After your first year of IT at OSA you will then be learning computer programming so lets see what you can do!

Good morning year six.

Today you will choose a program to work on based on something that you may or may not have done before!

• Scratch - Can be found by clicking on - Computer - Network Applications - Scratch You will then be able to write computing scripts using the block and key suggestions, create different costumes and add sound to your character and finish by developing the background.  Lets see who can create the best all round animation for a commendation.

• Alice -  Alice can be found by clicking the Start button - all programmes - Alice Alice has the advantage of allowing you to program in 3D and starts in tutorial mode.  So start with tutorial 1 which lasts 20 minutes before you move to tutorial two which takes approx 30 minutes and again the best animation will be demonstrated at the end of the lesson for house points and commendations!

• Pivot Animation  - This can be found by again clicking the Start button - all programmes - PIVOT  If you choose this software then by the end of the lesson I will be looking for volunteers to teach me as I have never used it before - House points and commendations available for the most competent teach the teacher!

But before we do nay of that I have a message for you from Mark Zuckerberg click here if you would like to re-watch it.

On behalf of the IT Business and Enterprise Faculty we would like to wish you a fun, hard working and exciting two days

Mr T

Yr 7 Spreadsheet modelling

Good morning year 7

Today we will start a new topic on spreadsheets.

What is a spreadsheet?
How can we use them?
Have you ever used one before?

Activity
Manual calculating our 'pocket money cashflow' showing how you will save up for a summer holiday.

Attached here is a spreadsheet for you to input the raw data from the exercise above

Enjoy

Mr T

Homework

You will continue to design your leaflet / flyer for Oxford Spires Academy's PFA so for homework this week you need to start to plan your:

• Front cover - next weeks lesson
• Additional pages and images - rest of terms lesson
• Adding suitable text and contact details - last weeks of terms lesson

Lesson Objectives - creating the front cover for my flyer

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• identify elements of good and bad design
• Evaluate your own wok to check it meets the criteria that you have been given

Elements to include in a front cover:

• Title
• Logo (designed last week)
• Date and issue number ( Issue 1 December 2012)
• Picture or pictures (logos of all the companies that you have donating to the schools PFA)
• Slogan or strapline for your charity.  Whats the strapline for OSA?
• Website address for charity fundraising donations - see the good cause below: http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/oxfordspires

Main activity - create front cover for your charitable fundraising flyer

For guidance and instructions for this section of the flyer see pages 45 - 46 of the core text.

Homework

Take all your marked class work and marked homework and display it in your IT note books

For those who cant remember the order that you did the work use the checklist below:

• Why is IT important?
• Why do we need usernames and passwords
• Intro to word processing - My letter to Mrs Croft
• Advanced word processing
• Simple rules
• e-safety
• Key terms test
• Legitimate websites
• Presentation - whats great about where I live (up my street)
• My charitable flyer logo OSA / PFA
• Front page of the flyer

Gosh haven't you done a lot!

Enjoy

Mr T

Promoting a real life charity

Hi Year 7

Last weeks....... 
Homework

By next lesson research and write up a list of the 'top ten things to do in Oxford'  You can ask your parents or carers, friends or grandparents for ideas.  You could also use the website: www.upmystreet.com 
Your list should include things that might attract people to move to this area to live.  Think about schools, house prices, university libraries and museums, entertainment, restaurants, leisure activities especially around the river, hobbies and interests.

Set 26th November 2012  Due in 3rd December 2012 

Today's lesson...

Well they do say charity begins at home and this week you are going to be working on creating funds for OSA's PFA.

Whats a PFA.  Well PFA stands for 'Parents and Friends Association' its the group of people that volunteer to raise funds for learners in the Academy.  To purchase things for young people that the school cannot buy for itself.  What do you think the PFA is currently working towards buying?

Well your going to be using PUBLISHER software this week to create a (leaflet as part of a marketing campaign which will include a promotional video or podcast to go with it.

Main Activity

Create a logo or corporate image that combines the letters OSA with PFA. 

The logo will be used on your flyer which will get everyone in the academy, learners, parents and staff to do their Christmas shopping though the website easyfunding,org.uk   

Every time people use that to search rather than Google to search for their favourite online shops they will be raising money for the Academy's PFA. Simples.....

