Today we confirmed everyone’s understanding of Secure FTP and started building our Basic Computer Glossary.
I’m pretty excited about this because these glossary terms will give us the foundation for our exploration of computer programming. Pretty soon each of my students will be writing their own computer programs!
It looks like we’re building a secure foundation!
2010-09-30
2010-09-29
Welcome to our thinking, learning & doing centre!
For quite a few students, this course has been rather like a roller-coaster ride: it moves very fast and there have been quite a few ups and downs—and not a few fast turns!
But everyone has held on, worked hard, and discovered the pleasure of learning new ways of thinking about computers and the products we can create with them.
I’m happy to recognize my students’ participation, with the new signs. There’s no doubt that Lab 218 is a thinking, learning & doing centre!
2010-09-28
We’re picking up speed!
Wow! Students have made great progress validating both their HTML and CSS code. All of their hard work for the last few weeks has really paid off!
Creating a new HTML structure, a definition list, was easy for my students because they’ve gained a good understanding of the mechanics of webpage design. I'm so proud of how much they’ve learnt in such a short time!
We’re picking up speed!
Creating a new HTML structure, a definition list, was easy for my students because they’ve gained a good understanding of the mechanics of webpage design. I'm so proud of how much they’ve learnt in such a short time!
We’re picking up speed!
2010-09-27
What we’re saying
It’s pretty exciting: we’ll soon be ready to begin our introduction to computer programming! But first, we need to be sure that we’ve got a common understanding of the many terms we’ll use to describe the great new concepts and ideas we’ll encounter.
Today, students worked with partners to brainstorm definitions of the glossary terms we’ve accumulated in class so far. Eventually, these “informal” definitions will be combined with “formal” definitions (drawn from a variety of authoritative Web sources) to create a Class Glossary that will be posted live on the Web. And to give us the tools we need for that live posting, we looked at three kinds of HTML lists: ordered, unordered, and definition.
Our classes went by quickly, as students worked to answer the musical question, Can you hear what I’m saying?
Today, students worked with partners to brainstorm definitions of the glossary terms we’ve accumulated in class so far. Eventually, these “informal” definitions will be combined with “formal” definitions (drawn from a variety of authoritative Web sources) to create a Class Glossary that will be posted live on the Web. And to give us the tools we need for that live posting, we looked at three kinds of HTML lists: ordered, unordered, and definition.
Our classes went by quickly, as students worked to answer the musical question, Can you hear what I’m saying?
2010-09-24
Look how far we’ve come!
We’ve worked hard for two weeks—and have we ever come far!
When we started school barely two weeks ago, my students wouldn’t have understood talk about hierarchical file structures, validated source code, and FTPing to remote webservers, but now they use these terms all the time to describe their activities designing and building personal websites!
Today, the push is on to complete the sites and peer marking so that all will be ready for me to start marking tomorrow.
I couldn’t be prouder of my students’ efforts and accomplishments!
Wow! Have we ever come far!
When we started school barely two weeks ago, my students wouldn’t have understood talk about hierarchical file structures, validated source code, and FTPing to remote webservers, but now they use these terms all the time to describe their activities designing and building personal websites!
Today, the push is on to complete the sites and peer marking so that all will be ready for me to start marking tomorrow.
I couldn’t be prouder of my students’ efforts and accomplishments!
Wow! Have we ever come far!
2010-09-23
Countdown to success!
Everyone’s working quite hard to meet tomorrow’s deadline for the completion of the Super-power Autobiography assignment.
While some students are still finalizing the content for their site, others are polishing the format. This evening students will follow the peer-marking instructions and prepare their autobiographies with a link to the peer-marked form. And on Saturday I’ll begin the pleasant chore of marking both the assignments and the peer marking.
Lab 218 is abuzz with activity as we countdown to success!
While some students are still finalizing the content for their site, others are polishing the format. This evening students will follow the peer-marking instructions and prepare their autobiographies with a link to the peer-marked form. And on Saturday I’ll begin the pleasant chore of marking both the assignments and the peer marking.
