Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Gr 11 PAT - Phases 1 and 2

I have started with my PAT on Omewa so that I have information to share with others so they do not make the same mistakes as I do.
I gave my learners the PAT today. I explained that Omewa was thinking about getting technology and possibly Cybertracker. They would have to find 1. How such a tracking system could help Omewa 2. How Omewa could use such a tracking system 3. How they can PROVE to management how the tracking system can help Omewa 4. How they can PROVE to Omewa how they can use the tracking system. They had to use Excel, Access, Word, a fourth package and do a survey.
They seemed to take it in their stride! Fine, no problem! All the suggestions of what to do with Excel and Access, and the survey, seemed superfluous. They went online to look at tracking devices and Cybertracker, and on the different web sites they found so many ideas that they can use for databases and spreadsheets and the whole PAT. I know it is going to go well.
On the Cybertracker web site the learners found a picture of a man in the Namib desert using a PDA. They laughed – they were then given a lecture on what is meant by literacy. You guess what the picture was!
They have two weeks to complete Phases 1 and 2, doing it simultaneously while we are continuing with the textbook.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Gr 11 PAT - Let's start

I am nearly ready to start my Grade 11 PAT. First I am going to look at the Assessment Sheet and the Task Description and do Phases 1 and 2 of the PAT myself, before I give it to the learners. I am specifically going to look at the mark allocation and note the depth of answer required. I am going to look at the PPT and check that it covers Phases 1 and 2. I will adapt the PPT to my school and add suitable illustrations. Then I am going to take the documents and print them for the learners and start.
I am very aware that Integrated Tasks 1 and 2 which I did provided some experience for the learners, and they have really started to think. Nice scaffolding! And all the activities in the book have started learners thinking creatively.
Teachers if you want to make a comment on the PAT, please make a comment on the blog or email me at docpam@gmail.com and I will try and help.

PAT - Dokumente Afrikaans

Ons het besluit om riglyne en ondersteuning (en nie ‘n algehele oop PAT) vir die voltooïng van die PAT in Graad 11 te verskaf. Dit is om leerders te lei sodat hulle, indien hulle ‘n oop PAT in Graad 12 sou kry, hulle beter sal weet wat om te doen en hoe om dit te doen. Hierdie PAT behoort dus die Gr 11's genoegsaam voor te berei vir hul Gr 12 PAT.

Omdat die opdrag taamlik spesifiek is en daar 'n sterk raamwerk gegee word, kan die assesseringskriteria ook meer spesifiek wees. 'n Mens kan die assesseringsinstrument dus eintlik meer spesifiek maak, wat beter leiding verskaf en die assessering op die ou end meer objektief maak.

Alhoewel daar gespesifiseer word uit watter afdelings die PAT bestaan, laat elke afdeling tog toe dat 'n leerder, binne die raamwerk wat gegee is, sy eie inisiatief kan gebruik en lekker kreatief kan wees.

In die gezipped leer vind die Taakbeskrywing, Assessering vir Fase 1 en 2 and ’n PPT om Fase 1 en 2 aan die leerlinge aan te bied. Daar is ook ’n leer van DiereSpore wat kan later gebruik word, indien nodig.

Gr 11 PAT - Documents English

We decided to provide some scaffolding (and not give a complete open-ended PAT) in Grade 11. This is to guide learners so that, if they get an open-ended PAT in Grade 12, they will better know what to do and how. This PAT should prepare the Grade 11’s sufficiently for the Grade 12 PAT.

The task description is very specific and a framework is given, therefore the assessment criteria can also be more specific. This will supply better guidelines and in the end make the assessment more objective.

Although the different sections of the PAT are specified, each section allows the learner to use his / her own initiative (in the specified framework), and be creative.

In the zipped file please find the Task Description, Assessment sheet for Phase 1 and 2, and a PowerPoint to introduce Phase 1 and 2 to the learners. There is also a zipped file of Animal tracks which could be used later if needed.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Access - Saving

Saving a database is easy. You just click the Save icon on the menu bar or pull down menu
To save a database to a different folder or storage medium use Windows Explorer. You must use Copy and Paste. Save As does not work. Have a look at the video clip seem as an html and a swf file. (Html seems to download faster.)

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Access - Gr 11 Activity 11 on page 219 - Boolean feature

Information can be added to a database using checkboxes, and then changed into Yes/No, True/False, or On/Off. Have a look at the video available as in swf or html format. I do not know which format is the quicker to download. Make sure your speakers are switched on.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Access - Introduction to

This video clip (as a swf file) or the video clip (as an html file) may be a useful introduction to Access. I do not know which is quicker to download. The html file has a quiz in it. Wait for it to download and have your speakers switched on. You should previously have downloaded and installed free Shockwave from Macromedia. Hope the clip is useful.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Paint - Industrial action - more


I like this picture made in Paint.

Paint - Industrial action


Many of the learners have started drifting back to school as the industrial action is hopefully coming to a satisfactory end. We have been learning the Paint package. Have a look.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Survey

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Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Gr 12 textbook

I have just received a preview copy of the book. It is grand. It will be available from Friday.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Excel - Entering marks - Validation, Conditional formatting and Vlookup

I used Camtasia to create the following clips relating to working with marks in Excel: the first is about checking that (slow) and (fast) download of valid marks (Validation) are added to a marksheet, then showing how the highest and lowest marks (Conditional formatting) can quickly be seen, and then how to add a code (Vlookup) slow and fast download to a percentage. Please WAIT to view them and make sure your speakers are switched on.