Fundamentals of I.T.
Weekly Newsletter
Welcome!
Fundamentals of Information Technology (FIT) is a trimester-long, 7th grade course taught by CTE instructor Mrs. Hernandez. During the next 3 months, students will explore and apply many Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) principles.
Parents: Please set up an Edmodo
Please set up an Edmodo account for quick access to our course announcements (including homework and classwork updates) and Mrs H's Q and A system.
This Week:
Who is Mrs. Hernandez?
Mrs. Hernandez has a background in many technology topics, holds various teaching credentials and after earning her Master Degree in school administration, is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Educational Technology.
Expressing Who They Are
This week, as an introduction to this course, students were given the opportunity to express who they are through letter writing, online surveys and critical thinking questions. This allows Mrs. Hernandez to develop an in-depth understanding of each learner and enables her to create a psychologically safe environment for every learner. determine each student's readiness for learning, identify multiple access points to the curriculum to increase engagement and success, and develop and demonstrate greater emotional intelligence in the classroom.
Games In Tech class?
Thursdays are "Students in Technology for Innovation, Collaboration and Knowledge" (S.T.I.C.K.) Days! Each Thursday, students explore a new topic in the mighty world of gaming and then apply each week's topic to then program and design an educational game for their school as a study tool. The educational game is a culminating project due by the end of the trimester. This week, students were given a preview of the topics that will be covered during each Thursday. Specifically, students were given a preview of different type of games and gaming platforms, pixel art and its function in game design, discussed ways of making games less violent, Javascript as our coding platform and student were given the opportunity to explore some of these concepts in action!
Next Week
Contact Mrs Hernandez
Have a question or concern for Mrs Hernandez? Connect with Mrs Hernandez on Edmodo or Send her an email!
Email: chernandez@bethelsd.org
Website: https://edmo.do/j/eyhntt
Phone: 2536836670
Expectation Update!
Please keep in mind, other than MrsH's formal, directed teaching of games on Thursdays, Games and gaming and YouTubing is NOT ALLOWED in class during any other day. Please remind your child of this VERY important class expectation. Thank you!
This Week's Homework:
Students must turn in their signed syllabus and write Mrs H a friendly handwritten letter (both due Friday 3-20).
Digital Citizenship
Students will learn ways of staying safe online, the downsides to social networking, how to present oneself online, what to do in a cyberbullying situation and the benefits of leaving behind a positive digital footprint to be proud of. Students will then each make his/her own positive digital footprint using a word cloud creation app.
What is a Computer?
Is a coffee machine a computer? Students will learn the three elements that define a computer and identify various objects as computers based on the object's functionality.
STICK day Thursday 3-26
Students will turn in their player 1 character they've developed using pixel art. Connect with another teacher at school who they will be making the educational game for and explore the controversy of violence in video games and the video game rating system.