Digital Portfolio: ComputersHere is where all of my work for 5th-period Computers is displayed. More to come soon!
Right now in Computers we are blogging and working on our Digital Portfolio as well as experimenting with various Microsoft and Google tutorials. We do weekly agenda checks and grade charts. My double period for this day is Tuesday. |
Projects
Power Searching With Google
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One of the first long-term assignments we did in Computers was a course called Power Searching With Google (PSWG for short). The course, like My Digital Life, showed us how to properly and easily navigate around a certain sphere of the internet. In this case it was the Google search engine. We had to watch and take notes on videos and then complete videos for them. In the middle of the course, after class 3 of 6, we had to take a mid-class assessment, and then at the end, we took the post-course assessment.
Roman Empire
The objective of this project was to write several paragraphs about our history unit at that moment, which concerned the ancient Roman Empire. We were not given a lesson beforehand but instead told to write what we knew and what we thought of it. We were to share our documents and collaborize with others by giving feedback and opinions.
Writing and establishing things we already know is actually an effective method to learn more about a subject, as things that stick out to us may lead us to remember other things. Getting feedback from a partner on our document also helped because we could see how the project would be viewed from eyes that weren't our own and see how other people would respond to our work.
The learning goal of this project, in the end, was to learn how Google Docs worked and to start using it to make documents. It tied into our Core unit purposefully and made the knowledge relatable, educational, and curricular.
Writing and establishing things we already know is actually an effective method to learn more about a subject, as things that stick out to us may lead us to remember other things. Getting feedback from a partner on our document also helped because we could see how the project would be viewed from eyes that weren't our own and see how other people would respond to our work.
The learning goal of this project, in the end, was to learn how Google Docs worked and to start using it to make documents. It tied into our Core unit purposefully and made the knowledge relatable, educational, and curricular.
My Digital Life
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This project was actually a course. The objective of the course was to teach us about digital citizenship and "netiquette", as well as giving us information about forms and media of technology in general. We learned by taking in information in seven modules which were all video slides with arrows and interactive sound. My Digital Life was a simulation set in a town called Ignition. All of the characters went to Ignition High. We had to help them and learn from them in their problems. The high school was preparing to host a concert with a performance by a fictitious band called the Still Beating Hearts. After completing all of the modules and taking reflective quizzes on their content, there's an eighth module. This eight module is actually a game and is a simulation for the real concert. We were scored based on our ticket sales in the simulation. This is by far the most generally educational thing we have done in Computers all year. I learned about the Internet, digital communications, the dangers of texting while driving, the future of technology, and many other important things.
My Digital Life seemed like a well-known drag while we were actually doing it, but it turns out it was actually very educational and eye-opening. I think the scored quizzes at the end of each module were a good idea were a good and effective way to help us review what we had learned. Many of the modules seemed quite relatable and realistic, as did ones about purchasing and looking for technology.
The part of the game that focused on building a website seemed familiar. We did not purchase our blogs like the characters in the simulations did, but we still learned about blog layout and design and legal media insertion. A module that focused on plagiarism resonated with many of us and seemed familiar. The module that dealt with wireless communications and responsibility with them was very alarming. I've always seen ads on TV that tell me not to text and drive, but seeing the real-deal statistics and making the situation more realistic and more eye-opening.
We did not use any particular tools during this course because we did not make anything, per se, but they did teach us how to responsibly use many forms of technology that we will need to use this year.
My Digital Life seemed like a well-known drag while we were actually doing it, but it turns out it was actually very educational and eye-opening. I think the scored quizzes at the end of each module were a good idea were a good and effective way to help us review what we had learned. Many of the modules seemed quite relatable and realistic, as did ones about purchasing and looking for technology.
The part of the game that focused on building a website seemed familiar. We did not purchase our blogs like the characters in the simulations did, but we still learned about blog layout and design and legal media insertion. A module that focused on plagiarism resonated with many of us and seemed familiar. The module that dealt with wireless communications and responsibility with them was very alarming. I've always seen ads on TV that tell me not to text and drive, but seeing the real-deal statistics and making the situation more realistic and more eye-opening.
We did not use any particular tools during this course because we did not make anything, per se, but they did teach us how to responsibly use many forms of technology that we will need to use this year.