Lab 218 is abuzz with activity as we countdown to success!
2010-09-22
Ready, set, go!
There’s been great progress in all of my classes, and I think that students now have the knowledge and skills they need to complete their assignments!
Just think: In only two short weeks, my students have learnt a tonne of new Computer Science vocabulary, concepts, and skills. They know how to code webpages and stylesheets by hand, validate their work, and use an FTP client to transfer their work to our webserver. On the first day of school, they wouldn’t even have been able to understand this paragraph!
I’m very proud of the progress made by each and every one of these great folk. Without a doubt, they are ready and set to go!
Just think: In only two short weeks, my students have learnt a tonne of new Computer Science vocabulary, concepts, and skills. They know how to code webpages and stylesheets by hand, validate their work, and use an FTP client to transfer their work to our webserver. On the first day of school, they wouldn’t even have been able to understand this paragraph!
I’m very proud of the progress made by each and every one of these great folk. Without a doubt, they are ready and set to go!
2010-09-21
Canadians Connected 2010
While my afternoon classes enjoyed grade-9 field day, I attended Canadians Connected 2010: the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
Keynote speakers Terry O'Reilly and Mitch Joel spoke about the importance of presenting Canadian culture and values in our web publications and on being “present and listening where people are” in the “real-time Web.”
A distinguished panel of Internet pioneers talked about the early days of the .ca domain (which now has more than 1.4 million registered names), important technical issues confronting the Internet (there's less than one year before the Internet runs out of addresses), and how Google believes the Web is becoming “mobile, social, and local.”
It was a great opportunity to attend this meeting, and I'm sure that the information and ideas discussed will help me do my part in educating young Canadians to be connected in 2010—and beyond!
Keynote speakers Terry O'Reilly and Mitch Joel spoke about the importance of presenting Canadian culture and values in our web publications and on being “present and listening where people are” in the “real-time Web.”
A distinguished panel of Internet pioneers talked about the early days of the .ca domain (which now has more than 1.4 million registered names), important technical issues confronting the Internet (there's less than one year before the Internet runs out of addresses), and how Google believes the Web is becoming “mobile, social, and local.”
It was a great opportunity to attend this meeting, and I'm sure that the information and ideas discussed will help me do my part in educating young Canadians to be connected in 2010—and beyond!
2010-09-20
Eat! Move! Sleep!
Students were surprised today when I told them that homework is not their top priority. Rather, if they want the best possible education—and life!—then they should ensure that they eat well, exercise regularly, and sleep well (probably at least nine hours each evening).
My students are great: polite, personable, cooperative, smart, and hard working. But if they want to make it through four years of a demanding IB-prep and IB Diploma program, then they must do more than just survive: they must thrive!
And the secret to thriving is no secret at all: it’s eating well, exercising regularly, sleeping well—and efficiently complete as much homework as is compatible with the requirement to eat, move, and sleep!
I always recommend that if the choice is between sleeping and homework, sleeping should win. Of course, most days there’s no need for such a choice: efficient students can organize their lives such that they can do their homework and eat, move, and sleep. But always, the latter must take precedence over the former!
This evening I’m doing my part to help my students lead a balanced life: I’m extending the deadline for the Super-power Autobiography assignment to Friday, 24 September 2010. This should allow students more than enough time to finish up and obtain a useful peer review.
Eat! Move! Sleep! (And do some homework). That’s the “secret” to the success of my great students!
My students are great: polite, personable, cooperative, smart, and hard working. But if they want to make it through four years of a demanding IB-prep and IB Diploma program, then they must do more than just survive: they must thrive!
And the secret to thriving is no secret at all: it’s eating well, exercising regularly, sleeping well—and efficiently complete as much homework as is compatible with the requirement to eat, move, and sleep!
