September 21, 2004 Newsletter
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Dear Carmody Middle School 7th Grade Computer Class Parents and Their Children:
This newsletter will be the only one this week since I have to travel to Atlanta,
Georgia on Friday afternoon this coming weekend to watch my daughter's amazing
marching high school string orchestra of 250 string players doing a city parade.
In two weeks, I'll post the video on my web site for this unusual music education
event. But the business at this moment is to complete this newsletter.
- Grading period ends Friday, October 1st. I recommend all missing assignments
and typing tests be completed before October 1st. After October 1st, there
is no makeup available.
- The Ultimate Dr. Data Litmus Test!!! If your child has any difficulty in
typing with the home row method typing position in a fixed manner without
undue visual assistance in checking their work, then your child can handle
the present work load in my class. If not, they are always going to be typing
slower than they should be and most important, they will experience more fatigue
because of the constant alternating eye concentration on the paper they are
typing and the rapidly shifting eyes to the keyboard to check their work and
vice versa. With fatigue comes an attitude situation in which the child doesn't
enjoy typing long assignments. Again, if your child can't maintain the two
hands in home row format, we need to address this issue ASAP.
Solutions:
- Have your child practice typing after school under my supervision. I am
available Monday through Friday till 3 p.m. Just make arrangements with me
in advance because on some Wednesdays, I have faculty meetings usually twice
a month. Note: am not responsible for transportation home of your child except
on Tuesdays and Thursdays because there is a school open lab bus available.
- Purchase the All The Right Typing program that I have offered through the
manufacturer by filling out the Student Bulk Order Form and returning it to
me accompanied by a check in the amount of $21.00 (per program) by Thursday,
September 23, 2004. Be sure to include your child’s name on the check.
The check should be addressed to: Carmody Middle School. No cash please. If
you can't get the form and check to me by September 23rd, please e-mail so
I can anticipate your order and coordinate sending the order to the manufacturer
in the near future so all students/parents will receive their product by the
middle of October. If you would like to investigate more about this matter,
ask your child about this software application as well as visit their web
site for more details at: http://www.ingenuityworks.com/iworks/main/products/all_the_right_type_3/BR>
- Practice at home with parents observing the home row hand position. Even
consider video typing your child to view after the fact for more constructive
comments including the eyes which should not be used to check ones typing
accuracy.
- Will your child being typing papers in as much quantity as they are presently
doing for the next three weeks? Presently, we are now in hyper-keyboarding
mode with daily word processing assignments due. Yes, there is a lot of keyboarding
right now including the Korean Pen Pal final project due on October 1st for
the preliminary and on October 8th with personal memorabilia (photos, stamps,
etc.). See: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/penpal_908.html
for the detailed Korean Pen Pal instructions.
But after word processing instruction is over on October 8th, subsequent
units of instructions require relatively little keyboarding skills: database
management, spreadsheets, Internet search engines, newsletters, web pages,
painting and drawing, computer music and designing/making computer games.
See http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Curriculum_Preview.html
for the curriculum contents and http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/class_syllabus.html
for the class syllabus for more details.
- Several parents have recently expressed concern that their children are
not keeping up with the daily assignment expectations. Whatever doesn't get
finished can be finished at home as homework. Three simple ways to do this.
- Save the classroom on a 3.5" floppy diskette in Rich Text File format
and continue working on it at home on your family's favorite word processor,
print and/or return to school the next day and print it out on the school
computers.
- Printout what was finished in class and continue working on a new file at
home starting where one finished up in class and then staple both copies together
and submit to Dr. Data.
- Make arrangements for your child work in the PC after school Monday through
Friday since Dr. Data stays after school to well past 3:15 p.m. daily. Only
exceptions are when he has faculty meetings usually on Wednesdays twice a
month. There are several families already doing this.
If your child does not have access to a home computer, consider having
them stay with me after school, find a neighbor/friend/relative/clergy,
etc . who would allow the child to do some school work on a regular basis.
- Find any errors on assignments being graded in Dr. Data's electronic grade
book? Dr. Data usually grades about 12,000 grades per class per semester or
48,000 grades for all 4 semester classes or 96,000 grades per academic year.
On a per class basis, that's 100 grades per student with about 120 students
in each of Dr. Data's four semester classes.
Solutions:
- All students are required to save their daily assignments to the school
server which can be reviewed anytime by the student to verify that they indeed
did complete the assignment.
- B. All completed assignments must be put in the class inbox for Dr. Data's
grading in his electronic grade book. Sometimes, students put them in the
outbox which means it doesn't get graded.
- C. Printouts are saved and the student can also go through their class's
outbox to later find their graded assignments.
In the end, these outlined methods of proving that the assignments in questions
were completed can be accomplished relatively easily without having to retype
them.
5. Need to Know How Your Child is Doing in Class?
- Latest grades were posted on Friday, September 17th and are up on the Internet
at: <http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Grades.html>.
- If your browser can not read the Dr. Data's on-line grading files, have
your child printout the progress report in class and then home for your perusal.
- Student assistants met with every student yesterday and gave each student
their missing assignments to complete that haven't been
6. Floating A's can be used on a one-per-day mode. Since the grading period
ends next Friday, October 1st, I suggest students start redeeming their floating
A's soon to avoid the end of the semester Blues on October 1st. The Floating
A rule is simple: student can redeem one Floating A whenever they do one new
assignment in class. Note: if you are having any difficulty with accessing your
child's grades and progress report, please e-mail me at: jkuzmich@jeffco.k12.co.us.
7. Special Make-Up Days! Fridays will now be designated for makeup days with
no new assignments given except to take two typing tests. Hopefully, your chid
will choose to do makeup work when done with these weekly typing tests. Note:
students are always encouraged to do makeup work whenever their daily assignments
are finished Monday through Thursday but in reality, they may not always work
as promptly as they should. So speak to them about using their makeup time wisely.
8. Special rewards for completing class assignments on work on time! Dr. Data
introduced Klik & Play today in class which is a great computer game making
software application that will be used as a unit of instruction in this class
at the end of the semester. But students are now allowed to create games in
class whenever they finish all of their assignments on a daily basis as a positive
reward to getting their work done! Normally, students have to have a "B"
grade on Monday through Thursday to make games and on Fridays, a "C"
grade is required before students can participate with Klik & Play. Klik
& Play is a great way to learn to create things on a computer. Perhaps the
best news is Carmody students are allowed by manufacturer to download the software
for free by going to: http://www.clickteam.com/English/download_main.php3?PID=6
so your child can creatively practice at home beginning today! The Carmody Middle
School Whiz Chips Club also sponsors a computer gaming contest in December and
in May with a computer creating game contest. Some of your children might enjoy
participating in the intensive competition while they learn and master the art
of computer gaming. Believe me, the students are very competitive on how they
make and play computer games.
Have a great weekend and look for the latest on-line grade postings on Friday,
September 24th by as early 3 p.m.
Hope this information is helpful.
Till next time,
John Kuzmich, Jr.
7th Grade Elective Computer Teacher