to access location history on an iPhone.

Student Blogging Activity: Our students prepared a one paragraph blog post reply for Ms. Chernaya's English language students at the City of Moscow Secondary School with Advanced Study of Foreign Languages, Number 1302. Mrs. Chernaya's English Language students are practicing their writing skills by blogging and they will be reading our student's comments and replying to them.  You can view the comments here. In this activity our students are demonstrating appropriate internet communication skills and paragraph writing skills by commenting on their blog entries. Students were shown how to open their Microsoft Office 365 accounts and we used the online version of MS Word as a resource to help with spelling and grammar.  Students were reminded that whenever they post anything online they should make an effort to make sure it will reflect positively on them. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.G, 15.3.8.M, 15.4.5.A, 15.4.8.B)

Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video that Ms. Chernaya's students made about their school.






November 12, 2015
104 minutes

Internet Moment: Today we explored NewsMap.jp which is a graphical interpretation of the top news stories on Google News.  It was created by Marcos Weskamp, a self described software architect. He was also part of the team that founded Flipboard which seeks to bring the design experience of magazines to web and tablet technology.  As part of this activity we discussed the important relationship between internet technology and design.  (PA BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.B, 15.2.8.C, 15.2.8.D, 15.2.8.E)

http://www.anymeeting.com
Introduction to Webinars: Today 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. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.J, 15.3.5.K, 15.6.8.M, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A)
  
http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/BasicHTML.JPG
Started Basic HTML: Students learned about computer coding by creating a website in basic HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). Students typed the HTML into Wordpad to create a simple webpage. We then made adjustments to this page that included adding a background color. Students were also shown how to change the font color, font style, insert images and add a hyperlink. All students also had some time to experiment with adding JavaScript. Click here to enlarge the project description.(PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.S, 15.4.8.H)

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 sides.

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. In the video they talk about his upbringing and described how he developed HTML. They also evaluate the impact that the World Wide Web has had on the world. Students were reminded that all the technology that they experience was created be people just like themselves.










November 11, 2015
91 minutes

http://www.gapminder.org/
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 
http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/FullPageAd.JPG
looked at how 
8th grade math scores had changing in Japan, Canada and the United States. Students then had time to explore the website on their own. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.A, 15.7.8.A, 15.7.8.F, 15.7.8.H, 15.7.8.L, 15.8.8.A, 15.9.8.J)

Full Page Ads:  All students had time to finish this project today. Completed projects were printed in full color using the color printer in the back of the room. Students wrote their names on the back of their projects before turning them in.  Unfortunately there were some technical problems with the color printer. 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)

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. 

Hour of Code:  Today our class participated in the Hour of Code. We started by viewing the source code for 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 Star Wars Tutorial to write JavaScript.  

https://scratch.mit.edu/help/videos/
Introduction to Scratch:  As a follow-up to the Blockly Maze Tutorial the class was shown Scratch which is a free online code editor that was developed by the Massachusetts  Institute of Technology.  Students who enjoyed using Blockly, were told that Scratch would be the next step for them to try.  All students had about 10 minutes to experiment with Scratch and to view some featured student projects. Students were also encouraged to check out the Scratch Tutorial Videos page on their own and consider joining Scratch.

Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Code.org about why schools should teach coding.











November 9, 2015
97 minutes*

Internet Moment: Today students had an opportunity to play a financial education game from Visa called: Financial Football. Students had 5 minutes to play the game which involved answering multiple choice questions that tested their financial literacy. We then discussed any terms that confused them. Students were also reminded that they can go back to Practical MoneySkills.com on their own.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.B, 15.6.8.G, 15.6.8.H, 15.6.8.I, 15.6.8.K)  (ISTE Standards: 1c, 5c, 5a)

http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/FullPageAd.JPG
Full page Ad Project: Today students started a classic graphic design project to help them continue to develop their own sense of design and their skills in MS Publisher. Each student selected a full page, full color magazine advertisement to recreate in MS Publisher. The student version of the ad must advertise something different than the original but it should look very similar to the original. Students were also shown how to copy and paste images into either MS Word or PowerPoint and use that program to remove the background in a picture. 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)

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 back. 

