There will be a Temperature Taking Exercise on 7 January 2015 (Wednesday). The objective of the temperature-measurement exercise is to remind our students of the need to exercise social responsibility and personal hygiene, and to be prepared against threats posed by diseases such as Influenza A virus.
Students are reminded to bring their personal Oral Digital Thermometer (ODT) on 7 January 2015. To ensure that smooth running of the exercise, all students are to ensure that their ODTs in good working and clean condition. Students who do not have a working ODT may purchase one at the school bookshop at $5.00 each. Please make your purchase before 7 January 2015. Disciplinary actions will be taken for students who did not bring their thermometer on that day.
Note: This announcement was made in several platforms: The S1 registration website, S1 registration, Letter to parents (emailed on 29 Dec) and at the G+ Community.
For Parents of Y2015 S1 students:
If you have not signed up for the Digital Citizenship Programme on 3 January 2015 (Saturday), you are strongly encouraged to sign up this session by 31 December 2014.
Mindmaps enable us to link and present relationships of ideas in a diagrammatic way. There are several online mindmapping platforms, and many allow us to collaborate with others online.
Some of these online mindmapping platforms also allow us to insert images, video clips and hyperlinks to relevant websites. Mindmeister and Popplet are examples of such online apps.
Mindmeister Activity
Create a MindMeister account using your SST account, which is essentially a Google account.
Go to https://www.mindmeister.com/ and click on the Sign in button on the top right hand corner.
In the pop-up, choose more -> Google Apps
Key in "s2015.sst.edu.sg" and click "Sign in".
You are ready for your first mindmeister mindmap! Check out the videos on this site for tutorials to get started with MindMeister.
Mindmeister Task
Generate a to-do list for the first day of school in Google Doc.
Convert the list to a mindmap using the Mindmeister Google Doc add-on. Watch the following video for the how-tos.
Create the account using your FULL name and school email account.
2. Identify one Maths topic you learnt in primary school (e.g. Decimals, Fractions, Model Drawing). Create a mindmap to present what you understand about these topics. It should include
Vocabulary, the list of words related to the topic
Formulas that are related to the topic
Properties, if applicable (e.g. Geometry)
Real world applications that you can think of
The mindmap should include text, hyperlinks to relevant websites and images.
Here's an example (incomplete):
3. Click at the "Share" button to display the various options of display.
4. Select the HTML code under "embed it" and copy it.
5. Login to your blog. Create a new post entitled, "Mindmap of .... (topic)".
Switch the posting mode to "HTML" and paste the HTML codes there.
The Class Blogs are set-up and you will be receiving an invitation to be the author of the Blog, via the sst.edu.sg account.
To facilitate smooth operations (e.g. posting and opening files shared via the school account), please accept the invitation with the official SST account. Do not accept it using your personal account.
Meanwhile, we are in the midst of tidying up the URL of the class blog. We will keep you posted when if there's any changes.
Meanwhile, you may access the class blog via the following link (accessible from the left panel).
ONLINE PLATFORMS | TIMETABLE (READY FROM 30 DEC 2014)
In this session, we are going to explore the use of online stickies. Two commonly used platforms are Padlet (http://padlet.com/) and Linoit (http://en.linoit.com/).
ACTIVITY 1: GENERATING IDEAS WITH PADLET
1. Login to Padlet and fill up the information as shown below
Enter the title "Digital Citizenship"
Add the description: Let's put down, in each sticky, word/ phrases that crosses your mind when we talk about "Digital Citizenship"
Choose an image as your portrait icon. Alternatively, you may upload your own image.
2. To post on the wall, place the mouse pointer at the space and double click. A sticky will appear. You may start posting your thoughts. Generate as many as you could and attempt to organise them into broad categories (as shown).
3. Click at "Share" (on the right) and copy the HTML codes under "EMBED".
4. Login to your blog. Create a new post entitled "Digital Citizenship - Random Thoughts" Switch the posting mode to "HTML" and paste the HTML codes there.
5. Switch back to "Compose" mode and the blog post should look like this:
ACTIVITY 2: ORGANISING THOUGHTS WITH LINOIT
1. Login to Linoit and "Create New Canvas":
2. In the new canvas,
Enter the name "Good "Digital" Practices"
For "Access to Canvas", choose "Show stickies to everyone"
You may change the background colour.
Click at "Create a Canvas" so that the canvas will be saved
3. Post each idea that cross your mind in a sticky. You may choose stickies of different colours to categorise your thoughts.
4. To copy the HTML codes, click at "i" to display the different options display options.
Copy the HTML codes in the third box, "Embed Lino".
5. Login to your blog. Create a new post entitled "Good "Digital" Practices"
Switch the posting mode to "HTML" and paste the HTML codes there.
6. Switch back to "Compose" mode and the blog post should look like this:
As part of the school tradition every year, we would like to remind and appeal to all students and staff of SST to contribute non-perishable food items as part of our Donation Drive in 2015. The beneficiaries of the food donation drive will be elderly beneficiaries to commemorate SG50.
