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mckln
Module 1: BlogsThe module is available in an online document format.
ObjectivesStudents, by the end of the module, should be able to - create a blog and blog entries (lesson one) - add video, photos and other media to their blogs (lessons two and three) - add widgets to their blogs (lesson four) - understand the benefits and potential dangers of using blogs (whole module) - understand the ethical issues concerning blog usage (lesson five) - write descriptively, using content area vocabulary, about blogs and related media (whole module)
LessonsFurther feedback regarding these lessons can be found on Mr. Woo's Blog. Vocabulary comprehension is necessary to establish reading comprehension, especially in the content areas. As my computer literacy class has been learning to use blogs, it has become necessary to teach students the strategies, skills and techniques to understand the technical vocabulary which they will encounter in using the software. To better appreciate the relationships which many of the technical words share, our class employs the list-group-label strategy to define and articulate semantics.
Students should become familiar with Web 2.0 technologies; furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, students should understand the technical vocabulary associated with the reading in this content area; hence, though students enjoyed browsing the videos and then adding them to their blogs, they also had to complete a vocabulary self-collection strategy assignment for which the students had to select a significant YouTube vocabulary word, define it without a dictionary and then state why they chose the word for the class to learn; indeed, the students appreciated this lexical empowerment.
YouTube Semantic MapTo view a student's semantic map, created in class, click here.
The capacity to think inductively, to be able to understand relationships between words is a vital element necessary to understand words and to comprehend texts in content areas. This kind of thinking can be taught.
In this video, as students are using computers - during their computer literacy lesson - to work on their blogs, a student encounters a new interface with, perhaps, unfamiliar words and the student must think quickly and inductively to negotiate the aforesaid interface.
The student recognizes that an error has occurred; he then identifies his clicking options on the interface - clean, delete, move file to and stop; and finally, the most significant aspect of this error negotiation task, the student communicates his understanding to me by articulating in English, what he has just accomplished. Being able to read, to understand and most importantly, to communicate competently these content area vocabulary words are the outcomes I am aiming for in teaching students semantic mapping and list-group-label strategies.
In computer literacy lessons, we continue to think inductively, trying to see relationships between words and consequently to group those words and articulate the relationships. As we my students have required more structure in cultivating this thinking, for the past two lessons I've given them word sorts, which contain the vocabulary words that they have been asked to group - I've removed the added complexity of searching for words to group. In generating clear, reasonable and cogent labels, there is discernible progress; of course, nebulous labels continue to persist. Our next move is to take screen shots of Web 2.0 Websites and from those pictures determine groups of words; a visually cue will perhaps further the creation of accurate, descriptive labels.
2R Lesson - 22/10/07 Our class is making slow, yet discernible progress in inductive thinking, considering superordinate terms when given a group of subordinate words; we've evolved from the nebulous one word responses to the nebulous sentences; there are still problems in reasoning to solve, particularly to make logical labels for a carefully chosen group of words related to the central topic. From 2R's most recent computer literacy lesson - the teaching of Web 2.0 widgets - the following list-group offers off-topic words, labeled vaguely -
Words about playing of my Halloween widget. toys fun games
This student labeled her group coherently; unfortunately, the list-group was off-topic -
things that a dog can do run play sleep eat bark
There were many dubious choices of words to group, including the following two examples, which, I believe, demonstrate students inability to appreciate and understand a Web site's interface and its distinct lexical items; students are confused; many have yet to demonstrate an ability to recognize and to group discreet, related words, and then to use inductive logic to generate an accurate, specific label -
This is the information that I can choose in on my widget: Avg. Rating Installs On Developer
This is the three things that I can change on the widget. - Avg. Rating - Subscriptions - Developer
A few students demonstrated simple, inductive reasoning after forming their group of widget-related words. Spelling is secondary in this exercise -
words describing the photo of helloween Avg. Rating Subscriptions Date Added Developer Tags Installs On
That students will continue to develop inductive thinking skills brings me hope; there is still much to learn and for my part, there is a need to manage fastidiously the content area activities we do in class
In computer literacy lessons, we continue to think inductively, trying to see relationships between words and consequently to group those words and articulate the relationships. As we my students have required more structure in cultivating this thinking, for the past two lessons I've given them word sorts, which contain the vocabulary words that they have been asked to group - I've removed the added complexity of searching for words to group. In generating clear, reasonable and cogent labels, there is discernible progress; of course, nebulous labels continue to persist. Our next move is to take screen shots of Web 2.0 Websites and from those pictures determine groups of words; a visually cue will perhaps further the creation of accurate, descriptive labels.
