Gr 12 Learners

Here are pictures of some of the Gr 12 learners whose work has been available on this blog in 2008 - Galer, Justus, Hobbs, Machado, Walbeck. Woollgar

Gr 10 PAT

Final report

• Headings need similar styles, i.e. font sizes and fonts
• Readable font, i.e. Arial or Comic Sans used
• Same font used for all the body text, and includes table
  
• URLs must be placed in the bibliography, not as headings or in the text
• Page borders should only found on the first page
• Headings should not be bulleted
  
• Headings underlined - so old fashioned, that is what typists did, not those with word processing formatting features
  
• Results from spreadsheet - Do a copy and paste. Whole spreadsheet not required. Cells of the table must be widened so that it looks like a ‘neat’ table.
• Needs a clear conclusion based on the results of the spreadsheet and what has been written about.
  

Gr 10 PAT

A strange thing is happening in the Gr 10 PAT final report: The learners are copying the data/advertisements for hardware/software they find on the Internet. It is meant to be a report - they have to rewrite the information on the hardware/software in their own words. They have to change the person or tone! If they just copy a section off the Internet and I pick it up they will get 0 for that section.
They are enjoying the topic!

Gr 10 and 11 Nov exam papers

Some one asked about the Gr 10 and 11 Nov exam papers from Study Opportunities. Look at the posting on 15 June.

Gr 10 Nov Exam

TIP from Sandra for Gr 10 Final Prac Exam from Study Opportunities.

Gr 11 PAT - Phases 3 and 4

Here are examples of the different kinds of databases - one is on general social networking sites and others on Mxit in the media - Erasmus, Leroux, Naidoo

Gr 10 PAT

My Gr 10s are working so hard on their PAT about computers and the disabled. They had problems getting their questions correct but that has now been sorted out.

Yesterday at the gym all the disabled parking bays were occupied by able-bodied males (not gentlemen). I will not mention what I think of them!

I had to take my Father out for supper last night. He is 85 and will not use a wheel chair although he is what could be called disabled. I have managed to get a disabled parking ticket. The only place where we could go to eat was at a shopping centre as that is the only place where there are managed parking bays for the disabled.

The PAT has made me more aware how challenging life for the disabled is. I think we should try to make the learners more aware and considerate of others in this exercise.

Gr 11 PAT - Phases 3 and 4

Into Week 2

• I am still walking the room watching and giving help where it is needed.
• Learners are busy creating the database, Word planning document, PowerPoint planning document, finishing off their spreadsheets and completing their tables with regard to trustworthiness.
• I am worried that many do not have the basic information/sources/evidence on the 6 technologies.
• While I was walking around the room I marked some things on the rubrics.
• The work is due in 2 more periods.

Gr 11 PAT Phases 3 and 4

Thursday Day 4

• Work is going well - Putting data into spreadsheet and database. The Countif function is being used to analyse the data in the spreadsheet.
• Little or no work is being done at home. How they are going to finish collecting all the data, and plan the word document and the presentation I do not know.
• The Grade 11s do not have lessons on this Friday so in one week they are going to have to work very hard if they hope to hand in on Friday 17 October.

Gr 11 PAT

The latest You magazine has a good article on Cyberbullying. Most useful for the PAT. I suggest learners buy it now.

Gr 11 PAT Phases 3 and 4

Wednesday, Day 3

• Reminded the learners what had to handed in on Friday next week. - Spreadsheet with all the data from the survey. Information collected on 6 things – how they work, advantages, disadvantages, etc. Database of records.
  
• Most of the learners collected their survey forms and started working on putting the information into Excel. This was interesting. Many first started writing down all the options the people had filled in which took a long time to type. I reminded them of the SportShirts spreadsheet done in Theme 3 (page 189) and the DresscodeQuest spreadsheet (page 317). They then changed their spreadsheets using codes. Look at what Dinika and Kareesha have done so far. Look at their code worksheets.
  
• A few learners are collecting information and highlighting the important bits on the computer. One silly child started formatting the information correctly – this is not needed now. The learners must just collect relevant information.
  
• A few learners have started collecting information for their database. The Copy/paste feature is so useful. Collecting the information is going well. Viewing it on a report has required moving the fields and labels so it can be viewed nicely. When there is a long field and it cannot be seen properly, I have helped by right clicking on the field, Properties, Can grow, Yes – and the text appears in 2 or 3 lines as required.
  
• I am continuing to walk around the whole time monitoring and giving advice.