Please bring along the items on 1st Day of school,2 January 2015 (Friday).
Suggested list of food items (non-perishable)
White/Brown rice (5kg/2.5 kg)
Milo (tin/packet)
Condensed/Evaporated milk (canned)
Cereals (tin/packet)
Soy Sauce (1 litre/1.5 litre)
Cooking oil (1 litre/1.5 litre)
Salt/Sugar (small packets)
Biscuits (tin/ packet)
Canned food (halal / non-halal)
Dried Noodles/ Bee Hoon (packet)
Medicated Oil e.g Yu Yee Oil, Axe Brand, Feng Yu
Note: All food items must have an expiry date of no less than 6 months, and must not be damaged in any way/ opened.
We look forward to your keen participation in the Donation Drive in the new year and bring a positive New Year cheer to the community around us.
Thank you. From: Youth Service Programme Committee Mr Dennis Lam, Mr Seth Tan & Ms Adele Lim
Please be informed that you will be issued with a new Secondary level School Smart Cards (SSC) in due course.
While waiting for your Secondary level SSC to be ready, you may continue to use your Primary level SSC for concessionary travel till end April 2015. You can still purchase the Bus Concession Pass (BCP) using your Primary level SSC but you would need to purchase the BCP for Secondary School students.
For further clarification or assistance, you may contact SST General Office on Tel: 65717200. Thank you.
Each of you will design a survey with at least 3 questions and at most 10 questions. The questions must revolve around a general theme or hypothesis, eg, Study habits of 2015 Sec 1 SST students, Food that we love etc .
Create a Google Form and get at least twenty five Sec 1 Students (2015) to respond. Store the responses in a separate spreadsheet with the same name as the form.
Generate a report of the findings in a one-page Google Doc. The Doc must have at least a few charts and a concluding paragraph. Embed the Google Doc as a post in your blog.
For those who did, welcome back! It is encouraging to see the number of submissions in this period of the year. I understand that many may be going overseas for a holiday and might not be able to keep to the schedule spelt out in the overview post. Do try to catch up the missed sessions before school reopens.
Today, we will touch on the SST account, which is a Google Apps account which allows you access to a wide range of online services.
introduction to google apps
Essentially, your SST account gives you access to services shown below:
Among these apps, Google Drive is the home for Docs, Sheets, Slides and more. Watch the video below to get a better understanding on Google Drive
Activity 1 - Getting started with google drive
For resources on Google Drive, a good site to start with is http://learn.googleapps.com/drive
Use the interactive tour to understand and get use to the interface. （Recommended time - 5 mins)
Then read and following the instructions on the "Get started with Google Drive" guide. (Recommended time - at least 15 mins) After reading the guide, you should be able to :
Set up Google Drive
Organize, find, and share files
Open and preview files
Depending on how fast and detailed you are, this "Getting Started" guide will take you from 10 minutes to 40 minutes, with hands-on.
With basic familiarity, complete DriveTask 1:
Create a folder named sst-your_full_name in this Drive folder shared to you. An example is shown below, with the folder sst-ang_ngee_keng.
Create a new google doc named About myself and my learning style.gdoc in the folder created in step 1. (Google Drive does not mind the spaces in the filename. :-)) You may use this gdoc as a template. Figure out how to copy the file and move it to the folder created in step 1. Go ahead, Google for instructions on how to do it.
Replace and insert at least 2 original images to About myself and my learning style.gdoc.
ACTIVITY 2 - introducing the members of google drive
You had a brief encounter with Google Doc and Google Spreadsheet. Now let's introduce all members formally:
Docs
Google Docs is an online word processor that lets you create and format text documents and collaborate with other people in real time. Here's what you can do with Google Docs:
Upload a Word document and convert it to a Google document
Add flair and formatting to your documents by adjusting margins, spacing, fonts, and colors — all that fun stuff
Invite other people to collaborate on a document with you, giving them edit, comment or view access
Collaborate online in real time and chat with other collaborators — right from inside the document
View your document's revision history and roll back to any previous version
Download a Google document to your desktop as a Word, OpenOffice, RTF, PDF, HTML or zip file
Translate a document to a different language
Email your documents to other people as attachments
Sheets
Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet app that lets you create and format spreadsheets and simultaneously work with other people. Here's what you can do with Google Sheets:
Import and convert Excel, .csv, .txt and .ods formatted data to a Google spreadsheet
Export Excel, .csv, .txt and .ods formatted data, as well as PDF and HTML files
Use formula editing to perform calculations on your data, and use formatting make it look the way you'd like
Chat in real time with others who are editing your spreadsheet
Create charts with your data
Embed a spreadsheet — or individual sheets of your spreadsheet — on your blog or website
Slides
Google Slides is an online presentations app that allows you to show off your work in a visual way. Here's what you can do with Google Slides:
Create and edit presentations
Edit a presentation with friends or coworkers, and share it with others effortlessly
Import .pptx and .pps files and convert them to Google presentations
Download your presentations as a PDF, a PPT, or a .txt file
Insert images and videos into your presentation
Publish and embed your presentations in a website
Forms
Create a Google form
Add and edit questions, headers, and page breaks
Add a theme to a form
Control your form's page-to-page navigation
Share your form with collaborators
Send your form to respondents
Choose a form response destination
View and manage form responses
Edit form responses after submitting
Deleting a form or form responses
Pre-populate form answers
Additional forms options for Google Apps users
Use the Google Apps Document and Support site for learning resources on Google Apps. Specifically, learn the basics of Docs, Slides and Spreadsheet by following these links:
Insert a new slide. Add your name prominently using the text box feature.
