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| Home Page | Course Overview | Student Technology Use | Student Typing Speeds | |||||||
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7-A.6 |
Friday - June 8, 2012 - LAST CLASS 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. 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.
Thursday - June 7, 2012 Internet Moment: The class 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.
Technology Current Event Video: Today we watched parts of a TED presentation by Deb Roy. The presentation is about the research work he did to discover how babies learn to talk. We also learned how he was applying his research techniques to analyze trends in social media.
Wednesday - June 6, 2012 Internet Moment: Today we visited the Google Art Project. This is an example 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.
Technology Current Event Video: We watched a video about the "House of the Future" display in Vilvoorde near Brussels, Belgium. In the video they demonstrated many of the devices that they expect will be integrated into our lives in the near future.
Living Tomorrow -House of the Future Thursday - May 31, 2012 Finished History of Computers Slide Shows - Students finished their slide shows today and had some time to practice their presentations. History of
Computers Slide Show Presentations - After
having time to practice all 5 groups presented
their shows to the class using the
SMARTBoard.
There was a demonstration about different
methods for navigating through a presentation
(keyboard, clicker, using the board). Each
group then did their presentation. While
each group was presenting their peers in the
audience were using an online survey to give
them feedback about their presentation skills.
Students
History of Computers Wrap-up - Following the student presentations there was a presentation by the teacher about the progression of computer technology that included a demonstration of a slide rule and a mechanical calculator. Students were shown how to do multiplication and addition on an old Comptometer. Technology Current Event Video - We watched a short TED presentation by Gary Kovacs, the CEO of the the Mozilla Corporation about how we are tracked when we are on the internet and a free plug-in for Firefox called Collusion that allows you to graphically see the tracking in real-time. Gary Kovacs: Tracking the Trackers
Wednesday - May 30, 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
Start History of Computers Slide Show - Students started their final PowerPoint project which is a 6-8 slide show that they will present to the class. Students work in groups of 4-5 and use the following resources to create their shows: the internet for research, easybib.com for their works cited, the school network (X: drive) for sharing information, and online resources such as email, etherpad sites and skype to collaborate. Using easybib.com to do an MLA formatted work cited was demonstrated today. We also talked about what a man-hour is and how working in groups should save time. Technology Current Event Video: Students watched a video from TED presented by Nicholas Negroponte (the founder of the MIT Media Lab) about the One Laptop Per Child program and it's progress in Columbia.
Negroponte takes OLPC to Columbia
Tuesday - May 29, 2012 Finish Day at School Slide Shows: Today students were shown how to add narration to a PowerPoint slideshow. They were also give some advice about how to avoid popping p's or "plosives" . All students added narration to at least 3 slides and some students added narration to all of their slides. We also did one final peer evaluation activity and students had one more opportunity to fine tune their slide show before turning it in for the teacher's review. 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.
Tuesday - May 22, 2012 Internet Moment: Students were shown various features in Google Maps. We toured the area around Newtown using satellite photos, got directions and viewed street level photos in Tokyo, Japan. We also experimented with the Earth view and students were shown how to take a 3 dimensional road trip from Zion National Park in Utah to Las Vegas using the 3D feature. Day at School PowerPoint Shows: Students improved their slideshows today by adding a quiz, removing the background from a picture and setting the show to run in kiosk mode. We also did a peer evaluation activity and students had a chance to make final improvements to their shows.
Monday - May 21, 2012
Continue Day at School PowerPoint Shows: Today we added more features to our shows. Students continued to add hyperlinks and we started setting up the show so it would run in kiosk mode. A table of contents, navigation buttons and a start button was added. We also inserted a video of our class. Students took the Computer Class Survey. Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Event Video: Today we watched an ABC News Video about the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon.
Apollo 11: Celebrating
the Giant Leap
Friday - May 18, 2012 Continued Day at School PowerPoint Shows: Students completed their 12-15 slides today. Almost the entire class period was dedicated to finishing these shows today. Technology Current Event Video: We watched a TED Video about an idea from the MIT Media Lab. The presenter, Pattie Maes, was explaining the Sixth Sense computing idea while her student, Pranav Mistry, demonstrated it through a series of videos. Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense
Monday - May 14, 2012 Internet Moment: Today we looked at the national Weather Services website as an example of a huge online database of weather data that is completely in the public domain. Student were shown how to access their local weather predications for precipitation and temperatures and how to view streaming radar and satellite images. Finish Final Word Project: Students finished the Gettysburg Address Project that we had started last class. Click here to enlarge project description.
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. Click here to enlarge the project description. Technology Current Event Video:
Friday - May 11, 2012 Internet Moment: Students explored OnGuardOnline.gov today. This website is a good resource for avoiding online scams, protecting yourself online, understanding how the internet works, and protecting your personal computer. Additionally we explored the video and media resources and students had a chance to test their technology knowledge by playing games like the one below. More games, activities, tutorials and videos are available at http://onguardonline.gov/media.
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
Technology Current Event Video: We watched a short video from ABC News about the new Google Car that drives itself.
Thursday - May 10, 2012 Internet Moment:
Students were shown
TodayInComputerClass.com today so they could use it a s a
resource in the future. We also explored the anatomy of a web
address and viewed Google in different domains. We looked at
http://www.google.co.il,
http://www.google.co.jp, and
http://www.google.co.nz.
Students were shown how they can use the different domain names to
narrow a search geographically. For example
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 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. Technology Current Event Video: This speaker at TED was a graduate student at the M.I.T. Media Lab at the time of this presentation on Siftables.
Friday - May 4, 2012 Seating Assignments: All students were assigned a computer and seat today. 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.
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 Event Video: Today we watched a video from ABCNews.go.com about technology gifts for Mother's Day.
Thursday - May 3, 2012
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. Introduction to Computer Class 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. 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: 30.3 WPM Click here for more information about typing speeds at Newtown Middle School. Class today was shortened due to
the Student Council Assembly
Wednesday - May 2, 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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Formal
Interviewing Using Skype: Our students practiced formal
interviewing techniques by Skyping with Mr. & Mrs. Bukhtoyarov in
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. 
evaluated
the presenters in the following categories:
Text readable, use of graphics, use of colors,
speaking volume, presenting more information
than was on the slides, the accuracy of the
information and that they had obviously
practiced their presentation in advance.
