Happy 2011

This is a recipe for the Happiest New Year!

Simon's Cat

Bad cat, bad cat!

December 13, 15, 16

Evaluation is an important part of any project.  Thinking about what went right and what went wrong helps us be more successful in the future.  Our goal is not to work harder and longer but to work more effectively and efficiently.

Learning objective: carry out tests to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification; evaluate their perforance at each stage of the design cyucle and suggest ways in which their perforance could be improved; evaluate the impact of the product/solution on individuals and/or society.

December 6

Due Date Change   -   Evaluate (Criterion E)  from December 7 to December 15




Evaluate due December 15

Due at the end of class.

December 6, 7

Year 11, Now on to Criterion E  -  EVALUATE   (maximum 6)


According to the IBO, "Students are expected to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification in an objective manner based on testing, and to evaluate its impact on life, society and/or the environment. They are expected to explain how the product/solution could be improved as a result of these evaluations.

Students are expected to evaluate their own performance at each stage of the design cycle and to suggest ways in which their performance could be improved."

To get full marks the student:

• evaluates the success of the product/solution in an objective manner based on the results of testing, and the views of the intended users, 
• provides an evaluation of his or her own performance at each stage of the design cycle and suggests improvements,
• provides an appropriate evaluation of the impact of the product/solution on life, society and/or the environment.

1.The first task is to receive feedback on your product. Show it to members of the target group and ask them to complete the questionnaire that you created in the Investigation;-). Show it to your cooperating teacher and request feedback,

2. Write a paragraph analyzing the feedback,

3.  Include excel chart to represent your data and include in your document to add a professional feel, (See September 13 posting as a reminder),

3. Evaluate your performance at each stage of the design cycle and suggest ways that you can improve,

4. Write a paragraph in which you evaluate the impact of your product/solution on OIS (relate this paragraph back to the Area of Interaction that you used in your "Identify the Problem" Investigate).

Learning objective: carry out tests to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification; evaluate their perforance at each stage of the design cyucle and suggest ways in which their perforance could be improved; evaluate the impact of the product/solution on individuals and/or society.

December 2

After speaking with Mrs. Swash it has been decided that you may have an extension until tomorrow morning at 8:30. 

December 2

Time's Up on Criterion D

Year 11, Time's up!  You have this class to finish your teaching aid.  By the end of class you need to submit your Process Journal, Teaching Aid, and Paragraphs Analyzing Plan and Justifying Modifications made to the plan.

I can't wait to see them and I'm sure your co-operating teacher will be excited too.

Next on to the Evaluate.

Learning objective: use a range of appropriate techniques and equipment competently, follow the plan to produce the product/solution, evaluate the plan and justify any changes to the plan (when necessary), create a product/solution of appropriate quality.

Process Journal

Dear Year 11,

Every week I tell you that you need a process journal.  I have asked you to make a blog and to make a post after each and every class. 

According to the IBO:

Students are expected to document, with a series of photographs or a video and a dated record, the process of making their product/solution, including when and how they use tools, materials and techniques.  Students are expected to follow their plan, to evaluate the plan and to justify any changes they make to the plan while they are creating the product/solution.  This means that you must have a process journal and that it is a necessary component of this criterion.

November 29, December 1 holiday, December 2

Good Morning Year 11.  I'm a bit under the weather today and have a touch of laryngitis.  Don't worry, it's not contagious!!!

This week we need to finish our products.  December 3 is the deadline.  They seem to be coming along nicely;-)
1. Produce a Process Journal - recording your journey as you create your product.  Include dates, activities, screenshots and any other evidence that you deem appropriate.
2.  Follow your Plan
3.  Create your teaching aid
4.  Write a paragraph(s) to evaluate your plan and justify any modifications you make.

Learning objective: use a range of appropriate techniques and equipment competently, follow the plan to produce the product/solution, evaluate the plan and justify any changes to the plan (when necessary), create a product/solution of appropriate quality.

November 22, 23

Year 11, remember that if you are using PowerPoint 2010 - you must use the advanced features.

