October 11, 2016 - LAST CLASS 104 minutes68 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. Closure to Computer Class: Students were reminded that computers are constantly changing and that they had 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.  They were also reminded that we would meet again next year for their second and final required computer class here at Council Rock. 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. * Class time was shorter today due to an assembly and a scheduled drill. October 7, 2016 Internet Moment: Students were shown GeoGuessr.com today and allowed to spend 5 minutes playing the game at the beginning class. The highest score in our class today was David with about 9,000 points. Turn in PowerPoint Shows:  All students had some time to turn in their shows using a network drive.   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)  (ISTE Standards: 1a, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4b, 6d)   Excel Pie Chart Project: Students created a data table of the different elementary schools we all went to and the number of students that attended each school. We practiced adding columns of numbers and sorting data.  Then each student created a pie chart of the data and formatted it for printing in black and white. Click here to enlarge the project description.(PA-BCIT Standards: 15.1.8.E, 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D)(ISTE Standards: 1c, 3c, 3d, 4c, 6a, 6b) Block Format Business Letter Quiz:  All students took an online quiz to check for retention of knowledge from the block formatted business letter projects that we did several weeks ago.   (PA BCIT Standard:  15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B) Technology Current Event Video: As a follow-up to our PowerPoint presentation activities we watched part of Don McMillan's famous presentation: Life after Death by PowerPoint. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.3.8.D) October 5, 2016 44 minutes  Finish Day at School Power Point Shows: Everyone had time to finish their slide shows today. There was time to finish the audio recording that we had started last class.  Students were shown how to add internal navigation features and set-up their shows in kiosk format. We then did a final peer evaluation activity.  Next class all students will turn in their completed shows using a network drive. 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)  (ISTE Standards: 1a, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4b, 6d) Technology Current Event Video: We watched a video about M.O.O.C.'s or Massive Open Online Courses. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.K) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 3b, 3c) September 29, 2016 91 minutes  Internet Moment: Today we explored Sketchup which is a great example of a free CAD program. CAD, or computer aided design & drafting, has become very common across many fields and students should have some knowledge of what 3D designing looks and feels like on a computer. We also discussed how this program will be used by students in their 7th Grade Technology Education Manufacturing Unit to develop and market a product for mass production. Though it is available at school, Google Sketchup is a free download that students can download at home so they can continue to learn more about this important skill on their own. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M, 15.8.8.K, 15.8.8.S, 15.9.8.F)Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video DNews about new technology that can 3D print body parts.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.A) September 27, 2016 104 minutes  Day at School PowerPoint Shows: Students finished setting up their shows in a kiosk format and making hyperlinks to the internet. Students also made a custom start button on the first slide using the edit points feature. We also added a video. Next class we will add a quiz to the end of the show and start adding voice narration to our shows using the record audio option in Power Point. 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) (ISTE Standards: 1a, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4b, 6d)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.  Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video from RBB Public Relations that features 3 tips for successfully participating in a Skype interview. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.H, 15.3.8.M, 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.M) September 23, 2016 44 minutes  Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add additional features to make this the "greatest PowerPoint" our students have ever made. Students reminded to finish turning images and words into hyperlinks to the internet. Students were also shown how to make action buttons and a table of contents so their shows could be set-up in a kiosk format. Students will be adding voice narration using the record audio option in PowerPoint next class. Everyone will have time to finish their recordings next class. We will also be adding an interactive quiz question at the end of the slideshow. 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) (ISTE Standards: 1a, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4b, 6d) 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) September 21, 2016 91 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 watched the very end of a physics lecture about 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) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 3a, 3b, 3c) Day at School PowerPoint Shows: We continued to add features to our shows to make them "the greatest slides shows" our students have ever made. Students were reminded to use license free and public domain images from the internet using advance searches in Bing.com. Accessing old yearbook photos on our school network was demonstrated. Students were also shown how to drag and drop slides from another show. Removing the background from an image was demonstrated. Students were shown how to turn images and words into hyperlinks to the internet so 6th graders could find more information on their own. Students were then shown how to access and use the Slide Master feature.  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) (ISTE Standards: 1a, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4b, 6d) 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 the deltoid muscles. 