January 30, 2020 - LAST CLASS 104 minutes
Internet Moment:Â Â We were unable to do an internet moment activity today due to a prolonged internet outage.
Final Project: Students used MS Word to demonstrate basic word processing skills by recreating an original document that demonstrated knowledge of several text formatting and graphics features. Students also answered two journal questions about the class.
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January 28, 2020
22 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 Moana Tutorial to write JavaScript. Â
* Our class time was shorter today due to the half day schedule
January 24, 2020
91 minutes
Mr. McNulty is absent this morning.
Internet Moment:  All students should go to earthcam.com and explore their world. Students have 5 minutes to visit live streaming webcams from all around the world.
Word Flyer Project: Using one of the pre-made templates in MS Publisher & the school website students will created a flyer for any school activity such as:  Hawk Day, Magazine Drive, Winter Concerts, Any School Dance, Any Athletic Event, The School Play. Follow this link to view the directions. Finished flyers will be printed out and turned in.
Typing Practice: Students are always reminded to practice their typing. If they finished the flyer project early they should go back to one of the online typing games that they found previously and use it to practice.
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 followed 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 completed these questions online.
Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Code.org about why schools should teach computer coding.
January 22, 2020104 minutes
Internet Moment: Everyone had a chance to explore Khan Academy and look for video lessons that relate to what they are currently learning in 8th grade. Students were reminded that this resource can help them with their homework here at the middle school and at the high school next year. Students could also try signing inot Khan Academy using their school gmail accounts.  (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.6.8.M, 15.4.8.A, 15.8.8.K) (ISTE Standards: 1d, 3b, 3c)Â
Online Collaboration Project: We started a group project in which students will use online collaboration tools to plan a travel itinerary. Students will work in groups of 3-4 and they will use a shared Google Slide Show to create a travel itinerary. For this project our students will be planning a 7 day trip to Kerala, India where they will participate in some tourism activities of their choice. We started by watching a short video about tourism in Kerala. Click here for the project directions and here for the project rubric. Using Google as a currency converter was also demonstrated and students were reminded to use the calculator on their computers to total their travel expenses. 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)Break: Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers. Breaks should be taken every 30-40 minutes.
Soft Skills Video: We finished this activity with a short video about the importance "soft skills" in group work. We also discussed the difficulties involved in developing soft skills when working in online virtual groups.
Technology Current Event Video: We finished class today with a video from Captain Gizmo about some of the technology that might be available by 2050.
January 17, 2020
44 minutes
Internet Moment: Today students had an opportunity to play a financial education game from Visa called: Financial Football. Everyone had about 5 minutes to experiment with the financial literacy game. Students were also reminded that they can go back to PracticalMoneySkills.com on their own. We also checked out the Personal Finance & Investing class which can be taken as an elective at our high school. (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)Full Page Ad Project: All students had time to work on the advertising project that we started last class. Next class finished projects will be printed and turned in. 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)
Technology Current Event Video:Â We finished class today with a short video about graphic design trends from 2019.
January 15, 2020
91 minutes
Internet Moment: We looked at eBay.com today and discussed buying and selling things online. Most of our students have bought things online and some of them have sold items online.  Using auctions to find the true value of something was explained.  Students shared the names of various e-commerce websites that they have used.  We discussed the development of internet commerce and ways students can get involved with buying and selling online.
Break:Â Â 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.
January 13, 2020
91 minutes
January 7, 202091 minutes
Exploring the CRHS-South Website: As a follow-up to the presentation today about 9th grade course selection Assembly today students were given an opportunity to explore the CRHS-South website. Students were asked to explore the Student Handbook and the Program Planning Booklet. Students were also shown how they can search these resources using CTRL+F. Everyone then had some time to explore the high school website on your own.
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.
Break:Â 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.
Finish Publisher Font Guide Project: Everyone had time to finish the Font Guide in MS Publisher. When finished students printed and turned in their work using the network printer in the room.  This project gave students an opportunity to get familiar with the program's features.  They also had to demonstrate the ability to make something very specific. Click here to enlarge the project description. Everyone had time to finish this project in class today. (PA-BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.4.8.G, 15.4.2.K, 15.3.8.X)
Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video about some of the new gadgets on display at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
January 3, 2020104 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 60,000 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)
International Flip Grid Project: Over the holiday break 6th grade English language students in Mrs. Peretz's class at Ilanot School in Jerusalem, Israel posted their flipgrid video's about what they did over the holiday break. Our students had an opportunity to watch the video's in class today.
