Timely Creative Encouragement and Motivation!

1. Both the the 7th and 8th grade computer classes at Carmody offer unique curriculums that provide lots of experiences for both mastery and excellence of computer technology. Your child will be able to accomplish much after completion of the many units of instruction covering work processing, database management, spreadsheets, Internet search engines, PowerPoint slide shows, making newsletters, and much more along with 8th graders learning all of the ingredients of how to successfully start a teenage small business.
   
   
2. But unfortunately, not all students are always willing to fully participate and consequently do not complete and submit many of there assignments on-time either in class or at home when it is available 24/7
   
   
3. Of note, the last three weeks have been light with daily assignments because of CSAP testing and Fridays used for makeup work as well. So if your child is behind in assignments completed, note that they have not been overloaded with daily assignments which is a concern for me with warmer weather coming!
   
   
4. And why is this possible? Perhaps, many students have not completed their assignments because of the traditional fatigue burnout of Spring Fever with the anticipation of Spring Break after a long winter..
   
   
5. But, there’s still hope for Dr. Data is available five days a week between 2:20 p.m. and 3 p.m. daily for extra help and makeup except whenever there are faculty meetings on Wednesday occasionally.
   
   
6. In additon, I believe there is still an optimistic hope for my students because... We have a web-based curriculum that can be accessed at home 24/7 on the Internet with all assignments to be printed out and can be completed on a computer outside of school in the county libraries, a neighbor’s home, a friend’s home, at your work after hours and on weekends and yes, even your church may have a computer available.
   
   
7. Believe it or not, spring break can also be a convenient time to focus on missing assignments by doing them one at a time and maybe one a day with little stress. There is no penalty for completing late assignments between now and April 18th which is the end of the grading period. So take advantage of this golden opportunity.
   
   
8. There is also unlimited extra-credit available to improve everybody’s grades. I bet you wish you had a teacher like me when you were in school.
   
   
9. Below are some examples of both unique and creative extra-credit activities that are now available that go far beyond busy work.
   
   
   • For example, each unit of instruction on the Internet has extra-credit assignment available plus I will give 5 extra-credit points in the grade book for every level of a computer grade that students creates in Klik & Play. And unlimited extra credit for as many levels as they an create. In May, we will actually have a unit of instruction dealing with the creation of computer grades which is a very creative process. It is not necessarily simple and does require lots of computer “chops” but over time, it is very straightforward as the students really get into it. And for interested students, I suggest that they download a free version of Klik & Play for their use at home from http://www.clickteam.com/webftp/files/6/10/KPSchool.exe for free. More information about Klik & Play is available at http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Final_Two_Weeks_Syllabus.html#Designing.
     
     
   • Dr. Data is also now sponsoring many extra-credit opportunities for both 7th and 8th grade classes with special projects on their computers for Carmody faculty members. When student finish their daily and/or weekly work, students can be assigned to undertake special assignments for Carmody staff and to be rewarded extra-credit . Most of the seventeen projects deal with multimedia applications including graphics and layout, such as newsletters, banners, flyers, PowerPoint slideshows, web pages, and much more. For more details, go to http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Projects.html for actual samples of work done by our students for Carmody's faculty. Not only a great way to provide valuable services to our faculty, but talented students who participate in these extra-credit projects can also apply to be a student assistants next semester specializing in creative computer generated projects for Carmody. With practice, both 7th and 8th grade computer students will gain confidence and real-work experience using computers as they contribute to the Carmody environment. And I already have some qualified 7th grader students who will be doing award certificates for our faculty for Carmody staff as well for extra-credit. If your 7th or 8th grade child would benefit from such experiences, please e-mail Dr. Data about this matter as several faculty members already have projects to be done ASAP! Already several award certificates designed by 7th graders are now posted at: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Projects.html for your perusal.
     

Hope this helps stimulate interests in the economy in not only improving your child's grades but in using computers more creatively. I believe you will agree that this is a rather positive manner of surviving the annual "Spring Fever" syndrome. In the meantime, have a great "Spring Break!"

Till next time,

Dr. Data