G9 Tech Class #29

Following our G9 Due dates webpage, today is Presentation Day!!! Be prepared to show and explain your final Stock Shares Tracker in 5 minutes:

• built, 
• operational,
• what did you do to track your shares?
• what spreadsheet features did you use to track your shares?
• how much did you invest in each one? Why?
• did you make a "profit"?
• talk about the process of creation
• issues you had to overcome
• timeline and your time management
• group work
• strengths / weaknesses / areas of improvement
• Q&A mini session

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April 1st: Watch the following new uploaded Google videos

G9 Tech Class #28

Today we will finish working on making the last touch ups to your Shares Tracker Product including:
It has to evidence the following specifications:

• use header rows
• sequence numbering
• sorting ascending and descending
• insert columns and rows
• column and row merge
• format title (font, color, size, shading, etc)
• at least three different formulas
• one fixed cell reference
• copy/cut and paste information
• insert a graph (pie, bar, etc)
• format the graph: change the Title: font & color, the colors of the bars/pie pieces, etc)

Record all your progress in your Process Journal before you turn in Create stage today (if you haven't turned it in last class).

Please make sure you are including the Assignment Standards and turn in your work by following the steps to submit and assignments.

G8 Tech Class #27

Today we do not have class due to the STAAR testing.
If you have not submitted Create stage, please do so before our next class on March 29.
Keep an eye on the Due Dates for Project 2 to stay on task.

Thanks.

G9 Tech Class #26

Today we will continue working on Create stage.

Please visit G9 Tech Class #25 for reviewing 

the expectations for Create stage.

Following the Due Dates for Project 2 Create stage is 
due today.

Please make sure you are including the 
Assignment Standards.

Before you submit Create stage today, don't forget to make your

 journal entry of the day and include in it the sketches of your designs

as visual evidence!

G9 Tech Class #25

Tech Class  #25!!! yahoo!

Today we will start working on Create stage. Please visit the G9 Due dates webpage to plan your time wisely.


You can look into Activity 8: from The NYSE Up Close and Personal Activity Booklet to review what are the expectations of the final product.

For this stage it is super important to look into these:

1. Your complete Process Journal with :

• dated journal entries including Visual Evidence (designs, sketches, screen shots, pictures, etc that show how the steps you took to create the product)
• notes regarding any changes made to Design and/or Plan: e.g. added a step, changed the order of tasks, changed the tools, used another resource, didn't need a resource, didn't finish what was planned etc.
• how did the group work? Did you have any issues? how did you overcome them, if any?

2. Explain what tools and techniques you used to create your product

3. How was your time management: Have you followed your time plan? How?

4. Have you made any changes to your chosen design? Why? How?

5. Complete your Shares tracking using all your spreadsheet knowledge following your chosen Design! :-) (Remember: you need to track your shares and record at least 6 changes in your shares)

You can always use the Design Folder Checklist to make sure your Create stage is complete.

Don't forget to make your journal entry of the day and  include in it all the screenshots of the process of creating your final product as visual evidence!

G9 Tech Class #24

Welcome back! Hope you all had a great Spring Break!

Continuing with Project 2, today we will work on Plan stage.

If you have not submitted Design stage and/or the Mix and Match (spreadsheet challenge) on March 8, you can turn them in today for 50% of the grade. For details on Design stage please visit:

G9 Tech Class #23

Remember that you can use the details for Mix and Match challenge listed on

G9 Tech Class #22 as your design specifications (what the final product needs to include to be successful! ;-)

In Plan stage you will be defining what will be done, when and with what resources. 

Focus on the process of creation of the final product to track your shares and "make" some money!

Remember to include:

• a step by step list of instructions to put together your spreadsheet to track your shares  (like giving very detailed instructions for someone else to build it for you!) 
• a detailed timeline (for the process of building/creation)
• the resources you will use
• Look at Due Dates for Project 2 and plan accordingly.
• For more info on Plan stage and tools to complete it, please revisit: G9 Tech Class #10

Today you will also need to start tracking your shares and follow their "behaviour".

Complete your Process Journal! Make your daily record of what you  learnt/progressed today.

G9 Tech Class #23

Today is our last class before Spring Break! :-)

Today is also International Women's day!

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909

In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

Continue reading....

Please work on 4. Mix and Match explained in last class' blog post.

You also need to get in your groups and work on your Design stage for Project 2.

Please organize your group members' roles to start working on Design stage. 

Look into Activity 8: from The NYSE Up Close and Personal Activity Booklet to start your designs with the final product in mind...