1.No typing mistakes - remember that you have control over this.  Turn on the spell check and if in doubt, pull out a dictionary and look the word up to see if it is spelled correctly. http://blogmines.com/blog/2010/10/27/how-to-enable-check-spelling-as-you-type-feature-in-powerpoint-2010/
2. Don't forget to Deactivate the Mouse click feature: http://blogmines.com/blog/2010/11/08/how-to-disable-advance-slide-on-mouse-click-in-powerpoint-2010/
3.  Working with animations: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/CH010371787.aspx
4.  Use Action Buttons - they make life easier: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/cool-websites/insert-action-buttons-into-a-powerpoint-presentation/
5. How to remove a background from a picture: http://theapptimes.com/powerpoint-2010-how-to-remove-a-picture-background
6.  How to embed a youtube video in a PPT: http://www.labnol.org/software/insert-youtube-video-in-powerpoint-presentations/5393/
7.  How to add music to a powerpoint presentation: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/ms-office-tips/add-music-to-a-powerpoint-presentation/
8. Recording audio in PPT 2010: http://blogs.voices.com/thebiz/2010/05/how_to_record_a_voice_over_for_powerpoint.html

Year 11, these are some of the features that I hope can help you.

Remember this Year 11 project should be student directed;-)

November 15, 17, 18

Year 11, Now on to the part of the project that you all have been waiting for . . .  CREATE - Criterion D

According to the IBO:

Students are expected to document, with a series of photographs or a video and a dated record, the process of making their product/solution, including when and how they use tools, materials and techniques.  Students are expected to follow their plan, to evaluate the plan and to justify any changes they make to the plan while they are creating the product/solution.  This means that you must have a process journal and that it is a necessary component of this criterion.

To get a 5/6:

The student competently uses appropriate techniques and equipment.

The student follows the plan and justifies any modifications made, resulting in a product/solution of appropriate quality using the resources available.

Learning Objective:  The student will: use a range of appropriate techniques and equipment competently; ensure a safe working environment for themselves and others; follow the plan to produce the product/soltuion; evaluate the plan and justify any changes to the plan (when necessary); and create a product/solution of appropriate quality.

Due Date Change

Due Date Change -  CREATE  DUE DECEMBER 2 - end of the double 

November 9

Think about it Year 11 - what is the real purpose of a plan?  The plan is a production plan which will facilitate the process of creating your product.

 BUT it is also a time management tool to help you organize your time to finish your project on schedule. 

In an effort to help you with the time management of your project (and ALL projects) let's take a quick look at a Gantt Chart.

According to Wikipedia, "A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project."
What does it look like you ask?  1 example is:

Have you included this aspect with your documentation?  To get a 6 this must be present.  Let's do that now.  Pull out your diary.  You have 30 minutes.

Learning objective: The student will construct a plan to create the product/solution that has a series of logical steps.

November 8

Investigate and Plan due TODAY.

Year 11, Welcome back. I hope each of you has enjoyed the break. Now, it's back to work;-)


Investigate and Plan are due today



November 1 - November 5

Have a great half-term!

October 25, 27

Please submit your DESIGN - Criterion B at the beginning of class.

Year 11, it all starts with a PLAN - Criterion C

According to MYP Technology, "Students are expected to construct a plan to create their chosen product/solution that has a series of logical steps, and that makes effective use of resources and time.

Students are expected to evaluate the plan and justify any modifications to the design."

To get a 5/6: The student produces a plan that contains a number of detailed, logical steps that describe the use of resources and time. The student critically evaluates the plan and justifies any modifications to the design.

Ideas: Make use of Gantt charts, consider appropriate resources, consider problem areas that make any necessary adjustments.

Please look at the examples for ideas;-)

Check out this video. Is it appealing? Did you learn something?

Learning objectives:
1. construct a plan to create the product/solution that has a series of logical steps
2. construct a plan to create the product/solution that makes effective use of resources and time
3. evaluate the plan and justify any modifications to the design

October 20

Revised DESIGN due date -  October 25 at the beginning of the period;-)

October 18, 19

Year 11,  Please continue on with your designs. 