Newsletter
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Recently in my Computers class we did an assignment on Microsoft Publisher. The objective of the project was to choose something we'd already learned about in one of our classes or something campus-related and write an informational newsletter about it. I wrote mine about science, but some people wrote theirs about history, clubs, electives, or even teachers at Computech. Since we had recently been learning about DNA and cell structure, I decided to focus my newsletter on those things. Our newsletter was to be a page long with at least two informationally accurate articles. It also had to have captioned graphics and effective use of negative space.
I think that the newsletter helped us learn to navigate around Microsoft Publisher better. I also think that formatting our project as a newsletter made it stand out and appeal more to us. Many of us, including myself, took the very basic newspaper format and made some of the predictable things exciting. While we were finishing up the project, Mr. Kimbley had us collaborate online to look for titles and work with our peers. My friend came up with the title "Supersonic Science".
This assignment reminded me of the time in the sixth grade when I was assigned to make a banner for our station at the school's science fair at last minute. I used Publisher and it made it fast, and easy to use graphics and experiment with different fonts. Of course, it also reminded me of my Science class. I threw in a little allusion to our textbooks by creating a Key Terms section instead of a table of contents and giving the locations of the words. Truth be told, all of the things I wrote about in my newsletter I learned in that class.
This was only the second time that we had used Publisher in this class after our greeting card. We learned how to use the newsletter format and insert graphics and clip art. We were also taught how to make call-out quotes and justify our texts to make it look like a real newspaper. I was resourceful and used some of the skills I had picked up in the previous Publisher assignment and the Publisher videos we watched in previous videos to perfect my newsletter.
I think that the newsletter helped us learn to navigate around Microsoft Publisher better. I also think that formatting our project as a newsletter made it stand out and appeal more to us. Many of us, including myself, took the very basic newspaper format and made some of the predictable things exciting. While we were finishing up the project, Mr. Kimbley had us collaborate online to look for titles and work with our peers. My friend came up with the title "Supersonic Science".
This assignment reminded me of the time in the sixth grade when I was assigned to make a banner for our station at the school's science fair at last minute. I used Publisher and it made it fast, and easy to use graphics and experiment with different fonts. Of course, it also reminded me of my Science class. I threw in a little allusion to our textbooks by creating a Key Terms section instead of a table of contents and giving the locations of the words. Truth be told, all of the things I wrote about in my newsletter I learned in that class.
This was only the second time that we had used Publisher in this class after our greeting card. We learned how to use the newsletter format and insert graphics and clip art. We were also taught how to make call-out quotes and justify our texts to make it look like a real newspaper. I was resourceful and used some of the skills I had picked up in the previous Publisher assignment and the Publisher videos we watched in previous videos to perfect my newsletter.
Typing Tests
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This project was actually a spontaneous in-class assignment that we did on the first day of the second semester. The objective was to find out what our average typing speed of words per minute was. I ended up getting a 55! I'm proud of myself, but I still think I can do better. Luckily, I'll be able to find out if I did at a later time, when we retake the test and measure our progress. For now, though, I believe I am above the mean typing speed of my peers.
My certificate says that on the final test I made zero mistakes, but that was only because I went back and corrected them. For me, typing letters has always been much easier than memorizing and navigating the symbols. If I hadn't made all the mistakes and gone back to correct them, my average probably would have been higher, but so would my mistake count. The typing test was a little example of how we can learn from our own mistakes for me.
Skills in typing do not just help in computers, though. We use devices in science, French, and especially Core. Keen typing skills will also help majorly in the real world, as technology is becoming more advanced and a bigger part of world communications as we speak. This lesson and learning to type in general is definitely one to keep with me as I grow older.
My certificate says that on the final test I made zero mistakes, but that was only because I went back and corrected them. For me, typing letters has always been much easier than memorizing and navigating the symbols. If I hadn't made all the mistakes and gone back to correct them, my average probably would have been higher, but so would my mistake count. The typing test was a little example of how we can learn from our own mistakes for me.
Skills in typing do not just help in computers, though. We use devices in science, French, and especially Core. Keen typing skills will also help majorly in the real world, as technology is becoming more advanced and a bigger part of world communications as we speak. This lesson and learning to type in general is definitely one to keep with me as I grow older.
Ribbon Hero 2
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The image to the left is the ending screen for another program we used in Computers to learn how various Microsoft programs work. The program was called Ribbon Hero. The gameplay worked by awarding points to players for completing various assigned tasks in different Microsoft programs. There were six levels, each of which had a different theme based on a certain frame of history or the future. There were also additional points available if you didn't use any of the offered hints in the pages. For more details you can read my blog entry on it.