Gr 11 PAT Phases 3 and 4

Day 2

• The learners are busy filling in survey forms. A few learners have started putting the information from the forms into Excel. A few stupid learners put the survey information in Access – I then helped them export the data from Access to Excel.
• A few learners are collecting information for their databases.
• I walked the room giving guidance where necessary.
• I kept the PowerPoint I used earlier on the data projector screen to help some learners who still do not know what to do.
• I am scared the learners will not complete this phase for Friday 17.

Gr 10 Pages 231-243

My Grade 10 learners are currently busy with templates, pages 231-243. They made a letterhead for their homes. Their homework this week is to install the letterhead on their home computers as a template. To prove to me that they did install their letterhead as a template, they have to make a screen dump of the new document dialog on a letterhead document.

Gr 12 PAT Phase 6

Here are some examples of Phase 6 of the Grade 12 PAT done by learners at my school. The files are large - Casswell, Kolbe, Marankey and Wolmarans.

Gr 10 PAT

The Gr 10 PAT is now available in English and Afrikaans. I believe that many teachers and learners are really going to enjoy doing this PAT.

Teaching of CAT

1. How do schools with economically disadvantaged learners cope with CAT? Those learners have probably not used the computer before starting CAT. How are these learners meant to get up to speed in 3 years of lessons where they use the computer for I period a day? They cannot! The LO talks about ‘Operational knowledge’. Learners cannot get that knowledge unless they operate a computer! May I suggest that such learners do a subject such as computer literacy in grades 8 and 9 in order to expose them to computers before starting CAT in grade 10.
2. Headmasters must appoint people to teach CAT who are able to ‘teach’ and have knowledge of computers and the Office Suite. I have become aware of a number of schools where the teachers need upskilling in teaching and/or computer skills. We cannot expect our learners to achieve good results if the teachers do not have the office competencies.
3. When is there going to be a minimum skill requirement to teach CAT such as Advanced ICDL or a university course? .
4. How many universities offer an in-service qualification in CAT? Very few! Where are teachers meant to get training? The subject advisors cannot be expected to do it as well as their own jobs. National Education did a wonderful job by providing training from TUT but many more people need training and on-going training.
5. Why do schools offer CAT when they obviously do not have the infrastructure to do so? How many schools have Internet access which forms such a large part of the work, or a printer, scanner, digital camera, data projector, networking staff, etc.

This subject is NOT too difficult and does not need to be watered down. What is needed are other things to make it function better. This one subject, if learnt, is a superb vehicle to uplift and empower people, especially in disadvantaged communities.

Delicious social networking

Delicious is a collection of favourites - yours and everyone else’s. To learn how to use it view this video and or listen to my comments about it. Each of these files are about 6 MEG, so wait! And here is a much smaller file with almost the same information but without sound - click the slides to move forward. The video made by www.commoncraft.com on Social bookmarking is very good.

WHY USE DEL.ICIO.US
Cuts down on online clutter to deliver more relevant bits of information.
Makes it easier to find desired information again.
Allows users to make their list of tags and sites available to (and searchable by) either a closed community of individuals or all other web surfers.

HOW DEL.ICIO.US CAN BE USED IN EDUCATION
Storing links that might be lost to time, scattered across different browser bookmark settings, or distributed in emails, printouts, and Web links.
Tagging can offer new perspectives on one’s research, as clusters of tags reveal patterns (or absences) not immediately visible by examining one of several URLs.
Finding people with related interests can magnify one’s work by learning from others or by leading to new collaborations.
Creating multi-authored bookmark pages can be useful for team projects, as each member can upload resources discovered, no matter their location or timing. Tagging can then surface individual perspectives within the collective.

WHAT A TEACHER CAN DO
Get information to students on different topics and have students subscribe to RSS feed. Organize resources for courses and subjects they teach, which is useful if a teacher teaches more than one class or subject. Create accounts for workgroups or entire classes with each student in the group having the password to the account so he or she can add bookmarks.

LIMITATIONS
Can be seen as a rejection of the search engine status quo in favour of tools that are both created by the community and beneficial to the community.
Traditional publishing made evaluation of material simple – was done by ‘authorities’. With del.icio.us new democratic format. Which is better – collective voice of public or of expert academic?
Need tagging standards so there can be real sharing but benefit of tagging is that colloquial or community meaning can be attributed to tags.

ACTION
My students will learn to use deli.icio.us as their bookmarks are not kept in their profiles on a network! They work at home and school and need their bookmarks! They need to collaborate to work effectively.