Task : Tools for Schools :)

Evernote
Evernote is a web service and software application that allows users to collect notes and information. It supports touch and tablet screens with Handwriting recognition.

Evernote competes with Microsoft OneNote. One note is a computer software package for free-form information gathering, and multi-user collaboration. While OneNote is most commonly used on Laptop or desktop PCs, it has additional features for use on pen-enabled Tablet PCs, in environments where pen, audio or video notes are more appropriate than an intensive use of keyboards.

Flowchart Symbols and Logic

1. What is a flowchart?

The flowchart is a means of visually presenting the flow of data through an information processing systems, the operations performed within the system and the sequence in which they are performed.

1. Describe the basic flowchart symbols for;

· Start or end of the program- The symbols for the beginging and the end of a flow chart are a circular square.

· Computational steps or processing function of a program- A solid rectangle.

· Input or output operation- A rhombus

· Decision making and branching- a kite.

· Flow line-

are arrows pointing in the intended direction.

3. With the decision making symbol (diamond) and the process symbol (rectangle), what are the rules for how many lines may enter and leave the symbol.

Only one flow line should come out from a process symbol.Only one flow line should enter a decision symbol, but two or three flow lines, one for each possible answer, should leave the decision symbol.

Selection and repition

Describe in plain english the algorithm for:



1. Moving through a set of traffic lights



a) Approach the set of lights.

b) If red then come to a hault, If green proceed with caution.



2. Deciding to take an umbrella to school



a) have a look outside on how the weather is looking.

b) Have a look at the forecast.

c)If raining or forecast to rain then back umbrella, if not then dont put it in.



3. Giving a student an A,B, or C on a test



a) look at the students progress throughout the whole course.

b) have a look at the way in which they performed in the exam/ quiz

c) award the mark.



Using repetition describe an algorithm for the following;



1. Adding the correct amount of cordial to water to make a drink.



a) get a glass, the cordial and some water.

b) open the cordial and pour some in.

c)add water

d) taste it and decide whether or not to add more cordial.

e) if you want it to be stronger then go onto the repeat step b&c

2. Filling a bucket of water

a) get the bucket
b) turn on the tap
c) fill the bucket to the amount needed
d) if needed repeat steps b&c

3. Blowing up a balloon

a) stretch the mouth piece of the balloon
b) blow the balloon to deired amount
c) if needed repeat step b

What is an Algorithm

1. Examine the algorithm above, what properties of it enable it to correctly describe the solution to making a cup of coffee?
*hot water and coffee
2. Define the algorithm for the following process:

Posting a letter;
a) write the letter.
b) get an envelope and write the address and the persons/ companys name on it.
c) put a stamp on it.
d) put it in the big red post box to be delivered to the person.

Making toast;
a) choose the type of bread you want to use.
b) put your bread into the slots in the toaster.
c) push down the plunger.
d) when the toast pops up remove it from the toaster.

Calling a friend on the phone;
a) get the phone that you are going to call the person off.
b) dial the number.
c) press the green button to initate the call.
d) press the red button to hang up.


:)

Computing Anywhere Anytime

1. http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=13702What is meant by a net book? What is the “cloud” in cloud computing.
The term net book is meant by, that net books is a small portable computing device, which is very similar to a notebook, and is great for surfing the Web and checking e-mail. the differentiates a net book from a notebook is its physical size and the computing power. The term cloud computing is, running applications in or from network servers. Computing "in the cloud" may refer to a company's own network, but often refers to the Internet and the use of Web browser-based or rich client applications. It implies a trend toward thin client computing, which was embodied in the "network computer" of the late 1990s. An example of cloud computing would be: -*Google Apps provides common business applications online that are accessed from a Web browser. The software comes from the Web servers, and the data may be stored on the servers as well.

2. http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.htmlWhat applications does Google docs offer online?Why would you want your documents stored in the “cloud” (online)?
Google docs offer online, accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc. So go ahead and upload your existing files.I would wont to keep my documents stored in the "cloud" because we can publish our documents online with just one click, we can make them look like normal web pages, without having to learn anything new which maybe more harder for other people to learn.

3. http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour5.htmlWhat advantages do students and teachers find in Google docs?
The advantages that students have is that they use it to post to there blogs on to google docs, do writing assignments, type notes for reading assignments and many other things.The teachers advantages is that they have been sick and tied of sitting threw many power points and boring the students they have decided to upload each of the online safety power points to a google account and then the class joined the presentation.

Internet Addresses

1. What is a URL?
Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator, the global Address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web.

