Monday, March 29, 2010

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!





Tuesday, March 9, 2010

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!




Monday, March 1, 2010

Week 9, Keyboarding



Myspace comment generator
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.





Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Week 8, Keyboarding

Hello and Welcome to our Keyboarding Class BLOG.  It's now official--we are at the half-way mark in our class.  This is Week 8 of a 16-week class.  So if you haven't turned in all the assignments up through Week 7, you are behind in the class.  This means you may not finish unless you get all the assignments current.  And for those of you who are working ahead, the end is in sight!


I woke up to another generous dusting of snow this morning in El Paso.  So it's on the way to MS also.  Maybe it won't mean another snow day! I know many of you already have to go to school much beyond the normal start of summer vacation.  


Capitalization  Rules
Here are some important rules for you to consider in your assignments for this week.  The emails you write will be checked very closely for correct punctuation as well as for proper grammar.  Double check your assignments before you submit them so you can get full credit for your work.



Capitalize This:
Example
The first word of every sentence.
It is very important to follow the correct grammar rules.
The first-person pronoun, I.
I am going to Mississippi in March.
The first, last, and important words in a title.
"Important words" usually do not include articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions.
Proper nouns
Mrs. McKee talked with  Mr. White, the high school principal.
Specific persons and things
Barack Obama, the White House, Mini BMW  Motor Company.
An official title when it precedes a name or when used elsewhere if it is a title of high distinction.
Tell Uncle Joel to call the Senator from Florida.
Specific geographical locations
Gulfport, Mississippi, Africa, Forest Park Zoo, Lake Erie, the Northeast, the Southwest.
However, we do not capitalize directions or locations that aren't being used as names
This is the north side of the city; we're heading south this winter.
Names of newspapers and journals
Do not, however, capitalize the word the, even when it is part of the newspaper's title: the Orlando Sentinel
Days of the week, months, holidays
Do not, however, capitalize the names of seasons (spring, summer, fall, autumn, winter). "Next winter, we're traveling south; by spring, we'll be back up north."
Historical events
World War I, the Renaissance, the Crusades
Names of organizations and companies
Chamber of Commerce, General Motors, Girl Scouts
Races, nationalities, languages
Swedes, Swedish, African American, Jewish, French, Native American. (Most writers do not capitalize whites, blacks.)
Names of religions and religious terms
God, Christ, Allah, Buddha, Christianity, Christians, Judaism, Jews, Islam, Muslims
Names of courses
Economics, Biology 101. (However, we would write: "I'm taking a course in biology this summer.")
Brand names
Tide, Maytag, Chevrolet, Monopoly
Names of relationships only when they are a part of or a substitute for a person's name.
(Often this means that when there is modifier, such as a possessive pronoun, in front of such a word, we do not capitalize it.)
Let's go visit Grandmother today. Let's go visit my grandmother today.
I remember Uncle Arthur. I remember my Uncle Arthur. My uncle is unforgettable.


Punctuation and Spacing Rules
(Source:  joblack59.com, 12.20.2009)

, Space once after a comma.

: Space once after a colon. 

- Do not space before or after a hyphen.

: Space twice after a colon.

.?! Space twice after punctuation at the end of a sentence.

. Space once after periods used with titles or initials.

( ) Do not space after opening parenthesis; space once after closing parenthesis.

# Do not space between the # sign and the quantity following it.

(The # before a number means number; the # sign following a number means pounds.)
& Space once before and after the ampersand.

$ Do not space between $ and amount.

 @ Space once before and after @ except in email addresses.

% Do not space between % and number that follows. 

 / Do not space before or after forward slash.

Reminders for this week's assignments
Follow the lesson task instructions carefully.
Use the form in the lesson to complete your emails; complete all sections.
Use proper punctuation and spacing.
Double check your grammar and spelling.

To start a paragraph, use Tab (do not space 5 times).
Space twice after punctuation at the end of a sentence. 


REVISED GRADING RUBRIC for Timed Writings.



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 at least 85% accuracy
100
25-29 Average GWAM with at least 85% accuracy
85
20-24 Average GWAM with at least 85% accuracy
75
15-19 Average GWAM with at least 85% accuracy
65
Attempts under 14 GWAM or less than 85% accuracy
40

*Points awarded based on quality of work





Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Week 7, Keyboarding

Looks like the "BIG" snow, Presidents' Day, and Mardi Gras made a good combination for a mini vacation for many of you. Welcome back to school and to our class.  We are now in Week 7 of Keyboarding!  These assignments are due Monday, February 22.  Please review your grades and if you have any 0s, complete the work. Your grade depends on it!

