Daily Classwork Archive

The purpose of this page is to keep an (almost) daily record of work for this class.  Check here first thing each day to see what you need to do.  If you’re absent, use this as a tool to keep up or catch up.

Exam Review

Here are some things you should make sure you know how to do for the exam. I’m not guaranteeing this is *everything* you need to know, but if you know these things you’re well on your way:

HTML:
- basic required tags
- changing backgound colors and images in pages and tables
- adding text and changing font
- adding images
- using tables to arrange content
- adding links

MicroWorlds:
- adding turtles and changing them to various objects
- animation
- adding multiple pages
- creating interactivity/choices for users

Alice:
- adding objects
- using objects’ methods
- creating new methods
- ifs, loops, do together, do in order structures
- animation
- keyboard and mouse controls

The exam will be “open computer”, meaning you can consult your H:/ drive as well as the internet; however, you want to be comfortable with all these tasks or else you will run out of time if you constantly have to look up how to do everything. Use it as a backup plan, not a crutch.

Also, any form of communication (i.e. email, facebook chat, etc) is considered cheating and will result in a zero on the exam – so use the internet responsibly.

 

May 18th – End of Semester:

See major assignments section for details about your summative projects.  Due Wednesday, June 9th, at the latest.

Don’t forget about your websites, which are due Wednesday, June 9th at the latest also.

May 17th

Essential Skills and Work Habits Needed for Computer Studies

Using the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) athttp://skills.edu.gov.on.ca/OSPWeb/jsp/en/login.jsp answer the following questions in Word. You may choose to organize information any way you like, as long as you answer all the questions – you don’t have to necessary number them off and keep them all separate (i.e. use of a table containing information from more than 1 question is ok).

1) List the essential skills and work habits, according to the OSP

2) What are skill levels and what are they used to measure?

3) Using http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca/OSPWeb/jsp/en/NOCListing.jsp?sort=D , what essential skills are most important for Computer Programmers? Web Designers and Developers?

4) For each of the essential skills you listed in question 3, what skill level do you think would be necessary to be successful at each of the two occupations?

5) Choose one of the occupations from question 3, or another occupation listed in the OSP related to Computer Studies that you might potentially be interested in pursuing. Visit the “create a work plan” section and create a standard OSP work plan. (They often mention co-workers or staff – substitute in “peers”). The work plan will list tasks that can be performed to better prepare oneself for a career. Answer the following questions as you complete your work plan and when completed, click the option to “save Work Plan in Word”.
a) List any tasks that you have already done and are completely confident in completing, if applicable.
b) List 1 or 2 tasks from each skill category that you could start to work on right now, hypothetically, to better prepare yourself for that career.

Save both your answers to these questions and your OSP work plan in your H drive.

Until May 17th

See the shared drive for a description of your next project.

Until April 30th

See the major assignments section for your Alice assignment.

April 6th
Hope you had a great weekend!

Today we start to befriend Alice.  I love Alice because you can do a lot more with it than MicroWorlds.  The downside of it is that it is “resource hungry” on these computers.  I recommend having nothing else running while you’re working on Alice.  Save often.

There are several tutorials built into Alice – your job today is to go through all the tutorials and then once you have, try playing around to see what you can do.

Thursday, March 4th, 2010 – Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

I’m super impressed with how everyone is progressing with MicroWorlds.  The ability to say “I wonder how to do _________. ” or “I wonder if I can ________?”, figure it out through investigation and then apply it by doing it yourself = such a valuable skill to have!  Not just for this course, but for anything you don’t yet know how to do.  Super successful people don’t wait around for someone to make them do something or someone to teach it to them – they use strategies, tools and resources to figure it out for themselves!  Successful people also don’t settle for the bare minimum – they’re constantly wondering about the possibilities and trying to figure out new and better ways to do old things, or new ways to do new things.  Being able to do something that no one else has thought of yet or no one else is good at makes you valuable… but there’s no way to get there unless you can take initiative and think up & solve your own problems.

No one taught me how to use a computer, graphic and web design, html, php, photography and how to run a business – I figured those things out for myself.  Firstly because I like the challenge and enjoy working with computers to accomplish things but a nice side effect of that is making enough cash to take some pretty nice vacations I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.

So.. with that in mind, we do have two assignments to get done over the next month.  I do want you to be able to be creative and to be able to go down the “I wonder if I can do ________” paths – so if there’s something you really want to do and it is not quite the exact assignment I have suggested – talk with me and we can usually work something out.  That being said, there is a lot of flexibility within the assignments as well – the sky is the limit!