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) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 3b, 3c) Khan Academy: The future of education? September 19, 2016 104 minutes  Internet Moment: Students had a chance to explore Plane Finder which is an online resource that displays the locations of all the commercial airliners in the world. This website is an example of what it possible when huge amounts of publicly available data is presented in an easy to understand interactive website. We also discussed how the information about airline locations is collected by a government agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, and is therefore in the public domain. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.V, 15.4.8.A, 15.6.5.L) 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 had time to finish this project in class today. 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)  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. Students were shown how to access the background templates in MS PowerPoint 2013 and how to find additional backgrounds on the internet. Next class students will be shown how to find license free and public domain images from the internet and on our school network drives. 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)(ISTE Standards: 1a, 2b, 3b, 3c, 4b, 6d)Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video from Pond5.com about how public domain works. In the video the three ways content enters the public domain is explained (through government, through dedication and time) September 15, 2016 94 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 directions 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)  (ISTE Standards:  1a, 1c, 1d, 2c, 3b, 4c, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a, 6b)  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: We finished class today with a short video presentation by Mr. Curtis Tucker about managing your digital footprint.  This video is from 2015 TEDx at Waller Middle School in Enid, Oklahoma. September 13, 2016 91 minutes  Internet Moment: Students were shown Weather.gov (the National Weather Service) as an example of a huge online database that's full of real-time and archived information. We checked our local weather and spent a few minutes checking the satellite images and Doppler radar for the whole United States. Students were also shown how to access the hourly weather graphs for our area to get precipitation predictions. We also discussed how federal government publications, such as the NWS website, can not be copyrighted and are therefore in the public domain. Students were reminded that the NWS is the original source for most of the weather information they receive on the internet, TV, and their phones. This website was also used as an example of "unbiased" information on the internet. Students were also told how predicting the weather motivated early computer pioneers. Finally, students were shown an old video about how early computers were used to predict the weather. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.V, 15.4.8.A, 15.6.5.L)  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 shoulder.  After the break everyone had a chance to get up and walk around.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a public service announcement from www.OnguardOnline.gov about the importance of thinking before you share too much information online. September 9, 2016 0 minutes* * Class was cancelled today due to an off campus team building activity September 7, 2016 44 minutes   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) September 2, 2016 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.    Keyboard History:  Students were shown a short presentation about the development of typewriters and computer keyboards.  The reasons for the QWERTY layout were also explained and students were reminded that the only way to really improve their typing speeds are to use the home row and learn to touch type.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: 30.9 WPM Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  Online Typing Activities: As a follow up to the typing test students were given some time to find some 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 finish projects. Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from DNewsChannel about teaching cursive writing and typing in schools. August 31, 2016 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. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.G, 15.6.5.L) (ISTE Standards: 3b, 3c, 4c, 5c, 5b, 6a) 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)   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. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.5.D, 15.4.2.B, 15.4.8.F) (ISTE Standards: 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6c)  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:
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 shares their birthday to see if there was a match. Technology Current Event Video:  As a follow-up to the presentation about identity theft we watched this short CBS News video about the growth of identity theft among children.  (PA BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video demonstrating smart phone keyboard technology. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) August 29, 2016 40 minutes* Tour of the Building: Students were taken on a tour of the school and shown the location of the other computer labs in the building. 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) Setting up Student Passwords: All students were given some suggestions to help them develop good passwords. Some suggested good password practices were: Come up with a collection of passwords to rotate through instead of just one, make a pass phrase instead of a password, mix number, letters and symbols together. Student passwords must fit the following parameters:Â
Log On & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. Technology Current Event Video:  Most classes end with a current event video. Today's video was inspired by an original presentation created by a high school teacher in Colorado, Mr. Karl Fisch. Here is a link to his blog:  THE FISCHBOWL for more information. This version of the video was created by Jose Esteves, a professor at the I.E. Business School in Madrid, Spain.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A)  * Class time was shorter today due to the first day schedule |