Remember to evaluate each design against the design specification, the choose 1 design and evaluate it fully and critically against the design specification;-)

DESIGN due October 19 - end of class

Learning Objective: generate several feasible designs that meet the design specification; evaluate the designs against the specification; select one design and justify its choice.

October 13, 14

Click on the image to enlargen

Investigate draft due NOW;-)

Next is the DESIGN (Criterion B) stage of the Design Cycle.

Students are expected to generate several feasible designs that meet the design specification and to evaluate these against the design specification.

Students are then expected to select one design, justify their choice and evaluate this in detail against the design specification.

To get a 5/6: The student generates a range of feasible designs, each evaluated against the design specification. The student justifies the chosen design and evaluates it fully and critically against the design specification.

FYI (For your information) - Here is an example of a design of a grammar review quiz/game that I made. Click on the above picture to enlarge it and look carefully at the image. Can you understand how this quiz/game will function?

Design is due October 19 - end the of class. At that time you will have had 5 fifty minute class sessions (4 hours 16 minutes) to accomplish your goal.  This time allotment, along with homework time (30 minutes per week) will be more than enough;-)

Learning Objective: generate several feasible designs that meet the design specification; evaluate the designs against the specification; select one design andjustify its choice.

October 11

Welcome back Year 11.  I hope you had a successful trip to Braga and that the found the experience valuable.

Continue with your Investigation.  Use all the resources available to you:  class blog, example work, assessment criteria.

Remember that deadlines are deadlines.  The Investigate draft is due Wednesday, October 13.  I will provide you with comments and time to improve your work.

I have left comments on your blog posts.  Remember that keeping a process journal is part of your coursework.  It is mandatory to make posts to summarize your activity after each class;-)

BUT, before we begin let's take a look at this link - America's youngest billionaires:   http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110948/youngest-billionaires-in-america?mod=career-leadership

Process Journal

Your process journal is an  important part of your Design Folder (your written work).  It is a written record while will help you document your learning. 

http://strongphotography.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/journal.gif

While writing in your process journal/blog you should include the following:

• From my research I found out. . .
• I have discovered that . . .
• My conclusions are that . . .
• I have kept my research relevant by . . .

October 4

Good Morning Year 11. 

1.  You came up with some good advice for our 50 something  who is in need of a job. However, we need to talk about is how to start a paragraph.

2.  Your deadlines are as follows:

• Investigation - October 13 (Beginning of class)  - must include a proper bibliography
• Design - October 19
• Plan - November 8 (end of period 1) 
• Create - November 29
• Evaluate - December 7

3.  The Investigation that you hand in is a draft.  You will receive feedback on it and can resubmit it no later than October 28.  If you do NOT resubmit it, I will grade the draft and that will be your grade;-)

4.  Work hard today to get as much accomplished as possible.  Remember that your Investigation must include a bibliography.

Have a good time in Braga later this week!

Learning objective:  The student will list the specific requirements that must be met by the product/solution and design tests to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification.

September 30

1.  Please submit your homework,

2.  Please supply me with the name of your cooperating teacher and project,

3.  Continue working on your Investigations.  You should be finished with the Design Brief and should be starting on "Formulate a Design Specification"

The IBO defines Design Specification as: A detailed description of the conditions, requirements and restrictions with which a design must comply. This is a precise and accurate list of facts such as conditions, dimensions, materials, process and methods that are important for the designer and for the user. All appropriate solutions will need to comply with the design specification.

To get a 5/6 the student: describes detailed methods for appropriate testing to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification.

Learning objective: The student will list the specific requirements taht must be met by the product/solution and dsign tests to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification.

