Mary Ditson's HUC

Welcome!

Hello, Wonderful SEHS Computer Class Students (and Parents)!!

I'm glad that you each found your way to Room 9, and constantly amazed by the many exciting learning endeavors taking place in this room.

As you know, I am the only computer teacher at South, so I am committed to making it possible for South students to:

• Choose from a large number of computer courses.
• Have the freedom to take anything during any of the periods I teach (3, 4, and 5).
• Pursue ANY computer-learning topic of interest.
• Drive their own learning, if/when it seems that it will take them furthest, fastest.
• Get college credit, for free, and without extra work.
• Gain skills that help in the work of being a student.
• Gain skills that make students more employable.

Download DitsonComputerCourses1011 - Click this link to download/open a two-pager which describes ALL the courses that I offer.

Here links to each course, where you will find each course's syllabus and other helpful information:

• Keyboarding
• Computer-Based Study Strategies (CBSS)
• Computer Fundamentals
• Computer Applications: Word for Business
• Computer Applications: PowerPoint for Business
• Computer Applications: Excel for Business
• Advanced Web Design
• Advanced Computer Topics (ACT) - includes MANY topics, including these additional courses:

- Software Tools: Game Development
- Software Tools: Introduction to Second Life
- AutoCAD

Here are some other topics that may be of interest to you:

• General information about computer courses at South:

> College Credit
> Half-term courses
> Weekly expectations
> Online course management
......and how to see the FEEDBACK I leave for you!   
> Homework
> How to see your GRADES
......quick link to BASMATI (Note: If you're on a school computer, you must be authenticated to the Internet and on a site that starts with http:, not https: FIRST, before you can get onto Basmati!)

• IT CAM - Career-Aligned Mastery Program in Information Technology; an alternative to the Senior Project requirement

• southTECH

Any questions, never hesitate to ask!! I am always available via email >> ditson@4j.lane.edu

My motto: ENJOY EVERYTHING!

Mary Ditson
Computer Teacher
South Eugene High School

Keyboarding

HERE IS THE KEYBOARDING SYLLABUS: Download Syllabus_Keyboarding_Ditson_1011

HERE IS THE KEYBOARDING CHECKLIST that students use to know what to do: Download Keyboarding_Checklist

The Keyboarding course is not something I expected to be teaching, at the high school level, when I took this job 11 years ago... but it serves a great and real purpose in our curriculum, and I love it! I love that I can offer a learning experience in which the gains are so palpable, and the benefits are so clear. When Keyboarding students write a final reflective essay, they nearly always express great appreciation for the opportunity of improving this extremely useful, important skill!

I have been thrilled with the software I was able to find, MicroType, because it follows all the principles of development that I know from studying brain research, and teaching various musical instruments. The software presents just the right amount of practice and repetition to "carve neural pathways," i.e. improve typing skills.

Through grants, school, and administrative support, I was able to procure a network version of MicroType 5 which JUST was able to be set up and used by Keyboarding students. This has made my job -- of tracking and analyzing the report scores -- much, much easier. Yay!

Computer-Based Study Strategies (CBSS)

HERE IS THE CBSS SYLLABUS: Download Syllabus_CBSS_Ditson_1011

Computer-Based Study Strategies (CBSS, for short) were developed at the University of Oregon, Center for Electronic Studying, through a period of about 10 years, with the support of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, as they were proven to help students with Learning Disabilities to achieve increased academic success, to stay in school, and to have the courage and ability to move further in their education than they otherwise would have.

Before serving as South's technology teacher, Mary Ditson worked for the UO, CES and CATE (Center for Advanced Technology in Education), developing, researching, teaching, and sharing CBSS, primarily as Professional Development opportunities for Special Ed. teachers throughout the U.S. Many publications resulted. When Ms. Ditson left the Center to teach at South, she was hired to developed an online course on CBSS which became a national model for providing online learning environments suitable for students with Learning Disabilities. It is this course which she now offers, here at South.

Computer Fundamentals

HERE IS THE SYLLABUS FOR COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS: Download Syllabus_CF_Ditson_1011

Computer Fundamentals is a fantastic little course! In just 9 weeks, a student can acquire a working knowledge of how computers work, how the Internet works, the Windows operating system, word processing software (Microsoft Word 2007), spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel 2007), and presentation software (Microsoft PowerPoint 2007). What a deal!!

The course material is exactly the same as that taught in CIS 101 at Lane Community College (Ms. Ditson teaches this course there, as well), except without the lectures (lectures and PowerPoint presentations for each lesson are provided, should students want/need them).

The course is delivered via the Moodle at LCC; all work takes place online. It's sweet and efficient.

Computer Applications: Word for Business

HERE IS THE SYLLABUS FOR THE WORD COURSE: Download Syllabus_Word_Ditson_1011

Who can be a great student without knowing their way around Word?? This course takes students through the basics and the not-so-basics, and is worth three college credits (Business) ta boot! All in 9 weeks.

