October 17, 2012 - LAST CLASS 91 minutes Internet Moment: Students had a chance to explore FreeRice.com today. This website, created by John Breen who also created Poverty.com, gives students and others a chance to practice their vocabulary skills while helping to support the United Nations World Food Programme. Make-up Time: Since this is our last class all students have 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.  The Creation of Computers Video: To finish class today students watched a video about the origins of the computer starting with early mechanical calculators, early electronic computers and the development of the desktop/personal computer. October 15, 2012 104 minutes* Internet Moment: As an example of how to use the the internet to learn independently we went to DrCalculator.com to learn about some basic money concepts and vocabulary. Students experimented with the Simple savings calculator to learn about interest rates and did an activity to see how much money they could save up for their graduation. We also experimented with the Simple loan calculator and talked about how car loans work and what a credit score is. Finally we used the Cost of Living Calculator to experiment with the effects of inflation over time by comparing the current cost of a school lunch today to what their parents and grandparents might have paid. Students were then given some time to explore other calculators on their own. Finish PowerPoint Project: We had some technical trouble with recording narration today but most students were able to record narration on at least three of their slides. We then did a peer evaluation activity and final rubric. After a demonstration about adding hyperlinks to the internet, students had some time to make any final adjustments before turning in their shows. Slideshows were turned in by sending them to the teacher as an email attachment. All but a few students were able to do this. Those who didn't have email access simply saved their shows to a class  Start Excel Multiplication Table Project: We started making a multiplication table in Excel using relative and absolute formulas. After an introduction to columns, rows and cells we started making a multiplication table. Students were also shown how create addition formulas and to copy/paste formulas across a cells in a sheet. We did not complete this project today and will finish it next class. Click here to enlarge the project description. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy *Note that our District wide network issues continue to limited our use of some network resources.October 11, 2012 44 minutes* Internet Moment: Students looked at a website from Microsoft today called PhotoSynth.net. They were able to view 360 degree pictures from the Mars Rover Curiosity as well as high resolution images from all around the world.  Technology Current Event Video: We were only able to watch the beginning of this video about Photosynth. *Note that our District wide network issues continue to limited our use of some network resources. October 9, 2012 91 minutes District-wide Computer Network Outage:  Unfortunately, the network being down today limited our use of the computers in the lab.  Instead of continuing with our PowerPoint project we did the following activities. With & Without Computers Worksheet:  This written activity required students to reflect on how we would do a common activity, like getting driving directions, with computers and without computers.  After completing the worksheet we reviewed the answers as a class and discussed specific examples of technologies and resources that existed before computers such as telephones, radio, TV, newspapers and libraries. Common Computer Terms and Acronyms Crossword Puzzle:  Students worked with a partner on this computer vocabulary activity.  There will be a follow-up vocabulary quiz at a later date. Computer Hardware Activity:  While students worked on the Computer Terms Crossword Puzzle small groups were invited to the front of the room where we took apart a desktop computer.  During this activity specific parts such as the processor, motherboard, hard drive and expansion cards were identified and explained to the students.  Students were specifically cautioned to never disassemble a computer that was plugged in due to the electric shock hazard and they were reminded to not take apart their parent's computer as they might damage it. Computer Hardware Quiz:  After everyone had participated in dismantling and reassembling the desktop computer there was a 10 point quiz. October 5, 2012 44 minutes Internet Moment: Today is World Teachers' Day so our students had a chance to use the internet to send an e-card to one of their elementary school teachers. As part of this activity we talked about several strategies to protect your information online. Students were reminded to not use last names (last initial would be enough) and that if they didn't want their email address to be distributed they should either not input it, or input it incorrectly. Students were also reminded that they can have multiple email addresses and that a way to manage spam is to have a separate email address just for online coupons and offers. Technology Current Event Video: We watched a 3:30 minute video full of Tips for Effective Presentation Skills in PowerPoint: October 3, 2012 22 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.  Google Earth Tour: Today we explored Google Earth and discussed how a 3 dimensional virtual environment can be used to augment human memory. Students opened Google Earth and we began a tour of the earth and the moon. The whole class toured a specific list of locations. Afterwards students typed out a paragraph about where they went and what they saw to demonstrate the effectiveness of using 3D spatial references, such as the virtual environment of Google Earth, to augment memory. *Class time was limited today due to the half-day schedule October 1, 2012 91 minutes Internet Moment: Students were shown Weather.gov (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 from the whole United States. Students were also shown how to interpret the hourly weather graphs to predict future snow days. Finish and Print Gettysburg Address: Due to a network problem last class we weren't able to finish this project but today we were able to finish and print. Continue the Day at School PowerPoint: Students finished their 12-15 slides today. they were also shown how to add images from our network, website and the internet. Using the master slide view to make changes to the entire show was also demonstrated. Click here to view the project description. Technology Current Event Video: We watched a short video about the problems with the mapping system on the new iPhone 5. