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7-A.5 |
Thursday - April 26, 2012 Internet Moment: Students tried using FreeRice.com which is an online vocabulary game that claims to donate 10 grains of rice to needy people for every correct answer. After having time to use the site students were asked if the site is bogus or real. We then did an activity to demonstrate how to research the validity of websites by independently verifying the facts. Students also had a chance to explore snopes.com as an example of a website where they verify internet rumors. 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. Students also had time to finish and print the Gettysburg Address project which been printed previously. Computer Class Rubric: We completed a rubric that gave students an opportunity to reflect on their own computer skills and their performance in 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.
Wednesday - April 25, 2012 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
Finished 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. 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.
Excel Simple Budget Project: In our final project in Excel we created a simple budget for a fictitious bike company. We inputted budgeted and actual income and expenses. We also created formulas to determine if the company made a profit or a loss and made necessary changed to the expenses to balance the budget. Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Event Video: We learned about the Siftables project at the MIT Media Lab. David Merrill spoke at TED about changing the way we interact with computers to make it more tactile by changing the machine into a collection of blocks.
Monday - April 23, 2012 Internet Moment: Student watched a presentation about how VOIP and webcams are combined to make video chatting possible. We also discussed the differences between a dedicated line communication system and the internet. 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.
Start Excel Pie Chart Project: We started the next excel project by laying out the data table and collecting the data. Next class we will sort the data and start creating a pie chart using Excel. Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Events Video: Today we watched a video from TED about the One Laptop Per Child program presented by Nicholas Negropante the founder of the Media Lab at M.I.T. In the video he talks about the progress of the program in Columbia and elsewhere in the world. You can view the progress of One Laptop Per Child here.
Negropante takes OLPC to Columbia
Tuesday - April 17, 2012 Internet Moment: Today we explored online college level courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by going to OCW.MIT.org and explore. Students were shown a presentation about some basic college vocabulary including the names of different degrees that could be earned. We also explored a Physics class by looking at the syllabus, a sample exam and part of a lecture and experiment on Potential and Kinetic Energy (starting around 45:40). This website gives students an opportunity to see what college classes are like, and it gives them some insight into what online courses might look like for them in the future. Finished Day at School Slideshows: Students had opportunities today to finish their powerpoints. We finished the quiz at the end, changed it to be presented in a kiosk set-up, and added narrations. Before turning the shows in students did a final rubric activity where they did peer evaluations of each other's shows. Technology Current Events Video: We watch a quick video from the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show about which gadget people would like to take home.
Monday - April 16, 2012 Internet Moment: Today we explored Google 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. 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. Continue Day at School Slideshow: We added more features to our slide shows and continued to make it "the greatest slideshow we ever made". Today students added a start button to the title slide and used "edit points" to customize the shape before hyperlinking it to the first slide. We also added a video to the show and a quiz. Students also practiced cutting the background from an image and making action buttons for their quiz. Technology Current Event Video: We watched a video from the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas about the development of OLED Foldable TV Screens. The presenter, Barry Young of the OLED Association, theorizes that within 5 years they could be as thin as wallpaper and easier to manufacture than the current LED TV's.
CES Gadgets: OLEDs Makes for Foldable TV
Friday - April 13, 2012 Internet Moment: Short class today, we skipped the Internet Moment Continued Day at School Slide Shows: As a class we added additional features to our slide shows to increase the functionality of it. So that 6th graders will be able to watch the shows and navigate through them independently we started adding features that would make the shows "self running". Today we added a table of contents, navigation buttons, a start button and a video of our class. Technology Current Event Video: Ran out of time for a video today
Monday - April 9, 2012 Internet Moment: Students were asked to explore Photosynth.net by Microsoft and the Google Art Project. These were examples of an emerging technology that is being used to create virtual versions of interior spaces. We also discussed why different web browsers don't always support services from their rivals. For example, the Google Art Project doesn't display in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Continued Day at School Slides Shows: After the long break students got back to working on their slide shows for the 6th graders about Newtown Middle School. Today we also did an activity in which each student gave specific feedback to another student about their slideshow so far. Students are encouraged to improve their PowerPoint slide shows by getting feedback from a peer and by getting ideas from the work of others. Computer Class Survey Sample Show: To demonstrate how action settings and hyperlinks can be used to create navigation within a slide show. The slide show was also used to demonstrate to students what an infinite loop was. Next class we will be adding action settings and hyperlinks to the student's shows. Technology Current Event Video: We watched TechBytes from ABC News.
Friday - March 30, 2012 Internet Moment: Class time was shortened today by the March of Dimes Kick-off Assembly. Students are reminded to check out the March for Babies online.
A Day At School PowerPoint Presentation: Students create 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. Adding large images, animated GIF's and slides from another show were demonstrated today. Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Event Video: Students were reminded to "Think Before You Post" and we watched a video that was produced by students at our high school about posting information online.
Thursday - March 29, 2012 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.  Final Word Project: The
overall 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 is also discussed.
Click here to enlarge project
description.Technology Current Event Video: We watched a presentation from TED by Pattie Maes about the Sixth Sense Computer which was developed by Pranav Mistry at the M.I.T. Media Lab.
Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense
Friday - March 23, 2012 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 locations throughout the United States. Finish Word Logo Project: Students had some time to finish their Logos from last class. Skype Session:
We video chatted with
Mrs. Leonard's Kindergarten class at
Notre Dame Academy in Georgia about the weather and famous
American symbols like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Email Scam Demonstration: Students were shown how to easily check a suspicious email to find out if it was a scam using a Google search and an online discussion board. Click here for an example. Technology Current Event Video: We watched a video about Skype Interview Techniques.
Thursday - March 22, 2012
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. Click here to view the project description.
Technology Current Events Video: We watch a video about a new virtual reality helmet.
Wednesday - March 21, 2012 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 used the search techniques to find something they would like to buy on Google Shopping. 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: WPM Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School. Adding Typing Activities to Favorites List: After the typing test activity all students were asked to go online and find at least three free typing tutorials or typing games that they will use in class to practice their typing. Students added these typing websites to their favorites list.
Thursday - March 15, 2012 No class today due to the PSSA Testing Schedule
Wednesday - March 14,
2012 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. 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 drag & drop. The best use of the H: & X: drives was also explained. Business Letter #1: Students practiced their typing and formatting skills in Word by typing a block format business letter. We did not finish this project. Click here to enlarge the project description. Class today was shortened due to PSSA testing
Tuesday - March 13, 2012 -
FIRST CLASS Introduction to Basic Computer Skills: 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 out. Logon & Explore: All students were given time to explore the start menu and the various programs available to them at school. Click here to see a student desktop. 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. Basic Computer Knowledge Lecture: Using the computer class survey as an outline, a review of basic knowledge about computers was give. This is also a follow up to the video all 7th graders were shown at the beginning of the year about "Technology Use at the Middle School". The Computer Class Survey PowerPoint and a brief review is available below. You can view a summary of the lecture below. Introduction to Computer Class 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, Karl Fisch. Here is a link to his blog: THE FISCHBOWL for more information. Class today was shortened by PSSA testing
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Student
Technology Use Survey: This class took the annual
technology use survey. Results for this year will be posted
with the results from the last six years here.
