June 9, 2016 - LAST CLASS 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)
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. 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 7, 2016 44 minutes Internet Moment: Today we explored Google Earth and discussed how a three 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)  FIRST AID PROJECT DIRECTIONS: Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short news video about the use of robotics in surgery.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) June 3, 2016 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. 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 calve muscles.Business Classes at the High School, WebQuest Project: All students researched the computer class opportunities at our high school by completing an online webquest activity. Follow this link to view the questions. They used the Council Rock High School - North web site to find the answers. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short news video from NTDTV about the use of 3D printing technology to create living body parts at Wake Forest University on North Carolina.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) June 1, 2016 104 minutes   Finish Basic HTML: Last class we started a computer coding activity by creating a website in basic HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). We finished typing the HTML into Notepad to create a simple webpage. All students also had some time to experiment with adding Java Script from DynamicDrive.com. Click here to enlarge the project description.(PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.S, 15.4.8.H) 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.  Tourism Video: While students worked on their travel itinerary we watched a short video about tourism in Kerala. Students then finished up their travel itineraries in class today. Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video that highlights some of the features that are available to our students in Google Drive. Everyone was reminded that because the Google Drive apps are available for mobile devices we could have done today's project on our personal smart phones. May 25, 2016 44 minutes* Internet Moment: Students had an opportunity to experiment with VirtualPiano.net today. Online instruments like this give anyone an opportunity to learn to play some music. 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. * Class time was shorter today due to the Keystone Exams May 23, 2016 104 minutes  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.  Scratch Games: Students had some time to explore some games that Richboro Middle School Computer Class students had created using Scratch from MIT: Tennis, Maze Flapper, Supernatural Game, Cat Jump & Bird-Catching Basket-Cat. 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.  Technology Current Event Video:  To finish class today we watched the first part of a 2010 TED Presentation by Jane McGonigal.  She is a game designed and it is her hypothesized that people should play more computer games, not less. May 19, 2016 44 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)   Technology Current Event Video:  To introduce the coding actvitity that we will be doing next class we watched a short video from Code.org about the importance of teaching students to code at school. May 17, 2016 91 minutes  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 back and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room some.  In this activity our students are demonstrating appropriate internet communication skills and paragraph writing skills. Students were reminded to use the spelling and grammar checking features their Microsoft Office 365 accounts. Students were also reminded that whenever they post anything online they should make an effort to make sure it will reflect positively on them.  This activity also gave us an opportunity to talk about the differences and similarities between cultures and schools around the world. (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 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. May 13, 2016 54 minutes*  Technology Current Event Video: We watched part of a TED Presentation by John Maeda, the President of the Rhode Island School of Design. In the video he talked about how he became a graphic designer and how he used technology. He also did a presentation about content & form that demonstrated the use 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) May 11, 2016 80 minutes* Network Access Problems: Unfortunately we were experiencing difficulties with out district network connection today.  Students were unable to access the internet and access to our network drives was intermittent at best.   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 back and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room some. 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 9, 2016 91 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 examples of 360 degree streaming video on Youtube like this one of surfing in Tahiti. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M)  Online Typing Activities: As a follow up to the typing test students were given some time to find at least 3 online typing activities (tutorials or games) that they enjoyed. They were shown how to add these typing activities to their favorites or bookmarks list so they can go back and practice their typing skills in class when they finished their projects. Favorite Links Project: Students started this project today. Each student used Word Online to make a list of six favorite websites. They then turned the names of the websites into hyperlinks. They hyperlinks were then laid out on a table and we talked about using and formatting tables. We also discussed appropriate websites for school. Everyone had time to finish and turn in this project today using a shared Word Online document.Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.5.G) Office Yoga Break:  Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers.  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 today with a short video from The Verge about the development of Google Cardboard for virtual reality in education. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) May 5, 2016 104 minutes Internet Moment:  All students went to http://geoguessr.com/ and tried this online geography game that uses Google Street View pictures.  Trevor had the highest score in our class with over 15,000 points.   Office 365 Mobile Apps: Students were reminded that they could download mobile versions of the Microsoft Office 365 Apps for their phones and tablet computers.        Finish MLA Paragraph Project:  All students had some time to finish.  We also practiced uploading this project to our OneDrives and using Word Online to edit it.  We discussed some of the differences between Word Online and the full version of Word on our computers. Break:  As usual, our students are reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers.  After everyone has finished the typing test there will be a short break and time to get up and move around. Typing Test: All students took a typing test using TypingTest.com. Each student will have 10 minutes to take the 1 minute test multiple times. The best adjusted speeds will be recorded and graphed in an Excel spreadsheet next class.   Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  Students should also review the graph below:  MLA Format Quiz:  As a follow-up to the MLA Paragraph project all students will be taking an online quiz about the MLA Format.  Click here to take the quiz.  (PA BCIT Standard:  15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B) Video - The Biography of Bill Gates:  The development of the computer technology we have today has involved countless innovators.  Certainly one of the most famous computer pioneers is Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.  Students will follow the journey of this American icon from college drop out to tech entrepreneur to becoming one of the richest men in history.  While watching the video all students will complete these questions online. May 3, 2016 44 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. 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 Outlook Email Project:  All students had time to finish and send their thank you emails today.  As a class we reviewed the emails that were sent and discussed things students could do to improve their formal communication skills.  The directions for this project can be viewed here.  (PA-BCIT Standards 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.M, 15.3.8.O, 15.3.8.Q, 15.3.8.R, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D, 15.3.8.M, 15.4.8.F) 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) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video about email etiquette tips for college students from Dr. Tracy Brown at California State University in San Marcos.  (PA-BCIT Standards 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.M, 15.3.8.O, 15.3.8.Q, 15.3.8.R, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D, 15.3.8.M, 15.4.8.F) April 29, 2016 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. We also discussed professional digital photo editing with Adobe PhotoShop.  All students had time to create a unique image and we used various network resources to share their modifies photos. Basic skills such as drag & drop were demonstrated and the best use of the H:, S: & X: drives was also explained.  (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.  You can read about it here.  Everyone was asked to get up and find the other person in the room who shares their birthday.  |