I always recommend that if the choice is between sleeping and homework, sleeping should win. Of course, most days there’s no need for such a choice: efficient students can organize their lives such that they can do their homework and eat, move, and sleep. But always, the latter must take precedence over the former!
This evening I’m doing my part to help my students lead a balanced life: I’m extending the deadline for the Super-power Autobiography assignment to Friday, 24 September 2010. This should allow students more than enough time to finish up and obtain a useful peer review.
Eat! Move! Sleep! (And do some homework). That’s the “secret” to the success of my great students!
2010-09-17
Studio 218
Today we weren’t in our regular classroom, Lab 218. We were in Studio 218!
Starting today, every Friday is Music Day—and each class gets to choose the music played. There are only two restrictions: all legal! all good!
All legal! The music must be obtained legally. We’re not thieves, so we respect intellectual property.
All good! The music must not be offensive to any members of our community. We’re not sexist, racist, or homophobic, so we respect everyone.
Class C has already started getting ready to rock!
Monday through Thursday we’re in Lab 218. But on Fridays, we’re in Studio 218!
Starting today, every Friday is Music Day—and each class gets to choose the music played. There are only two restrictions: all legal! all good!
All legal! The music must be obtained legally. We’re not thieves, so we respect intellectual property.
All good! The music must not be offensive to any members of our community. We’re not sexist, racist, or homophobic, so we respect everyone.
Class C has already started getting ready to rock!
Monday through Thursday we’re in Lab 218. But on Fridays, we’re in Studio 218!
2010-09-16
Great progress!
Wow! My students are making such great progress!
Today, nearly everyone had a validated index page, and those who didn't were only a few small steps away from success.
I hope that students appreciated the short lesson on Windows keyboard shortcuts. I know that they'd like to be more efficient users of computers—if only because they spend so much of their lives on-line! And who doesn’t like to sharpen her skills?
The experience of designing and creating pages is helping students understand a “painful” truth: no matter how hard we try, we can’t control in every detail how a page appears on a reader’s screen. In fact, we can provide only an approximation of our ideal page, because we’ll always be at the mercy of different operating systems, browsers, and display devices (CRT & LCD monitors, smartphones, iPods, and so on).
There’re some interesting applications which I think my students would enjoy adding to their web design tool boxes: Firefox,—especially with the LinkChecker 0.6.6 and NoScript 2.0.3 add-ons, and NoteTab Light, a seriously powerful text editor.
Whatever tools they use, I know my students will continue to make great progress!
Today, nearly everyone had a validated index page, and those who didn't were only a few small steps away from success.
I hope that students appreciated the short lesson on Windows keyboard shortcuts. I know that they'd like to be more efficient users of computers—if only because they spend so much of their lives on-line! And who doesn’t like to sharpen her skills?
The experience of designing and creating pages is helping students understand a “painful” truth: no matter how hard we try, we can’t control in every detail how a page appears on a reader’s screen. In fact, we can provide only an approximation of our ideal page, because we’ll always be at the mercy of different operating systems, browsers, and display devices (CRT & LCD monitors, smartphones, iPods, and so on).
There’re some interesting applications which I think my students would enjoy adding to their web design tool boxes: Firefox,—especially with the LinkChecker 0.6.6 and NoScript 2.0.3 add-ons, and NoteTab Light, a seriously powerful text editor.
Whatever tools they use, I know my students will continue to make great progress!
2010-09-15
A better day!
It was a pleasure to work with all of my classes, today. I missed meeting classes A & B yesterday!
Today, many students had validated index pages— and many more were able to resolve their problems by answering the nine trouble-shooting questions.
Tomorrow, I look forward to reviewing everyone’s printed copies of their index pages and stylesheets. Then we can move on to more interesting work—like completing the Super-power Autobiography.
Yesterday had been a bit discouraging, but today was a better day!
Today, many students had validated index pages— and many more were able to resolve their problems by answering the nine trouble-shooting questions.
