Course Objectives:
The goal of this course is to provide a solid foundation of of computer knowledge (i.e. “Computer Literacy”) to all students. This is a required high school class and concepts covered in this class will directly impact the success of students when entering university and later the real-world job market.
At the conclusion of this course, students will demonstrate:
- Knowledge of the basic components and peripherals associated with computers.
- A deep and practical understanding of online safety and computer security (including social networking, program installations, virus detection & elimination, & passwords).
- Functional knowledge of Google Drive and other Google Tools.
- Functional knowledge of major Office products (on/offline, from various publishers).
- A computer portfolio showcasing their skills and projects.
Course Breakdown:
The course will teach students the basics of Computer Literacy. This is a foundational Computer course and is broken into TWO primary sections with TEN additional sub-sections.
- Section I: Knowledge
- A: Touch Typing
- B: Overview of Computers (hardware, software, online, safety)
- C: Google Tools
- D: Office (online and offline)
- Section II: Application
- E: Word Processing & Internet Research
- F: Spreadsheets & Charts
- G: Presentations & Public Speaking
- H: Publications & Design
- I: Formal Documents
- J: Final Portfolio (collected works)
About the Course Sections:
The Knowledge portion of this class is designed to provide students with a quick, yet detailed overview of the different computer tools at their disposal in the modern age. The grading for this particular section of the course will consist primarily of knowledge-based quizzes in order to check their understanding and memorization of the concepts.
The Application portion of this class (after Mid-Term tests) is designed to directly apply the concepts and tools studied in the first half of the course in real-world applications. Students will (1) write research papers, (2) illustrate them with graphs, charts, and graphics, (3) prepare a speech on their research subject and deliver it, (4) create additional documents to support their work, and (5) submit everything as a final (online) portfolio using WordPress.
Expected Competency of Incoming Students:
Students are expected to have basic touch-typing skills (home row), as well as at least a rudimentary knowledge of the usage of Internet browsers and search engines. But as this is a foundational computer course, the software studied will be taught from the ground up.
Proposed Study Schedule:
| Week # | Dates | Learning | Grading |
| 1 | Aug 18-22 | Typing Master Pro (Touch Typing) | |
| 2 | Aug 25-29 | Typing Master Pro (Touch Typing) | |
| 3 | Sept 1-5 | Typing Master Pro (Touch Typing) Computer Hardware & Peripherals Intro to blogging with WordPress | 1. TMP Results 2. Computer Quiz 3. WordPress setup |
| 4 | Sept 10-12 | Software Safety & Online Security: Program Installation, Virus/Adware Scanning, TMI/SNS, Passwords | 4. Quiz |
| 5 | Sept 15-1 Final Portfolio Work FINAL TEST9 | Google Drive Essential Training | 5. Google Drive Quiz (Applied) |
| 6 | Sept 22-26 | Google Cloud Platform Training Google Calendar Training | 6. Google Cloud Quiz |
| 7 | Sept 29-Oct 2 | Google Docs and Sheets (Mobile)Setting up a Mobile Office | 7. Personal Mobile Office |
| 8 | Oct 6-10 | Office for StudentsOffice Online Essential Training | 8. Quiz on EACH component |
| 9 | Oct 13-17 | Think Free Office, N-Drive, etc. | 9. Quiz |
| 10 | Oct 20-24 | MIDTERM TEST | MIDTERM |
| 11 | Oct 27-31 | Writing Research Papers(using Word, Docs, etc) | 10. Research Paper |
| 12 | Nov 3-7 | Statistics, Charts, and Graphs(using Excel, Sheets, etc) | 11. Including personalized charts and graphs |
| 13 | Nov 10-14 | Public Speaking(using PowerPoint, Present, etc) | 12. Presentation PPT |
| 14 | Nov 17-21 | Principles of Public Speaking | 13. Deliver your speech |
| 15 | Nov 24-28 | Publishing & Getting Creative(using Publisher) | 14. Newsletter15. Poster |
| 16 | Dec 1-5 | Application: Writing Resumes, Formal/Business Documents | 16. Personal Resume17. Formal Writing |
| 17 | Dec 8-12 | 18. Final Portfolio of work | |
| 18 | Dec 15-19 | FINAL TEST |
Additional Class Resources:
| Mozilla Thimble (Live websites) | Dash.generalassemb.ly (Review + XC) | |
| Alice3 | CS2N Intro Course | Alice at Duke (Video Tutorials) |
| Game | WAMP Server | Quintus Game Engine |
| Design | Tiled (Map Creation) | OpenGameArt.org (Sprites) |