Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Keyboarding Online Program

Today we will begin the online keyboarding program, Keyboarding Online.

Go to the website www.keyboardingonline.com which you bookmarked yesterday.
  • Enter the School Login and Password.
  • Click "Screen Edition Keyboard Mastery".
  • Select the checkbox that states "Trust all applets from Ellsworth Publishing".
  • Click "Allow" when asked to download the Java application for Keyboarding Online.
  • Click "Open Existing Student File."
  • Click on your period.
  • Click on your name.
  • Click "Open."
  • Enter your password.
  • Click "Set Up" on the left and then click on each tab to see how the system is set up for grading your keyboarding lessons.
  • Click "Introduction" and we will review this section as a class.
  • Click on each step, and carefully read each introductory lesson.
  • Follow the instructions in each section as required. These practice exercises will teach you how to use the Keyboarding Online program and will prepare you for the regular lessons.
  • Click "Lessons Menu."
  • Type only Line 1 in the Lesson 1, Line 1 window, do not type any other line at this time.
  • Repeat Line 1 if you still have time left on the timer. Don't forget this part or your WPM will drop!
  • The length of each timing is listed at the top of the window.
  • The timer is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
  • You will only receive a score when you have reached 15 WPM.
  • Repeat Line 1 three times.
  • Look at your top three scores at the bottom right of the window.
  • Continue with Line 2 when you have received three scores for Line 1.
  • Type Line 2 only in this new window. Don't forget to repeat Line 2 if you still have time on your timer.
  • Continue this process for every line in each lesson, and repeat each line three times.
  • Click "Progress Reports" & "Comprehensive" to check your progress.
  • Click "Grade Reports" & "Current Grade" to see your current grade.
You will be amazed how quickly your speed and accuracy improve!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tech Tip Tuesday - Force Quit a Frozen Application

For today's Tech Tip Tuesday, you will learn how to "force quit" a frozen application on your Mac.

If an application you are running is stalled, and the "beach ball of death" does not stop, you may use the "force quit" command (in computing this is called the kill command) to force the application to quit.

There are three ways to force quit an application in Mac OSX:
  1. Choose "Force Quit" in the apple menu, select the application to quit, click "Force Quit", then confirm by clicking "Force Quit" again.
  2. Control+click (or click and hold) the application's icon in the dock, select "Force Quit", and finish force quitting the application as in #1 above.
  3. Use the keyboard shortcut command+option+esc by holding down all three keys simultaneously, and finish force quitting the application as in #1 above.

Using the Firefox Web Browser - Adding A Web Bookmark

When you want to visit a web page, you must know the URL or "web address" of this web page. If you want to remember the URL of a website, the best way to do this is to make a web bookmark. A bookmark remembers the URL of the website for you so you can visit the website later. You can keep this bookmark in your "Bookmarks" menu (at the top of your screen), or you can keep a bookmark in your "Bookmarks Toolbar" which is below the "Navigation Toolbar" in the Firefox browser window.

To add a bookmark to the Firefox toolbar:

  • Open Firefox
  • Go to the web page to be bookmarked (Today we will bookmark "Ms. Kline Online")
  • Click "Bookmarks" in the menu bar (the keyboard shortcut is "Command + D")
  • Drop down to "Bookmark This Page..."
  • Type in the name of this bookmark
  • Click the drop-down menu in the "Folder:" box
  • Drop down to "Bookmarks Toolbar" so that you will see it in your toolbar
  • Click "Done"
You can now see your new bookmark in the toolbar menu below the Navigation toolbar!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of Keyboarding!

Last week you learned many things related to Spurgeon Intermediate School, Ms. Kline's class procedures, logging into a server account, an
d how to use a web browser to surf the Internet.


This week you will learn:
You will also continue to work on your computer-related vocabulary.

In your student agenda, please write down your Week 2 Learning Objective:
We will learn how to type by touch.

Ms. Kline's Week 2 Key Vocabulary:

Using the Firefox Web Browser - Part 1

During this course, you will use the web browser Firefox to visit websites on the Internet. Today, you will learn how to customize the Firefox browser to make it even more useful to you. You will open the "Preferences" pane to customize your browser. You will not learn everything there is to know about customizing Firefox, but you will learn a great deal to start!

First step:
Go to the "Applications" folder in your dock, and open Firefox. After Firefox opens, you will then see the "browser window." This window has many important areas that you will need to learn to use.

To find the Preferences pane to customize your browser settings, click "Firefox" in the menu bar at the top of your screen and drop down to "Preferences."

There are 8 sections in the Preferences pane:

General:
Use this tab to tell your browser what web page you want Firefox to open when you begin, and to manage your browser's add-on programs.

To change your home page in the Firefox browser:
  • Open Firefox
  • Go to www.spurgeoncougars.us
  • Click "Firefox" in the menu bar
  • Drop down to "Preferences"
  • Click the "Main" tab in dialog box that appears (1st tab)
  • Click "Use Current Page"
  • Close the dialog box
  • Test by clicking the Firefox "home" icon.
If you want a different home page, go to any web page instead of www.spurgeoncougars.us and follow the above directions.