 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)
Publisher Logo Project: We started with an introduction to MS Publisher. 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 by making a simple logo. We then shared the finished logos in 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)Graphic Arts Video: We finished this activity with a short video from PBS OffBook about logo design.
Font Presentation:Â 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.
Publisher Font Guide Project: Students made a Font Guide in MS Publisher. When finished the student version should look just like the original. We also discussed the concept of WYSIWYG in graphic design. This project gave students another opportunity to get familiar with the program's features.  They also had to demonstrate the ability to make something very specific. 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:Â Â As a follow-up to the Font Presentation we watched a short video from College Humor about a fictitious "Font Conference".
December 20, 201949 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)
International Flip Grid Project: Our students had an opportunity to participate in a Flip Grid project with students from Ilanot School in Jerusalem, Israel. Students in Mrs. Peretz's 6th grade English class and our students shared short video messages about what they were planning on doing over the upcoming holiday break.Â
Technology Current Event Video:  We finished class today with a video from Danny Winget about the best technology gadgets from the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
December 18, 2019 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. We also talked about how to find and use the home row on the keyboard. (CRETS: 1a, 1c, 1d, 2e)Profile Pictures: Students opened up their school Google Accounts and we talked about how their profile picture works and that it is public. They were then shown Cartoonify.de and students had time to make a custom profile picture. Students were also shown a collection of generic profile pictures that they could use. We discussed the difference between your professional and personal persona and what online "personal branding" was all about. Students were reminded of the importance of learning of manage what they looked like online. Students then shared their images using network drives.
Basic Email Etiquette:  All students logged into their Google accounts and accessed their school email. We discussed the importance of being able to use email for formal communication. Students were also reminded that the emails they send using their school account are not private in any way. We also discussed what CC: means (carbon copy), what should go in the Subject line of an email and how to start writing a formal email. Each student then practiced good email etiquette by sending a formal thank you email to a Council Rock faculty member of their choice. 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, 15.4.8.G)
Online Game:  Our class played a Kahoot game at the end of class today about holidays around the world. We were also fortunate to have Mrs. Smith 4th grade class join us from Glenbrook Elementary School in Streamwood, Illinois and Mrs. Maskaeva who is an English language teacher from Russia. Mrs. Smith's 4th graders dominated the game today. Caleb came in third place, Sasha came in second and first place went to Fade.
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)
December 16, 2019104 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)
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.
Formal Video Conference:During class today our students interviewed Maria Jose-Giavedoni, an English language teacher in Santa Fe, Argentina. She told us about how the Christmas holidays are celebrated in her country. We were surprised to hear how hot it was there and that her school year had just ended. In the Southern Hemisphere the schools in places like Argentina are closed until March for the Summer holidays. We were also surprised to hear that they like to celebrate Christmas with a family party on December 24th with gift giving at mid-night. She also said that people usually don't exchange Christmas cards nor do many people eat turkey like they do in the U.S. After the interview we were able to view a SWAY about Christmas in Argentina and around the world. After the interview we explored a FlipGrid project about Christmas around the world that Maria was working on. (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)
Break:Â Â Students are always reminded to not spend too much time sitting in front of computers. Â For our break today students 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:  34.6 WPM.  We also reviewed the typing speed graph below and discussed what a bell curve is.
Technology Current Event Video:Â Â We ran out of time for a video today.
December 12, 2019
91 minutes
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 Bing News when looking for current events online. Students were also asked to explore their own digital footprint by searching for themselves on various news sites. (PA BCIT Standards: 15.3.8.E, 15.6.5.L)Exploring Office 365: All students logged into their Microsoft Office 365 accounts and had some time to explore it. We discussed the use of One Drive to store files online and the similarities and differences between Office 365 and Google Drive. Students were also shown how to download the Microsoft Office programs on a device at home for free.  This activity also gave us an opportunity to find out who was having problems with their Office 365 accounts.
December 10, 2019
91 minutes
Introduction to Basic Computer Skills Class:Â 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.
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.
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: Upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and symbols. (PA-BCIT Standard: 15.4.8.F)
Gmail Accounts: Students were shown how to access their CRSD Google Gmail today. Students were reminded that they will have access to their google accounts and school gmail until they graduate from high school. Students were also reminded that they can access their Google email from anywhere in the world where they have internet access. Everyone had time to experiment with sending and receiving emails. Students were also reminded to not use their school email for anything inappropriate.
Technology Current Event Video:Â We finished class today with a short video about some of the newest drones at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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