You will see descriptions for two assignments – Interactive Story and MicroWorlds game on the major assignments page.  I would suggest doing the interactive story assignment first; however, it’s okay if you want to do the game first (some of you already have a good head start!).  Whichever order you do them in – both will need to be done by March 31st.  That seems like a ton of time – but it’s really not.  You’re going to have to be really good at keeping track of your own time, keeping yourself accountable and motivated.  You do not want to procrastinate – these are not assignments you can do quickly at the last minute (especially if you want more than a level 1).

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010  & Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 -

  • GOAL: Teach yourself MicroWorlds & help each other learn as well!
  • See the resources page – I suggest you start with the “Kids Can Program” page…. start with the first lesson (page 1) and keep going through the lessons – a good way for those of you that like directions
  • For those of you that like to figure things out without directions just jump in and see what you can do… draw.. animate things.. make things interactive… make a game….
  • From my experience, figuring things out without directions usually takes longer, but you usually learn more in the process (or just get really frustrated and get nowhere)… just sayin’
  • Check out the shared drive for some MicroWorlds examples
  • We will have an official assignment soon… but for now, just play, learn, have fun… see what you can do!

Thursday & Friday, February 25 & 26

  • Review for your Test, which will be on Monday
  • Organize, finish and study your notes – you will be able to use them for the test
  • Work on your website
  • Start exploring MicroWorlds – see the resources page – I suggest you start with the “Kids Can Program” page…. start with the first lesson (page 1) and keep going through the lessons

Tuesday & Wednesday, February 23 & 24, 2010

  • Malware assignment (see assignments page)

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

  • Independently, or with a partner, create a brief note in Word on the following two topics:A5.2 explain the importance of maintaining software updates (e.g., operating system updates, application software updates, virus definitions) to increase computer security and maintain hardware and software compatibility;A5.3 explain the importance of preventive maintenance (e.g., defragmenting a hard drive, deleting unused software and data files) to manage computer performance.
  • When done, use whatever time you have left to work on your website.
  • HEADS UP:  You will have a Unit 1 test coming up soon, possibly later this week or early next week.  Make sure all your notes & files are in order.

Thursday & Friday, Feb 18-19th, 2010

  • This is your chance to get a good start on your website
  • A good plan before you jump in is really important (saves yourself extra work later)
  • Using & customizing a template is OK (plenty of free templates out there… google it)
  • Keep all your website work in a folder inside your ICS2O folder
  • Remember that your main page *needs* to be called index.html
  • If you’ve never done a website before, don’t be afraid to ask each other (& me) for help
  • If you have done one before – pick something you’d like to improve on this time both design and content wise (I *still* do this!  Every time I make a new website I try something new, different and better…. it has paid off… literally!).
  • Don’t forget about “right click, view source”  to see how websites have been made

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

1) Brainstorm your theme, content and appearance for your webpage.  Choose a topic that you enjoy as you’ll be spending a lot of time with it!  A hobby, a favourite sport, a topic in history, a particular singer or actor, local news, etc etc… the possibilities are endless.  Once you think of a topic, surf the internet for design inspiration.. find other pages you think are designed and organized well.  You may want to write your brainstorming down or bookmark “inspiration” pages.

2) Browse through the resources posted for ideas, inspiration and hints.

3) Decide what sections your website needs to have (separate pages within the site).  You should have a minimum of an index.html page plus 3 other pages.  How you divide things will depend on your chosen topic.  For example, if I were doing a page on a musician, I might have my index.html page focus on “news” and have other pages for “biography”, “discography”, “photos”, “videos”, “links”.
4) If ready, start the HTML tutorial on activejump.com to start coding your page. You’ll use notepad and save your files as .html (instead of .txt)… you’ll then be able to open them in any web browser (or open them again in notepad to make changes).

We’ll be working on the website throughout the semester, so feel free to “dream big” and plan something amazing.  Many of you made sites last year – take what you’ve already learned and build upon it.  Try building more custom graphics for your page this time to make it more professional.  Spend some time getting familiar with GIMP.

