Pictures and Picasa

FCA Computer class, December 19, 2012.

Today's assignment is to work with Picasa and edit three photos.  This will be done in class.  Need Picasa?  Click here.  If you're not on a pc, then click here.  If neither will work for you, you can also use the online tool picmonkey.  http://www.picmonkey.com/

Download each of these three photos, then make the adjustments described.

on the above picture, use the fill light adjust to make it look more light daytime.

Do two things:  Straighten out the statue, then crop it so we only see the statue and not much of the sides.

Straighten this picture out.

Fix the red eye issue.

Then for next week, come with at least TEN pictures from the Christmas break that we'll turn into a picture slideshow.

Presentations, Part 2 - Missionary

11-7-2012

First Christian Academy Technology and Computer class.

Presentations, part 2.  Due Wednesday November 28 (the week after Thanksgiving break).

This weeks assignment is to work on a personal presentation using Google Drive.  In the next few weeks, you'll give a 3-5 minute presentation on a Christian missionary.

You'll be giving a presentation in class that has:
Between 10 and 15 slides
Has at least 5 pictures
Has no more than 8 words on any slide.


Choose one of the following to use as your missionary:


Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)
William Carey (1761-1834)
Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936)

David Livingstone (1813-1873)

George Müller (1805-1898)

Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Nate Saint (1923-1956)

Jim Elliot (1927-1956)

Eric Liddell (1902-1945)

Read about them all and then pick one you find most interesting.  Then, create a presentation that introduces us to them.  Tell us about their life.  What did they do?  Where did they do it?  How did it go?  What trouble did they have along the way?  How did it end?

Since you'll be limited to EIGHT words on any slide, you'll need to spend time learning about them and internalize the information.  Use your slides as a reminder of what you want to talk about, don't read off the screen (there won't be much there!).  Practice many times with a timer so you know you'll present between 3 and 5 minutes.  Do your best to make sure the graphics don't interfere with the words (reducing the size of the graphic so the words are not over it might help.)


Here’s how you’ll be graded:

You'll be graded on:

Time.  Your presentation needs to be between 3 and 5 minutes.  Any shorter or longer and you'll lose 10 points.  Use a stopwatch and practice it at least 3 times so you know you're within the time frame.  (20 points)

Did you put effort into the presentation with pictures, text, and graphics.  Does it show that you put time into it? (20 points)

Do you have between 10 and 15 slides?  (20 points)

Did you keep to the 8 word limit on each slide? (20 points)

Were you able to talk about your subject and not just read what is on each slide?  You should be able to provide additional details as you go along.  Just use summary sentences on the presentation, then talk it through when you present.  (20 points)

You will not be graded on if you were nervous…so don’t worry about how you look…learn how to present ideas that you’re familiar with using a computer and yourself.  Practice will help.

Presentations, Part 1 - Electoral Process

Presentations, Part 1

You'll be getting into groups of 3-4 people and working on a presentation to give to the class in two weeks on the electoral college and the electoral process in the United States.

Here's a good place to start to understand the electoral college:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)

Here's a good place to start to look at polls and gather information.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com

You’ll be giving a presentation in class that has:

• at least 10 slides
• no more than 15 slides
• contains at least 5 pictures
• Has text in different sizes

 Be certain to:

• Teach us about the electoral college and electoral process in the United States.
• Cover the states that are currently the most important to win to become the next President. They are:

Ohio

Florida

Virginia

Iowa

Colorado

North Carolina

Wisconsin

 Why are those states important? What are the current polls showing in those states? How has the state voted in the prior two elections (democrat or republican?)

What are the top 5 states for the MOST electoral college votes?

Here’s how you’ll be graded:
You'll be graded on:

Time.  Your presentation needs to be between 3 and 5 minutes.  Any shorter or longer and you'll lose 10 points.  Use a stopwatch and practice it at least 3 times so you know you're within the time frame.  (20 points)

Did you put effort into the presentation with pictures, text, and graphics.  Does it show that you put time into it? (20 points)

Do you have between 10 and 15 slides?  (20 points)

Did you keep to the 30 word limit on each slide? (20 points)

Were you able to talk about your subject and not just read what is on each slide?  You should be able to provide additional details as you go along.  Just use summary sentences on the presentation, then talk it through when you present.  (20 points)

You will not be graded on if you were nervous…so don’t worry about how you look…learn how to present ideas that you’re familiar with using a computer and yourself.  Practice will help.

