Week 13, Keyboarding

Can you believe it's almost the end of our class?  We have 4 more weeks to do all the assignments.  And Final Exams must be completed no later than May 15, 2010.  Of course, you can work ahead and complete assignment well before that date.  Just make sure you complete assignments in the order listed.  Otherwise, you may encounter locked dropboxes!

Some of you have a few days off this week because of the Easter holidays and Spring break for other schools.  Keyboarding class does no have a scheduled break.  Complete Week 13 assignments before you decide to relax a few days.  Zeros will be given for all incomplete work on Monday, April 5, 2010. So get that work finished--your grade depends on it!


FINAL EXAM - MODULE 3

What will be on the oral exam?

Week 13 requires that you take an oral exam and submit the results to dropbox 3.12a.  You may call me at 601-810-4923 during my office hours.  And if you want to schedule a different time, please text me and I will check for my availability.  Some dropboxes will be locked if you don't take the oral exam. 

We will discuss the parts of a business letter and the spacing between each part.  I will also ask questions about punctuation within the letter.  

Additionally, the report format will be discussed.  You will be asked questions about spacing, the primary sections of the report title page, body, and works cited.  We will also cover the Citation Machine method of citing references in your report.  My phone number is 601.810.492

How do I complete the written exam?

The next assignment for this week is the written test, 3.12b. 

Your goal for Timed Writing 3 is 30 wpm with 3 or fewer errors.

You may repeat the lesson multiple times until you reach that goal.  Remember to show your skills by taking Timed Writing 3 two times before submitted your file to the dropbox.  

You must submit 2 screen shots showing the 30 wpm with 3 or fewer errors.

Here is a link to a detailed set of directions for that timed writing.  (Right click on the hyperlinklink and go to the address.)
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AY55uZPnDVVPZGRjaGhoNGhfMTZjanB3Y2ZoaA&hl=en

Please read the above information carefully before taking the written test.  





BONUS POINTS:
You will receive 5 bonus points if you respond with your favorite family meal at holidays such as Easter.  These comments must be added to the BLOG no later than Monday, April 5.


Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday!  See you in class next Tuesday!

Week 10, Keyboarding

Yes, I know Spring Break is almost here for most of you.  For this week, let's focus on getting your assignments completed early.  Week 10 assignments are due Monday, March 15 ("beware the Ides of March").  But you have the option of completing them early.  Follow the sequence of the assignments so your dropboxes remain unlocked. 


As you know, zeros will be assigned at 6 pm on Monday for any work not completed.  And then those grades are computed and released to your schools.  Those zeros DO NOT look good on your grade.  Complete all your assignments and get the grades you need to pass Keyboarding!  YOUR GRADE DEPENDS ON YOUR WORK!

LESSON 3.08
Watch the movie for this lesson.  It contains some great techniques and tips to help you through the session.  Reminder:  you must complete ALL sections of the lessons, including the games for both sessions to get a grade.


Here is the revised grading rubric for this assignments:

Grading Rubric
GWAM (Gross Words A Minute)	Grade
You must complete all sections of each lesson and meet keying speeds and accuracy on the Lesson Report section as outlined below.
30+ Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	100
25-29 Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	85
20-24 Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	75
15-19 Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	65
Attempts under 14 GWAM or more than 3 errors	40