I think that this project was more effective than the other Microsoft tutorials we have done in this class. It was more interactive and I really liked the themes and the points system, both of which made it memorable. However, this was formatted like a game and unlike the videos we have taken notes in the past, it cannot be easily referred back to. It also let us level up and take extra points for not using the hints even when we had not completed all of the activities in a level, which could be viewed as a negative thing since there was at least one activity in a level for each Microsoft creation medium.
What we learned here can be useful in classes besides Computers. We use Microsoft's many programs in my other class to complete things. It was also convenient and somewhat coincidental that the beginning level of the game had a Middle Ages theme since that is what we're currently studying in Core. Plus, I was able to use my previous knowledge of the Middle Ages, Ancient Egypt, Greece, the 1960s, etc. to understand the references made during the gameplay.
As I stated above, the knowledge of Microsoft we acquired here was really useful. Now I know how to do so much more cool and handy stuff in the programs that I didn't know how to do even after watching the videos. Like I also said previously, the way we were taught in this one was memorable and very interactive (plus, it didn't require us to take notes). Overall, I would pick this as my favorite tutorial in this class all year.
I think that this project was more effective than the other Microsoft tutorials we have done in this class. It was more interactive and I really liked the themes and the points system, both of which made it memorable. However, this was formatted like a game and unlike the videos we have taken notes in the past, it cannot be easily referred back to. It also let us level up and take extra points for not using the hints even when we had not completed all of the activities in a level, which could be viewed as a negative thing since there was at least one activity in a level for each Microsoft creation medium.
What we learned here can be useful in classes besides Computers. We use Microsoft's many programs in my other class to complete things. It was also convenient and somewhat coincidental that the beginning level of the game had a Middle Ages theme since that is what we're currently studying in Core. Plus, I was able to use my previous knowledge of the Middle Ages, Ancient Egypt, Greece, the 1960s, etc. to understand the references made during the gameplay.
As I stated above, the knowledge of Microsoft we acquired here was really useful. Now I know how to do so much more cool and handy stuff in the programs that I didn't know how to do even after watching the videos. Like I also said previously, the way we were taught in this one was memorable and very interactive (plus, it didn't require us to take notes). Overall, I would pick this as my favorite tutorial in this class all year.
Presentation Project
Black Death Presentation
The objective of this project was to create an educational presentation that taught about one of the skills we have learned so far in the school year. For mine, I chose to do the Black Death because we had just finished studying the Middle Ages in our History class and the interesting knowledge was still fresh in my mind. I used Google Slides to create my presentation, which was 7 slides long.
This was not the first time we've used Google Slides in this class, but it was the first time I really had fun doing it. Our knowledge of the tool was more enriched and we were able to do more fun and interactive things with it. We knew how to easily insert and delete images, text, and other elements that would make the presentation more appealing and interesting to us. Something that set it apart from our previous presentations, though, was that we graded it within a group using a rubric. We also extended upon its basis by creating a multimedia reflection and two quizzes.
My presentation obviously focused on the Black Death, a history standard. We had a big variety of subjects and standards to choose from, however. I used my previously acquired knowledge from Core class as a basis for my facts and slides. I combined them with skills to be learned about Google Presentation. I liked that we made extracurricular connections easily and understandably and that we had choices for which class we focused our presentation on.
Google Presentation, or Slides, was not the only tool we could choose to use. Some people chose SlideRocket, PowerPoint, or Prezi. The choices we had were one of the things that made this project most memorable to me. We didn't have to go through tutorials for a different kind of software and instead chose what we were comfortable with using. I still think that I learned a lot about Google Slides by making this. In this way, I made my knowledge of the tool more well-rounded, skillful, and versatile.
This was not the first time we've used Google Slides in this class, but it was the first time I really had fun doing it. Our knowledge of the tool was more enriched and we were able to do more fun and interactive things with it. We knew how to easily insert and delete images, text, and other elements that would make the presentation more appealing and interesting to us. Something that set it apart from our previous presentations, though, was that we graded it within a group using a rubric. We also extended upon its basis by creating a multimedia reflection and two quizzes.
My presentation obviously focused on the Black Death, a history standard. We had a big variety of subjects and standards to choose from, however. I used my previously acquired knowledge from Core class as a basis for my facts and slides. I combined them with skills to be learned about Google Presentation. I liked that we made extracurricular connections easily and understandably and that we had choices for which class we focused our presentation on.
