Lesson/Unit Plans for LPMS Computer Elective

12 weeks of classes. Each week a discreet set of skills. Each skill demonstrated by an entry in the PowerPoint slideshow. Hold on to your hats--here we go!

Each lesson (or mini-unit, if the instruction spans several days) will be comprised of the following seven elements of lesson design:

• Objectives
What, specifically, should the student be able to do, understand, care about as a result of the teaching.
• Standards
What the students are expected to do, what knowledge or skills are to be demonstrated and in what manner.
• Anticipatory Set
A "hook" to grab the student's attention: actions and statements by the teacher to relate the experiences of the students to the objectives of the lesson.
• Teaching
a. Input
lecture, film, tape, video, pictures, etc.
b. Modeling
show students examples of what is expected as an end product of
their work
c. Check For Understanding
determine whether students have "got it" before proceeding
• Guided Practice/Monitoring
working through an activity or exercise under the teacher's direct supervision
• Closure
reviewing and clarifying the key points of a lesson, tying them together into a coherent whole
• Independent Practice
best when provided on a repeating schedule so that the learning is not forgotten

Weeks 1-2 :: Intro to Computer Elective

v    Objectives

Students will know classroom expectations and procedures.  Students will be able to negotiate the environment of their local computer and the remote server.  Students will be able to use command keys to accomplish routine tasks. Students will also be able to use the CaptureMe application that takes screen shots . . . this will be foundational for the Student Portfolio.

v    Standards

Classroom expectations and procedures will be clarified for all students.  Students will practice logging into the local computer and the school server.  Students will create simple documents, learn the basics of ubiquitous toolbars, and save and open from distinct locations. 

v    Anticipatory Set

When students come in for the first time, they will see a series of slideshows that past students have created.  These will be played to upbeat music in Quicktime format in a repeating slideshow that will be paused when the class is ready for more instructions.

v    Teaching

a.     Input

Teacher presents practical basics in introduction to the computers and the school’s network.  No theory (bytes, hertz, communications protocols, formats, etc.) right at first. 

b.     Modeling

Teacher walks students through basic steps of managing data, demonstrating different ways of accomplishing the same task (copy/paste, for example).  Students follow on their computers.

c.     Check For Understanding

Students periodically check their neighbors’ screens and indicate completion of the steps by raising hands if the neighbors are/aren’t at the right place.  These first weeks of class are very lock-step and we do things in unison.

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

Students will create folders and create the PowerPoint file that will become their Student Portfolio.

v    Closure

Same slideshow as the Anticipatory Set, only now with commentary from the teacher about what students will be creating as the class moves forward.  Students are ready to begin creating, and the first unit is very creative.

v    Independent Practice

Students create file folder structure in their server space to hold class projects, music, pictures, temporary files, etc.  They may also begin playing with PowerPoint to develop the framework for their Student Portfolio.

Week 3 :: Head Displacement

v    Objectives

Students will be able to copy and paste layered graphics to create unique pictures.

v    Standards

Students will use PowerPoint’s selection tools (wand, shapes, freehand, etc.) to highlight a shape, copy it, and paste it in front of another picture to create something new as the two pictures meld into one.

v    Anticipatory Set

“Always keeping in mind appropriate use of the computers, let your imaginations run wild with this project.  Today we are going to put a famous person’s head onto a robot’s body.”

v    Teaching

a.     Input

Explain the Selection Tools and the Arrange feature.

b.     Modeling

From the internet, get a picture of a robot and a picture of a famous person.  Drag them both onto the slide.  Copy the picture of the robot and paste it again on the slide, then trace around the famous head, copy/paste, and move it into position over the robot.

c.     Check For Understanding

Have students raise their hands if they can see the selection tool.  Have students get a picture of a robot, then right click and hover over Arrange until everyone in the row has proven they know how to do Arrange, then the whole row can go on.

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

Students mimic the head displacement of robot+famous person.

v    Closure

“Just be very careful not to overstep the bounds of acceptable use.  No swim suits, and no switching heads of people you know without their permission.”

v    Independent Practice

For the Student Portfolio, one slide should be the robot head displacement, but then another one or even two slides can be full of student-modified pictures.  Think creative!