By the time you read this blog, I will be back in El Paso.  The trip to South MS was great, but I am pleased to be back in the regular routine.  Note my office hours and call me if you have questions.  My number is 601.810.4923.

LESSON NOTES
This week we are wrapping up our learning of the keyboard. You should now know the correct technique for all the keys, including alphabetic, numeric, special characters, and the keypad. Some of you are really flying on those keypad lessons!  Review the techniques and keep practicing to maintain your speed and accuracy.
 
EXAM NOTES
To ensure the best grade possible on the written exam for Module 2, read and carefully follow the directions below.

Exam 2: Timed Writing Instructions
Print this document so you can check off each item as you complete it.

You will now complete the exam in MicroType 4.2. This will be a timed writing. You will have one minute to type as much of the sample text as quickly and accurately as you can. Remember, your goal is to have fewer than three errors. It is better to go a little slower and make fewer errors than go too fast and make too many mistakes.

You may want to do the Quick Review sections in MicroType 4.2 to practice and warm up before taking this exam.

Important Tips: You will find some great tips (below) that you should read before beginning to type your timed writing. Be sure to read all of this page before you begin to type.

Timed Writing Instructions
Open the Microtype 4.2 program and login


On the main screen, Click. Timed Writing (clock face) located in the green section on the left side of the screen.  Select Writing 1 for one minute.
Be sure Writing02 is highlightedThe Timing Link should be set to 1 minute.
In the Timing Options Display  timer should be checked. You should uncheck the Beep every 15 seconds option. Then click the OK button.



Pressing OK will give you the Timed Writing Dialog box. It should look similar to the box displayed below.  Your text to be keyed will appear in blue in the dialog box above the typing box.
 
Read the message window that pops up and then click the OK button.  Please do not tap the ESC key but continue to type until your time is completed. 

VERY IMPORTANT: When you press a key on your keyboard, the clock timer will begin, so please do not press any keys until you have read this entire document.
When you are ready, position yourself in the correct typing position, press the Tab key to indent, and begin to type the text from the dialog box at the top of the screen. Continue typing at a steady pace until the minute is up.
You must type the timed writing twice.  Your work will be saved automatically.  
Important Timed Writing Tips 
  1. The timer starts the minute you hit a key. Do not begin until you are ready. Minimize distractions as much as possible so you can perform at your very best.
  1. It has always been standard practice in keyboarding to use two spaces after the end-of-sentence punctuation (periods, questions marks, exclamation marks) and colons (:). Not keying two spaces at the end of a sentence will count as an error each time you make this mistake.
3.    Use the TAB key to indent paragraphs. Using the space bar will count as multiple errors.
4.    Press the ENTER key only at the end of a paragraph. Microtype will display this symbol 8 to indicate that Enter should be pressed.  (Do not press the ENTER key at the end of a printed line.)
5.    If you are an experienced typist you may finish the document before the timer stops. If this happens, do not stop the software will return to the beginning of the document and you should continue typing.
6.   Your goal is to key at least 16 gwam (gross words a minute) with three or fewer errors. (To receive an "A" on this assignment, you need to key at least 20 gwam.) If you did not meet your goal, simply complete the Quick Review in MicroType and then retake the timing. You may retake the timing as many times as you like before you submit it to your teacher.  You must submit at least 2 different screen shots for a grade.
How to Submit Your Test

After you have completed your test that you wish to submit, please follow these directions carefully. 
1.    Return to the main screen and access the Report menu as shown in the diagram.
2.    Select Timed Writings from the dropdown menu.
3.    When you access the Timed Writing Report, the first screen is a summary screen of the timed writings taken.
4.    Scroll down the page until the writing summary that is to be submitted is visible.  Your name, date, Writing 01 and both first and second attempt information should be visible on the screen.  Click Print Screen to capture the image of your results. 
5.    Open the Word Processing Program as we have been doing to submit the assignments and paste the image of your test results. Save the file as xx2_11 (replace xx with your initials) and submit it to the dropbox
FINAL EXAM GRADING RUBRIC

Grading Rubric
GWAM (Gross Words A Minute)
Grade
20+ GWAM with three or fewer errors
100
18-19 GWAM with three or fewer errors
85
16-17 GWAM with three or fewer errors
75
14-15 GWAM with three or fewer errors
65
Attempts under 14 GWAM or over three errors
40