*Points awarded based on quality of work LESSON 3.09 This lesson requires you to research your favorite game and write a research paper on it.  Read the lesson carefully and print out a copy of the examples of the title page, the body of the report, and the works cited page.  Review the grading rubric so you can get the most points available the FIRST time you turn in the report.   I will use a plaigerism checking program on each paper.  So make sure the material is in your own words with citations and quotations around direct quotes your used from another source.  And remember, if you find sources that do not have a date and an author, they are probably not reliable.  Google for information with reliable information, authors, dates, etc. Here are some tips to get you started with your paper. DO NOT KEY THIS ASSIGNMENT IN WORD PAD OR NOTEPAD!   You must use MS Word, Works, or OpenOffice. First, set up your page layout for 1" margins on the left, right, top, and bottom. Before you begin to key the first word, double space your work.  Ctrl+2 will double space for you; Ctrl+1 will single space.  You may also use the Line Spacing tool bar in MS Word. Then set your default font to Arial 12. Next, show all characters by pressing Ctrl+* (If you need more help on this, press F1 on your keyboard.) Type your Title page flush left; then highlight all the words, select the Center icon to make all text line up in the horizontal center of the page. You will have to center the Title page vertically also by following the guidelines in the lesson. To get to the body of the report, press Ctrl+Enter for a new page. Follow the guide in your lesson for typing the body.  You will press Enter 2 times (that's double spaced already, so it leaves white space at the top) before you key the Title in All Caps. You may indent the paragraphs for a Modified Block Report OR you may leave everything flush left (Block Report).  I prefer the Block Report. You will key subheadings for each major section of your paper.  Key as Upper/lower case and Underline the Sub Headings. The Body of your Report must be at least 1 full page. Press Ctrl+Enter to get a new page for Citations.   Use the Son of Citation Machine to make your citations in APA format.  Follow the instructions on the web page for to make, copy, and paste your citations to your Citation page. Number your pages (there's a shortcut for numbering pages in the Header tab of MS Word.  MS Works has a similar shortcut). Save your files often.  The correct file name is  xx3_09.doc or xx3_09.docx OR xx 3_09.wps (depending on your software).  Replace xx with your initials.  5 Points will be deducted for incorrect file names. Spell check and grammar check your work BEFORE you turn it in.  Repeated errors result in a 10-point deduction for each new submission. Read over your completed work BEFORE you turn it in.  Does it contain your best grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spacing?

THANKS!

Thanks to each of you for uploading the survey from last week's BLOG.  You have 20 bonus points to your credit in my electronic grade book.  It's not to late for the rest of you.  You can still complete the survey and get 10 points.  Check last week's blog for the survey.

That's all for Week 10.  Have a safe Spring Break, but remember to check your MVPS Keyboarding Class even while you are out of school. If you don't have internet at home, go to a friends house, your library, or maybe a church.  We have too many different dates for spring break in our class so we have to keep working!  See you next week for Week 11!

Week 9, Keyboarding

We are on the downhill side of our Keyboarding class.  This is week 9 of our 16 weeks together.  Since our class is so large and covers the entire State of MS, I need information from each of you regarding your school calendar.  


Please complete the Google Document form "Profile Update" which is located below.  Press submit located at the bottom of the form so  your information will be sent to me.  All information is private and will be used to finalize the last days of our class.  You will be given 20 points for completing the form no later than Monday March 8, 2010.  After that date, the value decreases to 10 points.






DID YOU PRESS THE SUBMIT BUTTON ABOVE?



REVISED Grading Rubric for 3.05

Grading Rubric:  MODULES 3 and 4
GWAM (Gross Words A Minute)	Grade
You must complete all sections of each lesson and meet keying speeds and accuracy on the Lesson Report section as outlined below.
30+ Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	100
25-29 Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	85
20-24 Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	75
15-19 Average GWAM with 3 or fewer errors	65
Attempts under 14 GWAM or more than 3 errors	40

Special Notes on Assignments 3.06 and 3.07
DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR FILES TO THE DROPBOX AS .rtf files.  Please submit files as .doc or .docs (MicroSoft Word) OR other word processing files in Works or Open Office.


Business Letters
Follow this link for more help on writing effective business letters. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/  Please bookmark the site (or add to your favorites) so you can refer to it as you compose your own letters. 


Remember to review your work BEFORE you press the submit button.  This includes checking punctuation, spacing, grammar, and spelling.  Errors are extremely embarrassing to the sender and cost businesses money to correct them.  (Plus your grade will not be very good if you have errors!)


You will be tested on the basic parts of a business letter as well as the spacing between each part.  Here is a summary for your notes.  Be prepared for a "pop" quiz on business letters in the coming week.

BONUS POINTS FOR WEEK 9

Post a comment on this week's BLOG which gives your school name and the dates for your spring break.  You will get 5 Bonus points for this post.