Module 2: FlashWe spent four weeks on flash, to teach students to illustrate storyboards created in art class, a cross-curriular activity. Hence, we spend several weeks reviewing methodically a number of flash tutorials and other resources available online. We reviewed as a class the following special effects:
S:\Computer\Mr. Woo's classes
Module 3: Dreamweaver
Lesson One: Dreamweaver introduction and vocabulary building
Lesson Two: Basic Functions
Concepts Text - written words Images - pictures Tables- content boxes Hyperlinks- c licking to go somewhere else
Lesson Three: Advanced Functions
Concepts Anchored Links- c licking to go someplace specific (on the same page) Image Map- a clickable, linkable picture
Tasks Collect index cards; create new folder and Website; modify page properties, text, image maps, links to the Web and internal pages, tables and anchors.
Lesson Four: Frames
Concepts Frames
Tasks Review previous concepts by student-generated definitions; explain frames concept and example; students continue working with concepts, adding the functions to their Website; final checking of material for ten marks: a student's webpage must include text, a table, frames, an image map, and anchored links.
Lesson Five: Review
Concepts Frames Tables Text Image maps Hyperlinks
Tasks We'll review the functions that we have learned and then there will be time to finish the Web pages for next week's presentation. We will also vote to determine whether to use peer assessment or for the teacher to mark each assignment individually. Finally, there will be time to finish your Webpages.
Lesson Six: Presentations
Tasks All of you will briefly present your Webpages - take us on a tour, demonstrate the Web site's functions and generally impress us. I will determine whether all of the functions have been included or whether you are missing something; since the assignment is either pass or fail, make sure you include all of the functions because that is the path to full marks; missing a function shall result in failure. The assignment is out of five marks.
Moreover, for those who are diligent Web page designers, each student will vote for the top five Web pages whose designers will receive extra credit amounting to the class' ranking of the five best; that is, first place will receive five marks, second place will receive four and fifth place will receive one mark, etc.
Feedback The top five Websites, based on total votes are:
Congratulations to the winners! You get extra credit.
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with the number of students who failed; this shouldn't have been the case especially when we had several weeks to complete a project which only required seven features in total. Students most likely didn't exercise their time wisely in the computer lab. Of course, I didn't improve the matter by not insisting upon weekly milestones which I would have done last year: I'll insist upon these incremental demonstrations for our next module. Hopefully, this will compel students to focus on their task and to speak up when they have questions or difficulties.
In glancing over the score sheets, creating proper image maps and anchor links proved the most difficult functions to master. The concepts themselves need to be explained clearly from the start, which is something that I can perform better next time. Surprisingly, using frames wasn't difficult to master though, I suspect, the concept is verily hard to understand.
Perhaps next week we'll review our Websites to make the improvements in instruction necessary for all students to reach a suitable level of competence in using Dreamweaver.
S:\Computer\Mr. Woo's classes\2R Dreamweaver
Module Four: Touch Typing and Ethical Issues
Lesson One
Concepts Home Keys
Tasks We will begin touch typing today. To help us to learn how to type quickly and accurately, we will use a free online program provided by typeonline.co.uk. There are a total of five lessons, in which each lesson contains 10 exercises, for a total of 50 exercises in this module. We will spend the next five weeks working on our typing, and at the end of the five weeks, there will be a touch typing test that will be counted towards your daily mark.
You should only advance to another exercise when you achieve 100% accuracy. During the lesson I will walk around the classroom recording your progress; that is, I will check the levels you've completed perfectly.
Before the lesson ends, please write an entry in your blog describing what you have done, and learned, today.
Lesson Two - Effects of Computers on Society
Concepts Copyright (morphemic analysis)
Piracy (morphemic analysis) Data Privacy
Online theft
Filtering software Hacking/Hacker Anti-virus software Firewall Spyware Computer virus Spam Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Program Virtual Community
Lesson Observation
 Tasks
Before our discussion on the effects of computers in society, we'll first create a semantic map of the concept which will include your ideas, as well as the concepts featured in the Computer and Information Technology textbook; after explaining definitions of words, utilizing morphemic and phonemic analysis in the process, you'll categorize words; and then as a class, we'll create one map whose groupings will be argued, I expect. With the material fresh in our minds, we'll discuss briefly the most important effect on which we shall read an article the following week. Eventually, there will be a written test on these effects of computers in society.