2. What is an IP address and how is it related to a URL?
The first part of the address is called a protocol identifier and it indicates what protocol to use, and the second part is called a resource name and it specifies the IP Address or the domain name where the resource is located. The protocol identifier and the resource name are separated by a colon and two forward slashes. For example, the two URLs below point to two different files at the domain pcwebopedia.com. The first specifies an executable file that should be fetched using the FTP protocol; the second specifies a Web page that should be fetched using the HTTP protocol:*ftp://www.pcwebopedia.com/stuff.exe *http://www.pcwebopedia.com/index.html

3.Given our school website's URL is http://http://www.mcauley.nsw.edu.au/, what is our domain name and what protocol do you need to use to access the site?
* domain: - mcauley.nsw.edu.au
* protocol: - http://

4. In the context of an IP address, what is an octect?
In computing, an octet is a grouping of eight bits.


Broadband Speedtest

For a bit of fun determine the speed of our internet connection using the site below. Start by testing the connection speed to the Sydney location then select a different location from the map (drag the map to find a location).http://www.speedtest.net/1.What is meant by upload and download speeds?
*Download Speed: -The speed at which data is sent from the Internet to your computer.
*Upload Speed: -The speed at which data is sent from your computer to the Internet.

2.What are the units used to measure download speeds?
We use kb for kilobit and KB for kilobyte throughout the site. So unless you see it in upper case, then it means kilobits. You can change it to other measurements in the settings panel found at the top left of every page. Everything on Speedtest.net (including result images) will utilize the setting you choose.

3.Why do different locations offer different download speeds?
Hint: “bottleneck”Speedtest.net itself experiences over twenty million tests every month providing unparalleled global broadband statistics. At no cost, anyone can use our World Results section to browse top bandwidth speed by country, or narrow down statistics to very specific locations.

IP Addresses

1.What is an octet?

They are used to create classes of IP addresses that can be assigned to a particular place based on size and need. The octets are split into two sections: Net and Host. The Net section always contains the first octet. It is used to identify the network that a computer belongs to. Host (sometimes referred to as Node) identifies the actual computer on the network. The Host section always contains the last octet.
2.What class of IP address are we using?
?

Some Key terms - The Internet and Web Design

Define the term – Protocol
Rules determining the format and transmission of data

What are the following protocols used for?

TCP/IP- Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol
http- hypertext transfer protocol
smtp- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
FTP- file transfer protocol

A) What does GUI stand for? graphical user interface

b) What was used before GUI? Text was used before GUI

There are two methods of data transmission –

Serial - A form of data transmission in which the bits of each character are sent one at a time along a single communication path

Parallel- A form of data transmission in which the bits of each character are all sent simultaneously, resulting in extremely fast communication
Define the term “URL”. Explain the components that make up the url.
Uniform Resource Locator: an address of a web page, ftp site, audio stream or other Internet resource, e.g. http://en.wiktionary.org/.

6. In the context of data transmission, what is “error detection”?
Error detection is the ability to detect the presence of errors caused by noise or other impairments during transmission from the transmitter to the receiver

7.Name and explain one common method of error detection.
Automatic repeat-request (ARQ): The transmitter sends the data and also an error detection code, which the receiver uses to check for errors, and requests retransmission of erroneous data. In many cases, the request is implicit; the receiver sends an acknowledgement (ACK) of correctly received data, and the transmitter re-sends anything not acknowledged within a reasonable period of time

What is HTML and explain why it is important
HTML, an acronym for HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to describe the structure of text-based information in a document

Data Types

Querying A Database

What sort of information has the query selected?
The information that has been collected by the query is all my "contacts" that had the postcode 2145, was collected.

What sort of information has this second query selected?
The second query colled all postcode that were within my table with 2146, and highlited them to make it easier to see

The information collected within a query helps to enable the person who is updating/ maintaining the database, to be able to use a small amount of information to be able to locate all the persons within this criteria.

Database Definitions

Provide a basic definition for each of the following terms;

Field: somewhere (away from a studio or office or library or laboratory) where practical work is done or data is collected

Record: anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

File: a set of related records (either written or electronic) kept together

Query: Inquiries that are performed about transactions, databases, or other records

Database: A database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. The structure is achieved by organizing the data according to a database model.

Report: a written document describing the findings of some individual or group

DMBS:database management system: a software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and use of an electronic database.

Database dictionary:A database that contains definitions of all data items defined during analysis.

Data type: a classification or category of various types of data, that states the possible values that can be taken, how they are stored, and what range of operations are allowed on them

Database Activity: The Yellow Pages

What is a database?

A database is a structured collection of records or data. A computer database relies upon software to organize the storage of data. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database

Examples of Databases

An example of a data base is:

* www.google.com.au

* www.yellowpages.com.au

* www.yahoo.com

Yellow Pages Challenges

1. I know there is a computer shop in the main street of Katoomba (Katoomba St.), but I don’t know its name. See if you can find the number for me.

Blue mountains business machines

99 KatoombaSt

Katoomba

NSW,

2780

Australia

ph: 02 4782 2333

1. Sally lives in Merrylands on Fowler Rd. and she wants to know the closest florist to where she lives. Help her out (see if you can get her a map).

M& A fresh cut flowers

91a Fowler Rd

Merrylands NSW

2160

ph: (02) 9892 1564

3. You want the phone numbers of some motels in Noosa QLD. But of course your phone book only has NSW numbers?

6 Hastings St Noosa Heads QLD 4567ph: (07) 5447 3077

4. Just for fun try the white pages and see if you can find a map of you or your friends house.\

Welcome

Heyy all and welcome to the beginging of my 2009 bloggs!!!!! This is the first of many IT posts!!!!


stay tuned

Jess