I’ve suggested you use google docs presentations so it will playback on any computer.  If you choose to use Microsoft Powerpoint, make sure it will play fine from your laptop.
I can’t wait to see what you've learned about the election.

First Christian Academy
Technology and Computers Class, 10/3/2012

Headers, Footers, Footnotes, and Page Numbers.


Today’s assignment is to insert a header, footer, and two footnotes.

Your header should have your name, grade, and class.  It should be CENTER justified, bold, and look similar to this (but type your actual name instead of Your Name)

Your Name, 7th Grade, Computer Class

Your footer should contain First Christian Academy and your teachers name, be RIGHT justified, and look like this:

First Christian Academy, Mr. Caldwell

Then, insert a page number at the BOTTOM of the page (insert, page number, bottom of page)

This assignment will be two or more pages long.  You can copy and paste information from the web.  Please include a picture on each page (resize it to make it look nice, wrap text around it for extra credit).  Include a PAGE BREAK (by pressing control-enter or selecting insert, page break in the menu) to cause the second page to start where you want.

Include two footnotes that show where you found the information you presented.  Was it a internet site?  A magazine?  A book?  This will give you a brief idea on one way to format a footnote, choose the appropriate category for where you found your information and create your footnote with similar style:
http://class.guilford.edu/psci/rduncan/Footnotes%20Format.htm

example would look like this at the bottom of the page:
1 Lawrence Squires. “A virtual Tour of the White House, circa 1900,” National Landmarks: Then and Now, 1999 <http://www.natlandmk.com/hist> (21 August 2000).


You choose the subject matter...pick something that interests you.  Pets, cars, sports, vacations, electronics, bands, whatever you like.

Project is due October 10 at the beginning of class.  10% grade reduction for each day late.  Share your paper with me the day prior or that day by selecting share, then using the email address:  sean@firstchristianacademy.com    in the “add people” box then select done.

9/26/2012

The assignment for today is to subscribe to TWO calendars.  One of them is the First Christian Academy public calendar.  The other can be a sports team or other calendar found online.

Subscribe and show me in class this week or next to get credit.  We will also be checking engrade to make sure you know what assignments are still outstanding.

Organization with Technology: Calendar, part 1

First Christian Academy
Computers & Technology Class

Organization with Technology:  Calendar, part 1

Technology provides some great ways to help us stay organized.  Using an electronic calendar provides many benefits.  As students, you can choose to keep your assignments and other commitments organized with an online calendar.

An online calendar does NOT mean that others can see your information, unless you decide to share it.  One example would be a family that shares a calendar to keep organized so everyone sees what events are scheduled.  This helps prevent conflicts and surprises.

Today’s assignment is to set up TEN calendar entries on your google calendar (sign into gmail, then select calendar up top).  Five of them should be school assignments, five of them should be family events.  Three of them must include other friends at school or parents (by inviting them to the event).  Each event should have a beginning and end time.  Make one of the events a repeating event that happens every monday for one month and include some detail in the notes section about the event as well as an address in the ‘where’ section so it can be viewed on a map.  (if you want to use the schools address, it’s 6800 Trouble Creek Rd, New Port Richey, FL  34653).  Then create an entry for your birthday and make it a yearly repeating event.  We went over how to do these things in class.

Have your calendar ready to show me next week (9/26/12).  Ten percent reduction for every day late.  Want extra credit?  Put in another ten events that include school assignments and include addresses, notes, repeating events, etc.

Word Processing: Outlining

FCA Technology Class.  9-12-2012

Outlining

Outlining allows you to present information in multiple levels.  In hierarchical outlines, there are main points, and sub point arranged in a tree structure.  This assignment will help you learn to use the outline functions built into all word processors.  Utilize your word processors outline (or numbering) functions.  In google docs, it’s called a numbered list, and is started by clicking the 1, 2, 3 icon on the toolbar.  Then use tab and shift-tab to go back and forth between levels.

