March 20, 2019 - LAST CLASS 104 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. Students were also reminded to check out the eSchoolPLUS app that's available from Google Play and the iTunes Store. Technology Current Event Video: For our last current event this year we watched a TED Presentation by Eli Pariser about the creating of "filter bubbles" online. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.4.8.A, 15.5.8.J, 15.9.8.L, 15.9.8.M) March 18, 2019 44 minutes   Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a short video from BlueHost about how websites work. March 14, 2019 91 minutes   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 everyone had a chance to get up and move around. 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 Moana Tutorial to write JavaScript.  Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a video from Code.org about why schools should teach computer coding. March 12, 2019 104 minutes   Collaboration Skills Video: We finished this activity with a short video about the importance "soft skills" in group work. 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 everyone had a chance to get up and move around. Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a Channel 4 News interview of Hans Rosling in the U.K. He is the creator of GapMinder.org and in the interview he discusses how the world is actually much better off than you think. March 8, 2019 30 minutes* Internet Moment: Today we explored the online version of  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 whole class followed a specific list of locations. Next week 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) Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a video from HowStuffWorks.com about research into the effects of video games on your brain. * Class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule March 6, 2019 91 minutes  Finish Brochure Project: Everyone had some time to finish typing this project today. Students were reminded to use Google Images and Bing Images to find free images that were in the public domain. Once they had finished they could review a rough draft with the teacher. Tri-folding as brochure was also demonstrated. Everyone had time to finish this project in class today.  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) Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a short video from PBS OffBook about careers in graphic design.  March 4, 2019 0 minutes* * Class cancelled due to a Snow Day February 28, 2019 44 minutes   Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a video from Microsoft about possible uses for technology in the future.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) February 26, 2019 91 minutes  Internet Moment: To help our students understand cultural diversity on the internet we investigated what our own accents sound like by taking the NY Times Dialect Quiz. Students then had an opportunity to compare the dialect heat maps from all the students in our class using a shared Google Slideshow. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.3.8.J, 15.3.8.K, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.D)International Kahoot Game: We played a Kahoot game with English language students from Boglári Altalanos Iskola, a Primary School in Balatonboglár, Hungary. Educators, Doyan Wilfred & Sebastian Panakal of the Women of Wiki Project in Kerala, India also played with us.  We were also fortunate to have a student, Blaise, from St. Theresas' High School in Manappuram, Alleppey, Kerala, India also joined us for the game today. The topic for today's game was famous landmarks around the world.    Video Interview Practice: After the game we had some time to talk to the students in Hungary. They had several questions about our school. Unfortunately the quality of the audio connection made it very difficult for us to understand each other.  (PA-BCIT: 15.2.8.H, 15.3.8.K, 15.3.8.M, 15.7.8.I, 15.7.8.J, 15.3.8.X, 15.4.8.A, 15.4.8.B) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 2b, 2c, 5a, 5b, 5c) Language Differences Video: As a follow-up to the dialect activity we watched a short video from The Atlantic about the various dialects in the United States. Finish Font Guide Project:  All students had time to finish the MS Publisher project that we started last class.  Everyone printed and turned in their finished font guide.   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) February 22, 2019 104 minutes Internet Moment:  All students went to 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. Jared won with over 16,900 points. After the game we discussed how Google used specially outfitted cars and GPS to collect the street view images. Students were also shown how Google was using specially outfitted backpacks, tricycles and carts to create additional online tours of places. We watched the video below about the way the interior of the White House was photographed. Library Database 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 then made their own copies of the shared documents and completed their project by arranging it using a table.   Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Google that takes a look inside one of their data centers. In the video our students could see one of the possible locations of their Google Drives. February 20, 2019 0 minutes* * Class cancelled due to a Snow Day February 14, 2019 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. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.5.V, 15.4.8.A, 15.6.5.L)   Email Etiquette For Students Video:  We finished class today with a short video about how to email a teacher.  (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, 15.4.8.G)   Font Conference Video:  As a follow-up to the Font Presentation we watched a short video from College Humor about a fictitious "Font Conference". February 12, 2019 0 minutes* * Class cancelled due to a Snow Day February 8, 2019 44 minutes    Logo Design Video:    We finished class today with a short video from Vox about the basics of logo design. February 6, 2019 80 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. We also discussed how Google continues to track a mobile devices location even when the settings are turned off by using WiFi and cell towers. 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.Finish MLA Paragraph Project: Students opened up this project as a Google Doc and finished the typing. We then downloaded the Google Doc as a Word Doc. Click here to enlarge the project description. (PA-B.C.I.T. Standards: 15.3.5.A, 15.3.8.A) 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 everyone had a chance to get up and move around.Â
 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:  40.2 WPM.  We also reviewed the typing speed graph below and discussed what a bell curve is.  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. * Class time was shorter today due to a scheduled fire drill February 4, 2019 104 minutes   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 workstations. 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) Students were also reminded to not use their school email for anything inappropriate.    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. 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 short video from The Verge about a new foldable phone/tablet called the Flexipai from Royole. The device was on display at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.   January 31, 2019 50 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.  Log On & Explore:  All students were given time to explore the start menu, Cortana and the various programs available to them at school. We also talked about the importance of time management and the many distractions that students face because of technology. All students are encouraged to avoid online distractions and games while in class. 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) Students shared 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 was also explained. Click here to enlarge the project description.  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.  This remix of the original presentation was done by Katy Scott in July 2018.  (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.A) |
