Session 15: Skills Lab 2: Online Basics
At a glance: a practice-only Skills Lab: a typing check and four timed stations (search with sources, bookmark and download, an email with an attachment, an error-free online form) using only Sessions 11–14, ending with the Bronze Passport sign-off for Sessions 1–15. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, pupils can:
- Find 5 true facts about a Ghanaian topic in 15 minutes using keywords and at least two search operators, and cite each source with its title, website and date.
- Bookmark a page, download a file, move and rename it into the right folder and find it again; then send a correctly formatted email with that file attached.
- Fill in a practice online form for a fictional profile with zero errors, submit it once and save the confirmation, and show the typing speed and accuracy needed for the Bronze Passport (15 wpm at 90%).
Before the session
- Print or prepare one workbook per pupil and a class list for the Bronze Passport. Check each pupil's Skills Lab 1 (Session 10) result and Block 1–2 sign-offs so you know who still needs a Bronze row.
- Station 1: make topic cards (Lake Bosomtwe, Wli Waterfalls, Akosombo Dam, Paga crocodile ponds, shea butter in Ghana). Turn on SafeSearch on the search engine.
- Station 2: write on the board the page to bookmark and the file to download. Suggested: the club's Session 15 page (tc.bozomainnovationhub.com, then Sessions > 15) and its workbook PDF (the PDF button). Test the download on a pupil PC. Remove any "Skills Lab 2" bookmarks and old TechClub_SkillsLab2 files left by earlier groups. Check every PC has Documents > BIH_TechClub.
- Station 3: write your own email address on the board (one you control and can check during the session). Prepare a Hub learning email account per pupil (or per PC) and test that it can send attachments. Keep a spare file (any small .pdf) on the Desktop for pupils who reach Station 3 before Station 2.
- Station 4: duplicate the Session 14 practice form in Google Forms (File > Make a copy), retitle it "Skills Lab 2 Practice Form", change the confirmation message reference to BIH-SL2-15, link it to a fresh response sheet, and write its short link or QR code on the board. Remove the file upload question if pupils are not signed in to Google.
- Load the Search Detective and Form Filler 3D labs on the projector PC for pupils waiting for a PC.
- Make a timing sheet: station, start time, pupil names, so rotations stay on time.
Running order
| Time | Activity | Workbook | What the mentor does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Typing warm-up and typing check | Page 1 | Pupils open the typing trainer, warm up for a few minutes, then do the 3-minute typing check and record speed, accuracy and stage. A pupil may re-try once (now or during Re-tries and catch-up); initial the better result. |
| 10–15 min | How the Skills Lab works | Page 1 | Explain the circuit, the time limits, the one re-try per station, team points and the Bronze Passport. Assign starting stations. |
| 15–30 min | Station 1: Search Race | Page 2 | Hand out topic cards. Walk round checking operators and citations; tick the checklist as pupils finish. |
| 30–42 min | Station 2: Bookmark & Download | Page 3 | Watch for files left in Downloads and names with spaces. Ask each pupil to reopen the bookmark and search for the file in front of you. |
| 42–54 min | Station 3: Email with an attachment | Page 4 | Check your inbox on your phone or the projector PC and tick each email as it arrives. Check every pupil signs out. |
| 54–66 min | Station 4: The zero-error form | Page 5 | Keep the response sheet open; check each row against the profile as it arrives and look for duplicates. |
| 66–80 min | Re-tries and catch-up | Pages 2–5 | Pupils re-try any station they did not pass, using the hints. Pupils who have finished everything help with words only, or play the 3D labs. |
| 80–90 min | Score sheet, Bronze Passport, reflection | Page 6 | Fill the score sheet, initial Bronze rows, celebrate new Bronze members; pupils write their reflection. Announce team points. |
With many pupils and few PCs: run the stations as a rotation instead of in order. Put Station 1 and Station 4 on PCs with internet (they need it); Station 2 can also run offline if you put the "download" file on a local shared folder or USB. Groups that are waiting do the typing check, the 3D labs, or draft their Station 3 email body on paper (Page 4). Pupils keep their own time on the page; you initial the score sheet.
Key ideas and how to explain them
- Skills Lab = show, not learn: no new content. If a pupil cannot do a station, give them the hint box first, then a 2-minute re-teach, then a re-try.
- Station 1 (search): keywords, "quotes", minus, site:gov.gh / site:edu.gh, OR; the 4-Way Shield; citing title, website, date (Session 12).
- Station 2 (browser and files): address bar, Ctrl + D to the bookmarks bar, Ctrl + J, the Downloads folder (Session 11), cut and paste, F2 and the naming standard (Sessions 4–5).
- Station 3 (email): To, a 4–7 word subject, the 4-part body, the paperclip, safe file types, signing out (Session 13).
- Station 4 (forms): surname vs first name vs other names, date conversion to DD/MM/YYYY, 10-digit phone numbers, required fields, Submit once, Ctrl + P > Save as PDF (Session 14).
- Bronze Passport: Block 1 and Block 2 skills (Skills Lab 1), today's four stations, and typing at 15 wpm with 90% accuracy. A pupil who misses one row is "Bronze pending": tell them exactly what to show next time.
- Team points: one point per station a member completes, one per member who reaches the Bronze typing target, and a helper point for coaching others with words only (never taking the mouse).