Tomorrow, I look forward to reviewing everyone’s printed copies of their index pages and stylesheets. Then we can move on to more interesting work—like completing the Super-power Autobiography.
Yesterday had been a bit discouraging, but today was a better day!
2010-09-14
A difficult day
Unfortunately I had to miss my period A & B classes today for a funeral, but I was able to work with my period C class, and that cheered me up!
Students are getting closer to understanding how to create a simple web page and an external link. And 18½ period-C students now have a production directory!
This is encouraging!
I hope that tomorrow all of my students will be able to report that their index pages are live on the Web. To be successful, all they have to do is carefully follow the instructions found in the Website Design subsite and in their class notes. I know they can do it!
Today was difficult, but tomorrow will be great!
Students are getting closer to understanding how to create a simple web page and an external link. And 18½ period-C students now have a production directory!
This is encouraging!
I hope that tomorrow all of my students will be able to report that their index pages are live on the Web. To be successful, all they have to do is carefully follow the instructions found in the Website Design subsite and in their class notes. I know they can do it!
Today was difficult, but tomorrow will be great!
2010-09-13
Kudos to my classes!
After a (well-fed) New Year’s celebration, I was very pleased to return to school to an excellent report from the Guest Teacher. My students made a very favourable impression and I’m quite proud of them! Kudos, folks!
Today we attempted to clear up some of the misunderstandings about creating and posting webpages. Students are still trying to understand the correct form for webpages, the necessity of separating the description of the content (with HTML) from the description of the format (with CSS), and the relationship between their mirror and production directories. (I think it might be clearer if I start referring to them as the development and production directories.)
Students made good progress with Filezilla, although they don’t all grok the role that the webserver plays in serving up webpages. That’s reasonable, though, because we haven’t yet had time to discuss the client-server paradigm.
I’m delighted to see how much my students have learnt in such a short time! They’re working hard and I know that they will be successful!
I think that my students are midway between discovering that there’s more to a website than meets the untutored eye, and having mastery of the basic skills of website design and construction. It’s an honour to be their guide as they work towards mastery!
ps: I will be absent from periods A and B tomorrow, because I’ll be attending a funeral. I hope to be back at school during the lunch period, so students are welcome to seek me out for extra help if they’d like. Otherwise, I’ll “see” them online via our class wiki.
Today we attempted to clear up some of the misunderstandings about creating and posting webpages. Students are still trying to understand the correct form for webpages, the necessity of separating the description of the content (with HTML) from the description of the format (with CSS), and the relationship between their mirror and production directories. (I think it might be clearer if I start referring to them as the development and production directories.)
Students made good progress with Filezilla, although they don’t all grok the role that the webserver plays in serving up webpages. That’s reasonable, though, because we haven’t yet had time to discuss the client-server paradigm.
I’m delighted to see how much my students have learnt in such a short time! They’re working hard and I know that they will be successful!
I think that my students are midway between discovering that there’s more to a website than meets the untutored eye, and having mastery of the basic skills of website design and construction. It’s an honour to be their guide as they work towards mastery!
ps: I will be absent from periods A and B tomorrow, because I’ll be attending a funeral. I hope to be back at school during the lunch period, so students are welcome to seek me out for extra help if they’d like. Otherwise, I’ll “see” them online via our class wiki.
2010-09-09
Live: links to student websites!
The Student Work page has been updated with a link for everyone, so students can now confirm that the name they’ve given to their mirror directory matches the name which appears in the link to their production directory.
For example, Victoria Windsor would check that she’s called her mirror WindsorV, because that’s the name which appears in the Windsor, V link on the Student Work page.
When they’re ready to publish their websites, all that students have to do is upload their mirror directory using the FTP address, username, and password which they were given earlier. As long as their mirror directory contains an index page (a homepage) with the name “index.html,” visitors will be able to follow the link on the Student Work page to find their site!
I can’t wait to see my students’ great sites—live on the World Wide Web!