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Work individually or with a partner to create yourself a note on:

  • A3.1 describe operating system functions that meet various user needs
  • A3.4 describe the features and limitations of various operating systems.
  • This will involve researching the various operating systems that exist (make sure you cover PC, Mac and Linux systems) and coming to an understanding of what exactly they do, how they all work and the pros and cons for each.
  • You can also look at the advantages and disadvantages of various versions of each operating system – i.e. Windows XP vs Windows Vista vs Windows 7.
  • Check out the resources page for some helpful links.

Friday, February 12th, 2010

  • Catch up day!   Finish anything you have not yet finished.
  • All done?  Try one of the games on the resources page.
  • Please remember – gmail. google wave, etc, are welcome tools… when they’re being used for the right purposes.  We’ve been playing with them and trying them out, which is good – but now it’s time to use them for good and not for evil.  Well, use them for actually doing your work instead of using them to procrastinate from your work!

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Work independently or with a partner to create a note for yourself on the following two topics:

A1.2 – describe the functions of the internal components
of a computer (e.g., CPU, RAM, ROM,
cache, hard drive, motherboard, power supply,
video card, sound card);

A1.3 – describe the functions of common computer
peripheral devices (e.g., printer, monitor, scanner,
keyboard, mouse, speakers, USB flash drive);

I would suggest you use Word and include pictures as necessary. You may have information on what these things are already (from your key terms); however, here you should focus on “What are these things for?  What do they do exactly?”.  This will not be handed in for marks, but you will be responsible for this content on future quizes or tests.

I have posted some links and a video to the resources page that may help. There are tons of other sites and videos out there that can explain in more detail, as well.

If you had to take a brand new computer out of a box and hook it up, could you? Make sure you also pay attention to how these components interact with each other, what kind of cords and ports you need, etc.

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

  • Re-quiz
  • Home networking discussion
  • Create a word document called and make sure it includes the following:
    • Modem, router, NIC, wireless network adapter, ethernet cable, and hub.  What is it?  What does it do?  Pictures might help.
    • What is a network?  What can it do?
    • What are the pros and cons of a wired network vs a wireless network?
    • What do you need to have & do in order to set up a home network?
  • If you want to collaborate with each other using Google Wave, feel free.
  • I am not marking what you create but I expect that you will actually understand this content.  If you already understand networks well, I expect you to help others figure it out.  If I brought in all the parts, would you be able to identify what the parts are, tell me what they do and ultimately make a network work?

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Your Web Literacy activity from last Wednesday should now be complete and saved in your ICS20 folder.  I will be checking it to see that it is complete and that you demonstrated critical thinking skills in your analysis of the reliability of the websites.  Should this activity not be completed for whatever reason, send me an email at glchsarmstrong@gmail.com *right now* with the subject “why my assignment is not completed”.  I also expect to see you in the computer lab at 3:10 to finish it up.

Computer Shopping Assignment

Imagine you were given $2000 today to spend on a new computer that you will use for the next 3 years.

  1. Before even looking at computers, define exactly what your computer needs are. Would you use it for homework? Photography? Gaming? How portable do you need it to be? Etc. Write this in a Word document. You may use bullets to write in point form.
  2. Now that you have a general idea of what you need, find a computer that fits both your needs and budget. Use sites like:
    • (or any other Canadian site you prefer)
  3. Write some point form notes that describe the computer you chose, its full specifications, and why you chose it (specifically refer back to the needs you defined in step one and describe how the computer you picked meeds those needs). Provide a link to where you can purchase it online and also list the final cost, including all taxes and shipping.
  4. With any money left over in your computer budget plus an extra $500, “shop” for software that will meet your needs. List at least 3 software packages you’d like to purchase, what tasks they would help you accomplish, and the total cost for the software. Organize this information in a table.
  5. Professionally format your document to demonstrate your skills with Microsoft Word.  Include titles, subtitles, charts, graphs, colours, photos, fonts, or whatever features you need to effectively communicate your points and make your document less boring than plain old default settings.  Don’t go overboard into “this hurts my eyes” or “wow, they sure couldn’t make up their mind” territory – your entire document should have some kind of consistency.  You don’t have to include the information I requested in the order I requested it… i.e. you don’t have to label your document with “#1 … blah blah blah.  #2 …. blah blah blah. etc”.  As long as all the info is there somewhere, you can choose the format that makes the most sense.
  6. Save this in your ICS20 folder – you may wish to have a subfolder for this unit – “Understanding Computers”.  Give this assignment an appropriate file name, which should also include your name (makes my life easier so that I don’t have 12 files all called “computer shopping assignment.doc”…. “ComputerShoppingAssignment_StudentName.doc” is much better!).

