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.
Class Video Project:
We experimented with making an "In
Three Words" style video but unfortunately we ran out of space
on the network server to store the video clips.
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.
Formal
Interviewing Using Skype: Our students practiced formal
interviewing techniques by Skyping with Mr. Popoff, a physics teacher
at the Sunshine Christian Bilingual School in
La Lima, Cortes, Honduras. We learned about his school, his students and discussed
some of the differences between our schools. Before the interview we talked about the
differences between web chatting with friends and participating in a
formal web conference. We also prepared our questions in
advance so we could learn more about Mr. Popoff and his school.
Excel Pie Chart Project:
Students printed and turned in this project today.
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.
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 Projectdoesn't
display in Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
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.
Click here to enlarge the project
description.
Excel Pie Chart Project:
We started the
next
excel project by laying out a data table and
collecting data. Various methods of adding up a column of
numbers was demonstrated including
sum and autosum. Next we created a pie chart of the data. Click here to enlarge the project
description.
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. You can watch the video
here:
Living Tomorrow -House of the Future. We also watched part
of a TED presentation by
Tan Le that demonstrated a
new way to interact with computers in the future.
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 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.
We also experimented with broadcasting our
presentations on the internet via Ustream and a
computer class in Neshaminy was able to see some
of the final show though the sound quality was
poor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Day at School PowerPoint Shows:
Students improved their slideshows today by adding hyperlinks, finishing the
table of contents, inserting a video, adding a quiz, removing the background
from a picture and setting the show to run in kiosk mode.
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 was
added. Click
here to enlarge the project description.
Friday -
May 18, 2012
Internet Moment: Today
we explored online college level courses at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology by going to
OCW.MIT.org. 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 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.
Continued Day at
School PowerPoint Shows: Students
completed their 12-15 slides today. They were
also shown how to add images and animations and how
to drag and drop an entire slide from another
PowerPoint. Students also added text and image
hyperlinks to the internet throughout their show.
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.
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.
PowerPoint Introduction:
As a catharsis activity we made a list of all the bad & ugly
things our students have seen in PowerPoint presentations. We
then prepared a short list of good things to do in PowerPoint.
View a sample T-chart here.
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:
We watched a short video from the
Corning Corporation that
highlights some possible future technologies using glass.
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 formatted 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. Students should
understand that the Gettysburg Address is an example of a work that
is in the public domain. Click
here to enlarge project description. We will finish this
project next class.
Internet
Treasure Hunt: Students began using Word to make a simple
webpage that is made up of hyperlinks to the internet. Working
with a partner in the class, students found the answers to 6
questions and then shared the web addresses using either the X:
drive, email or skype. This project checks for internet
searching skills, inserting and editing hyperlinks and introduces web based collaboration.
Click here to enlarge the
project description.
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.
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:
An 8 minute excerpt from a
TED Talk by Juan Enriquez concerning
recent developments in biology, robotics, technology and their
possible combination in the future.
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. We also checked the news from other countries
around the world.
Seating Assignments: All
students were assigned a computer and seat today.
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: 35.1 WPM Click
here for more information about
typing speeds at Newtown
Middle School.
Online Typing Activities:
Students were given some time to find at least 3 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
their projects.
Technology 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 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. All students reported
that they had helped an adult with computer skills but they also
need to get used to helping each other.
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.
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.
Formal
Interviewing Using Skype: Our students practiced formal
interviewing techniques by Skyping with Mr. Popoff, a physics teacher
at the 