Oh here is an example attached of what were looking for in your publisher flyer

Option 1 - You might like to use the core text page 47 which will talk you though step by step how to create a logo using publisher.

Option 2 - You might like to use puzzlemaker to create something more exciting.  Either way your logo needs to be completed by the end of this lesson

Homework

You will continue to design your leaflet / flyer so for homework this week you need to start to plan your:

• Front cover
• Additional pages and images
• Adding suitable text and contact details

Who can can plan, design and deliver the best presentation

Homework due in...

A few lessons ago we looked at some dodgy websites.  These included the tree octopus, 

online pregnancy testing and dehydrated water as examples but how can we recognise that other websites are legitimate. Think of a few key indicators that might suggest that a website is real and appropriate to use and don't be afraid to share your suggestions with the class.

By the end of this weeks lesson you will be able to:

• create a presentation that includes both text and images
• use a mapping application and use to take screen shots
• add suitable sounds to the presentation
• understand the term 'fitness for purpose'
• recognise the good and bad points of presentations and make suggestions for improvements.
• be able to alter a presentation so that it is suitable for a different audience 

Starter - what does the market research tell us...
click here and see for yourself

Activity 1. Getting the filling system sorted...

In preparation for this unit you will need to set up a folder in your work area        ICTwithMRT and call it Unit 7.1 - where I live

To complete this task you will need to 

• Open Microsoft PowerPoint and create a new document.
• Choose File>Save and save it to the folder you have just made. 
• Call the document Where I Live Presentation.   

Activity 2. see pg 13 - what are we talking about Willis?

Start thinking about .... Fitness for purpose!

Activity 3. see pg 13-14 to see whats involved

Include in your presentation

• What's great about where you live
• Why is your city, town or village so special
• What do you think would make someone want to come and live or work there
• Include a slide on 'great stuff to do in my area' 

Homework

By next lesson research and write up a list of the 'top ten things to do in Oxford'  You can ask your parents or carers, friends or grandparents for ideas.  You could also use the website: www.upmystreet.com 
Your list should include things that might attract people to move to this area to live.  Think about schools, house prices, university libraries and museums, entertainment, restaurants, leisure activities especially around the river, hobbies and interests.

Set 26th November 2012  Due in 3rd December 2012 

Enjoy

Mr T

Know your ememies!

By the end of this weeks lesson you will be able to:

• Understand the main issues around e-safety
• Create a set of criteria for safe use of the internet and electronic communication

Last week we looked at the 'Where's Klaus' video
.
In pairs think about the following questions 
Q.What was the main message of this video
Q Who was the target audience?  
Q Who's responsibility is it to keep ourselves safe apart from our parents?

This weeks mini movie
This week we will look at another video clip from Newsround on e-safety click here
Q.What was the main message of this video
Q Who was the target audience?  

What do we know already about keeping safe?

Q. What are the benefits of being anonymous?

Q. What do we know about cyber bullying and stalking & what should we do about it asap?

Q  What are 'trolls' and 'flames'

Q. What could concern us about online gaming

Q  What do we know about social networking and privacy settings?

Activity 1.

Making an e-safety 'mouse mat' to remind me of how to stay safe. Email Mr T for the template

Activity 2.

Part one

In the same pairs make an advice sheet of four e-safety criteria entitled

'Responsible internet use for Year 7 students' - write a post on your wiki page

Part two.

Evaluating a set of e-safety criteria 

Have a look at the criteria that other groups have developed - on their wiki page

Part three.

How might we create a set of e-safety criteria for the whole class of 7S 

Homework

A few lessons ago we looked at some dodgy websites.  These included the tree octopus, 

online pregnancy testing and dehydrated water as examples but how can we recognise that other websites are legitimate. Think of a few key indicators that might suggest that a website is real and appropriate to use.

Set 20th November 2012  Due in 27th November 2012 

e-Safety when communicating on the internet

Hi Year 7

Well you are cordially invited to upload comments and work on your new class wiki.  
Click here and find your page!  