Week 4 :: Working with Sound

v    Objectives

Students will be able identify several audio codecs by extension, convert sound from one format to another, and integrate sound into their PowerPoint slideshows.

v    Standards

Students will demonstrate their skill with sound files by converting an .mp3 file into .wav format and integrate the sound into PPT using the custom-animation option.

v    Anticipatory Set

“Use the custom-animation option, here, to add an entrance effect and a sound to any picture in your slideshow.  I want to hear screeches and claps and glass breaking from all over the room!  Go!”

v    Teaching

a.     Input

Brief discussion of encoding formats and file sizes, but this lesson is mostly about modeling.

b.     Modeling

Teacher demonstrates how to record audio with built-in microphone and how to download a .wav sound and associate it with custom-animation.  Then demonstrates how to take an .mp3 file and throw it into Sound Studio or Audacity or Garageband to cut/modify and then export as a .wav file. 

c.     Check For Understanding

Students should explain to each other how to find an .mp3 file on freeplaymusic.com, convert it to .wav and integrate into PowerPoint.  One student from each row should stand to explain the process.

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

Students will pair up to work on this multi-step process, working first on one, then on the other computer.

v    Closure

“Why might you want sound to be in a tightly encoded format like .mp3?”  “Why might you want sound to be in the bulky/sloppy encoding of a .wav file?”  “What other sound file extensions have you seen—why are there so many?”

v    Independent Practice

Students will explore more in the sound editing application of their choice and create a 5-second sound that is unique: perhaps overlaying two sound files, perhaps using the mic to modify a sound, perhaps simply joining two sounds back-to-back.  This sound, too, will be applied to an object on the Sounds slide.

Week 5 :: Computer Dreaming 2000

v    Objectives

Students will explore the world of computer electronics with an eye for what to buy.

v    Standards

Students will compile a PowerPoint slide with CaptureMe photos

v    Anticipatory Set

“I’d like to give you money and send you shopping today.  Where would you go shopping online?  Any ideas?”

v    Teaching

a.     Input

Not a lot of teacher-centric time for this lesson.   Recommend that students shop first at known sites like amazon.com, buy.com, tigerdirect.com, newegg.com, and outpost.com

b.     Modeling

Teacher shows past example of Computer Dreaming 2000 slides.

c.     Check For Understanding

Verify that students know how to use CaptureMe to take screenshots.

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

Everybody goes to TigerDirect and chooses a flashdrive to “buy.”  The process for buying is simple . . . just take a screenshot of the item with its price and drag the pic onto the slide.  In a text box, keep track of what you buy and how much it costs.

v    Closure

Point out that using the internet for commerce is going to become much more common, and that buying decisions will be part of everyone’s future.

v    Independent Practice

Students have $2000 to spend on computer equipment. They can choose any kind of electronics to "buy," but they have to start with these basic components: a computer (desktop/laptop), a printer/scanner/copier, and a digital camera. They may also want to consider an MP3 player, computer games, digital video camera, cell phone, PDA, flash drive, speakers, etc. 

Week 6 :: Spreadsheets and the Computer Dreaming Pie Chart

v Objectives

Students will be able to do simple calculations with a spreadsheet and create a chart from a series of numeric-value cells.

v Standards

Students will replicate teacher-modeled spreadsheets and finally create their own spreadsheet to organize data from the Computer Dreaming slide.

v Anticipatory Set

“Everybody pull out paper and pencil and compute the GPA of a student with 2 A’s, 2 B’s, and 3 C’s. As you know, at our school an A is 4 points, a B is 3 points, a C is 2 points, and so on. Do the math. Anybody have a calculator? What is the GPA? What if I gave you 5 students’ grades—could you do it? What if I gave you 500 students’ grades—could you do it? . . . Allow me to introduce you to the spreadsheet."

v Teaching

a. Input

Teacher presents rows and columns and cells, numeric value versus label, auto-fit, format bar, extrapolating pie charts, and making formulas.

b. Modeling

Students recreate on their computers what the teacher models:

1. GPA for 10 students, then change the value of grade levels

2. Total cost of a shopping trip, where items are bought in multiples

3. How many seconds in 3.56 years?

c. Check For Understanding

Many students ignore the formula and simply enter the correct value for the total, but this is easily monitored by announcing a sudden change in one of the values and seeing if the spreadsheet updates itself.

v Guided Practice/Monitoring

Students make a shopping list of their own and extrapolate a pie chart.

v Closure

“What kind of jobs require you to keep data in a big chart?”

v Independent Practice

Computer Dreaming Pie Chart: Take the data from the Computer Dreaming 2000 slide, plug it into an Excel spreadsheet, convert data into a chart or graph, and bring it all back to the Spreadsheet slide.

