Trimester two!

Welcome today to the 2nd Trimester - and to the last 1/3 of the technology integration class.

The schedule for this week (December 7-11) is as follows:
Monday - Formulas spreadsheet assignment
Tuesday - Formulas spreadsheet assignment
Wednesday - Excel Practice Assignment
Thursday- Excel Practice Assignment
Friday - Internet Safety Presentation by Karina Berzins from the BCA

Happy Holidays!

State Brochure Deadline Extended

Technology students have been working diligently this week on their brochures, however, it seems that they need a bit more time to complete them. They will be due on Friday Nov 13 for TRF students, and on Wednesday Nov 18 for MWF students.

November 5th

All students are currently working on the Final word processing assignment, which is to create a travel brochure for a particular state.

Students will have three class periods to complete their brochures.

For MWF students the brochures are due Wednesday November 11

For TRF students, brochures are due Tuessday November 10

November 2nd

Students in MWF technology worked on completing their Newsletters on the topics of Snowboarding or Rhythmic Gymnastics. Newsletters are due Wednesday at the latest

For TWF students - Newsletters are due Tuesday at the end of the hour.

Return from Hiatus

My sincere apologies for my lack of posts in the past month. In that time I have learned to be extra thankful for my health (My husband spent 10 days in ICU with H1N1) and extra careful about not spreading germs.

Updates will now be posted on a nearly daily basis.

Mrs. Olson

Sept 29 - Oct 2

Parents, students, and families - I was away from school for the past week as my husband is in the ICU at the hospital. My apologies for the lack of updates this week.

T/THR students worked on posters of internet search techniques on Tuesday, and on Thursday they learned the home row keys for keyboarding.

M/W/F students worked on posters on Wednesdays and on Friday learned the home row keys for keyboarding.

We have another guest speaker coming in the week of Oct 14th - on internet safety!

Thursday and Friday Recap -

TRF students learned about savvy google searching with Mrs. Weinand on Thursday, and on Friday, discovered just how difficult it is to organize a workspace when the tables and chairs aren't adjustable.

In order to help students in their efforts to position themselves in an ergonomically correct way, I am asking families to donate old/unwanted phone books to be used as foot rests and seat risers.

Phonebooks can be brought in at any time. Thank you!

Phonebooks wanted

MWF students learned about ergonimics - the study of workplace design, and then assigned a finger to every key on a blank keyboard.

Anyone who has a spare / old phonebook (or two) is asked to bring it in /send it in with their child to help students adjust their workspaces according to the principles of ergonomics.

Tuesday

Students in TRF classes worked on reviewing computer terms used by Mr. Olson last week when students helped take apart and learn about the internal hardware components of a computer.

Crossword puzzles are due Thursday for these students.

Mrs. Weinand

On Monday, Mrs. Weinand visited class and helped MWF students learn and use "smart" search techniques with the google search engine.

Some of the techniques they learned include:
Not writing too many words,using the site:gov, site:edu, site:org qualifiers,using the -sign to eliminate types of results not wanted,and using quotation marks when searching for an "exact phrase."

Google goes to print

A fascinating way that google is changing how technology is used - now to print books.
Read here for more information.

Crossword

Students worked on a crossword - reviewing the computer hardware terms illustrated in our guest presentation by Mr. Olson

Crosswords are due for MWF students on Monday Sept. 21

Thursday...

Today TRF students dissected a computer with Mr. Olson. Pictures will be posted once all internet and media policy forms are in.

A visit from Mr. Olson

Today MWF students dissected a computer with Mr. Olson. Pictures will be posted once all internet and media policy forms are in.

Tuesday reviewed

Laptops out for the first time today - It was a learning experience for everyone. Hopefully it'll go a bit smoother once we are all certain of our log in names...

More with the computers next week. Guest speaker on Thursday.

Monday, Monday

Today students got a chance to use the laptops for the first time - we almost have all of the glitches out...

Wednesday - we have a guest speaker who will dismantle a computer for us - it should be fun!

Extra Credit Opportunity

Fill out the parent contact information form by 9/15 and receive extra credit! - Access the form by clicking here.

First Day MWF Classes

Welcome MWF technology students. It was good to meet you all today. I look forward to learning with you this year.

The first day of school!

It was great to meet the first half of my technology students for this year. (TRF Students)

Today class time focused on a tour of the room, and practicing a few classroom procedures. We'll continue with this at our next class meeting as well.

The laptops for the class are here! - We'll be using them next week at the latest.

Thank you to all students, parents and families who attended open house. I appreciated the chance to meet you, and look forward to seeing students next Tuesday September 8th.

A tornado in North Branch!

That's right, our own piece of weather history, a bit too close to home for comfort. Early Wednesday evening, a tornado apparently hit the north-eastern edge of the North Branch Middle School, damaging the roof and causing the building to be closed indefinitely.

See below for links to news stories and pictures.

Open House

Open House is Wednesday September 2nd from 5-7 pm. Be sure to stop in and say hello before the school year begins. I look forward to meeting all of my new students!

If you are unable to be at open house, you can view the handouts by visiting technology class files link on the right side of the class homepage NBMS Technology Bytes and selecting the course syllabus.

The Blog for NBMS Technology Integration Classes

Welcome to the class posting blog for Mrs. Olson's Technology Integration Classes! On this site I'll post updates, class happenings, due dates, and other important information for students.

For fall 2009 students will need the following materials for class:
A Flash drive ~2mb recommended size
A folder to keep/organize class handouts
A positive attitude, creative thinking, and a willingness to work hard

The main web site for these courses can be found at NBMS Technology Bytes - additional information for the NB school district can be accessed by visiting the North Branch Area Public Schools web page.

Note - This class is highly dependent on students using online resources. Be sure to fill out the school district internet use forms and return them to school as soon as possible so students can get started on course materials right away. Thank you.


We'll see you in about a month!