All good things must come to an end...

Hopefully, for you, the proverb "All good things must come to an end" sums up your experience in Gr. 8 I.T. For many of you, it was a valuable introduction to vr, drones, and breakout.For students with some experience, I hope that it has opened your eyes to the possibilities that exist in I.T. for your future.


Now is the time to reflect on the experience. 
Please take the time to answer all the questions below.
Answer all questions on your Gr. 8 I.T. Blog

Questions

1. Reflecting on this trimester, what has been one of the most valuable skills that you have learned?

2. Next, choose 2 School Wide Learning results to describe the knowledge that you have gained in class. Explain ( be sure to provide evidence and examples to support your ideas).

3. What activities do you believe could be included in the class if it was offered in the future?

When you have completed the questions on your blog, please create a new page in your eportfolio. 

Title the page - Grade 8 I.T. - Then embed your blog into the google site page. 

If you are unsure, on how to embed your blog, view the following youtube. 



When done, continue with your coding :)
Looking forward to our breakout session on Friday!

Enjoy
Mrs.N


Graphic source 

The next step - Hour of Code

Globally each December, Millions of people worldwide will take part in this initiative. 



To entice people to take part  Code.org has designed some basic coding activities to get people ready for the event. 

Accelerated Intro to Computer Science Course
In order to give students the skills necessary for computer science courses and logic programming, Code. Org has developed a course that covers core computer science and programming course. It is designed for students 10-18. 

As a starting point, navigate to CODE.ORG's website... https://studio.code.org/

Select Student sign up. 

Once you have signed up, select the ACCELERATED COURSE ICON. 

CLICK HERE to access the course

Skills for Future

The skills that you will need in the future are diverse. 

One fact that numerous researchers agree upon, is that programming is a crucial skill that should be taught in school. The major problem is that not all educational institutions view programming as a necessary skill.
Let's look at some facts:-

As a starting point,  uncover your skills, passions, and wishes for our next mini unit.  

Reflect upon your programming skills and interests. 

1. What prior experience have you had with programming. What programs do you know?

Python

Java

C++

Xcode

Scratch

HTML

Swift

2. What have you created with the programs that you know? Please explain

3. If you had the choice to work on any programs in the class, what would you like to do?

4. Phew, next find an image that portrays you as a programmer. 

8. Spell check, grammar check, publish your blogpost and send the url to Mrs. Narsiman, via google classroom. 

Graphic Sources:-
1. Code.Org

Everyday connections

It's amazing to reflect upon the way in which technology is a vital component of our everyday life. Truly it touches the majority of activities that we complete daily; in class, at home, while doing homework, contacting friends. Indeed technology is second nature to us, a facet of our life that we take for granted.

As a starting point, let's look at unusual ways in which our knowledge and activities can be interconnected. 

Enjoy

Mrs. N. 

Resource article
Knitters and Coders - Separated at birth

Drone Symposium.

Finally, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and be glad that drone research is complete. 
But wait, there is more...

Presenting your Drone Research

Over the past few weeks, you have conducted research, gained your drone license and began to formulate ideas on how drones could make our lives easier. 

We know that an integral piece of research is the presentation of data. 
One missing piece of data is market analysis, this is an additional requirement. 

This is your chance to choose a medium to present your findings. 

You have the latitude to choose from a myriad of tools. Pick your strength, focus on what tools that you know. 

This will one of your final summative assessments for the unit. 

Learning about Drones

Next week, you will all have the opportunity to gain your very own ISKL Drone License. To gain your license, you will need to complete 2 formative assessments and a final summative assessment. All information is contained in the following three documents; Lesson 1, Lesson 2 and Lesson 3. Both Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 will take place on Monday in the classroom (followed by short quizzes), and the final lesson (on the lower field) will occur on Wednesday. The major element of this lesson is practical application related to flying the drones in an open space.  

Please take the time to prepare for your drone license by,:-

a) reviewing all three lesson documents (hyperlinked above). 

and then,


b) In a well structured blogpost, highlight the following;-

1. Uses of drones (both professionally and as hobbyists).
2. Benefits of using drones as opposed to other technologies.
3. How drones will be used in the future.
4. Dangers of using drones. 
5. Conduct some action research via google forms to friends, teacher etc. 

Be sure to include, text, visuals and where necessary video.  You need to have citations for your research as well. 
Enjoy


Mrs. N


Citation

The final stages of the Design Process - Quality Feedback

Over the past 5 classes you have been utilising the design process as your guiding lens to review VR apps, and then create ideas for an app of your own.

A crucial piece of the design process is FEEDBACK - which in turn, provides a direction and ideas for action and improvement.