Technology Current Event Video:  Unfortunately we ran out of time for a video today.

* Class time was shorter today due to our Veterans Day Assembly and a fire drill









November 5, 2015
44 minutes

Technology Current Event Video: We started class today with a short video from Google about using their free services for online group collaboration. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.M, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D) (ISTE Standards: 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2d, 3b, 3c, 3d, 4b, 4c, 5d)


Online Collaboration Demonstration: students were shown an example of an international online collaboration project which was organized by Stefan Nielsen, a teacher in Denmark, and involved 30 teachers around the world. The 121212-1212 Project can be viewed here. Students were reminded that tools like Google Docs and Microsoft 356 will be an important part of their future. 

Online Collaboration Project: Today we experimented with an online collaboration project with Ms. Papakalousi's advanced English language students at the Winners Education English Language School in Athens, Greece. Her students prepared persuasive essays in English in Google Docs and asked our students to edit them for grammar, style, readability and spelling. While our students were working here in Newtown, the students in Greece were able to watch the editing in real time in their classroom on their cell phones. We also had a Skype connection between our classrooms so the students could interact with one another directly. This was a great opportunity to introduce our students to online collaboration using free resources such as Google Drive and Skype. It also gave us an opportunity to discuss cultural and language differences. Below you can see a sample of what the editing process looked like. Click here to view the edited document. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.B, 15.4.8.D, 15.3.12.W)


Technology Current Event Video: We started class today with a short video from Google about using their free services for online group collaboration.  We finished with a short video about the collaboration features in Microsoft Office 365.  Our students currently have access to Office 365 through our school district.  Follow this link to learn more.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.M, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D) (ISTE Standards: 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2d, 3b, 3c, 3d, 4b, 4c, 5d)









November 2, 2015
91 minutes

Internet Moment: Today we looked at three online resources for free ebooks and audio books. We started with the Gutenberg Project (Gutenberg.org) which offers free access to 46,000 ebooks and over 100,000 additional free ebooks from other resources. We then looked at Lit2Go which is a free online collection of audio books in MP3 format that is available from the University of South Florida. Finally we visited Google Books (books.google.com) and discussed how to access and search the text of the free ebooks available there. We also discussed copyright laws and how these books came to be available online or in the public domain. Students were also reminded to search for free ebook reader apps for their phone and tablet devices. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.1.5.B, 15.2.5.L, 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.B)

http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/Brochure.JPG
Brochure Project:
  All students had time to work on this project today.  Students were reminded to  use Google Images and Bing Images to find free images that were in the public domain.   Students were shown how to print on both sides of a sheet of paper and how to trifold a brochure.  Everyone had a clance to finish this project in 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)

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:  Unfortunately we ran out of time for a video today.








October 29, 2015
104 minutes

Internet Moment: Today we looked at two online resources for fonts. DaFont.com  offers over 27,000 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) 
http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/FontGuide.JPG

Finish Font Guide: Students had time to finish the project we started last class. Everyone printed the completed project.(PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.2.K, 15.3.8.X) 

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 stretch for you neck.

Log on and Check Grades: All students were asked to log into the Home Access Center and check their grades. Since January 1st, 2015 all HAC accounts have been updated so that students can accessed their grades using their regular district log in and password. All students should be able to log in and check their grades routinely.

http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/Brochure.JPG
Start Copyright Brochure Project: Students take an existing brochure and recreate it in Publisher 2013 using a template as a starting point. The original brochure they were given was about copyright laws. Students were shown how to use Google Images and Bing Images to find free images that they could even use for commercial purposes. Students also practiced their typing today by re-typing the text of the original brochure. We will finish this project next class. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.9.5.L, 15.3.8.E, 15.3.5.H, 15.4.5.K, 15.4.8.B, 15.3.8.U)

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)









October 27, 2015
44 minutes

Internet Moment: Students explored PhotoSynth.net today which is an online service from Microsoft that used their Silverlight technology. It allows you to "knit" digital photos together to make large 360 degree images that you can pan and zoom into. We also looked at the NMS Mosaic Project as an example of this technology from (PA BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M)