The latter half of the lesson will be devoted to touch typing. We'll begin the second lesson which covers the letters above the home keys; positioning will be demonstrated and then time will be given for you to practice. In two week's time, your typing will be assessed - the target is 30 words per minute at 95% accuracy.
Finally, speaking of marks, your final mark for the term shall come from your Dreamweaver score, which shall count as half of the term mark, and the touch typing - one quarter - and the ethics test - the last quarter. There is good news for those who want to score more marks, especially since many have not done well on the Dreamweaver assignment: upload your Webpage to Yahoo! for an extra mark, and for another extra mark, complete the assignment so all of the features are there. Moreover, create a vocabulary square for one of the concepts we have discussed today for a possible one to two mark bonus!
Lesson Three - Social Networking
Reflection I'm terribly sorry for misplacing - I found them later - the abridged Facebook article from Wikipedia which were were to read this afternoon. In spite of the misplaced article, we did manage to broach the topic to your timorous, reticent response. Hopefully, we'll next week read the article, grow more comfortable in discussing that which so far has been relegated to our personal lives, and consequently be able to create new ideas and applications for social networking in education!
As for touch typing, it appears as though many of you are growing more comfortable with the keys to the point where they have been memorized and the objective has simply become one of increasing speed while maintaing accuracy. We shall have one more week of practice before our assessment. And remember, the fastest two typers in the class will receive double full marks!
Lesson Four - Social Networking
Concepts
Tasks
We determined two weeks ago that the establishment of virtual communities, where social networking occurs, was the most important effect of computers on society. This week, we'll explore the possibilities of social networking in education using the SCAMPER technique (You are actually doing me a favor by creating applications that I may use next year!)
To start, I'll review what we covered last week - effects on computers in society - and then we'll begin reading selected sections from the Wikipedia entry for Facebook. Next, the thinking begins!
Inspired by a social networking Website that I joined in conjunction with my attendance at a conference, I've created a social networking Website based on that same platform, Ning. I hope to be able to use the Website next year, to join teachers and students together to better share and to collaborate in our teaching and learning. Of course, the difficulty lies in thinking of the best ways to exploit the potential of the Ning, which is where you guys come in as though the cavalry to the rescue.
For your reference, I'll show you the Websites before we begin reading about a competing social networking Website, Facebook - we are reading the article on Facebook because most of you have already joined and explored the Website, and therefore have a fairly good understanding of the features and functions that can potentially be used not only in your private lives but also in your school life, together with your teachers.
After perusing the text, we will then put on our thinking caps to deterimine in what ways we can use social networking in the classroom. For this, we'll run through the SCAMPER technique, keeping in mind our goal of discovering how we can use social networking in formal education.
Substitute What can you substitute? Instead of ... I can ... Combine What functions or features can you combine or bring together somehow? I can bring together ... and ... to ... Adapt What functions or features can you adapt for use as a solution in teaching and learning? What else is like this? What could I copy to our Ning? I can adapt ... in this way ... to ...
I can adapt Scrabulous in this way to create a vocabulary building activity. I can adapt the poke, to get other people's attention online. I can use the chat function to talk to other people who are also online. I can use notes to post reading comprehension passages, interesting newspaper articles, homework assignments,
Modify Can you change the features and functions in some way? Change meaning, colour, motion, sound, smell, form, shape? Other changes? I can change ... in this way ... to ...
I can change the mail function to be able to send notes and other materials to students. I can change my profile name so that it will be harder to find me. I can change my password so it will be less likely that someone will steal my password.
Put to other uses How can you put the thing to different or other uses? New ways to use as is? Other uses if it is modified? I can re-use ... in this way ... by ...
Eliminate What can you eliminate? Remove something? I can eliminate ... by ... Rearrange What can be rearranged in some way? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? I can rearrange ... like this ... such that ...
We'll answer these questions individually, and then offer suggestions that will be put on this wiki for future consideration!
