Stand back and smile

1292 days
by in 6th Grade

We took a couple of days to reflect on all the work we’ve accomplished this year so far.  Email, passwords, intranets, programming, Boolean operators, logic statements and prototyping are just a few of these things we’ve learned about.

While remembering past classes, we took the opportunity to create a visual mindmap of the concepts that have been introduced.  We found some interesting discoveries, one of which was that we use typing in almost everything we do!

On Wednesday we created a new mindmap that explored how people use technology.  This schema will be evaulated throughout the rest of the year, as we connect ideas and deepen understanding.

Venn in Rome…

1303 days
by in 6th Grade

Classes split themselves into 2 groups on Tuesday…

One group used the time to catch up on Venn diagrams.  We learned to visually diagram Boolean terms using Venn diagrams.  The other group got to watch a new Discovery Channel show called “Prototype This!” which can be watched online for free.

Wednesday we took a review worksheet designed to find out how well the tech teachers have taught Venn diagrams.  The rest of the period was free exploration in Scratch.  Most students have successfully incorporated at least one Boolean operator into their programs.

Logic & Boolean = sweet!

1308 days
by in 6th Grade

After a quick review of if/then/else logic statements, we tried to visually represent Boolean operators using Venn diagrams. Using the whiteboard, we drew the relationship between snowboarders and skiiers in the class.  We learned that:

  • 14 students ski
  • 4 students snowboard
  • 1 student doesn’t ski or snowboard

Using Boolean operators, we examined our data and found that:

  • 11 students ski NOT snowboard
  • 2 students snowboard NOT ski
  • 2 students ski AND snowboard
  • 1 student NOT ski
  • 1 student NOT snowboard
  • 1 student NOT ski NOT snowboard

Once our group application of the Boolean operators was complete, students began individual assignments adding AND/OR/NOT into Scratch and combining them with the logic statements they had already created.

Typing begins & Googlewhacking

1317 days
by in 6th Grade

This week was all about building skills that will serve us for the rest of our academic careers.

Typing – every 6th grade student has an online typing account that should be accessible from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.  Each student completed this week’s homework in class.  Things to remember:

  • If you don’t have computer or internet access at home, please contact me so we can come up with a suitable alternative.
  • If you have trouble accessing the typing website, please contact me so we can troubleshoot and get the technical obstacles out of the way.
  • Typing speed is NOT important!   Relax and focus on proper hand placement.
  • Consistency is the key!  We are trying to build good habits.  You are welcome to complete additional lessons every week, but try to space them out so they aren’t done all in one night.

Googlewhacking – as an intro to Boolean searching, we spent some time searching the Google search engine for an elusive 2 word term that returns exactly 1 engine result.  So far we haven’t found a winner, but it is still fun to try.

IF you want fun, THEN Scratch!

1325 days
by in 6th Grade

Note to parents: TYPING DELAYED UNTIL NEXT WEEK

This week we got wrapped up in an introduction to programming – there are so many exciting discoveries that the 6th grade voted to delay typing to the week of October 6th.

Scratch is an open-source introduction to programming and animation created by MIT.  The interface is drag-and-drop, meaning we don’t have to write the code ourselves and can get right to making stuff happen. Topics covered this week:

  • Similarities between Scratch and a stage performance (actors, stage, backgrounds, costumes, scripts)
  • If/Then/Else logic statements
  • Loops
  • Initiation of programs

We also took some time to access and explore personal student network drives and discussed the use of the server to save and access files.

Excelling at Email

1329 days
by in 6th Grade

Students demonstrated mastery of 2 important tools this week: school email accounts and the student homepage.

As part of our conversations about email, we discussed:

  • The difference between To, CC & BCC
  • Accessing the school’s email address book
  • How to check email address correctness
  • The difference between the email interface in Internet Explorer & Firefox
  • Appropriate use of email
    • SPAM – any email received that is unwanted (this can include emails from someone you know!)
    • Sarcasm in email – It doesn’t work well

Some terms we’ve learned about this week:

Synchronous/Asynchronous – different purposes of various communication methods
Nonverbal communication – how nonverbal communication alters a message’s meaning
Intranet – we visited the main server for the school

Related links:

Student Homepage – http://www.billingsmiddleschool.org/students
School Email – https://mail.billingsmiddleschool.org/exchange

Olympic Coast Trip video – May 08

1332 days
by in Projects

7th grade student Maya created a musical documentary of Ted & Jac’s Olympic Coast Trip that occurred  May 2008.  The music is from the Juno soundtrack, which she was singing for the entire trip.

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Passwords

1338 days
by in 6th Grade

Picking a good password might not seem like a very important skill, but after today’s class all of the 6th graders can tell you otherwise.  Today was their first class with Kasha, my 6th grade teaching partner.

Chester Bennington, the lead singer of the band Linkin Park used an easy password and it caused his life over a year’s worth of frustration, confusion and stress (please note: the Wired.com article contains direct quotes with strong language).

We used YouTube today as an introduction to Linkin Park.  We briefly discussed YouTube channels and full screen mode.

Here are some handy password tips the 6th grade came up with:

  • Use UPPER and lowercase letters
  • Use numbers – replace an “o” with a zero or an “i” with a 1
  • Use symbols – replace an “a” with the @ symbol
  • Make your password a passphrase – 2 or more words together
  • Make your password at least 8 letters long

First day in the lab

1343 days
by in 6th Grade

September 9th started with 6th grade students gathering in TESLA groups to visit the tech lab for the first time.  In just 45 minutes we managed to:

  • discuss lab guidelines & why they exist
    • no eating or drinking in the lab
    • respect yourself, others & the equipment
    • computers are for academic use
    • lab usage is a privilege, not a right
  • play a “getting to know each other” game
    • students self-identified into groups based on if-then-else statements
    • discussion of how logic statements are used by computers and parents all the time!
  • review earthquake and fire procedures
  • students received their computer/email login credentials and successfully signed in

Based on this introductory lesson, hopes are high for the coming year!  Next week – email & the student homepage…stay tuned.

Cyberbullying pt. 2

1444 days
by in 6th Grade

Round table discussions this week. The topic – cyberbullying. We revisited our definition of the word, talked about how to identify this type of bullying and what to do about it.

We talked about how bullying causes an imbalance of power and put ourselves in the shoes of parents who can’t always see the signs of cyberbullying until it has gone on for a while.

Overall a great conversation with input from almost every 6th grade student. Definitely a conversation worth having around a dinner table some time soon.

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