Reminders on Material Covered Monday Oct 29

1. The CONCATENATE Function combines text strings
2. All text strings MUST be in quotation marks
3. In the concatenate function, use a comma between all elements that are to be combined. For example If the first element is the contents of B2 followed by a text string containing a comma and a space followed by the contents of cell A2 your formula would look like this:
CONCATENATE(B2,", ",A2)
Look carefully at this function. You see three commas. The comma afetr B2 means that more elements follow. The comma after the quotaion is part of the text string. It will appear as a comma followed by a space in your data. Then the second quotation mark ends the text string. It is followed by a comma which means another element follows. That element is A2 which represents the contents of cell A2.

4. Use the Shift Click technique to select a range of cells.

5. Use Control-D to fill a range of cells DOWN.

6. KNOW what a field, a record, a range, and a cell are.

Data Base Assignment DUE Nov 5 Start of Class

1. Complete data base started in class. Add an additional field: CSZ. Using the CONCATENATE Function, combine data in this format: City, State Zip. Your data base must have 25 records.
2. 2:00 Class Create a new field and using the concatenate function combine the AC and the phone number connected by a -. For example: 251-716-3153.
2A 4:00 Class Create a new field combining the email and the server linked together by the @ sign. For example: strange.johnedm310@gmail.com
3. Develop a data base of your own with at least four fields of data and two fields that are a combination of two or more other fields. If you have no other reason to construct a data base, do one for your CD collection, your DVD collection, or some other articles you have such as blouses, hats, etc.
4. Share all of your spreadsheets with me as a viewer. Use this email address for sharing: strange.johnedm310@gmail.com

The above projects are DUE at the start of class on Monday Nov. 5.

Schedule Update

Oct. 29 - Spreadsheets as DAta Base - See next post for assignment due Nov 5
Oct. 31 - Spreadsheets 1
Nov. 5 - Data Base Assignment DUE at start of class. Spreadsheets 2
Nov. 7 - Linking Web Pages

Blog Topic Assignments for Oct 21, Oct 28, Nov 4

Due October 21

Find out about Duke University's use of iPods as an instructional tool. Write two or three paragraphs describing the Duke program. Then write a paragraph explaining how you might use iPods in your teaching after you get a teaching position.

Due October 28
Find out all you can about iTunes University. Write two or three paragraphs about how iTunes University might be of help to you as a student or a teacher. Include appropriate links.

Due November 4
Read the
NPR blog on Wickipedia.
Also read the
NPR article on Wikipedia.
Then listen to the NPR Podcast on Wikipedia by clicking on the LISTEN button on the NPR article page.

Next read the WIRED story about Virgil Griffith, Wikipedia Scanner, and the changes made to Wikipedia by Diebold, a leading maker of voting machines, the FBI, Walmart, and a variety of politicians. Learn how you can find out who is changing Wikipedia and how the fact that anyone can change Wikipedia (and often does) affects the reliaqbility of Wikipedia.

Write a paragraph or two about how and when (if ever) Wikipedia can be a trusted source of information.

Blog Assignments Update to Instructions

1. By October 15 you should have completed your posts assigned on the separate blog assignments sheet through the post about Seymour Papert.

2. As you encounter uses for any of the tools we are learninmg about in class, post your "story" to your blog. I will add links to your stories on this master blog. Three examples (which will be elaborated upon by the students involved):
A. Danielle Hermann's mother teaches children who cannot come to school because of illness or other reasons. Danielle showed Google Talk to her mother as well as Google Docs. Now her mother is using Google with her students and their parents.
B. Kailey Aaron is sick today. Just before class she signed on to Google Talk to chat with Dr. Strange and to inform him that she would be absent today. That is very helpful.
C. Kimberly Piburn has computers on both floors of her house. She showed her mother how Google allows you to have everything with you. Now her mother has what she needs anywhere in the house she might be and she doesn't have to interrupt Kimberly to help.

3. As you teach your parents (or your children/grandchildren teach you), post those stories to the blog. Examples;
My graddaughter (Eliza age 11) taught me how tio add four people at a time to iChat while we were at a family reunion this weekend.
Kimberly and Danbielle both taught their mothers to use Google.

4. Additional assignments for blog post topics will be added to this post later today.

Assignment Due 10/17

1. Create a Web Album of 25 images. Include places or addresses where pictures were taken for at least 5 of the photographs. Google will create a map showing the locations where your pictures were taken.
2. Select three of your pictures and publish them from Picasa to your blog. There should be one picture for each post to your blog. Or, another way, there should be three posts, each of which has a picture posted to it. Add an explanation of the picture (or description, or comment about) on each post. Also be sure that you add a Title to your post.
3. Now try the same assignment with 2 pictures posted to a single post at the same time. Add a line of text beside each picture. Caution. If you see code instead of your picture click on Rich Text. You must add returns to move your lines down beside each picture.
4. Print a contact sheet of your album.

Assignment Date Changed Now Due 10/17

1. Read the article "A Cultural Revolution: From Books to Silver Discs" which I wrote in 1995. Go back to the post that added an assignment for Week and called for you to read an article published in The Press-Register. Rethink what you said about that article. Has you position changed. Is there anything you would like to add to your comments after reading my article. Now what are your thoughts about YOUR classroom of the future? Put your thoughts and answers to this question in an additional post to your blog.

Additional Assignment Due 10/10

1. If you have not already done so, save your picture that is on your blog to your computer's hard drive. Using Picasa, convert your picture to black and white. In a separate post, include your black and white picture. Title the post: My Picture Changed to Black and White in Picasa.

2. Using Picasa, convert your picture to sepia tone. In a separate post, include your black and white picture. Title the post: My Picture Changed to Sepia Tone in Picasa.