For example, Victoria Windsor would check that she’s called her mirror WindsorV, because that’s the name which appears in the Windsor, V link on the Student Work page.
When they’re ready to publish their websites, all that students have to do is upload their mirror directory using the FTP address, username, and password which they were given earlier. As long as their mirror directory contains an index page (a homepage) with the name “index.html,” visitors will be able to follow the link on the Student Work page to find their site!
I can’t wait to see my students’ great sites—live on the World Wide Web!
New Year 5751
As I celebrate the new year with family and friends, I know that my students will be working hard on their Super-power Autobiography assignment. I look forward to seeing their results posted live on our course’s student-work subsite!
L’shanah tovah! (For a good year!)
L’shanah tovah! (For a good year!)
2010-09-08
My students rock!
My ICS2O7 students rock! And wow—do they perform under pressure!
Today was intense: In just a little more than one hour, my hard-working and super-patient students dealt with network problems, swallowed three-days’s worth of lessons on HTML and CSS, kept their nerve during a sirens-blaring mad dash through the FTP process, and learnt about hosting tomorrow’s Guest Teacher.
I have the best CS students anywhere!
A special call-out is due the 12 students (4 from each class) who volunteered to serve as Student Hosts on Thursday and Friday. I know that they, and the rest of my classes, will do themselves and Vic Park proud! And thanks, also, to the Four Strong Men who wrestled the filing cabinet to the ground.
I've sent an e-mail message via our class wiki about student blog posts, the FTP address, and some other small matters.
Thanks, everyone, for being such great students today! You rock!
Today was intense: In just a little more than one hour, my hard-working and super-patient students dealt with network problems, swallowed three-days’s worth of lessons on HTML and CSS, kept their nerve during a sirens-blaring mad dash through the FTP process, and learnt about hosting tomorrow’s Guest Teacher.
I have the best CS students anywhere!
A special call-out is due the 12 students (4 from each class) who volunteered to serve as Student Hosts on Thursday and Friday. I know that they, and the rest of my classes, will do themselves and Vic Park proud! And thanks, also, to the Four Strong Men who wrestled the filing cabinet to the ground.
I've sent an e-mail message via our class wiki about student blog posts, the FTP address, and some other small matters.
Thanks, everyone, for being such great students today! You rock!
2010-09-07
A great first day!
Today I met my ICS2O7 classes, and they were all super: polite, mature, friendly, and ready to rock CS!
Because I'm going to be away on Thursday and Friday for Rosh Hashanah, things were a bit hectic: we had only about 20 minutes for each class, and there was lots of information students had to absorb in order to be ready to do productive work in my absence. But I know that they'll rise to the challenge!
Much homework was assigned (on the first day?!?), but this means that students will be ready for real success the rest of the week.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the great websites they'll build.
What a great first day of school!
Because I'm going to be away on Thursday and Friday for Rosh Hashanah, things were a bit hectic: we had only about 20 minutes for each class, and there was lots of information students had to absorb in order to be ready to do productive work in my absence. But I know that they'll rise to the challenge!
Much homework was assigned (on the first day?!?), but this means that students will be ready for real success the rest of the week.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the great websites they'll build.
What a great first day of school!
2010-09-06
The adventure starts tomorrow!
I'm looking forward to meeting all of my new students tomorrow!
We've got a great semester of experimentation, collaboration, and accomplishment ahead of us, and I can hardly wait to begin!
Today I'm working on the resources my super students will need in order to learn how to design and code effective, accessible, and good-looking websites. I know that they'll do an amazing job!
Later in the semester, we'll explore
We've got a great semester of experimentation, collaboration, and accomplishment ahead of us, and I can hardly wait to begin!
Today I'm working on the resources my super students will need in order to learn how to design and code effective, accessible, and good-looking websites. I know that they'll do an amazing job!
Later in the semester, we'll explore
- the workings of computers and computer networks
- how to write our own computer programs
- the increasingly important role of computers in modern society
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