Be Aware Of Essential Strategies In Dr. Data's Classes!

To better combat "Spring Fever," Dr. Data is teaching some important concepts and skills right now in both his 7th and 8th grade classes that are important and should not be taken lightly. And hopefully, help alleviate Spring Fever options as your children become more computer literate in areas that are essential for future employment wherever computer skills are required.

1. 7th grades are learning spreadsheets with formulas being the primary ingredient. Students almost always have difficulty with the use of formulas in spreadsheets. Dr. Data has posted numerous on-line tutorials for ease of learning. The curriculum, assignments and daily learning objectives can found at: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/spreadsheet_syllabus.html#Required for 1.5 weeks, April for second semester classes.
   
   
   • Here are some on-line tutorials below:

     We will now concentrate on spreadsheets as the next instructional segment of the Elective 7th Grade Computer Class. Please be aware of the number of assignments and specific skills that need to be mastered and completed as part of your grade. You are responsible for all assignments. Individual handouts are available for each assignment. All completed assignments need to be kept in your class notebook after they are graded. Fridays will be set up for all typing tests with additional options of making up incomplete assignments, extra-credit work and computer games.

     Note: many of the following required spreadsheet and extra-credit assignments ca be done at home if you have a computer with a spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel, Corel Quarto Pro, Clarisworks, etc.

     There three types of data are necessary for a spreadsheet:

     • Text that define what numbers mean
     • Numbers (raw data)
     • Formulas that calculate numbers

     Spreadsheets are definitely number driven by formulas. The hardest part of understanding how spreadsheets work is to understand the power of formulas in which answers are derived within a split second via formula calculations whenever the data (numbers) change on the spreadsheet. Once students see and understand how formulas work in a spreadsheet, their adventures with spreadsheets will be very productive. And conversely, unproductive if they refuse to recognize the importance of formulas by substituting numbers for formulas. The power of spreadsheets is in their formulas and not in their numbers.

     Here's a short worksheet explaining spreadsheet concepts at: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Introduction_ClarisWorks_Spreadsheet2.pdf and a great on-line tutorial at: http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Div/Winchester/tech/trt/clrswkss.html

     Need more assistance? Here are excellent on-line tutorials for learning spreadsheet concepts in Excel and ClarisWorks.

     1. Excel
        • http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/excel/
        • http://www.fgcu.edu/support/office2000/excel/index.html
          
          
     2. ClarisWorks/AppleWorks
        • http://www.life.uiuc.edu/hughes/prairieflowers/tutorials/spreadsheet.html
        • http://www.apple.com/appleworks/tips/_nak.ssbasic/
        • http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Div/Winchester/tech/trt/trthome.html
          
          
2. 8th grades are learning on web development skills to construct web pages from scratch, how to edit them in a variety of software applications. Last week we began learning HTML coding so that students can learn to edit their web pages more accurately. HTML coding is not easy to intially understand but essential in editing HTML pages regardless of what software application you use. Starting next week, we will learn GUI editing beginning with Netscape Composer and later with Microsoft Publisher which is graphical and much more fun to use without HTML coding. Please encourage your child to hang in there with the 14 HTML lessons that I assigned them. To view the HTML coding that we are doing and the essential daily learning objectives, please go to:
   
   
   • Mrs. Cruz has a 14 lesson step-by-step track. Each lesson is worth 100 points. Dr. Data has adapted them for individual lesson sheets with daily learning objectives at : http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/HTML.html. When finished with these 14 lessons, go to Dr. Data's curriculum below at

   Netscape Composer: A graphical interface that goes beyond HTML that is far more user-friendly: Week 13. Netscape can be downloaded at home for free: http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/download/archive72x.jsp. Be aware the last version of Netscape to have web creating abilities is 7.2 which has Netscape Composer. Since Netscape 7.2 is free, I recommend using it at home or in school. Alternative web editing software is Microsoft Publisher. It is not free, but it is the best web editing we have at Carmody especially by offering many fancy templates with artwork already in place for more creative designs.
   