You MUST use the outline tool built into google docs to complete the document.  Click the 1/2/3 the is up near the top to use it, then use the tab key (and shift tab to go the other way).  You should NOT need to ever type the a. or 1. or ii., the program does it for you.  If you’re typing a. or 1. or iii., you are not doing the assignment correctly.

Remember, all the sub points must relate to the main point it is under.  Want extra credit?  Provide more detail than I’ve asked for.  Do at least 5 main points and 3 sub points on each and you’ll deserve additional points.

Assignment:  present facts about a President that served from the 1940s - 1980’s.  Pick one of the following:  Truman, Eisenhower Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush.   Please have at least three main points under the President and then include at least two sub points under each main point.  Please be ready to share your assignment with me next week as we learned in class.  Late work will lose 10 points per day.

Here’s an example to get you going (you can not use Roosevelt)

Franklin D. Roosevelt

1. Thirty Second President of the United States
1. Born January 30, 1882
2. Died April 12, 1945
3. Defeated Herbert Hoover in 1932
4. Lead with great optimism
5. Had a paralytic illness
2. Lead the United States during a time of economic depression and war
1. Lead the Allies against Germany and Japan in World War II
2. Worked closely with Winston Churchill
3. Created the “New Deal”
1. Attempted to provide relief for unemployed
2. Regulation of the FDIC
3. Social Security

1 2 and 3 are MAIN POINTS.  a b c d e f... etc. are SUB POINTS in my example.

Word Processing Part 2: Pictures and Spacing

FCA Technology Class.  9-5-2012.

Assignment:  Word Processing Spacing and Pictures/Graphics

For this assignment, you MUST use google docs.  Sign into gmail.com and go to documents (or drive) and create a new DOCUMENT.  Name the document with your name and spacing graphics.  Example name:  Your Name spacing graphics.  Also, type your NAME on the first line of the page and include your email address.

Compose one paragraph that is double-spaced about your favorite band or sport team.  The paragraph should be at least four lines long (just like these instructions are).  Tell me who they are, what you like about them.  Have you ever gone to see them play?  Describe some of your favorite memories.  After you write up that paragraph (double spaced), insert a picture below it and CENTER the picture, like this:

Hints to complete the assignment:  format, line spacing, 2.0 for that double spaced paragraph.
To insert a picture, find a picture on your computer from your trip, OR find one from the Internet.

If you need to find one from the internet:  images.google.com is a good place to start.  Then, when you have the image on your screen,  right click on it and select “copy image URL” in chrome.  THEN click the picture button inside google docs, select URL on the left side and paste in the address on the right.  It should display the image.  You might need to re-size it to fit on your paper.  (This was all explained and shown in class).

Assignment is due: Wednesay September 12, 2012.  We’ll check it in class, no need to print it out or share it.   10 points deducted for each late day.  Please turn it in on time and get full credit.

Quotes about learning, learning google docs part 1

Today's assignment is to use Google Docs to prepare a page with multiple paragraphs that includes bold, underline, italicize, and other features.

8/29/2012.  Please compose a document that looks just like this, being careful to get the centering, spacing, underlining, italicizing, all matching.  You should then keep your assignment inside google docs and bring it to class on your computer next week (no need to print it).   If you are missing your computer, we can still pull it up on google docs from another computer.  If you are absent, send me an email prior to class with a sharing link to the document.  10 point lost for each day late.

Quotes about Learning

by Sean Caldwell

your-email@gmail.com

• Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.  (Henry L. Doherty)
• “It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning.”  (Claude Bernard)
• The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.  (Abraham Lincoln)
• You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  (Clay P. Bedford)
• Complete projects on time and you’re already halfway there.  (Sean Caldwell)
• And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  (Luke 2:52)

Extra credit:  create a page break then a table like this

Monday	type what you would like to eat for breakfast
Tuesday	type what you would like to eat for dinner
Wednesday	type what you would like to eat for lunch
Thursday	type what you would like to eat for a snack
Friday	type what you would like to drink at dinner

Welcome to class!  Type in your information and we're on our way.

End of Year Project details

First Christian Academy, Computer & Technology Class
Group Project:  Integration presentation.  May, 2012.

