The past month was the most challenging portion of IS101 Introduction of Information Systems. Microsoft Excel is often the least familiar or most superficially used Microsoft Office application. Students worked hard in learning syntax, cell references, functions, generating charts but I hope the traits that the students will retain and continue to hone are paying attention to details, critical thinking, and perseverance!
In addition to the lesson, labs, domain practices, and exam practice forms in LabSim, students also had A4 Fun with Functions Workbook, A5 More Fun with Functions Workbook, and A6 Spreadsheet Analysis with Trailer also help students practice and bolster their Excel skills. This weekend, their hard work culminated in MO-210 Excel certification exam. Twelve students took and passed their second Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exam and all passed. The prior weekend, Conner qualified for -- ahead of schedule --, took the MO-210, and repeated his perfect-score performance from MO-110 Word certification exam a month earlier. I hope he will repeat this next month on MO-310 PowerPoint certification exam ^_^
In the past month, two trailing students qualified for, took, and passed MO-110, joining their seventeen classmates. One more trailing student may join the duo soon. Focusing back on this past month, these are the accolades:
Dilanga, Jorge, Christian all earned the highest score on Bonus Quiz 8 - DNS Registration, ccTLD Hack, and URL Parts.
Christian alone earned the highest score on Bonus Quiz 9 - SEO Hats, Techniques, Consequences and ccTLD and URL Parts Re-visited.
Jorge and Dilanga earned bonus credit on Impromptu Bonus 1 - URL Parts On-The-Spot.
Dilanga alone earned bonus credit on Impromptu Bonus 2 - Excel Charts.
Skyla and Bezhan both earned the highest score on Bonus Quiz 10 - Internet Search Engine and $21.5 Million Business Email Scam.
Conner became the first student of mine to earn a perfect score on MOS certification exams twice.
Katelyn earned the highest score for A6 Spreadsheet Analysis with Trailer.
Jorge earned bonus credit for A3 Slideshow Presentation not for his slideshow or his presentation but for unintentionally eliciting an emotional response from an audience member during his Q&A session.
Since my previous blog post and returning from Spring Recess, five students gave their A3 Slideshow Presentation while I gave two in-class demonstrations and two lecture/presentations.
i. My Second Demonstration – Straight vs. Weighted Average
ii. Ashley – Apple TV Show: Severance
iii. Dilanga – My Home Country Sri Lanka
iv. My Third Lecture – L3: Charts
v. Arthur – Visit The Philippines
vi. Conner – The Global Love for Skiing/Snowboarding
vii. My Fourth Lecture – L4: More Charts
viii. My Third Demonstration – A6 Spreadsheet Analysis with Trailer
ix. Geradline (Getty) – Coca Cola
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With A4, A5, A6, and MO-210 behind us, we are crossing into Phase 3. Only three things/tracks are required to finish IS101-3025, Spring 2025 strong: (1) A7 Mail Merge, (2) Chapter 6 PowerPoint & MO-310, and (3) finishing the few remaining discussions & blogging. These tasks are either pressure-free (a properly submitted A7 will be 100% as long as a student reached 100% on A5), easier (when compared to Word or Excel), or familiar (something they have done since the beginning of the semester).
Phase 3 is about (a) showcasing one's individuality & creativity, (b) polishing one's digital footprint from IS101 to the professional world, and (c) go above-and-beyond what are required to actualize one's potential. Based on past experiences, most students will reach a "B+" or an "A-". Ambitious students do at least one track, many two, some all three to boost themselves to an "A":
--Track 1--: Bonus Quizzes 12 & 13 (heavily based on A6 and can boost course grade by 5%), BQ14 (partially based on A7 and can also boost by 5%), and BQ15 (as part of my final blog post and can boost by 2%).
--Track 2--: MOS Expert certifications MO-111 Word Expert and MO-211 Excel Expert. These certification exams/certificates will NOT boost one's IS101 grade but will definitely elevate one's resume and help one standout from other IS101 students and job candidates.
--Track 3--: Bonus Assignments A8 Improved Slideshow Presentation (can boost by 2%), A9 Query Options and IF Statement (a direct continuation of A7 and can boost by 5%), and A10 Workbook Investigation (can boost by 5%).
As I draft this blog post, Christian has already sent in his Bonus Quiz 11B and A7. Along with another student, Christian declared that he downloaded the exam objectives for MO-111 and MO-211 and will earn his MOS Expert distinction.
Students,
How do you think you did in Phase 2?
How will you approach Phase 3?
I think I was able to survive phase 2 and kept up with my assignments in a pretty timely manner. I wasn't able to work ahead as much like I did in phase 1 but that's alright.
ReplyDeleteFor phase 3 I am going to keep at it as I have been since I have had success with my current approach. I will try to work ahead a bit more as I can.
Wow, that’s awesome to hear! Big congrats to everyone who passed the MOS Excel exam — that’s such a huge accomplishment. Also, shoutout to everyone who earned bonus points, and Conner's double perfect score is seriously impressive.
ReplyDeleteI think I did better in Phase 2 at keeping up than I did in Phase 1, which is something I was really aiming for. I won’t lie, MO-210 really made me nervous, but I passed and feel a level of satisfaction since I was really anxious. Phase 3 looks like it’ll be the easiest so far on LabSim, so I’m planning to knock it all out at once and maybe even give A8 a shot.