According to Ash Read from Lifehackers.com, excellent feedback  should contain the following SIX qualities :-

1. Be specific - search out the finer details, zero in on features that can be improved.

2. Be immediate - Record feedback while it is fresh in your mind

3. Connect feedback to assessment requirements - Review the requirements of Task 1-3

4. Make sure that your feedback, provides evidence and ideas for action and improvement

5. Use the right language - use appropriate language for the task, ask What if's.

6. Don't avoid it - Don't be satisfied being a minimalist, the best ideas take many minds.

Your final task

1. On the completion of Tasks 1-3, now is the time to receive critical feedback on your VR app ideas. Using the 6 tips for quality feedback , you will need to critically appraise 2 of your peers VR apps.

2. Not only should your feedback contain examples of quality feedback, you also need to ensure that you provide specific feedback and a direction on a way to enhance their ideas.

3. Once you have received feedback (from 2 classmates), it is your turn to improve your proposed VR app.

Be sure to document your work (on the same document that was used for Tasks 1- 3.

4. Based on the feedback, document on your collaborative google doc how you will improve your app.

The final task is your summative assessment. 








Graphic source and inspiration 
The six qualities of good feedback

Design Process - Review / Revise

Last week, (encouraged by our student teacher Austin Holmes), you had the opportunity to investigate google street view.
In partnerships you took on the task of using street view to highlight activities and areas on the Ampang Campus of ISKL.

To complete this activity, you have several tasks :-

Task 1.
1. Create a google doc with assessment name and members. For example . 3d_Blake_Wyatt_Gabe  ( share with Mrs. Narsiman). 

2. Remember the street view photo is for a global audience and will be placed on google maps. 

• You need to critically appraise your work.
• Look for mismatchs, errors in your clips. If necessary retake.

3. The design process requires that you receive feedback. Use another group / partnership to do this. Document their feedback on your google doc. 

4. Choose 2 to upload to google maps. Take screenshots and place on google docs. 

5. If you have an iphone (or similar) you may wish to take additional street views so that you can view them on google cardboard.


Task 2. - This is an individual task.

Now that you have gained familiarity with 360 degree views, now is the time to investigate 360degree apps on the app store.

1. Navigate to the app store
2. Choose to download three vr apps , read the reviews. 
3. View them on the VR Viewers.
4.Critically write a review, based on functionality and appeal to 8th graders. Note down the pro's and con's.
5. Take screen shots. 
6. Add your work to the same google doc. 

Task 3.
Using the design process as your guide, develop and idea for a VR app that you believe could be used any classroom. 
1. Come up with name
2. Pricing
3. Purpose
4. Functionality
5. Write an iTunes, review and promotional page. 

Help needed!

Hey everybody,

I need your help for something. Last year, I was a Student Admissions Representative (STAR). This basically means that I gave tours to parents and students that are thinking of coming to ISKL. Now I have graduated I am back in the states. There is just one small problem, though. Malaysia is far from many of the countries that some of these parents are moving from. Oftentimes, the entire family can't come and visit the country and the school before they move here. I need your help creating a way that prospective students and parents can explore the school without ever leaving home.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it (you really have no choice), is to create a virtual tour of certain parts of our school to put on Google Maps so that those people that who can't visit the school can see all the great places of our school.



Instructions:
          1) Choose a partner that you could work well with (and trust)!

          2) Using Google Street View on the iPads, work with that partner to photograph 3-4 areas of                    the school with the 3-D photo apps. Think like a marketing person, highlight areas that                          would entice prospective students and parents to pay fees and attend ISKL.

          3) Be sure to avoid reality issues. Make sure that people aren't in the pictures with no heads or                  just a pair of legs showing.

          4) Go to this Document of Instructions to see the instructions that a teacher has used to explain                the process. Before asking any teacher for help, ask a classmate.

          5) Use the design process to make sure that you are planning out your photo locations                                intelligently.

          6) Have fun. Learn about the apps and cameras to make the best tours possible. Remember, you                are now representing the school. Choose the locations wisely. 

          7) Document your learning journey by creating a google doc -  your names_Googlestreetview.                 Reflect on the challenges and positives on this experience. Provide as many examples as                     possible, and also graphic evidence. 

Reflection ...

re·flec·tion

rəˈflekSH(ə)n/

serious thought or consideration.

"he doesn't get much time for reflection"

synonyms:

thought, thinking, consideration, contemplation, deliberation, pondering, meditation,musing, rumination;  formal cogitation "after some reflection, he turned it down"

Finally, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and be glad that the introductory presentations are all over. Dare I say it , it is time for reflection. 

Guidelines

- Read the questions below, be sure to answer the questions with as much detail as possible.

- That means, provide specific evidence and examples to support your ideas

- Check spelling and grammar

- Your blog post will be assessed with a work habits grade

First Step 
1. Create a new blog ( if you do not have a blog, Mrs. N will show you how to do this!). 
2. Give you blog a creative title related to technology. Copy and paste the question below on to your blog. 

