Computers I

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Mmmm...donuts.

Class syllabus | Gradebook.

Current Projects

Building a Webpage!

Step One (2/7): Find a technology or tech project that interests you. Examples from the class: Paper.js, Aerolux Light Bulbs, Piskel, Farmbot, and Hektor, a drawing robot. The topic is wide, and will serve as the content of your webpage.

Step Two (2/8): Build a wireframe on paper (with real pen or pencil; no computers for this step!).

File:Profilewireframe.png
Profilewireframe

A wireframe is a simple drawing meant to represent your intended webpage layout that does not require coding. Your final project will have a main page and two additional pages, so use this time to decide on an audience for your website, and what they might be looking for when they visit. For example, if your technology is a program used to create things, a gallery page and a tutorial page might be appropriate.

If there are other websites about your topic (or similar technologies), look to the structure of their webpages. You will probably notice that the pages within a site are built similarly: with a header, a navigation section, a content section, and a footer. Be sure to include these in your wireframe. Additionally, websites usually have a vertical rhythm or grid. This tutorial is more in-depth than we need, but check out the first image to get an idea of what we mean when we say "grid"—similar elements are the same size, and things line up vertically and horizontally. Make it easy on yourself by following a grid that each page follows.

Resources

Grid by Example This is the resource used by all who build webpages, from students to professionals.


Previous Projects

Woo! Coding and webpages!

Begin with videos 1–7 from Don't Fear the Internet. They are amazing and worth your time. You should come out of the end with:

  1. A folder naming your website
  2. An .html file (not a .txt file!) that contains your first webpage
  3. A .css file that contains the style for your webpage.

Once you have emailed me those, continue on below to learn how to access your page from anywhere! You will:

  1. Create a GitHub account to host your work. This will be where you turn in all of your assignments for this class and Computers II, so don't lose your login information!
  2. Create a GitHub Pages account to make hosting easier.
  3. Upload (or "push") your project from Don't Fear the Internet to a repository on Git, and access it through the browser.

Here is how you'll do it.

  • Go to github.com and create an account. You'll need to verify your email address, so make sure you can access that, too!
  • Watch the video below to set up GitHub Pages in your account. Where he creates a poem in his .html file, you should copy your .html file from above. You can close the video after he moves to his desktop.
  • Send me the URL! It should be [yourGitName].github.io/[yourProjectName].
  • Make your website amazing. Can you fix the broken image links? If so, do it, and go to video #8 from Don't Fear the Internet! Make the changes to your new website directly in the browser. I will follow your Git page, so no need to email your progress!

Mail Merge

Today we will combine the powers of MS Word and Excel to create a Mail Merge! A mail merge will take a table of information such as names, addresses, salutations, etc. and insert them into a Word document. This allows you to send (semi)personalized letters/handouts/documents to individuals without all of the cutting and pasting it would require otherwise.

Your goal is to write a letter requesting a letter of recommendation from five community members (teachers, counselors, religious leaders, employers) and include a document that will tell them about what you have been up to.

  1. Download this file to your shared folder and open it in Word. Save this as Last_RecForm.docx
  2. Open a blank Excel workbook. Make a list of 5 people who could write you a letter of recommendation* by placing each name in its own row in column A. You should have A1:A5 filled when you have finished. *This can be anyone you are not related to. Save this as Last_RecMerge.xlsx
  3. Look over the form. Note that most of page one is specific to one person, not everyone on your list. Mark those questions that require a personalized answer with two hashtags/pound signs/octothorpes: ##
  4. Fill out the rest of the questions. Your resume is probably going to be helpful here. Fix the format as you go, and feel free to remove all of the horizontal lines.
  5. Create a new Word document and write a letter requesting a recommendation. Use this OWL guide to help with content and formatting. Place your two pound sign around any place that will require something specific to an individual (name, address, pronoun, etc). Save as Last_RecLetter.docx
  6. Follow this guide to add the information in your Excel spreadsheet to the ## spaces in your Word document.

OneNote

  • Printing
  • OCR
  • Styles
  • Tables
  • Inking
  • Hyperlinks

College Search! Yesterday we looked at OneNote, an excellent program that makes collecting information from many sources really easy. One of the more difficult choices you will be making in the coming year(s) is what to do after high school. We will work on this for the next few days, but I want to give you a head start today. I'll be looking for a unique and neat organization of the information you pull together, and a wide number of universities you are interested in.