Time permitting, we'll leave the rest of the lesson to touch typing. Our thir lesson will cover the letters below the home keys; and, I believe, I shall allow two more weeks of practice before the assessment - your target is 30 words per minute at 95% accuracy!
Finally, on the topic of marks, your final mark for the term shall come from your Dreamweaver score, which shall count as half of the term mark, and the touch typing - one quarter - and the ethics test - the last quarter. There is good news for those who want to score more marks, especially since many have not done well on the Dreamweaver assignment: upload your Webpage to Yahoo! for an extra mark, and for another extra mark, complete the assignment so all of the features are there. Moreover, create a vocabulary square for one of the concepts we have discussed today for a possible one to two mark bonus!
Resources
Lesson Five - Control Systems
Concepts Control Systems
Tasks
We reviewed control systems today, and though the material was dry, it was indeed challenging to determine inputs and outputs, and especially control processes and sensors. We may go over the material next week. And I'll definitely try to make the eBook that we used today accessible to all.
Moreover, you received data privacy and copyright notes, and a worksheet, which is not homework and will not be checked. However, in two weeks, on May 26th, there will be a uniform quiz, and judging by how few marks we have accumulated this year, the quiz will count substantially towards your final daily mark.
Lesson Six - Control Systems; Copyright, Piracy and Computer Crimes
Concepts Control Systems
Copyright (morphemic analysis)
Piracy (morphemic analysis)
Tasks
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to use the control technology e-book because there are copyright concerns, which we will discuss in class today. However, we will briefly review control systems - types of sensors; signal inputs; and signal outputs. I've spoken with the vice-principal and we won't assess your ability to determine control processes on next week's quiz as it was difficult to do together as a class.
Today we are going to revisit copyright, piracy and computer crime issues. You were given notes last week and now we will use them to complete worksheets.
Finally, we'll finish the lesson with something somewhat related to computers; we'll write about the earthquake in Sichuan, specifically about the role and impact of computers in this disaster. What can we do with computers to help the Chinese people to cope with this situation? We'll put our response on the China Earthquake Reflection Page.
Lesson Seven - Wrapping Up
Aims Students will be able to reflect on the year, and to offer constructive feedback for the improvement of themselves, the course, and the instructor. Students will also be able to demonstrate proficiency in touch typing.
Tasks
The class will begin with an apology for my recent inquities; and after that thougthful reflection, students, too, will have an opportunity to look back at what they've learned this year, particularly in the computer literacy lessons; questions to be answered, and put on the wiki include:1) What was the most enjoyable thing to learn this year? Why?
Mr. Woo - the most enjoyable thing to teach this year has been blogging because I have extensive experience and expertise in this area.
Winky - the most enjoyable thing to learn this year was Dreamweaver because it was funny, simple and easy to learn - it's instructions were simple.
Louis - the Flash was the most enjoyable thing to learn because it was funny, and useful.
Jessica - Flash, because making funny cartoons is enjoyable.
2) What was the least enjoyable thing to learn this year? Why?
Mr. Woo - the least enjoyable thing to teach this year has been Flash, because I felt my curriculum wasn't organized very well, and moreover, I wasn't even able to mark the work.
Jeremy - touch typing is repetitve and boring.
Bobo - Flash was the least enjoyable to learn because it was difficult to learn new techniques to make the animation.
Penny - the copyright and privacy stuff, because it was boring and unnecessary.
3) How can Mr. Woo improve his instruction of computer literacy for the coming year?
Mr. Woo - can plan earlier, and document everything on this wiki.
Samuela - Mr. Woo can gtive us more time to finish Flash assignments.
Janet - Mr. Woo can give us hardcopy instructions.
MIchael - He can spend more time explaining while modeling for everyone in the class.
Jason - Mr. Woo can care more about what students are doing, and what their problems are.
4) How can I improve my performance in computer literacy for the coming year?
Alan - I need to do work at home.
Yanny - I need to concentrate less on Youtube and focus on the assignment.
Franco - I shouldn't distract myself at other Webpages.
Hilda - I need to practice more to forget less between classes.
After thinking about these questions and sharing our responses in class, we'll go downstairs and practice briefly for our touch typing examination, which will require students to demonstrate an ability to type 30 words per minute while achieving at least 95% accuracy. Students will print out their papers and mark their own work.
Feedback
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