Font Presentation:  In this presentation the development of the two basic font families (serif & sans serif) as well as the best uses for each was discussed. Students were also shown how they read primarily through identifying sight words and why it's so hard to spell check and grammar check your own work.

http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/FontGuide.JPG
Publisher Font Guide Project
:  After a presentation about the origins of fonts, the two main categories for fonts 
(
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.  Everyone will have time to finish this project next class.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.2.K, 15.3.8.X) 

Font Conference Video:  As a follow-up to the Font Presentation we watched a short video from College Humor about a fictitious "Font Conference":









October 23, 2015
91 minutes

http://www.pennsylvaniaapples.org/Resources/PAAppleCrunch.aspx
Pennsylvania Apple Crunch:
  All Arts teachers at Newtown Middle School encourage healthy living habits as part of our curriculum.  Today we focused on good eating habits by participating in the Pennsylvania Apple Crunch.  We ate apples and all students took a quiz about apples.  All students were reminded that apples are a great example of a healthy snack food and that making good food choices is always important.

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.

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Favorite Links Project:Students started this project today. Each student made a simple single file webpage in Word. They are used a table to layout 6 favorite websites with words and pictures as hyperlinks to their favorite websites sites. As part of this project we talked about using and formatting tables and websites that were appropriate for school. Everyone had time to finish this project in class today. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.5.G)

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.

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Publisher Logo Project
:  We started with an introduction to MS Publisher 2013 today.  Publisher was described as a graphic design program which is used to express your ideas visually.  The field of graphic design was also explained.  Students were reminded that learning basic graphic design skills will help them to communicate their ideas effectively.  Students then became familiar with Publisher 2013 by making a simple logo.  We saved this project and shared them with the class during a gallery walk activity. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.S, 15.4.5.G, 15.6.5.M, 15.3.8.X, 15.9.8.A, 15.9.5.L)

Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a logo design video from Przemyslaw Jakub Wolosaczonek, a graphic designer in London, England. 










October 21, 2015
104 minutes

Hover Board Video:  To mark "Back to the Future Day" we started class by watching this video featuring a recently developed hover board.

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. Most 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 MLA Paragraph: All students had time to finish the typing and formatting project that we started last class.  Everyone had a chance to print out and turn in this project today.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-B.C.I.T. Standards: 15.3.5.A, 15.3.8.A)

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/positions.html
Assigned Seats: All students have an assigned seat/computer in the lab. 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. Everyone should use the same computer every time they come to the lab. Students were also reminded to adjust the keyboard, mouse, chair and monitor to meet their ergonomic needs when they come to class. We then visited the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) website and searched for their recommendations concerning computer use. We also discussed employment laws in the workplace. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.2.8.I, 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: 38.3 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.

Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video about what life might be like in the future.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A)










October 19, 2015
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 but they were reminded that it's important to also get used to helping each other.

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: 
  1. Include upper case letters
  2. Include lower case letters
  3. Include numbers
  4. Include symbols/punctuation
* Note that 3 of the 4 options are required.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.F)

http://www.todayincomputerclass.com/8th/pixlrproject.JPG
Log On & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. 

Pixlr.com Project: Students were shown how to use the online photo editor pixlr.com to edit a photograph. We also discussed professional digital photo editing with Adobe PhotoShop. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.F, 15.4.5.G) Unfortunately we ran out of time to complete this project. Next class students will share 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 will also be explained. 


Computer Class Survey:  All students will 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.  The survey will also be used as the outline for a presentation next class.

Student Technology Use Surveys:  All students were asked to take and online survey about their use of technology. After the survey students were given some time to explore the results from previous Technology Use Surveys at Newtown Middle School.
 


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MLA Paragraph:
  All 8th grade students must demonstrate the ability to use the MLA format  (which is used at Council Rock  and most colleges) in MS Word 2013. Click here to enlarge the project description.
  All students should be able to set-up their Word Documents in the MLA Format.  This project involves several skills including:  double spacing, changing fonts and sizes, changing indentation settings and accessing the header.  All students will have time to finish typing this project next class.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-B.C.I.T. Standards: 15.3.5.A, 15.3.8.A)

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.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A)