What is this class??

Coach Verm

A little about me...

This is my 8th year of education, 5th of coaching. I have taught 6th-7th of Science previously and several variations of these Technology courses that I have helped shape and develop over the years for the district. I enjoy working with my hands, fixing things around the house, listening to music and watching movies and TV shows such as Star Wars and Marvel/DC. Coffee has become a necessity, so you will find me walking around in the mornings with a coffee in my hands, if it's been one of those days... in the afternoon as well.

I will have 2nd period conference and 1st period (7th grade) athletics. If you are desiring a parent teacher conference with me at anytime during the year, this will be my available time.

I will be coaching 7th grade Football and Track.

Fundamentals of Computer Science

The focus with this course is the get the basics of Computer Science. This is classed as a 9th grade level course. I will treat it like a high school course and expect the work to be handled like so.

Here are some topics we will cover throughout the year:

  • Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship, Online Etiquette

  • Basic Coding Principles and Foundations (block coding/JavaScript/python (advanced))

  • Video Game Design Principles

  • Basic Website Coding and Design (HTML/CSS)

  • Careers in Computer Science

  • The Internet and How It Works

Digital Art and Animation

(The Adobe Creative Cloud software will be provided by the district, do not go out and purchase it)

The focus with this course is to get the fundamentals of Digital Artistry and Principles of Animation. This is classed as an 11th grade course. I will treat it like a high school course and expect the work to be handled like so.

Here are some topics we will cover throughout the year:

  • Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship, Online Etiquette

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Hand Drawn (paper/pencil) animations [old-school methods]

  • Digital Animation on Adobe Animate

  • Sound Clip capture

  • Storyboarding

Supplies:

Some supplies you will need:

Fundamentals of Computer Science- Wired Headphones & Mouse(low class supply available), Notebook, pen/pencil, colored pencils/markers etc, flash drive/thumb drive (no more than 4GB needed) and various project supplies throughout the year (stock up on cardboard boxes now from cereal/Amazon etc)

Digital Art and Animation- Wired Headphones & Mouse(low class supply available), Packet of paper 200~ quantity (tracing preferred, computer okay, lined is less preferred), pen/pencil, colored pencils/markers etc, flash drive/thumb drive (no more than 4GB needed). I will provide a graphics tablet for in class use. I will provide locations for light tracing boxes in the class.

Classroom Expectations

At this age I expect that everyone can follow the simple instructions of keep your hands, feet and objects to yourself. If you leave a mess, clean it up. If something isn't working like it's supposed to, please let me know as soon as possible instead of just sitting there wasting time. I expect that all work is turned in on time to the correct location, in the correct file format. Most of our work will be assigned on Google Classroom and turned in there as well, please look closely for these instructions so that your assignment grades do not suffer.

Technology Expectations

You must adhere to the Alvin ISD BYOD guidelines and the Internet Use Policy. You must be signed in to your school account while accessing the Wi-Fi. If you are on a device when you are not supposed to be, or using it improperly, it will be taken and turned in to the office (phone, headphones/earbuds, gaming devices, laptops, tablets etc.). Failure to follow the policies set in place, handling the equipment in class properly, attempting to gain access to another students account/work and other disruptive actions will result in parent communication and/or disciplinary action.

If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.