Include a variety of different designs/proposed solutions  to show the information about your chosen stocks (at least 3)

Explain every part of each design

For explaining your designs, please use different techniques like story boards, sketches, labelled diagrams with explanations, etc.

Evaluate each design critically against the design specifications (assess what design specs each design meets or not)

Choose one design to build

Justify your choice of design that you will be using to track you shares

Look at Due Dates for Project 2 and plan accordingly.

G9 Tech Class #22

Today we will continue working with Spreadsheets:

Continuing last class' exercise 3. Sorting/Graphing/Percentages/Average: 

Part II:
Make your Percentage formula with a cell reference to the Max Grade cell using fixed cell reference (absolute range). Eg: 100


- Change the Max Grade in cell F2 to 200 and then change it again to 130 and see what happens to the results.
- Insert 2 columns between the columns named Grade and Percentage.
- Label those columns as Assignment/Test 2 and Grade 2.
- Complete these columns with assignments/test and grades information.

- Insert 1 column between the columns named Percentage and Max Grade.

- Label it: Average
- Under the Average column enter the formula to calculate the average between Grade and Grade 2.

- Insert three rows at the top
- Merge the rows and columns into one and add the title: "Students Grades for Spreadsheets class".

Part III:
- Select columns: Assignment/Test and Grade (including the header row)
- Insert a Bar Chart (What is this?)
- Place the graph/chart right under these columns Assignment/Test and Grade 
- Analyze the information graphed


- Repeat the same process using columns Assignment/Test 2 and Grade 2 (including the header row)
- select columns, insert bar chart, place graph under those columns, analyze the information graphed)




4. Mix and Match:
- Add a new Sheet and label it: 'My Challenge' 
- Create a challenge spreadsheet exercise including instructions, examples, etc for another group/student to solve. 
- It has to include the following design specifications:

1. use header rows
2. sequence numbering
3. sorting ascending and descending
4. insert columns and rows
5. column and row merge
6. format title (font, color, size, shading, etc)
7. three different formulas
8. one fixed cell reference
9. copy/cut and paste information
10. insert a graph (pie, bar, etc)
11. format the graph: change the Title: font & color, the colors of the bars/pie pieces, etc)

Type all the instructions and information on your "My Challenge" sheet. You can merge 5 columns by 5 rows for it.

G9 Tech Class #21

Today it's our first class in March!
Let's continue working on our spreadsheets!


2. Sorting 2: Go back to your sheet labelled 'Student List' and copy the set of data twice below leaving 2 black rows between each set. IN all, you will have 3 sets. Sort the groups by:
- alphabetically by Name
- alphabetically by last Name
- ascending by Age


Insert two rows at the top of each set of data. 
Merge the three columns and two rows into once cell. 

Type a title for each set of data explaining what the data is about. Eg: 
Student List sorted alphabetically (descending).
Change the font, formatting, etc any way you want (fonts, colors, shading, borders, etc...)

3. Sorting/Graphing/Percentages: In a new sheet labelled 'Teacher' create a set of data that shows the names of 15 actors/singers (as your students), the name of the assignment/test, and the grade they received (max=100). Add a column to number your students to the left. 
- Add a column/cell: Max Grade and type 100 under the title.
- Header row can be eg: Student # | Name | Assignment/Test |  Grade | Percentage | Max Grade

- Add a formula under the Percentage Title that shows what percentage of 100 each student received.


We will continue working on this exercise next class.

G9 Tech Class #20

Today we will continue working on developing our spreadsheet skills solving other Spreadsheet chalenges :-)

Open the workbook spreadsheet that we were working on last class. It should have your previous challenges on Pages 'Students' List' and 'Balance'.


1. Sorting: Add a new Sheet to your spreadsheet. Name it 'Sorting'. We will sort columns and rows. - Create a table listing ten of favorite bands or musicians, the artist's latest album, and the number of copies sold. You can copy and paste information from your 'Balance' sheet based on your purchases if you want to.
- Select the whole list and copy & paste it twice leaving 2 blank rows between the sets of data.

For the first set the title row should be Orange. For the second set the title row should be Red and for the third set the title row should be light grey.

For the first set: Sort the list alphabetically by artist (descending)
For the second set: Sort the list by album (descending) , and 
For the third set: Sort it in numerical order by sales (descending)


- Copy every set again to the right of the set of data and sort the 3 lists in an ascending order.  
Leave a blank column in between. In all: you need to have 6 sets of data sorted in different ways.


- Add a Row above each set of Data (Careful: this will leave 3 rows between each set of data!)
Select the three consecutive cells and merge them into one big cell.
Add a Title above each set of data explaining what they are about and how they were sorted.
Eg: List sorted alphabetically (ascending) by Artist

Please format all the titles with different fonts, colors and shading.