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy September 27, 2012 104 minutes* Internet Moment: Students explored Google Books as a resource for free ebooks and they were shown how to search the text of a book. The legal controversy surrounding the Google Books Project and copyright laws as well as the settlement to date was also discussed. Downloading ebooks from Google Books to various devices such as ebook readers, tablets, computers and smart phones was also discussed. A Day At School PowerPoint Presentation: Students started a 12-15 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. Click here to enlarge the project description. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy *Our class projects moved slowly today due to technical problems with our network. Our students could not access their H: drives at all. September 24, 2012 94 minutes Internet Moment: Our students watched a presentation about how VOIP and webcams are combined to make video chatting possible. Streaming video from the internet was demonstrated and we watched live video from Cocoa Beach in Florida. The increased use of security cameras was discussed and we also discussed privacy rights and exactly where people should not be video recorded. We also visited EarthCam.com to view some online webcams from all around the world. Prepared for Video Conference: Today we started class by preparing for a formal skype interview with Mr. Shanker's ICT class at Audenshaw School in Manchester, England. In preparation for the interview our class made a T-chart of what to do and what not to do during a formal video interview. We also discussed good lighting, camera presence and speaking volume.   Technology Current Events Video: At the end of class we watched a short video about job interview techniques using webcams. September 20, 2012 91 minutes Internet Moment: Students were shown various features in Google Maps. We toured the area around Newtown using satellite photos, got directions and found street level photos of New Town Primary School in Singapore. Finish Internet Treasure Hunt Project: To finish this project students did the following: they changed web addresses to words and built a sentence around the web addresses, we made a table, merged cells, then dragged and dropped their sentences onto the table, images were added from the internet and the images were turned into hyperlinks. The finished projects were saved as single file web pages. Students displayed and shared their finished webpages during a gallery walk at the end of class.  Technology Current Event Video: Today we finished class with a video from a TED Conference. The concept of TED (Technology Entertainment Design) was introduced to the class and the background of the presenter, Pattie Maes (an instructor at the MIT Media Lab), was also discussed. September 14, 2012 104 minutes Internet Moment: In continuing with the theme of protecting yourself online students were shown the website OnGuardOnline.gov and given an opportunity to try some of the games in the Video & Media section. Some of their favorite games were: Phishing Scams, Invasion of the Wireless Hackers, Cyber Criminal & Invest Quest. Finish Business Letter: Students completed and printed the Business Letter Project that was started last class.  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. A slideshow of corporate, athletic and national logos was presented to help students understand what a logo was and what visual communication is all about. Click here to view the project description. Internet Treasure Hunt: Students began using Word to Technology Current Events Video: We watched a short videos from OnGuardOnline.gov about how online information is collected and used. September 12, 2012 44 minutes Internet Moment: Boolean Searching using +, -, and "" - In this activity students were shown how they can narrow an internet search. Click here for an example of the search techniques. Students then practiced the search techniques by finding something they would like to buy on Google Shopping.  Business Letter #2: Students practiced professional communication and typing by making a second block format business letter. To make this letter students copied text from Business Letter #1. set-up a table, merged cells and copied and pasted text. They also used the header and printed their letters. Click here to view the project description. September 10, 2012 91 minutes* Internet Moment: Students were shown this website and told that they can check here anytime to review what work was done in class. Their parents will also be sent an email with a link to this website so they can also review what we are doing in computer class.  Typing Test: All students took a typing test using http://www.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:  33.5 WPM Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School. * Note that today's class moved slowly through the curriculum as many students still had trouble logging into their accounts. September 7, 2012 44 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. Finish The Basic Computer Knowledge Presentation: To finish this presentation we reviewed internet connection speeds, the origins and growth of Microsoft, and internet safety (avoiding online predators and identity theft). * Note that today's class moved slowly through the curriculum as many students had trouble logging into their accounts.September 4, 2012 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 also need to get used to helping each other. Setting up Student Passwords: Each student 
Log On & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. Computer Class Survey: All students take a computer class survey. The results of this survey are used to guide the instruction for the class. You can view the survey to the right. Click to enlarge. We then used the survey as the outline for the following presentation. * Due to the shortened class period we did not finish this presentation today. Technology Current Event: 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, Karl Fisch. Here is a link to his blog: THE FISCHBOWL for more information. |