This assignment is due on Wednesday, February 10th. You will be marked on this assignment & assigned two marks.  A level (1-4) based on your thinking & inquiry and a level (1-4) for your communication skills. Specifically, for thinking & inquiry, I am looking to see that you can set realistic needs, use the internet to research, pick a computer & software to meet your needs (& fit your budget), and justify your choice.  For communication, I am looking to see that you demonstrate an understanding of key computer terms and concepts (RAM, hard drive, processor, etc.) and the presentation of your information is professional (microsoft word formatting).

A level 4 assignment will thoroughly consider all possible needs, research computers on multiple sites to comparison shop (& show evidence of this), choose a computer & software that provides an excellent fit to needs, use your budget wisely (however, you are certainly welcome to spend all of it!), and demonstrates a clear understanding of what computer specifications mean & why certain needs/tasks need certain requirements. (For example, someone looking for a gaming computer specifically chooses one with a good video card whereas for someone only using their computer for school would not need to worry about the video card as much.)  It will show evidence of having been formatted beyond the standard defaults of a document, using at least one chart or graph, and photographs, fonts, sizes, colors, alignment, etc. all add to a consistent appearance  of the document and effective, efficient communication of the information in it.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or post them here.

Preview to tomorrow: You will have your key terms quiz & then will have the rest of the class to continue working on this assignment.

Friday, February 5th, 2010

  • Finish definitions
  • Make sure you understand the definitions – there will be a quiz soon
  • Finish web literacy assignment
  • If you’re done everything, check out the ICS2O resources page for a list of logic games

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

First, check to see if you’ve received your Google Wave invitation and if you have, set it up.  You may want to download Google Chrome because IE & Google Wave are not friends.  Wave will be really useful for today’s task.  Not sure what Wave is or how to use it?  Watch this video.

Divide & conquer to define the following key terms.   Please use your own words, use examples and include (a link to) a picture of the item as well, if applicable. Check others’ work to make sure, as a class, you have compiled a fantastic set of definitions.   Beware that some of these words have multiple definitions – we’re looking for the computer science related definition

1) application software
2) byte
3) CD-ROM drive
4) central processing unit
5) circuit board
6) communication device
7) compact disk (CD)
8) computer
9) computer system
10) data
11) desktop
12) device
13) digital
14) digital camera
15) digital versatile disk (DVD)
16) disk drive
17) diskette
18) document
19) electronic pen
20) executing
21) file
22) floppy disk
23) gigabyte (GB)
24) handheld computer
25) hard disk
26) hardware
27) input device
28) input/output (I/O)
29) joystick
30) keyboard
31) kilobyte (KB)
32) laptop computer
33) magnetic disk
34) mainframe computer
35) megabyte (MB)
36) memory
37) microcomputer
38) microphone
39) modem
40) monitor
41) motherboard
42) mouse
43) networking
44) network interface card (NIC)
45) notebook computer
46) operating system
47) optical drive
48) output device
49) palmtop
50) personal computer (PC)
51) personal digital assistant (PDA)
52) printer
53) processing
54) processor
55) program
56) random access memory (RAM)
57) read-only memory (ROM)
58) read/write head
59) removable hard drive
60) running
61) scanner
62) software
63) storage
64) supercomputer
65) system software
66) tape drive
67) telecommuter
68) terminal
69) touch screen
70) trackball
71) user
72) USB
73) workstation

You can expect a fill-in-the-blank style QUIZ soon.

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Topic: Web Literacy

This is a really useful activity that helps you look at the web a little more critically and gives you criteria to evaluate the usefulness of websites.  Keep all the things you read today in mind when you are doing research online for this, or any other, course.  A bit later on, when we do a research assignment, I will be expecting your sources to be reliable and you will lose a lot of marks if they’re not.  So let’s take the time to explore… what makes a website a good source of information…. what makes a website a potentially bad source of information….

Directions:
1) Read: http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html

Be sure to read it thoroughly – clicking on every link you see to see where it leads.

2) Complete the quiz and assignment, typing your answers in Microsoft Word (use one document for both the quiz and assignment & save in your ICS20 folder)

3) This is a lot of reading to do at once – feel free to take a 5 minute break half way through the class to use the washroom, get a drink, stand up and stretch… anything to take your eyes off the computer screen for a little bit.  But just 5 minutes… then get back to work.

4) Finished early?  3D logic.

5) Not finished?  Homework.

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