Google Presentation, or Slides, was not the only tool we could choose to use. Some people chose SlideRocket, PowerPoint, or Prezi. The choices we had were one of the things that made this project most memorable to me. We didn't have to go through tutorials for a different kind of software and instead chose what we were comfortable with using. I still think that I learned a lot about Google Slides by making this. In this way, I made my knowledge of the tool more well-rounded, skillful, and versatile.
Multimedia Presentation
This project tied directly to the presentation you see embedded above. The objective, or goal, of this was to present the information in a different way while keeping the facts in check. We were given links to many websites to learn how to use them and teach the basics differently. I chose Fakebook, which lets you create a fake Facebook profile. Since my presentation was about the Black Death, I created a profile for a made-up feudal lord and gave him friends in other lords as well as serfs and vassals.
This project was fun and easy to create. It helped to make the information in the presentation more understandable by formatting it as something that we are accustomed to seeing. It was simple and plain to learn how to edit and add certain things in the page. Something particular I also thought was interesting was the image addition feature. It wasn't hard to add pictures for our characters.
I think my Core teacher would find this interesting. I've only used the tool for this class, but this could be useful for other ones. Like I said above, it made the material more understandable and the media was very easy to comprehend and use. We were allowed to be unique with the tool, which is something that is good for almost any course.
I had never used Fakebook before this, so it was very interesting to learn to use. Some parts, like image insertion and post adding, were confusing at first, but I learned to use them quickly because I'm familiar with the layout of Facebook.
This project was fun and easy to create. It helped to make the information in the presentation more understandable by formatting it as something that we are accustomed to seeing. It was simple and plain to learn how to edit and add certain things in the page. Something particular I also thought was interesting was the image addition feature. It wasn't hard to add pictures for our characters.
I think my Core teacher would find this interesting. I've only used the tool for this class, but this could be useful for other ones. Like I said above, it made the material more understandable and the media was very easy to comprehend and use. We were allowed to be unique with the tool, which is something that is good for almost any course.
I had never used Fakebook before this, so it was very interesting to learn to use. Some parts, like image insertion and post adding, were confusing at first, but I learned to use them quickly because I'm familiar with the layout of Facebook.
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Presentation/Multimedia Quiz | Instant Feedback Quiz
The goal for this project was to create a quiz that tested people on their knowledge of the information in my multimedia project and presentation. Above is the Instant Feedback version and the original version. Instant Feedback means that it helps you review knowledge right after you submit your answer and see if it was right or wrong. You could take it and get feedback right now if you wanted.
To make this project, we had to have our multimedia tool and presentation open side by side right by it. We took specific information from it and applied it to the quiz. We also watched videos on Mr. Kimbley's Google Forms page. These videos explained what kind of information to put in our quiz as well as how to make the quiz questions and Instant Feedback edition.
This tool was really fun and simple to use and I think it could be used for other subjects. In this project, I immersed my knowledge of our history unit with new skills from Computers class. We could use Google Forms in other classes like English, Math, or Science to take review quizzes. It would probably help students see the material as more interesting or important when it's applied by a fellow student to a familiar setting like Google Forms. Another thing that I found massively helpful was the review element of the feedback. It's refreshing and nice to see what our mistakes are immediately after we submit them. Using it might also familiarize pupils with quizzes and see them as less intimidating.
Google Forms is probably one of my favorite media that we've used this year. I liked its easy and clear instructions and customizable layouts. I think they helped make it easier to look at and understand.
To make this project, we had to have our multimedia tool and presentation open side by side right by it. We took specific information from it and applied it to the quiz. We also watched videos on Mr. Kimbley's Google Forms page. These videos explained what kind of information to put in our quiz as well as how to make the quiz questions and Instant Feedback edition.
This tool was really fun and simple to use and I think it could be used for other subjects. In this project, I immersed my knowledge of our history unit with new skills from Computers class. We could use Google Forms in other classes like English, Math, or Science to take review quizzes. It would probably help students see the material as more interesting or important when it's applied by a fellow student to a familiar setting like Google Forms. Another thing that I found massively helpful was the review element of the feedback. It's refreshing and nice to see what our mistakes are immediately after we submit them. Using it might also familiarize pupils with quizzes and see them as less intimidating.
Google Forms is probably one of my favorite media that we've used this year. I liked its easy and clear instructions and customizable layouts. I think they helped make it easier to look at and understand.