Weeks 7-8 :: Effective Internet Use

v    Objectives

Students will be able to go to the next level with the internet.  Until now, many students have used the internet to copy cheat codes for their games, develop MySpace personalities, and get pictures and other information for reports, but most students have not yet used the internet to accomplish a real-life goal.

v    Standards

Students will need to be disciplined to stay on task in this free-flowing work environment.  The results of each internet project will need an artifact on the Student Portfolio.

v    Anticipatory Set

“Ladies and Gentlemen, today I have a problem.  I have forgotten my parents’ phone number.  Please find me their phone number and take a screen shot of it for your Student Portfolio.  Unfortunately, I can’t remember their names, either, and what is more, I have no idea where they live.  But I need their phone number, and you have the internet.  Go.”

v    Teaching

a.     Input

None!

b.     Modeling

Keep looking!

c.     Check For Understanding

After 10-15 minutes kids begin to confirm information with each other and in about 20 minutes they have found the number.  Students who have found the number get free time on the internet until the guided practice.

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

First, one student documents for the class his trail to finding the number, then everyone has a chance to get that number on a screenshot before we go on.  The “going on” in this case is that students receive this instruction: “Your firm is sending you to a multinational conference in Guilin. What will you do during your free weekend?”  Students will take screenshots of fun things to do and places to eat and things to see in South Central China.

v    Closure

“What difficulties did you encounter when turned loose on the internet to find information?  Do you need to work in partnerships for the independent practice phase?”

v     Independent Practice

Choose one of the two projects below, then make a multi-page PowerPoint presentation (separate from your Student Portfolio):

1. My wife and I are planning a trip to Disneyland. Find airfare, lodging, rental car, and three days of activities.  I need a spreadsheet with a pie-chart of cost breakdown for the travels. Maps and hotlinks are extra!

2. You have taken a seven-day journey around the state of Oregon.  Create a slideshow narrative of the trip you took with pictures of the sights you saw and/or things you did.

Week 9 :: iPhoto Basics

v    Objectives

Students will be able to use standard photo-editing software to crop, enhance, and edit pictures.  Students will also be introduced to the concepts of exporting in different media types and resolutions.

v    Standards

Students will work individually to import several batches of school pictures, sort, crop, and enhance, then place the original batch into a slideshow to show alongside their edited versions of the same batch. 

v    Anticipatory Set

Nothing catches students’ attention like seeing pictures of themselves.  Teacher shows brief slideshow of student pics, then heads directly into the Teaching phase.

v    Teaching

a.     Input

Practical items like red-eye reduction, zoom, importing from camera, importing from folder, and exporting slideshows into movies will be taught intermixed with more academic concepts like the rule of thirds, contrast, saturation, etc. 

b.     Modeling

Students take a single photo from the server and bring all the practical and conceptual teachings to bear on the one photo. 

c.     Check For Understanding

Students do not go on to the next phase until they have adjusted everything.

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

Students take a batch of photos down from the server, modify them, and export them into a movie. 

v    Closure

Students get two machines next to each other playing the same batch and invite classmates (and teacher) to come and watch.

v    Independent Practice

Students are expected to edit more photos from the vault of student photos on the server, then check out a camera to take a self-multi-portrait of five photos that define life at LaPine Middle School.

Week 10 :: iMovie Basics

v    Objectives

Students will be able to create a simple iMovie with titles, transitions, and effects.

v    Standards

Students will demonstrate competency by 1. using titles over black and over clip, 2. using transitions between clips, 3. applying an effect over one or more clips, 4. using the Ken Burns effect to zoom in and to zoom out on still images, and 5. importing music to accompany the parade of still images.

v    Anticipatory Set

Working with iMovie is the reason many students sign up for the computers elective.  There is lots to learn about the features of iMovie, so this first project is going to be mostly about the technology and not so much about the content . . . that comes later when we talk about videography.

v    Teaching

a.     Input

Students leave the lab for the Teaching section (input through checking) to reduce distraction.  Teacher displays iMovie on an overhead and goes through tabs and options of the application iMovie, briefly mentioning the uses of each option.  Explain frames per second,

b.     Modeling

Now students work with the projected application (via a Bluetooth mouse that can go from student the student) to actually import photos, zoom in and out with Ken Burns effect, import music and split clips, etc.

c.     Check For Understanding

Before students go back to the lab, they need to be universally able to advise the student with the mouse on how to do the next task “How should Kevin put a title in between these clips here? . . . Tabitha?”

v    Guided Practice/Monitoring

Back in the lab, each student will acquire from the internet 10 photos of a historically important person.  This person must not be currently popular (I’m not looking for rock stars and basketball players), but must be historically influential.  These pictures will then be incorporated into a simple iMovie, and each of the five required iMovie options.

v    Closure

“Everybody show your neighbors your iMovie—you need to watch at least two other students’ shows.  Please notice sound, transitions, effects, etc. and see if they have done the five things I’ve asked.”

v    Independent Practice

Now expand your iMovie so that it goes to two minutes.  Use extra pictures that can supplement the headshots you already have . . . if you are doing a show of Thomas Edison, for example, you could have photos of 3 of his inventions to spice up the show.  Use titles and appropriate music to produce a quality product.

