Data+Base+Unit

Electronic Data bases are amazing ways to store information, especially if you can quickly look through them. In the past several years data bases have become very user friendly.

Over the next week or so we will study and use all kinds of data bases. We will visit where data bases are stored and learn what it takes to be a database manager. We will also gather data for the 2011 MEHS Student Summer directory, and print and sell it.

At the end of our unit on data bases, we will access a data base of hidden objects. These objects are hidden all over the world and you can find them by zip code. By the use of a hand held GPS units we will find some of these objects that are hidden around Sitka. We will also use these devices to hide our own objects and play hide and seek between class teams. Your final exam for this class is

Day 1: Today we will get started by going to the Computer 2 data folder find the Data base folder and open the Data base Handout #1 document. Open the document in MS word and fill it out. When you are done save it with your name on it and put it in the drop box in the Data base folder.

Day 2: Today we are going to look at the mother of all United States Government data bases: http://www.census.gov/ Every 10 years the government researches the demographics of the nation to determine how many people live here now? Where do they live within our borders? These numbers tell us how demographics are changing as time goes by. There are many interesting facts to be gathered and studied after each 10 year census. Go into the Computer 2 data folder and Complete the handout in the US Census folder in the data base unit folder. When you have completed it, save it in the US Census drop box. Enjoy the research and find something to share that you didn't know before!

If you finish this assignment look at this website that collects data about our world: http://www.worldometers.info/

Day 3: Finish your assignments from Day 1 & 2. (some of you are not done, check your on-line grades.) Amazon.com is an amazing data base of used and new items for sale. One of the best features is that some items qualify your whole order to be free shipping! Today we will be working on a wish list on Amazon.com. You will open a www.amazon.com account, if you don't have already have one. You will probably want to connect your Amazon.com account to an email address besides your mehs.us, if you can.You will be shopping for items that you need/want to begin next school year in September. Save these items in a "wish list." The items you put in your wish list do not have to be expensive, but this is to be a real list that you can refer to in August to order exactly what you want. I will need to see your wish list to give you a grade. A+ = 20 items on your wish list. It goes down hill from there. You can make your wish list public or private. You will want to access this list in August to actually purchase these items.

Note: If you finish this, prepare for tomorrow's guest speaker by writing questions to ask this Database Manager.

We will work on our 2011 MEHS Summer Student Directory. 1. Design an excel spreadsheet that will handle all of our data by grade 2. Design a survey form for students to fill out that will give us their Summer contact information. 3. Copy the forms to be distributed. 4. Distribute the forms to classrooms. 5. Collect the forms. 6. Divide the forms by grade enter the data into excel 7. compile the data into small booklet pages 8. Print booklets 9. Sell booklets!

Beginning GPS use: We will have a Database Manager guest speaker talking to us about all the complex parts of managing a data base. We will be taking notes and asking questions on paper and then after the guest speaker has left each person will enter their gathered information into a MS word document and put them into our Database guest speaker drop box. Our next activity is to learn about how GPS navigation systems work. Visit this website and learn more about GPS by reading the web pages at National Air and Space Museum. While looking at the pages of this website write down 2 facts from each of the 8 pages. Watch the video at this link: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/nasa/2191-how-gps-works-video.htm

Did you know you have been building and preparing to publish a database in computer 2 class for the past couple of days? Yes, the Summer 2011 MEHS Student Directory is an example of a database. Our database started out electronic and when complete we will make several hard copies of it. The Electronic portion of our database will not be used by the public ever. (It is a privacy issue.)