Wednesday, May 30, 2007

It's been an adventure.

Don't forget...

Stumbling is fun and good for you; web 2.0 is important; google things you don't know (or ask.com if you wish); blogs are great for keeping up with things; don't believe everything you read on wikipedia but don't deny everything on there either; Craig has a list and it's free to use; don't be afraid of monster(.com); building web pages isn't hard; games help people think; starting a business isn't hard; learning isn't something you do for teachers or parents; public school labs are the only places on earth to still use computers made by "ABC"; Firefox is open source and Microsoft isn't perfect; online documents are easily shared; you are your own best teacher.

Stay curious. Peace.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Think of where you fit into this.

We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.

-taken from 'Fight Club'. Accept it.
Here's an example of what you could be writing about.

Essay questions (10 points each):

  • Describe how a business can use open-source software (Firefox, Open Office, Linux) to increase their productivity. What are the benefits to open-source alternatives? What are the benefits to Microsoft products?
  • How can a small-business utilize Google's services and products to increase their exposure and profits?
  • Explain the steps in creating a web site from scratch using a program like Dreamweaver from inception to getting the word out after publishing the site online.
DUE ON THE DAY OF THE FINAL USING GOOGLE DOCUMENTS. YOU MUST ADD ME AS A COLLABORATOR ( DAVID.FREER@GMAIL.COM )!

YOUR DOCUMENT MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING HEADING:
LAST NAME, FIRST NAME
Period Number #
FINAL ESSAY EXAM

First period is due on May 24th 2007 before 2:30 pm.
Third period and Fourth period is due on May 25th 2007 before 2:30 pm.

Your responses may range from a single paragraph to five paragraphs but you may not copy a single sentence from anyone else without giving them credit for their work! This is very important and you will absolutely receive no credit if you copy work from other people.

See me if you do not have a Google Document account.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

You may redo the assignments from yesterday. Many people did not even attempt them!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Future of advertising:

Three posts today for grades.

First read this article.

This is from the blog of the guys who wrote the book "Freakonomics".

Three questions:

  • What is 'product placement'?
  • How much does Martha Stewart charge to mention a product on the air?
  • Do you think her use of this is hurting her ratings?
  • What do you think of product placement?
Read this article about a new book search.

Questions:
  • What has changed with the book search?
  • Do you think people will still be reading books in 10 years? Why or why not?
  • How long do you currently read online per day (in hours)? How long do you currently read offline per day (in hours)?
First read this article and summarize what her advice is for the class of 2007.

Next, explain whether she is optimistic or pessimistic. How can you tell?

Thirdly you will write your OWN 300 word speech for current graduates. What advice do you have for current graduates?
Click here to go to a good site.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

First article summary on your blog (out of three).

Linux vs. Microsoft:
Visit this site: http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/
-According to this obviously biased site, when should people stick with Windows?
-Which are the three most compelling reasons to migrate to Linux, according to the web site ? Elaborate on each.
-Create a hyperlink to the above website on your blog. A hyperlink is able to be clicked and doesn't need to be copied and pasted into the address bar.
First read this article concerning the loss of history and digital archives.
-How does the situation today compare with what happened at the library of Alexandria?
-Give a summary of the article and your own feelings as to whether the American government should invest money in this project.

Write at least two paragraphs.
This will be a grade in the grade book.
There are a few aspects of this performance that are important to high school students. Read this:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963202.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&nid=2562

Friday, May 18, 2007

An astute student suggested printed out copies of the study guide!

So on Monday you will get a paper copy of the study guide.

It will be complete so you can study away from the computer.
Over the weekend read the following articles all the way through:

  1. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/pf/0705/gallery.credit_score/index.html is an article about credit scores.
  2. http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/18/news/economy/record_gas_retail_hit/index.htm?postversion=2007051807 an article about rising gasoline prices.
  3. http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=2007-05-18T110313Z_01_WEN8226_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-GENERALELECTRIC-DC.XML

    is an article about GE selling its plastics division to a foreign company.
  4. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN1627079220070518
    is an article about a new computer chip by AMD.
  5. http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=:ePkh8BM9E0KzgxVohwELPluMBB6t_Jx2-ebKL8mz7pxoDWE7DABzuBGM/2-0&fp=464db1ca70324c14&ei=15RNRqneKL2KtAH8mJHrAg&url=http%3A//www.reuters.com/article/TechnologyMediaTelecoms07/idUSL1872411020070518&cid=1116427049&sig2=nPbTGhjM0Lcp0aLY9s04Fw
    is an article about advertisements on cell phones.
Staying current is one of the most important things in business.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Day 4 Questions for Midterm:

  1. What are Internet cookies?
  2. What are packets?
  3. What route do packets take over the Internet?
  4. What is a 404 error on the web?
  5. What is 'e-commerce'?
  6. What is the difference between ebay and craigslist?
  7. What is SSL?
  8. What are the two major ways for home users to connect to the Internet via a high speed connection?
  9. What is a T-1 line?

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Essay questions (10 points each):
  • Describe how a business can use open-source software (Firefox, Open Office, Linux) to increase their productivity. What are the benefits to open-source alternatives? What are the benefits to Microsoft products?
  • How can a small-business utilize Google's services and products to increase their exposure and profits?
  • Explain the steps in creating a web site from scratch using a program like Dreamweaver from inception to getting the word out after publishing the site online.
DUE ON THE DAY OF THE FINAL USING GOOGLE DOCUMENTS.

YOUR DOCUMENT MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING HEADING:
LAST NAME, FIRST NAME
Period Number #
FINAL ESSAY EXAM

First period is due on May 24th 2007 before 2:30 pm.
Third period and Fourth period is due on May 25th 2007 before 2:30 pm.