Weeks 11-12 :: iMovie Extensions

v    Objectives

Students will be able to create iMovie films with still shots to demonstrate understanding of timing and layout design.

v  Standards

Student iMovies will be within 30 frames of either one minute or two minutes (student choice).  The still frames used will flow together to tell a meaningful story.  Students working in teams will work effectively and quietly together on a single computer.

v  Anticipatory Set

Everybody outside or to the school stage.  Two cameras, two laptops, several hats and wigs for props, and together each of two teams is going to tell the story of “middle school love.”  Crush, flirt, talk, notes, go-with-me, holding hands, exchanging sweatshirts, caught cheating, crushed, crush again.  In 10 pictures we are going to tell this story . . . each team has only 8 minutes to pose and take the photos, then we import them into iPhoto and play the slideshows.

v  Teaching

a.  Input

The instructional phase for this is primarily through discovery discussion.  Students already chose shot angles and layout intuitively, but now we go back and highlight each element of film design (rule of thirds, fades, cuts, pans) and discuss timing.  The art of storyboarding is also taught, though sketching is replaced with still descriptive words and photography for our purposes.

b.  Modeling

After discussing the theory of film layout, we will go back to the pictures that the two teams took and show them both on the digital overheads side by side.  Analyze which principles of design are evident, discuss how to improve.

c.  Check For Understanding

During the modeling phase, students are asked to reflect on design principles.  Also, before the teaching phase is over, camera checkout/checkin procedures need to be addressed.

v  Guided Practice/Monitoring

Students may choose to work alone or in pairs.  They will create a descriptive-word storyline and may sketch the 10-frame storyline if desired.  When this meets with teacher approval, they check out a camera and take their 10 shots.  Upload to computer and create simple slideshow in iPhoto before proceeding to edit the story in iMovie.

v  Closure

Review important points of layout and camera-work.  Remind students of the need to start with quality photos before going to the final phase of creating a polished photo story in iMovie.  Briefly review iMovie skills.

v  Independent Practice

Students continue to craft their photo sequences in iMovie.  Set a finish date for showing student-made videos.

The remainder of the week (once the still-frame project is completed) will be independent practice with motion video.  The process is identical, with approval needed to go from 1. Descriptive-word storyline to 2. 10 still shots to 3. Motion footage.

Miscellaneous

Other Skills in Computer Elective

 

(to be taught along the way)

 

Tables in Word

Using List-View to Sort by Date

Copy/Paste, Command A, N, C, and V

F11

Creating Aliases/Shortcuts

Saving Website URLs

Creating a Moving Sketch with Array

Making a Poster with Word

Typing: if you find yourself looking down at the keys, you have gone too fast through the lessons and you need to go back. Take a baseline net speed test (and record scores with CaptureMe)

 

 

Student Portfolio Slides

Cover Slide

Typing Master (Baseline + Progress)

File Formats

Head Displacement

Create-A-Picture

Sounds

Computer Dreaming 2000

Computer Dreaming Charts

Internet Searching

iPhoto

iMovie (stills)

iMovie (motion)

+

Array

Poster (Current School Event)

Favorite URLs

Lesson/Unit Plans for LPMS Computer Elective

12 weeks of classes. Each week a discreet set of skills. Each skill demonstrated by an entry in the PowerPoint slideshow. Hold on to your hats--here we go!

Each lesson (or mini-unit, if the instruction spans several days) will be comprised of the following seven elements of lesson design:

• Objectives
What, specifically, should the student be able to do, understand, care about as a result of the teaching.
• Standards
What the students are expected to do, what knowledge or skills are to be demonstrated and in what manner.
• Anticipatory Set
A "hook" to grab the student's attention: actions and statements by the teacher to relate the experiences of the students to the objectives of the lesson.
• Teaching
a. Input
lecture, film, tape, video, pictures, etc.
b. Modeling
show students examples of what is expected as an end product of their work
c. Check For Understanding
determine whether students have "got it" before proceeding
• Guided Practice/Monitoring
working through an activity or exercise under the teacher's direct supervision
• Closure
reviewing and clarifying the key points of a lesson, tying them together into a coherent whole
• Independent Practice
best when provided on a repeating schedule so that the learning is not forgotten