Tabs:
Use this tab to manage how your browser opens different websites. Using tabbed browsing opens new websites in successive tabs along the top of the browser's viewing area.
  • Select "Open new windows in a new tab instead"
  • Select "Always show the tab bar"
  • Select other options as you see fit
Content:
Use this tab to set up the type of content you want to allow.
  • If you have a slow Internet connection, you may "deselect" (uncheck) the "load images automatically" box. The web page will now load faster because it will not need to load the images.
  • Java and JavaScript are programs that run in the browser. They can be very useful programs, but sometimes you do not want them to run if you do not trust the source of these programs.
  • You may also block "pop-up windows" here if you wish.
Applications:
This tab shows the "plug-in" applications you have installed in your browser.

Privacy:
Use this tab to protect your privacy while browsing.
  • Under History - select the number of days you wish to remember the websites you have visited.
  • Select "Accept cookies from sites" and "Accept third-party cookies" if you want to use websites that rely on cookies (stored data) to run.
  • Select "Always clear my private data when I close Firefox" if you wish to clear your private data every time you quit Firefox.
  • Click on "Settings" to select the type of data you want cleared for this function.
  • Click on "Clear Now" to clear your private data immediately.
Security:
Use this tab to monitor your security settings.
  • Select the three boxes to warn you of web forgeries, attack sites, or software installs
  • Do not select the "Remember passwords for sites" if you do not want other people who use your computer to have access to your passwords.
Sync
Use this feature to sync your Firefox preferences with multiple devices.

Advanced
This section is for advanced users and is beyond the scope of this course. That does not mean that you can't research it on your own and configure it as you like, though!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Kline Class Procedures

Entering the Classroom
Please enter quietly and calmly.
Please go directly to your seat.
Please be seated before the bell rings.
Please sign the yellow tardy sheet if you arrive late.

Daily Routine
Please begin your keyboarding lessons immediately.
Please check the Ms. Kline Online blog for any changes in today's lesson.
Roll will be taken from the seating chart.

During Class
Please keep your backpack and other things on the floor in front of your feet.
Please listen while the teacher is talking.
Please stay seated unless you have permission to get up from your seat.

Clean Up
Please save your work.
Please shut down your computer.
Please leave your keyboard picture in front of the computer.
Please clean up your area.
Please place your keyboard and mouse at the edge of the table.

Exiting the Classroom
You are excused when the bell rings if you have cleaned up your area.
Please push in your chair.
Please tuck your shirt in before you leave the class.
Please exit quietly and calmly.

Restroom Procedures
Please try to visit the restroom during lunch, before school, or after school.
Please take your signed, yellow hall pass whenever you leave the classroom.
Please sign out on the green "Out-of-Class Sign-out Form" before leaving.
Please visit the restroom as quickly as possible.
Please inform the teacher if you have any special needs/emergencies regarding the restroom.

Behavior
Please say Please and Thank You when speaking in class.
Please do not interrupt when others are speaking.
Please be responsible with all lab equipment.

Class Rules
Please do not chew gum in class.
Please do not bring food or drink into the computer lab.
Please respect everyone (people and their things).
Please do not disturb any computer equipment.

Consequences for Rule Breaking
Teacher Warning
5 minute Teacher Conference and phone call home
15 minute Teacher Detention and phone call home
Parent Conference
Referral to Assistant Principal

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Logging In & Using Your Spurgeon Server Account

Today you will begin using your very own Spurgeon server account!

All students are able to log in as:

Name: FirstNameLastName
Password: Student ID#

This will allow you to use your own personal account on the Spurgeon lab server

A personal server account means:
  • You are the only person who has access to this account.
  • You will be able to save your documents in your own documents folder.
  • You will be able to access your documents from any computer at Spurgeon.
Let's log in, look around, and explore your computer's "desktop."
  • Double click on the MacintoshHD hard drive to see your account. You will see your account on the left side of this window.
  • Click on your name.
  • Click on the Documents folder to find your documents.
  • Click on the Applications folder to find the computer programs.
When you open a folder or a file, you will see a "window" of this on your desktop. You can move this window by dragging its title bar at the top of the window. You are also able to close this window by clicking on the red button; minimize the window (hide it in the dock) by clicking on the yellow button; or re-size the window by clicking on the green button.
You are also able to see your Applications folder and Documents folder in the Dock at the bottom of the screen. Place your mouse over each folder icon and see what happens (you will see the name of the folder). This is called a "mouseover" and it allows you to find the name of a folder without opening it.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Week 1

Welcome to Spurgeon's Technology Program with Ms. Kline!

It's the start of another amazing year at Spurgeon and you are enrolled in one of the funnest classes offered, Keyboarding!

In this class you will learn how to:and many other computer-related skills!

During this short first week, you will be assigned to your permanent computer station in Lab D and we will:
  • review Spurgeon's school-wide procedures
  • review Ms. Kline's class procedures
  • learn how to login to the Spurgeon lab server
  • learn how to use a web browser to visit a web site
  • learn new vocabulary words related to Business Technology and keyboarding
You will be amazed how quickly you will increase your typing speeds while learning all sorts of new skills on the computer.

Ms. Kline's Week 1 Key Vocabulary: