June 20, 2018 - LAST CLASS 20 minutes* Classic Online Educational Games: All students then had some time to try their hand at a classic educational game from the 1990's, Oregon Trail. * Class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule June 18, 2018 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. 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 sides and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room some.  Excel Simple Budget Project:  In our final project in Excel we created a simple budget for a fictitious bike company. We inputted a budget with income and expenses.  We then created formulas to determine if the company made a profit or a loss and we made changes to the expenses to balance the budget.  Click here to enlarge the project description.  (PA-BCIT Standards:  15.1.8.A, 15.1.8.E, 15.1.8.K, 15.1.8.L, 15.1.8.Q, 15.1.8.W, 15.1.8.Y, 15.1.8.Z)  (ISTE Standards: 1c, 3c, 3d, 4c, 6a, 6b) Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video from SafeInternetBanking.be about an amazing mind reader and how he knows so much about his clients.  (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) June 14, 2018 104 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 was also described. We also discussed 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.  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 shoulder and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around the room some. Technology Current Event Video:  As a follow-up to the internet moment about webcams our students visited EarthCam.com to view some online webcams from all around the world. We also watched a live stream of the FIFA World Cup in Moscow Russia from 7Day TV. June 12, 2018 94 minutes  Student Presentations: Students had about 60 minutes to prepare and practice their slide shows before presenting them to the class. Students were also shown a presentation about time management, group projects and the business concept of "Man Hours". The presentations were broadcast live through the internet using a Google Hangout. During the presentations our students in the classroom audience completed an online survey to give the presenters immediate feedback about their performance. Feedback appeared as bar charts at the bottom of this webpage. In the images below you can see screen shots of the groups as they presented online. Notice the difference that high contrast and a large font makes for an online audience. Unfortunately we were only able to get the first two presentations done today. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.E, 15.3.8.G, 15.3.8.H, 15.3.8.S, 15.3.8.U, 15.3.12.W, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.D, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.8.K) (ISTE Standards: 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3b, 4b, 6b, 6d)     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 calve muscles. 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) June 8, 2018 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) Students finished their slideshows for the 6th graders who will be transitioning to our school next September.  Students had one last chance to make any final adjustments to their shows. Navigation buttons, hyperlinks, and sound quality was checked. Everyone then had some time to make any final changes. We then turned in the 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)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 ankles. Video Conference: Our class had a brief Skype call with Mr. Sherman from Living Maths in Cape Town, South Africa.  He was doing a presentation for a group of school administrators and we were able to talk to them about the projects our students do in school using technology. After the video conference we talked about how we could be using existing technology, like Google Slides and Google Hangouts, to do a project like this with students in South Africa someday.    History of Computers Slide Show: Students worked on their final PowerPoint project which is a 6-8 slide show that they will present to the class. Students worked in groups of 5-6 and used the internet for research. In this project students were introduced to online collaboration using a shared Google Slide Show. 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. As an example of this we watched the 12-12-12 Slide Show that was created by 3rd grade students in Denmark.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a promotional video from Google about collaborating online using Docs, Sheets and Slides.  June 6, 2018 104 minutes Internet Moment:  All students went to http://geoguessr.com/ and tried the online geography game. It drops you off in a Google Street View picture and students had to guess where they were in the world.  Students had 5 minutes to see who could get the highest score possible. Aidan had the highest score in our class with over 10,000 points. Students finished their slideshows for the 6th graders who will be transitioning to our school next September. We did a peer evaluation activity and then s tudents had one last chance to make any final adjustments to their shows. Navigation buttons, hyperlinks, and sound quality was checked. Everyone then had some time to make any final changes. Students will turn in their completed slide shows using the CRSD network drives next class. 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)Block Format Business Letter Quiz:  All students will take an online quiz to check for retention of knowledge from the block formatted business letter projects that we did several weeks ago. Click here to take the quiz.  (PA BCIT Standard:  15.3.8.A, 15.3.8.B) Creation of Computers Video: In preparation for a project that we will be starting next class students watched a video about the history of computers. During the video students answered these questions using an online quiz. June 4, 2018 44 minutes  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from the economic education team at the Philadelphia FED about the importance of learning personal finance.  May 31, 2018 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. Students were also reminded that as they create their slide shows for the 6th graders they are going to be using the internet to instruct the 6th graders, just like the professors at M.I.T. do.  (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) 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 shoulder blades. Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a review of some of the new TV's that were advertised at the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. May 29, 2018 104 minutes  Internet Moment: Students had an opportunity to explore the free online tutorials provided by the Goodwill Community Foundation in Raleigh, NC. At their website, GCFLearnFree.org our students could explore tutorials that range from mathematics to using an ATM to everyday life. Students were reminded of the importance of leveraging the power of the internet to augment their learning. They were also reminded that we were creating an online learning experience for the 6th graders using PowerPoint.   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.  We ran out of time for this video last class.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.2.8.H, 15.3.8.M, 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.M) May 24, 2018 44 minutes  A Day At School PowerPoint Presentation: Students worked on their slideshows for the 6th graders who will be transitioning to our school next September. Students were reminded to only use license free and public domain images from the internet using advance searches in Bing.com.  Everyone finished adding a script to each slide. Next class we will be adding narration to the slideshows. Students were also shown how to access and use the slide master. We also started to add internal navigation features.  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 Audio-Technica about doing voice recordings. Students were reminded that getting professional level voice recordings does involve considerable technical knowledge, skill and practice. (ISTE Standards: 6a, 6c) May 22, 2018 91 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. We also discussed how Google Maps collects traffic data using personal cell phones. 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) A Day At School PowerPoint Presentation: Students worked on their slideshows for the 6th graders who will be transitioning to our school next September. Students were reminded to only use license free and public domain images from the internet using advance searches in Bing.com. Old yearbook photos on our school network and our school website can also be used.  We also started adding a script to each slide so we can add narration. Students were also shown how move a slide in from another show.  Next class we will start to add internal navigation features.   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 shoulder rolls and then everyone had a chance to get up and move around some. Technology Current Event Video:  As a followup to today's internet moment about online education we watched a CNN 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 becoming an online instructor, just like Sal Khan.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.K) May 18, 2018 104 minutes   (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.B, 15.3.8.E, 15.8.8.C, 15.9.5.M) 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.  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. We also discussed the origins of PowerPoint and the importance if using good images and graphics in your slide shows. 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. Students were also shown how to find license free and public domain images from the internet using advance searches in Bing.com.  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 about ways Microsoft HaloLens could be used in the future. May 16, 2018 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)We also discussed some of the advances that have taken place in the last 65 years:  Finish Library Data Base Project:  Students worked in small group to create a shared Google Doc with the username and password information for 9 Library Databases that our students have access to. To do this project students had to access their CRSD Google Accounts, create and share a Google Doc and then search online for the URL's for the various databases. Students finished the project by make their own copies of the shared documents and arranging it using a table.  Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from CNBC about recent developments in robotics. 91 minutes    Word Logo Project: To get more familiar with the drawing and graphics tools in Word students were asked to create a unique logo as if they were starting their own business. After the logo game we discussed what a logo was and what visual communication is all about. Students also had a chance to share their completed logos with their classmates. Click here to view the project description.  Click here to view the logos we created.  (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.5.G, 15.3.8.U, 15.4.8.D) May 9, 2018 104 minutes   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.  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:  36.4 WPM Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School.  (CRETS:  2e)  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 video about a new typing technology called the tap strap. May 7, 2018 94 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 asked to search Google News for themselves and people they know.  (CRETS:  1a, 2a, 3a, 3b, 3d, 7d) (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.G, 15.6.5.L) (ISTE Standards: 3b, 3c, 4c, 5c, 5b, 6a) Finished the 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:
 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. (CRETS: 2b) (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.5.D, 15.4.2.B, 15.4.8.F) (ISTE Standards: 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6c)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.  Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a video from the Corning Corporation about some of the potential uses for their glass products in the future. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) May 3, 2018 91 minutes Introduction to the 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)     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: 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.  The original presentation was created for a faculty meeting and has been recreated several times by people all over the world.  This version of the video was created in 2016 by Jose Esteves. He is a professor at the I.E. Business School in Madrid, Spain. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) |