Take some time today to look at the colleges you have heard about, or have an interest in. Some things to look for:

  • Important dates. Some accept applications from motivated high school juniors, and others have very early scholarship application dates. Feel free to pull from our College Info Calendar
  • Scholarship offerings and their requirements. What ACT scores are necessary? GPAs? If you are younger, there may be time to improve your standing. If you are a senior, it can help you narrow your choices.
  • Talent grants/scholarships. We just heard from OKCU, which offers a good number of talent scholarships. Remember that these may require additional applications, auditions, or interviews. Be sure to add these to your calendar of important dates.
  • Size, location, student:faculty ratio, overall cost, majors offered, and notes about your overall impression.

Following are some sources of information about them. Pull the information together in a way that makes sense to you. After the list are some suggestions for using OneNote.

OneNote has many more features than we were able to cover yesterday, but here are a few tips:

  • Make a calendar by typing a date, pressing Tab, then typing the next date in the week. Once you hit the end of the week, press Enter to create a row of blank cells for the events on those dates.
  • Make any text a hyperlink by using the first thing we learned in class: ctrl+k. Highlight the text you want to make into a link, press ctrl+k, then ctrl+v the link into the box.
  • Take a picture of part of the screen with Windows Key+s. The screen will go grey and the cursor will turn into a plus sign; use this to draw a rectangle around the part of the screen you want to copy. (If you just want to move a picture, just click and drag it into OneNote!)
  • Add a "?" tag to those questions you have about a college. Use the Tags button up top to pull them all together. I'll answer all I can, and find answers to those I can't!
  • Use the To-Do tag to create a list of things to complete within this year. It may be emails to send, events to attend, or essays to complete. Again, the Tags button will pull these all together for you.
  • The exclamation tag could be used to mark things you're excited about, or important information about a college.
  • The little plus sign next to each paragraph can be used to easily drag them around and reorganize.
  • I hesitate to add, because it is easy to lose time with it, but you can also use templates under the "Insert" tab up top!

Excel Error Cleanup

Challenge: apply =IFERROR to your INDEX/MATCH formula, then copy-drag to fill the column.

Now try it with the SUMIF and COUNTA function!

Index/Match GPA Calculation

DOWNLOAD THIS

Now that we have figured a simple average using the =AVERAGE() function, let's make it a bit easier on the user (and a bit more difficult for us) but using INDEX and MATCH. These will allow the spreadsheet user to enter a letter grade for each class ("A", etc.) and still receive an overall numerical GPA average.

Excel Initial Tutorials

Thursday 12/8:

  • Zip and email exercises 1-8 if you have not done so.
  • Email your GPA calculator if you have not done so.
  • Head to this series
  • Work through tutorial 11, saving each new file to a new folder called "[Last] Excel Practice" in your H: (shared) drive.
  • Once finished, zip and email the new folder to me.

Challenge: Your GPA calculator works with numbers; can you make it work with letter grades? One way to do it is through INDEX and MATCH. Google around and see what you can come up with.

Wednesday 12/7: Create an Excel worksheet that will calculate your GPA for you!

Download the graduation requirements and create in Excel.

Add format and formulas that will let you put a number next to each class and retrieve an overall average at the end.

Tuesday 12/6:

  • Head to this series from yesterday.
  • Following the directions below, work through tutorial 8.
    • After completing tutorial 8, download the practice sheet.
    • Change the first employee name in worksheet "2009" from "Allenson, Carol" to your name: "Last, First"
    • Once you have changed the name, print (click the link to learn how to add a printer) the entire worksheet "2009" on a single page to the printer called "Lab 1."
    • To make it fit, you'll need to adjust the scaling settings on the print screen.
  • Save your practice worksheets to the "[Last] Excel Basic Practice" folder in your H: (shared) drive.

Monday 12/5: This series is an excellent introduction to Excel 2010.

  • Open your H: (shared) drive, and create a folder called "[Last] Excel Basic Practice." (Replace "[Last]" with your last name.) To create a folder, press "New Folder" in the top bar or press ctrl+shift+n.
  • Click the link above, and go over the first 6 tutorials.
  • Some tutorials have a spreadsheet at the end to download and modify. Download them as you go, and complete the instructions to practice what you have learned.
  • As you finish each, save the spreadsheet to the folder you created. Name the files "Practice [#]" replacing "[#]" with the number of the tutorial.

Résumé Draft

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