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I was thinking you might like to install Hackety Hack and let the kids discover how to program in Ruby?<BR>
<BR>
It has seven built in lessons, is free and runs on Windows and Ubuntu Linux. <A HREF="http://hacketyhack.net/">http://hacketyhack.net/</A><BR>
<BR>
>From the website;<BR>
<BR>
"Our 8th grader reporting in: did Lesson Four in about 10 minutes but kept hacking for another 20 minutes. Today, video games lost the battle with Ruby. Unprecedented!"<BR>
<BR>
Cheers,<BR>
<BR>
Adam<BR>
Viewbank College<BR>
<A HREF="mailto:abarbary@viewbank.vic.edu.au">abarbary@viewbank.vic.edu.au</A><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
On Fri, 2007-07-27 at 12:38 +1000, Kevork Krozian wrote:
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<PRE>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Hi Folks,</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> Sorry for cross posting.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> We already have a lunchtime computer club that attracts a large number of students.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">However, I feel much of the time is unproductive and purely for amusement and entertainment with little skill acquisition. </FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Therefore I have proposed to my colleagues that we work towards creating simple bite sized , lunchtime sized activities that we will use to get the students to complete thereby achieving a number of goals :</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> </FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 1. Increasing awareness of the different aspects of ICT</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 2. Increasing engagement , enthusiasm for ICT in middle and senior years.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 3. Educating students about the many different aspects of ICT beyond their fairly narrow interaction in many cases eg. specific game playing only</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 4. Certifying students with a piece of paper as having achieved X, Y and Z skills.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> </FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Sounds like another class doesn't it ? Maybe, but I feel if we can get the Yr 8 - 9 group fired up they will want to select VCE/VET IT subjects more readily purely from the perspective of confidence, knowledge and hopefully some fun along the way. It is also a way for students to discover what they like.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> Here are a few ideas for worksheet lunchtime sized activities :</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 1. How to upgrade the RAM in a computer, verify it and evaluate before and after performance</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 2. How to add a new hard drive to your computer , verify .....</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 3. How to backup files </FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 4. How to install XP or Vista and restore backed up files</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 5. How to install virus protection</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 6. How to setup a SOHO LAN ( Small office, home office ) with router</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 7. How to setup wireless networking with graduated levels of security</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 8. How to create a simple web site .... all the way to a high powered multimedia web site</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 9. How to interact between a web site and a back end database, or MySQL server</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 10. How to program games in gamemaker</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 11. How to program with Python , PHP or VB.NET</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> 12. how to program/use mobile devices.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> the list goes on and on.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> My request from all readers is that if we can share these types of worksheets/resources we can build a formidable skill base for our lunchtime students and continue to update it for currency.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> If you have any ideas or samples please send them in and I will build a section for these resources on the edulists site for all to share.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"> One statistic that hit me yesterday was in the 4 senior IT VCE/VET classes running at Forest Hill College, of the 60 or more students in these classes there are ONLY 2 girls.......... </FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Perhaps we can build fund things for girls to do at lunchtime so that there is a niche for EVERYONE in ICT and not just one group ...</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Look forward to hearing from you.</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Kevork Krozian</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">IT Manager , Forest Hill College</FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"><A HREF="mailto:k.krozian@fhc.vic.edu.au">k.krozian@fhc.vic.edu.au</A></FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000"><A HREF="http://www.fhc.vic.edu.au">http://www.fhc.vic.edu.au</A></FONT>
<FONT COLOR="#000000">Mobile: 0419 356 034</FONT>
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</PRE>
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