Can we add words and definitions under the heading 'ICT Vocabulary in Year 7' and include things like, 'blogs', 'Wiki', e-safety.  You can use the new books that we have purchased for you if this helps. Page 12 has some key words that you need to learn and understand.


Homework due in  today - e Safety
Having watched the video above create an e-safety list of things that you should always do or not do for safe use on the internet or when communicating electronically. This can be a bullet point list of rules of examples explained and illustrated with items from the news.

Starter
This will be a two minute self assessment on where you are nine weeks into the course and will be used for the report that goes home to your family at Christmas so be honest and as accurate as you can.

Activity 1 - The email relay race.  

• You will be allocated to teams and each team captain will receive a message from me
• The message needs to be forwarded to the next team member in the list but you need to add some text to the message you decide what.
• The final person in  the list needs to forward their email to me and the first to do so wins.

Activity 2. - Wheres Klaus video and discussion -  who's responsible for keeping you safe?

Activity 3. - e-Safety advice sheet - four criteia to keep you safe. The core text will help pg 9-10
You may need to work in small groups to carry out this task.  Each member of the group suggesting a criteria and a way to test it.  You can present your advice sheet as a:

• single word processed document, 
• powerpoint slide or 
• poster or even do a 
• video clip or pod cast you decide 

Extension exercise

Try posting your poster to the class wiki along with your letter from last term.  You may need to accept the invite to loin the wiki that I emailed you last week before you can do this.

Homework

Revise key words and definitions that you posted to the wiki on page 12 of the core textbook.  You will be tested on them next lesson. They are blog, cyber bullying, digital footprint, e-safety, e-potfolio, forum, VLE, Moodle, netiquette, social networking site, wiki, acceptable use policy 

Good luck and enjoy

Mr T

Using the internet to communicate with others

Good morning year 7

Today we are going to look at a new topic - Wikis but before we do can I ask you to look at the picture below and ask yourself the question underneath it

Starter
A very clear example of some of the things that happens on the Internet?

The question is:
How long should the stopwatch show in the middle for activity on the internet?

Q. What is a wiki? click here

Q. How else can you share information and get others to make comments online? well you could start by clicking here

Q. Is everything you see on the internet reliable - have you heard the one about the tree Octopus click here or dog island click here or the site where you can by dehydrated water here or the free online pregnancy test website here 

Activity
Click on the link here and start creating stuff to share on the following topic.
Q. What would you like from your ICT at school if you were spending the £1m to improve the facilities


Now share what you have written with everyone in the class?

Extension 1. 'You could start blogging too' 
Have you ever thought about setting up your own blog here remember the story of the girl Martha Payne who did set up a blog last year and talked about her school meals every day, well she is now on over 3 million hits and decided that she would like to be a journalist? click here to find out more

Extension 2
Online safety the movie click here for those that have finished today's task
Why is it important that we don't give anything about us away when we are communicating on the internet?

Homework - e Safety
Having watched the video above create an e-safety list of things that you should always do or not do for safe use on the internet or when communicating electronically. This can be a bullet point list of rules of examples explained and illustrated with items from the news.
  
Enjoy

Mr T

P.s. Answer to the starter: click here

(other great starters can be found here if you get bored...or try out this sight here)

Hi 7S

Here's an interesting stater - what do you think about that then?

Click here to see a cool video about how social networking and internet use is taking over?

And here's a link to another shocking poster of internet facts click here

Main Activity

For today’s lesson, you are going to send me a completed questionnaire  by doing the following steps:

   1.       Open the attachment

   2.       Save it in a new folder called “Unit 7.0” (If you have opened it to see it you will need to use     “Save As”)

   3.       Close your e-mail client and the attachment (if open).

   4.       Open the attachment with MS Word from your user area.

   5.       Complete the questionnaire and save it.

   6.       Open the e-mail from me (this one)and reply to it

   7.       Attach your completed questionnaire and send it.

For those who have finished treat yourself to a look at these old computer adverts, click here and then complete the extension activity below

For an extension:

   1.       Take a “print screen” of your file system folder called “Unit 7.0”

   2.       Paste it into a word document and save this , also in Unit 7.0  folder.

   3.       Send this document to me as an e-mail attachment.

Homework 

Read your printed poster before answering the question below:

Referring to each rule in turn EXPLAIN why is it so important to stick to the simple rules on the poster when you communicate with others on the internet.        

Due in Monday 5th November 2012

Good luck, enjoy and thank you for working hard this term

Mr T

A word in your ear part two...

Good afternoon year 7

Today we will continue with the letter to Mrs Croft and use some of the advanced functions of word such as:

• inserting a table of contents see here for a suggested layout
• wrapping text around the table
• page numbers
• auto fields
• headers / footers
• punctuation and grammar checking  

Questions and answers

• why should you save your work at the start of creating a document?
• what is a footer?
• what do we mean by the word font?
• Whats the benefit of having a spell check facility? 
• why might you want to type up a document?
• whats the purpose of a header
• Why does the word software automatically space your work?
• Why should you file your work electronically

Outcome

At the end of today's lesson you will have completed you letter from last week with the additional features above.

Homework

Complete the worksheet attached here

Good luck and enjoy

Mr T

A word in your ear

Good afternoon year 7 and parents

Well here we go.  Next four lessons are all about introducing you to word processing software.  Who has used WORD software before?

Starter
Log onto your network and load WORD and watch the demonstration.  For those that still don.t get it click here

Demo

• Start by setting up a file for all you work - ICT with Mr T - Yr 7 - word - Letter
• Now save your work so if the PC crashes you have the auto backup
• Add a header (your name and today's date) and a footer (file name)
• Now we can start to type text into a document, lets start with the address for Mrs Croft, what do you notice about the spacing?
• Now lets add the Dear Mrs Croft and the Re: ICT at OSA
• Now you can add the body of your text - what do you want to tell her
• Change the font to something that is clear and easy to read
• Spell check your document - only letters spelt correctly will find themselves to Mrs Croft
• Save your work in the file that you have created
• PRINT out a copy for your physical folder

Main task
To demonstrate you skills in using word you are going to write a letter to Mrs Croft, our principal and tell he about your first three weeks at OSA.  How did you feel on day one, how do you feel now.  What has gone well for you and what could have been easier. Ill show you a finished product and we can go through and build it step by step.

Questions and answers

• why should you save your work at the start of creating a document?
• what is a footer?
• what do we mean by the word font?
• Whats the benefit of having a spell check facility? 
• why might you want to type up a document?
• whats the purpose of a header
• Why does the word software automatically space your work?
• Why should you file your work electronically

Homework
We have a shared learning opportunity with this homework.  Your parents will remember what typewriters are and I guess you will not.  Download the homework here and answer the questions at the bottom of the text.  If you dont have a printer or the internet at home ill give you a printed out copy.

See you next week and well done for working so hard and doing so well

Mr T  

Assessing my level in ICT

Hi year 7

thanks for being patient today as we experienced log in difficulties with some user names and passwords.

Here is the link to YACA PAKA so that you can access it through the blog .

Remember you all now have user names and passwords for this assessment.

The year is full and you have a road map of what lies a head.  Keep up and work hard and you will do well.

Congratulations to Dylan scoring over 1000 on the assessment in his first attempt!  Is he the first to indicate that he may be Able Gifted and Talented in ICT

Homework

Complete the sentence in no less than 250 words

‘ICT is important in today’s society because…’

Due in Monday 17th September 2012

Good luck and well done

Mr T

My presentation of the two days at OSA

Good morning Year 6 ICT


today we are using the hour to make a presentation on your two days at the Academy.


You will design it yourself, agree the content, add photos and screen shots from the Academy website, check it to see if it includes all the assessment criteria and finish by adding a QR code and evaluating your own work.


We hope you enjoy your hour and complete this Seacole challenge.  The best work will be put forward to your head of house in the hope that she can present it in assembly in September.


Your username for today is: login


Your Password is: oxford


The assessment criteria click here


Evaluating your own work click here


A PowerPoint template to allow you to achieve the task in the one hour time allowed click here


The course core text book is also available to help you see pages 13-24


Extension exercise - adding the QR code click here


Good luck and enjoy


Mr T