Questions

1. With reference to the rubric, in what area(s)  do you believe that you extended yourself ?

2. What areas do you believe needed more attention?

3. If you had the opportunity how would you enhance your presentation? (to ensure that you extend in all categories?)

4. What do you wish that you knew before presenting in front of the class?

5. Which school-wide learning results were highlighted before in your presentation and during the presentation?  Please explain

(* please note the schoolwide learning results are : learn enthusiastically, reason critically, live ethically, collaborate constructively, think creatively & communicate effectively). 

6. Review the  rubric,(which has been shared individually on google class)  highlight where you believe you will be graded. This is the easy part.  Then underneath the rubric, provide evidence to support your ideas.  

Please complete the above in class. You have one period. Focus and let's get finished. 

When you are done, grab your phone and begin downloading vr apps. 


Take care.
Mrs. N

The Next Step

To recap the  overarching Essential Question for the trimester  is ;-

How does design impact communication?

In your first discussion you briefly shared information related to the tools that you know, expertise and lastly what we hope to gain from the class. 

In class today, you will be creating a blog, and then showcasing your ideas and skills through a tool of choice.

Show us all what you know !

In a well-organised presentation, share the following :-

1. How would you describe the purpose of technology? How does it help (or hinder) you in the classroom?

2. What tools do you use to help you to effectively use technology?

3. What is the "downside" of technology?

4. Provide information about your experience and tech skills -Reflect upon what programs you are familiar with, have you had any experience with any of the suggested tools that we might explore. As much information as possible would be appreciated. 

5.  Are there any tech tools that are not listed that you would like to learn about?

6. List the tools that you would like to work with in order of preference (1 being most want to learn....) 

7. What do you hope to gain in joining this class this trimester?

8. If you had one person (famous for technology)  that you would like to aspire to be, who is this? Why? Provide detailed explanations. _ embed, graphics and videos to support your ideas. 

9. Lastly, choose a graphic that clearly illustrates your tech. expertise. 

Guidelines

• As you create your presentation, use publishing and design principles.
• Some excellent examples were showcased in the beginning of class. Use these as mentor presentations. 
• Remember clarity of ideas, clear graphics, minimal text. 

All presentations, rubrics and some exemplars have been shared via google classroom. These are amazing resources. Please use them. 

Welcome to (I.T.) ~ Trimester 2

As a small class, we have a great deal of flexibility with our curriculum. Some ideas that we may be focusing on might include:-  

1. Stop motion animation
2. Flying drones and achieving an ISKL Drone License

3. Learning about 360 videos and use with google cardboard

4. Acquiring knowledge on Google Sketchup
5. Creating and designing objects for 3D printing. 
6. Researching you tubers - develop your inner you tuber and gain a global following
7.  Researching, investigating and developing prototype iPad / iPod apps 
8. Creation of App games 

The application of your research

Through your research, you have gained knowledge and understanding on how a drone functions, its hardware, and software,  as well as possible issues with legalities. Now, let's look at ways that we can use this knowledge and understanding to analyze information and develop solutions. 

Leaders in industry, information technology, and engineering use the design process to guide their thinking. Using the design process as your guide, your task (with a partner) is to develop solutions for a problem. 

Scenario

You and your partner have been given the opportunity of a lifetime, to earn a multi-million dollar contract with  DJI (the company that created the DJI Inspire Drone). An amazing opportunity (as you are only 8th graders), but DJI wants talented individuals that will make a difference to their company and their profit. 

You have been asked to create a design for a drone that will revolutionize the industry and provide solutions for everyday problems.  DJI know that drones are the way of the future. They would like to harness the market and become the leader in drone development and sales. 

The specifications that you have been given from the CEO and Head of Marketing are the following:-

1. Conduct market research - What functions do 8th graders want in a drone? What will make DJI market leaders? 

 * To do this, you need to ask willing participants, define the existing problem. Cost? Accessibility?  

2. Collect Information - Look at existing designs what are they missing? Are they sustainable? Cost vs. usability? Think about batteries?

3. Brainstorm and analyze your data. Create new, groundbreaking futuristic ideas.

4. Develop solutions, draft a blueprint /, include rationale and specifications. 

5. Receive feedback from a wide selection of adults.

6. From feedback given enhance your design.

7. Submit your final product plan to the  CEO and Head of Marketing     ( Mrs. N & Mr. Zaini). 

*The final plan is a  blueprint / illustration or graphic representation (to scale embedded) in your presentation. Again, include rationale and specifications. 

8. Finally, create a presentation that showcases your research, initial drone design, feedback from stakeholders and your final design. 

Questions?

Create a google doc journal. 
Share it with both partners ( as well as Mrs. Narsiman). 
Document your progress on your google doc. journal

How will I be accessed?