Computer Applications: PowerPoint for Business

HERE IS THE POWERPOINT SYLLABUS: Download Syllabus_PPT_Ditson_1011

Who can be a great student without knowing their way around PowerPoint?? This course takes students through the basics and the not-so-basics, and is worth three college credits (Business) ta boot! All in 9 weeks.

Computer Applications: Excel for Business

HERE IS THE SYLLABUS FOR EXCEL: Download Syllabus_Excel_Ditson_1011

How can a person live without Excel? It may not come up very often at school, but anyone trying to run a home, a project, or (especially) a business can really benefit from letting Excel help with the "figuring."

This is a great 9-week chance to learn a whole lot about this fabulous program, and get 4 college credits (business) besides!

Advanced Web Design

HERE IS THE SYLLABUS FOR ADVANCED WEB DESIGN: Download Syllabus_AWD_Ditson_1011

Advanced Web Design has been a course offering since before my time (i.e. more than 11 years), and it necessitates CONSTANT change and re-evaluation of the curriculum, due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet. I believe I'm on my 4th or 5th iteration of this course!

Nevertheless, it continues to seem worthwhile to offer a course in web design at South, since these are skills of great practical use. The course I offer is articulated with "Introduction to Web Design" at LCC, for two Art credits. It goes further, and takes longer, than the course at Lane.

I require all of my IT CAM candidates to take this course, because I want them to have the skills needed to do client work, and like for them to have done some real work (real clients, real deadlines, real money) as part of their high school experience.

Advanced Computer Topics (ACT)

HERE IS THE SYLLABUS FOR ACT: Download Syllabus_ACT_Ditson_1011

Advanced Computer Topics (ACT) is my most popular course, at South. I've been told, by some students, that it motivates them to come to school! It's also my personal favorite. This is due to my own educational philosophy and background. I believe that people learn best when they have the opportunity, and support, to pursue topics that really interest, maybe even thrill, them. I notice that students who find their way to ACT are going through high school because it's time for them to do that, but what they really love, and will probably choose for a career, is computers.

My way of responding to these ideas is to provide a "choose your own adventure" course, and to do my best to make it clear that the students are in the driver's seat. On the syllabus, you will see SOME of the topics students have pursued, but there are many, many more. On the Internet, there is a glorious outpouring of learning aids for almost any topic, as geeks love to share! There are also tons of books, which are almost never useful for long... Also, I subscribe to lynda.com, which is an amazing resource for learning software and various topics, with video tutorials and workshops taught by those on the cutting edge of this field.

In order to provide maximum learning time, and minimum time spent in "accountability" activities -- I simply require the student to create really clear, specific goals, and then to write a weekly BLOG (you can see it at http://maryditson.typepad.com/act) describing the week's learning adventure. At the midterm and end of the term, everyone shares with everyone else, and it's nothing less than INCREDIBLE what they have accomplished! Also, they write reflective papers about their journey, which I always keep because they are wonderful, and so much fresher and more valuable than if I tried to prescribe a "curriculum"!

There are courses which come and go, and I use the ACT container to offer them. On the syllabus, you will see that there is a course in Game Development, available for Computer Science credit, as well as a course in Second Life. At times, we get access to a lovely course in AutoCAD.

College credit

Ms. Ditson offers all 10 separate computer courses every period that she teaches – Keyboarding, Computer-Based Study Strategies, Computer Fundamentals*, Word*, PowerPoint*, Excel*, Beginning Game Development*, AutoCAD, Advanced Web Design*, and Advanced Computer Topics (in which any/every learning goal is possible).

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are those for which Ms. Ditson has an articulation agreement with Lane Community College, through the College Now program. When students enroll in these courses at South, Ms. Ditson also sees that they are enrolled at Lane, and registered for the college version of the course. If they achieve an A or B in the course, she submits that grade for them at LCC, as well, and they receive college credit (varying amounts, in different departments, depending on the course), and a transcript. The credit is “good” at almost every college/university in the U.S.

Online course management

Because students are working on 10 different courses, each with their own set of requirements (and in alignment with LCC, if they are College Now courses), course delivery is achieved primarily through online lessons, and students submit their work online, as well. (The goal is to use as little paper as possible.)

Currently, most of my courses require students to login to BLACKBOARD -- http://blackboard.lane.k12.or.us with their 4j username and password) to take their course -- assignments are delivered and received there.

Some courses are available through Lane's MOODLE -- http://classes.lanecc.edu -- students login with their L-number and PIN. As with Blackboard -- all course activities -- lessons, quizzes, submissions, etc. -- take place online.

FEEDBACK -- Since there are no longer paper assignments on which to write feedback (aka "Love Notes"), I make comments on your work online. Please look at them!!

For BLACKBOARD -- click "Course Tools" (link on left) and then "My Grades"

For MOODLE -- Click "Grades" (link on left)