Our final project for the year will integrate the material we’ve learned throughout the year.  You will get into groups of 3-5 people and decide who is doing what portion of the project.  You’ll turn that in today.  Then you’ll have two - three weeks to work on the project in and out of class, and will then present your project by having your files on your computer for me to check, and presenting the project to the class (5 minutes to present).

You are an entrepreneur and are considering opening a business.  You’ll need to search and hire employees, formulate a budget, prepare a business plan, present your idea to potential investors, design an advertisement, and open up the business!  There are four choices below.  Your group will pick one of the four and also turn that in today.

Business choices:

Doggie Day Care.  Your business will take care of people’s pets when they go out of town.
Sports Collectables Shop.  You’ll buy sell and trade sports memorabilia.
Army Surplus Store.  Your store will buy and sell various military supplies and equipment.
Used Clothing Store.  Your business will buy and sell used clothing.

Here are the minimum requirements to receive a passing grade.  Go above and beyond, make it creative, and receive additional credit.  Each group member will do at least one of the following major parts of the project.  If your group is smaller, each person may need to do two.

Search for employees:  Create a one page job description for at least TWO positions inside the company (ideas here).  How many hours will the job require?  What days and times will the person work?  What will they do?  What skills are necessary to do the job?  How much will the job pay?  THEN find out what it costs to place an advertisement in the Tampa Times or on a job website like Monster.com and list that cost in your advertising budget spreadsheet.

Create a budget:  How much income will the store bring in each month?  What will the store cost to operate for a year?  How much is your lease for retail space?  Do you need to buy computers or other electronics?  What will utilities (water, electricity) cost?  Phone / Internet / Cell Phone?  How much will it cost to pay the TWO employees you’ve hired?  Will you have to buy products to sell?  Use a spreadsheet that will total all of these up monthly, and then also show a yearly figure for each row (multiply the monthly by 12 to get the yearly figure).  I will be checking to see if you use FORMULAS for calculations and not a calculator. (this is very important, if you don’t know what that means, please see me quickly).  This is a major part of the project.

Prepare a business plan.  Start here to see a sample of a business plan.  Complete at least three sentences for each of the items; Business Plan Executive Summary [5-10 sentences that describe what you’ll be doing], Market Analysis [who are your competitors?], Company Description, Organization & Management [who is doing what?], Marketing & Sales Management [how will you advertise and get customers?], Service / Product Line [what will you be doing or selling?].  Use google docs or word or similar to create a nice looking business plan.  It should be at least one page, no more than two.  This is also a major part of the project.

Present your idea to potential investors.  Create a presentation [google docs or power point or keynote] that has at least 10 slides.  It should show the concept of what you want to do for a business, and give an idea of how much money the potential investor could make.  Use pictures.  Use graphs if you like.

Design an advertisement.  Use whatever software you like to create an advertisement.  It could be a nice looking presentation slide (google docs or power point) or a video or something else creative.  Make it interesting, creative, and clear to see what you’re selling or the service you provide.

(on the next page, tell me what business you’re opening up, and list who is doing what on the project.)


page 2


The business we are choosing to open is (check the box next to the one you’ll open)


⃝ Doggie Day Care.  Your business will take care of people’s pets when they go out of town.
⃝ Sports Collectables Shop.  You’ll buy sell and trade sports memorabilia.
⃝ Army Surplus Store.  Your store will buy and sell various military supplies and equipment.
⃝ Used Clothing Store.  Your business will buy and sell used clothing.



Now, write in the names of who will be doing what.  If your group has THREE members, then at least two of them will be doing TWO of the items below.  If your group has FOUR members, then one person would be doing two of them items.  If your group has FIVE members, each member does one of the below:


Job Descriptions / Search for emp:     ____________________________________


Create a Budget / Spreadsheet:    ____________________________________


Prepare a Business Plan:        ____________________________________


Present your idea to investors:    ____________________________________


Create an advertisement:        ____________________________________

By signing above, you agree you have read this entire project assignment and understand this is a large project that will require you to work a number of hours in total in the next few weeks.

This project is DUE Wednesday May 23, 2012 at the beginning of class.  You will be graded on progress each week (May 9th and May 16th).  Be prepared to show me your progress at the beginning of class each week.  Print out the paper portions of the project to turn in and also have them on your computer (google docs or similar).