Insert a non-copyrighted image as background. Theme of slide is "Season's Greetings!".
Add a comment to another slide created by someone else. Rules - No trolling nor spamming! Watch what you say online, and be nice!
Add other design elements on your slide using any feature of Google slide.
Bonus: Embed your slide in your blog created in Session 1, like how I did it below:
That's all for Session 2.
Next up: 2015 Pre-School Engagement Programme - Session 3
Title: My SST Account, Introduction to Google Apps (Part 2) More on Sheets and forms in the next session!
Welcome to SST's big family! Greetings from Mr Dean Ang, HOD ICT. I will be your online guide with 5 online sessions of learning.
If you are a Sec 1 student (2015) reading this blog post, chances are you have already received your SST account and waiting for your new learning device, the Macbook, to start an exciting learning journey in a few weeks time.
Believe me, you need not wait till 2015 for the learning to begin, nor will the learning terminate four years later when you leave SST.
Most of you will have an Internet connected computer at home, let the learning begin as soon as today! Since not everyone has received his or her learning device (MacBook), I shall focus on cross platforms web-based applications accessible within a browser of an Internet connected desktop computer.
Blogger Activities
In SST, blogs are commonly used communication platforms. The Students Blog is where information is disseminated to the student community (announcements). Every class has a class blog where class activities and daily homework are posted there keep all (students and parents) informed of the happenings at the class level. Similarly, some subjects run activities via the subject blogs too.
You will be required to participate in blog activities quite regularly, as someone to comment on blog post, or as a co-author. It is therefore important for all to be familiar with the features of the blog.
To access to the blog,
Log in to your SST (Google) account
Click on the Apps launcher, click "More" to display the dropdown menu.
Select "Blogger"
ACTIVITY 1
1. You will be prompted to login again. The following will be displayed.
Choose "Blogger Profile" (on the right) to create a limited Blogger profile.
2. Enter your FULL Name in when prompted to update the Blogger profil.
3. Next, you are ready to create your first blog.
Click at "New Blog" (on the left) to begin
4. For the first blog, give the blog title, "My SST Journey begins here".
Create your own blog address. You are encouraged to name it with "sst-" before your full name (e.g. sst-chuawaitan.blogspot.com).
Choose a template before clicking at "Create blog!" at the bottom right.
5. You are now ready to blog. You will be "brought" to the dashboard where your blog is.
Click at "New Blog" to start blogging.
6. Submit your blog URL in the form below.
Click HERE to view the list of blogs submitted to-date.
ACTIVITY 2
1. In your first blog post, you are going to do an introduction about about yourself.
Who are your target audience: Your Form Teacher and Classmates
Blog title: About me (I)
Insert image of an object that you would like your peers to associate you.
Give a brief introduction about yourself. It should include...
Your name, how you would like your peers to address you
What are some things you like to do (i.e. your hobbies)?
e.g. Are there some sports you enjoy doing?
e.g. What are your favourite pastimes?
Your personality and behaviour that you would like your peers to take note of
e.g. Do you enjoy talking to people?
Do you tend to quickly get into action?
2. Make an attempt to change the size, font and colour of the text and even highlight some key words that you would like to draw others' attention to.
ACTIVITY 3
Embedding a Video Clip (from YouTube) into the blog
Similarly, we can embed video clips into the blog so that we can watch it together with the accompanied text.
1. Create a new post entitled "A video clip that caught my attention".
3. Underneath the video clip, click at "Share" followed by the "Embed" button.
4. The HTML code will be displayed. Copy the HTML code.
5. Return to the blog post, switch to the "HTML" mode and paste the code in the space.
It should look like this:
6. Switch back to "Compose" mode and the post should look like this:
7. In the same post, add the following:
Title of the video clip
Briefly what is the content of the video clip
In 3 bullet points, describe briefly what you have learnt from this video clip?
That's it for Session 1.
Next up: 2015 Pre-School Engagement Programme - Session 2
Title: My SST Account, Introduction to Google Apps (Part 1) Here's a little video from Google that shows some of the things your SST account can do.
Docs
Sheets
Slides
Forms