Your responses may range from a single paragraph to five paragraphs but you may not copy a single sentence from anyone else without giving them credit for their work! This is very important and you will absolutely receive no credit if you copy work from other people.

See me if you do not have a Google Document account.

Monday, May 14, 2007

More FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS (not midterm as I said in yesterday's post):

# Who edits Wikipedia?
# What is Web 2.0?
# What is a social network?
# Which corporation owns Myspace.com?
# How do Digg.com and Reddit.com work?
# Why do people visit Monster.com?
# What does FTP stand for?
# What does HTTP mean?
# What is the file extension for Flash media that is available to see online?
# What is the file extension for Microsoft Word files?
# What is the file extension for Microsoft Excel files?
# What is the difference between Excel and Word?
# What is the file extension for Microsoft PowerPoint?
# How is Google Documents different from Microsoft Word and Excel?
# What is Linux?
# How does Linux differ from Microsoft Windows?
# What is Adwords?
# How would one profit from Adsense?
Today's questions for the midterm:

Day 1 Questions -

1. When were the following companies founded? (a) Google, (b) Microsoft, (c) Yahoo?
2. Who were the founders of each of those companies?
3. Last year (2006), what did the following companies make in revenue (a) Google, (b) Microsoft, (c) Yahoo?
4. What is .NET?
5. What is the Google Page Rank Algorithm? Basically, how are the placements of searches made?
6. Which company purchased Flickr.com?
7. Which company very recently purchased Chrysler?
8. What is the difference between a private equity company and a public corporation?
9. What is money coming in to a company? [Erase the incorrect answers.] (a) Accounts payable (b) Overhead (c) Wages (d) Revenue.
10. What is a share of stock?
11. What does Alcoa do? [Erase the incorrect answers.] (a) Mine diamonds (b) Make computers (c) Mine aluminum (d) Accounting.
12. What does the abbreviation GE stand for?
13. What does the CEO do in a company?
14. What does the CFO do in a company?
15. What is the NYSE? NASDAQ?
16. What does the board of directors do in a corporation?
17. What is an IPO?

PUT YOUR ANSWERS ON YOUR BLOG!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

You are going to create a web page using Dreamweaver and uploaded to the class server.
Year-end Retrospective/Online, Digital Portfolio


Links and explanations:
5 grades.

1. Link to your 3d warehouse. No need to comment since the models should be self-explanatory. You find your models by going to http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/
and log in. Click on "My models" and copy and paste the URL into your Dreamweaver.
2. Business information. http://finance.google.com and explain the process for finding out additional information about a public company. Do you find Google Finance easy to use?
3. Stock market game. Link to the site and evaluate your performance in the market with your fictional 100,000.
4. Link to your personal stumbleupon.com page and give your impressions of the Firefox add-on.
5. Link to mozilla.org: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ and give your impressions of Firefox. Which do you prefer Firefox or Internet Explorer (or indifferent)?
6. Link to the class message board: http://www.davidcfreer.com and give your impressions of the site.
7. Link to your start-up business web page that you created with the template from http://www.oswd.org and you uploaded to davidcfreer.com. This page is hosted at davidcfreer.com/~YourUserName. How realistic is your business idea?
8. Upload one of your Flash creations you made this year to davidcfreer.com/~YourName. Link to your creation on your page. (Extra credit if you embed the Flash in the HTML! It's not hard, just go to Insert->
9. Link to your class blog.
10. Link to the class blog: www.killianbusiness.blogspot.com


Pictures:
1 grade.

1. Find a picture of a server and put it on your page.
2. Find a picture of Killian Senior High.


Layout:
2 grades.

1. Are the links and explanations arranged logically and neat?
2. Is there appropriate color on the page? Is there a background?


Due Friday May 11th 2007
Here's my retrospective up to this point:
http://david.freer.googlepages.com/home
.

P.S. If you get a gmail account you can use pages.google.com instead of Dreamweaver.

Your passwords for the class server can be found here.

1. Start up Fire Ftp in Firefox.
2. Upload your Flash files to the server.
3. View them by going to user davidcfreer.com/~User/filename.swf
4. Post on web page using Dreamweaver.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Look how many times this has been viewed. Youtube.com so not visible at school.
There are many people who did not post their Sketch Up online or do the work when the substitute was here. You can still do this without penalty! Post this on your blog today!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Friday, May 04, 2007

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=12462578235233164229

Here is the assignment from Thursday when the sub was there:

Review two articles from http://money.cnn.com/. Article reviews must be at least 50 words long.

After you are done with this, finish your three designs using Sketch-Up. Upload your house and your other two creations with Sketch Up 6 by go to File-> 3-D Warehouse-> Share. From there pick a nickname and upload your work. Once your work is on the screen click on the link to the art and put the link on your blog.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Review two articles from http://money.cnn.com/. Article reviews must be at least 50 words long.

After you are done with this, finish your three designs using Sketch-Up. Upload your house and your other two creations with Sketch Up 6 by go to File-> 3-D Warehouse-> Share. From there pick a nickname and upload your work. Once your work is on the screen click on the link to the art and put the link on your blog.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

I wrote a bit about myself in a PowerPoint. You can read it here.

You can open it with Internet Explorer, Firefox is going to ask you to save it.
The future can seem scary!
Finish your home and design two other things of your choice! Put them online by going to File -> 3-D Warehouse -> Share.
After the tutorial...

I installed Google Sketchup 6 on the computers in the lab in room 319. Today you are going to finish your house and design two other models which you will place online in the 3-d warehouse. Once your work is online you are to put a link to it on your blog.