Congratulations to everyone who passed the MO-210 Certification Exam.
ReplyDeleteI think I did well in Phase 2 so far. I was unable to take the MO-210 Certification Exam, but I will be taking it tomorrow, and then I will have officially completed Phase 2 of IS101.
I am trying to work ahead of schedule for Phase 3 and doing a good job so far. My plan is to keep at it till the end of the semester.
I’m glad I made it through Phase 2 and passed the MO-210 exam! Excel was definitely tougher than I expected at first, but looking back, I’ve learned a lot and can actually see myself applying the skills I learned from this phase in the future.
ReplyDeleteFor Phase 3, I think I’m going to go with Track 2 and aim for the expert certifications. Excel still feels a little intimidating since I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to functions and cell references. It’s going to take a lot of focus, but I’m ready to give it my best shot on both exams!
I think Phase 2 wasn't amazing for me, but I also didn't do as bad as I thought I was going to. I think I could have done better on the MOS-210 exam, but I think I just felt more anxious than usual, so that kind of fuzzed up my flow. But I am not upset, I still managed to get certified!
ReplyDeleteI feel confident about Phase 3! I have managed to stay afloat for the last two, and if I can have some creative freedom, I think I'll be a happy girl! Hopefully A8 will be good practice!
My thoughts on the required reading from the 6.5 pages of content for B11: This article is a real eye-opener on how vulnerable our digital lives can be. Mat Honan’s experience shows how easily someone can exploit interconnected accounts, especially when basic security measures like two-factor authentication aren’t in place. What struck me most was how the hacker wasn’t targeting Mat directly, it was all about his Twitter handle, but they ended up with access to much more.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a wake-up call to take simple steps to protect ourselves, like using separate emails for recovery and backing up data. This story reminds me how important it is to stay vigilant about our digital security and be aware of the potential weak spots, even with big companies like Apple and Amazon.
Overall, I did well in Phase 2 because I completed all the assignments and passed the exam. I was occasionally a bit late with some of the LabSim assignments, but they got done and that is what matters.
ReplyDeletePhase 3 will be about PowerPoint and creativity. I am going to be honest and say I lack creativity, so my main goal will be to pass the exam and complete the assignments. I will try to do the work in advance to prevent myself from playing catch up. Basically, I will keep on doing what I have been doing.
I think I did well during Phase 2. Life got in the way a little more than it did in Phase 1, so there were a few assignments that were completed later than I originally anticipated. However, I think that my past experience with Excel really helped me throughout this phase. I missed a the classroom lectures that gave hits for the upcoming assignments, but I was still able to manage the highest score for A6, so kudos to me! :)
ReplyDeleteMy approach with Phase 3 is going to be very similar to how I have gotten through Phase 1 and 2. The difference in approach I will take in to sit down and do LabSims in a larger portion up front to leave myself some time to completed the bonus assignments and study for the MOS Expert level certifications!
From my perspective, Phase 2 was both exciting and demanding, and overall it went very well. I passed the exam and stayed on top of the side assignments. Now I’m looking forward to Phase 3 and finishing strong. I’ll be sure to stay ahead of schedule so I can present again and earn a few bonus marks.
ReplyDeleteI think I did pretty well in Phase 2 overall. It definitely felt more challenging than Phase 1 at times, but I can tell that I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with the material, especially with things like pivot tables, conditional formatting, and working faster in Excel. There were a few moments where I fell a little behind, but I’m proud that I kept pushing and caught up.
ReplyDeleteFor Phase 3, I’m planning to be even more consistent with my time management. I want to stay ahead whenever possible so I’m not stressed out at the last minute. I’m also going to make sure I really focus on understanding the creative projects, not just completing them, because I know Phase 3 is all about applying everything we’ve learned, and learning even more. I’m excited (and a little nervous), but ready to finish strong! ^-^
I know I did well in Phase 2, although I had to use more critical thinking skills than in Phase 1. Excel was more exciting and fun to learn compared to Word.
ReplyDeleteLooking back at both Phase 1 and 2, I know that Phase 3 will be a cakewalk, and I will approach Phase 3 with full confidence in completing what is required and putting a lot of effort into passing both MO-111 and MO-211, trying out A9 Query Options and IF Statement and then seeing how much time I have left to try out any optional assignments after that.
Phase 2, i'm glad that its over. I think I did better than I expected but there is always room for improvement. I liked Word better than Excel since it was easier.
ReplyDeleteFor Phase 3, I need to have accountability regarding my assignments, I tend to procrastinate, so I need to be more disciplined doing my assignments.
I am happy Phase 2 is done. I did alright but I understand my falls.
ReplyDeletePhase 3 will be a new direction for me.
I did well on Phase 2, I think my timing was just awful because it took me too long but I really pushed through and got there and turned everything in. It was hard to do the same for Phase 3 but I managed to get there and tried my hardest!
ReplyDeletePhase 2 was challenging but I was able to overcome it, I definitely learned a lot, there was so much I didn’t know about Excel. I don’t think I’ll be using Excel in my new position but I won’t forget the new skills I gained in phase 2, for Phase 3 it was so much easierπ
ReplyDelete