   • For specific lessons and learning objectives, students will create a web page each day a web site with either Netscape Composer or Microsoft Publisher that has a GUI interface with a predefined template. Students will insert there own text, artwork and photos where designated at: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/business/Demo_Web_Template.html
     
     
   • For students who don't like doing daily web training assignment, here's an alternative using Netscape's Composer or Microsoft Publisher with options to learn by doing it rather than by studying it. Here are different options each worth 300 points per web page.
     
     
   • First Real Web Site: Construct a web site in Netscape Composer or Microsoft Publisher with table(s), artwork, articles, title and pictures. Topic: Your Favorite Topic. Click on the following template at: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/business/Demo_Web_Template.html and you will see what the web template looks like. You fill in the boxes with content and you have 300 points earned. Must print out. Artwork and photos can be downloaded from the Internet plus there is a wealth of artwork on Drive S: on the school server. Go there, you go to Students folder, then to Kuzmich Assignments and then to folder entitled "artwork" and you about twelve different folders loaded with free artwork. Note: these folders can only be accessed from school and not on the Internet.
     
     
   • Second Real Web Site: Add a second page to the first web page by doing a link from the first page. Then design your own template using a 8 row table in much the same manner as: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/business/Demo_Web_Template.html Again, it worth 300 points if.... you follow the same rubric format as designed in the above template. But it has to be a different layout. It could be 2, 3, or 4 columns. Be sure all pages link back to the first page!!! So all pages are interactive and can be access from each other.
     
     
   • Third, Fourth, Fifth and Six Real Web Sites: Add them following the instruction for the Second Real Web Site above. 300 points for each addition page. It could even have different tables on the same page.
     
     
   • Extra-credit is available for at 100 points per web page beyond the sixth page. Unlimited extra-credit points are available!! And earn even more points!!!!!!
     
     
3. This Friday is the last day for making up missing assignments and tests. Take advantage of Dr. Data's unique make up opportunities as described in the last two newsletters.
   
   
4. Curriculum with all assignments for both the 7th and 8th grade computer classes at Carmody are posted on the Internet with 24/7 availability so all missing work can be done any where in the world if your child has access to the Internet. Just go to: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Curriculum_Preview99.html and both 7th and 8th curriculums are accessible.
Does your child need extra help? Dr. Data is now 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. Just be sure your child makes an appointment with me and has a ride home after school if it is on a Wednesday or Friday when there are no activity buses.


There are also manly unlimited extra-credit available to improve everybody’s grades. I bet you wish you had a teacher like me when you were in school. 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 Dr. Data 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 additional 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.
  
  
• Believe it or not: many, many, many students have still never brought back their mid-term progress reports signed by their parent(s) which was due last Friday. Although it is worth 100 points, the truth is that it can raise your child's a minimum of 20% (2 letter grades) points of the total composite grade!!!! Why? The midterm is now the only grade in the category designated as "Attitude" which is worth 20% of the composite grade. And bingo when the progress report is submitted, the 20% (2 letter grades) of the composite is raised immediately!!!! And when missing, 20% of the composite is lowered by 2 letter grades!! If your child lost the progress report, simply print out a progress report from Carmody's Parent Portal and sign it and your child's grade goes 20%. URL for Carmody's Parent Portal is: https://campus.jeffco.k12.co.us/campus/portal/jeffco_IC.jsp Deadline for returning a signed progress report is Friday, April 18th.
  
  And better yet, any and all extra-credit will also be calculated only when the electronic grade book has at least one attitude grade (the midterm will be the first) and your child's grade will even go up higher. And with all of the other extra-credit options, success in Dr. Data's classes is truly a no-brainer for those that are willing participate in these innovative activities
  

Hope this helps stimulate interests in the academic economy for the second grading period 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 by getting into some important materials to master.

Good luck with sucessful closure for the second grading period.

Till next time,

Dr. Data