Links that help!!!!!

http://coe.winthrop.edu/tepc/research/Articles/FALKARTICLE.HTM
TEACHING THE WAY CHILDREN LEARN
Beverly Falk


http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac07e.pdf
How Children Learn by Stella Vosniadou

http://odtl.dcu.ie/.../Session%2001%20-%20Teaching%20Aids.ppt

Effective Use of Teaching Aids


Possible Programs to use to create a teaching aid:

Microsoft Share Point Designer (this product replaces Front Page)
Front Page (this product is a bit outdated)
Macromedia Flash (hard to use)
PowerPoint
Publisher (can make a webpage but this isn't a great option)

You can also explore Web 2.0 tools like wikis (http://pbworks.com) or blogs (http://www.wordpress.com) BUT these would need to be eliminated because the IBO doesn't consider them appropriate tools.

September 29

One of the goals of the MYP is for students to become problem solvers. If you look at the IB Learner Profiles you will realize that these characteristics will take you far in solving real life problems. Let's take 10 minutes to a look at a real life problem and brainstorm some possible solutions.

Homework - Write a paragraph offering a viable solution to this real life problem and submit September 30.

Now, back to the Investigation.  Has everyone spoken with a teacher?  Please give me the name of your co-operating teacher.

Learning objectives: independently identify meaningful questions, carrry out web search, select and organize appropriate sources and evaluate them

September 27

Year 11 - Today due to technical difficulties, we had to change our plans.

Our time was well spent learning about PowerPoint 2010.  Well done, Year 11!

September 20, 21

Good Morning Year 11.

Now on to the Design Brief.
1. Write a sentence or two to introduce this portion of your Investigation.

2. Then follow these learning objectives to success,

-formulate and discuss appropriate questions (at least 5) that guide the investigation - this means that you should create questions and then do research that will help you solve the problem
- identify and acknowledge a range of appropriate sources of information - use in-text referencing and create a bibliography
-collect, analyse, select, organize and evaluate information - this deeper analysis of your research will lead to higher marks
-evaluate your sources of information- who are your sources? are they appropriate? are they experts in the field?
According to the assessment rubric. . .

To get a 1/2: The student investigates the problem, collecting information from sources.

To get a 3/4: The student investigates the problem, selecting and analysing the information from some acknowledged sources.

To get a 5/6: The student critically investigates the problem, evaluating information from a broad range of appropriate acknowledged sources.

Learning objectives: independently identify meaningful questions, carrry out web search, select and organize appropriate sources and evaluate them.

September 15, 16

Year 11 - Students identify the problem to be solved.
- evaluate the importance of the problem for life, society and the environment
- outline the design brief

What is a design brief? Click here

According to the assessment rubric . . .
To get a 1/2: The student states the problem.
To get a 3/4: The student describes the problem, mentioning its relevance.
To get a 5/6: The student explains the problem, discussing its relevance.

Now, look at this vocabulary: states, describes, explains. How are they different?
Look at these words: mentioning, discussing. How are they different?

MYP definitions:
Describe: To give a detailed account
Explain: To give a clear account including causes and reasons or mechanisms.
Discuss: To give an account including, where possible, a range of arguments for and against the relative importance of various factors and comparisons of alternative hypotheses.

Complete for homework and submit Thursday, Sept 16 at the end of class

Learning objective: evaluate the importance of the problem for life, society and the environment and outline the design brief.

September 13

Good Afternoon Year 11.

We need to have Google docs accounts. Please take a 5 minutes and create a Google Doc account if you don't have one.

Today's lesson is EXCEL. You will design a survey and evaluate the data. You will then create an excel chart to represent your findings. Save the chart as a jpeg. Finish this in class and upload your chart to your blog! Follow the instructions on this Microsoft lesson carefully: http://www.microsoft.com/education/DesignSurvey.aspx


That's it in a nutshell - Let's go!

Learning objective: Students will develop an understanding that presentation of their formal work matters.

September 7 - WELCOME

Year 11 Welcome to OIS AND WELCOME to Technology.

Let's take a few minutes to introduce ourselves and then talk about our class blog, 2 of our upcoming projects (Teaching Aid and Video), class rules and expectations.

Next, we will watch the video and create blogs of our own to be used as a process journal.

Learning objective: Students will create a blog which will serve as a process journal.