Course Title: Multimedia Skills Grade: 6-8

Prerequisite: Technology Skills class or teacher consent

Book & materials: none

Course Description: This course is designed for students who feel comfortable with the basics of technology as taught in the MS Tech Skills course, and who want to go further, especially in the areas of creating Internet Home Pages. Students will develop skills in the following areas: Internet, hypertext markup language, multimedia, graphic images including scanned images, digital camera images and graphic editing software. Students enrolled in this course will help develop pages for ASIJ's Middle School pages up to date.

Part II Processes

Applications: The focus of this course is practical applications of technology. Not only can the skills be used throughout life, but they can be used immediately in their other courses.

Attitudes: The following attitudes will be taught through modeling, discussion, and reflection:

•Students will think of technology as a tool for solving problems, not as just an end unto itself.

•Students will continue to develop a sense of competency on numerous software packages.

•Students will learn the value of planning a major project before spending too much time going down blind alleys.

Research: Students will have occasions to search the best way to do something, or to learn a new technique, and they will learn where help can be found: in manuals, help screens, peer helpers, or expert helpers.

Speaking and Interpersonal Skills: Students will be encouraged to tutor or help others with computer problems, as a way to learn more themselves, present their thoughts clearly, and focus on the needs of others.

Part III Critical Questions

•Are there times when technology is not the best way to solve a problem?

•What responsiblities go along with being an ethical computer user?

•Will a technology tool help to solve a task more efficiency?

•How fast is technology changing? How does that make people feel?

Part IV Technology Use and Library Use

Utilizing the most up-to-date hardware and software is the focus of this course.

Part V Topic Summary & Key Concepts

Topic Key concepts

Internet Searching, evaluating information, evaluating home pages, downloading information (graphics and beta versions of various editors.)

Home Page Design Learning Hypertext markup language (HTML) and developing, maintaining, and updating home pages, such as one representing the ASIJ Middle Schol

Multi-media Building on the concepts of hypermedia skills. The goal is for students to develop a hypermedia project with images and sounds

Graphics

Other In-depth study of graphics and sound files.

Note: A major goal of this course is for the students to learn enough about technology to feel comfortable helping their peers as part of group projects in other classes.

Note: Students should have a certain comfort level and a working knowledge of windows, word processing, graphing with spreadsheets, and publishing.

Part VI Examples of Expanded Assessment

Students will produce projects, such as multi-media stacks, and will be assessed on not only their technical ability, but also the content. This will be done in conjunction with another class the student is taking, whenever possible.

Students will be expected to coach and tutor others in the Middle School building (their peers, other teachers, etc.) both within this class and in their other classes and labs. The success of this coaching skill will be assessed.

Those involved with preparing this syllabus: Marguerite Arnote, Polly Casmar, Don Weber, Ellis Melton

Date: March 4, 1996 (revised) May, 1997