G9 Tech Class #19

Today we will continue working on spreadsheets.

Last class we worked on Activity 1 (Part 1&2) as well as on Activity 8 posted in our last class' blog post: Tech Class #18.

To continue making progress with Project 2, let's cover some Spreadsheets basics as the vocabulary:

• sheet
• cells
• columns
• rows
• row heading
• cell reference
• name box
• formula bar

We can watch this short video to get started:

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Basics -- powered by ehow

Getting acquainted tasks:


1. The Basics: make a list of your class in a spreadsheet including the following information: your classmates' names, last name and age. Each piece of information should be  in different columns labeled Name, Last Name and Age. Add a column to number each row/student. Header row should be purple and the numbers column should be light yellow. Name the Sheet 'Students List'.


2. Calculating: Add a new Sheet to your spreadsheet where we will make a balance spreadsheet. Name it 'Balance'. Include columns for date, item description, debit, credit, and balance. Format the cells to show $ for the content when applicable. Title row should be boldfaced and green. Apply calculations to the balance column so that any debits and credits are applied to the balance automatically. Pick one website--iTunes' Top 100 songs, for example-- and you have a $25 budget, and you need to use the balance sheet to figure out what combination of purchases would best maximize your budget. Add the debit and credit columns (at the bottom).

G9 Tech Class # 18

Today we will continue working on our Project 2:


1. Finish Activity 1 (Parts 1& 2). (Look for details posted in last class' blog entry)

2. Start thinking about your guiding questions (what will you like to learn) about the Stock Market and tracking shares and write them down in you new G-Shared Doc, that later be included in your Investigation stage.

3. Explore Using formulas in a spreadsheet to generate number patterns. Let's try this:

• If we would to generate a simple pattern of numbers which is contained in a single column, looks like this: 1,1,0,2,2,0,3,3,0,4,4,0,...
• How do you think we can generate the same pattern using a formula instead of typing all the numbers in a column?
• There are several different ways you can use to achieve the desired pattern. How many ways can you find of doing it?

4. Try other number patterns that you would lie to generate. Eg: Fibonacci Numbers

5. Work on Activity 8: from The NYSE Up Close and Personal Activity Booklet.

Can we be internationally minded here? Is NYSE the only stock exchange in the world? Do you know any other Stock Markets?

- Your task is to invest  the money in shares (justify your choice of shares: min 3 companies, max 5 companies, with at least one international company)

- You must also design a spreadsheet that keeps track of the value of the shares on a daily basis in a way that is easy to understand (she is not an excel specialist but she likes everything to be explained to her).

- She wants to know how much the value has changed from the initial investment and from day to day.

- Let's look into these:

• How many companies can I invest in?
• How much does it cost to make a trade?
• How long will the investment be?
• Where and how will you follow the prices?
• How will you test the product?
• How sophisticated will your spreadsheet/formulas need to be? Will you need multiple pages? How do you make cell references between different pages?

6. Start your Process Journal for Project 2 today! Make your daily record of what you  learnt/progressed today.

G9 Tech Class #17

Today I would like you to use the first part of the class to check on the comments on your assignments and resubmit updates if needed. Also please follow up on missing assignments to avoid "0s" or "Ms" in your grades. Please visit the G9 Tech Class Blog for details and expectations for each stage.

Therefore If you need some time to finish the last details of your products from Project 1 to turn them in today, please work on the first thing today (20 min aprox).


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Today we will also begin with Project 2: Shares Tracking using Spreadsheets

The Project is going to be about keeping track of our investments using spreadsheets.

We will be investigating how shares in companies work and we will be improving our spreadsheet skills.

The dynamic of  Project 2 would be the following:

• Regroup for this project with someone who you haven't work with in Project 1.
• get starte with Part 1 and Part 2 of Activity 1 on the NYSE (listed below)
• make notes and complete the activity on a new shared document with your new group.
• Please name this assignment: Project 2- Activity 1

1. Let's get started with "The Stock Market and you"

Please complete Part 1 and Part 2 of Activity1 from The NYSE Up Close and Personal ACtivity Booklet.

2. In your new group's shared doc, write down your answers and ideas to complete ACtivity 1 (parts 1 &2).

3. If you have time, please add some guiding questions about the Stock Market and tracking shares that can be included in your Investigation stage.

4. Work on Activity 8: 

Can we be internationally minded here? Is NYSE the only stock exchange in the world? Do you know any other Stock Markets?

Please finish Activity 1 (parts 1 and 2) and Activity 8.