The 3D lab
Two labs are listed for this session: Search Detective ("Narrow a mountain of results with smart keywords and operators, then pick the trustworthy sources from the fake ones") and Form Filler ("Fill in a practice online application on a 3D laptop. Catch the mistakes before you press Submit, and save your confirmation"). They are not scored today. Use them as the warm-up for pupils waiting for a PC, and as re-teach tools: a pupil who fails Station 1 replays Search Detective's first mission ("Solve both cases: shrink the pile to the right pages with "quotes", -minus, site: and OR") and the source-sorting mission before the re-try; a pupil who fails Station 4 replays Form Filler's first mission ("Catch the 4 planted mistakes and fix them before you press Submit"). On this page Form Filler uses the Station 4 profile (Selasi Kafui Agbeko, 03/11/2011, JHS 3, Robotics, Quiz and Football) and the reference BIH-SL2-15, saving to Documents > BIH_TechClub > Online_Basics, so if the internet fails it can stand in for the Station 4 form: tick the checklist from what the pupil shows you on the lab.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
| Pupils often… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Write "Google" as the source | "Google is the market queen, not the stall. Which website did the fact come from?" |
| Put a space after the minus or colon | Show -hotel and site:gov.gh on the board; spaces break them. |
| Leave the downloaded file in Downloads | "Downloads is the doorway, not the room." Cut, open Online_Basics, paste. |
| Name the file "TechClub SkillsLab2 Ama" with spaces | Point to the naming standard: underscores, no spaces, name at the end. |
| Mention an attachment but forget to attach it | The paperclip check: no paperclip icon in the email, no Send. |
| Put "Selasi Kafui" in the first-name box | Profile card: surname Agbeko, first name Selasi, other names Kafui. |
| Type the date as 11/03/2011 | Day first in Ghana: 3 November = 03/11/2011. |
| Press Submit again when the confirmation is slow | Wait. Check for a duplicate row in the sheet; only the first counts. |
When things go wrong
- No internet: run the typing check and Station 2 offline (put the "download" file in a shared folder or on USB and have pupils copy it in, then bookmark a local page such as the offline kit's Session 15 page). Station 1 uses printed web pages (6–8 per topic, some rumour-style), Station 4 uses the Form Filler lab, and Station 3 is drafted on Page 4 and sent at the next session. Note on the score sheet which stations were done offline.
- Not enough PCs: rotate (see above). Never let two pupils share a station attempt: each pupil does their own, while the others wait with the 3D labs or the typing trainer.
- A PC freezes or the power goes: restart and let the pupil re-try that station with fresh time; it does not count as their re-try. Bookmarks and downloaded files usually survive a restart; an unsent email and an unsubmitted form do not.
Answer key
Typing check (Page 1): the 3-minute check in the typing trainer, with one re-try allowed (the better result counts). Bronze is met at 15 wpm or more with 90% accuracy or more in the same check.
Station 1 (Page 2): facts vary by topic. Expect: 5 true facts in the pupil's own words; each with a title, website and date (or "no date"); searches showing at least two different operators, for example "Lake Bosomtwe" formation, Akosombo Dam site:gov.gh, Wli Waterfalls -hotel, shea OR karite butter Ghana; at least one .gov.gh, .edu.gh or national news source.
Station 2 (Page 3): the bookmark "Skills Lab 2" is on the bookmarks (Favourites) bar and opens the page from the board; the full path is This PC > Documents > BIH_TechClub > Online_Basics > TechClub_SkillsLab2_(Name).pdf; nothing is left in Downloads; the pupil finds the file with File Explorer's search box.
Station 3 (Page 4): the email arrives at your address with a subject such as "Skills Lab 2 - JHS 1A - Ama Mensah"; the body has a greeting ("Dear Mentor,"), a polite opening, 2–3 sentences saying what is attached, and a sign-off with full name and class; TechClub_SkillsLab2_(Name).pdf (or the spare file) is attached and opens; the pupil has signed out.
Station 4 (Page 5): the date in DD/MM/YYYY is 03/11/2011. The response row must show: Surname Agbeko; First name Selasi; Other names Kafui; Date of birth 3 November 2011; School Bozoma Model JHS; Class JHS 3; Camp track Robotics; Activities Quiz and Football only; Guardian Mrs Dzifa Agbeko; Phone 0200000000; Email selasi.agbeko@example.org; "I agree" ticked; one row only. Reference: BIH-SL2-15 (or the reference you set). Saved file: Documents > BIH_TechClub > Online_Basics > Form_Confirmation_(Name).pdf.
Page 6: the score sheet and reflection are personal; a pupil is Bronze when all four Bronze rows are initialled.
Support and stretch
- Needs more support: allow the re-try straight after a 2-minute re-teach at the PC; for Station 1, accept 3 facts on the first attempt and 5 on the re-try; read the station task aloud for weaker readers (reading is not what is being assessed). Typing below Bronze: give a home or lunchtime practice plan with the typing trainer and re-test at Session 16 or 17.
- Finished early: Station 1 with three operators combined in one search; Station 2 with a bookmarks-bar folder called "Club Sites"; Station 3 with the mentor in To and a teammate in Cc; or coach a classmate with words only for a helper point.
Evidence for sign-off
Each station's mentor checklist is fully ticked within the time limit (one re-try allowed), the typing check shows at least 15 wpm at 90% accuracy, and Skills Lab 1 and the Block 1–2 skills are already signed. Then initial all four Bronze Passport rows on Page 6. Record "Bronze pending" with the missing skill for anyone not yet there, and agree when they will show it.
Safety and wellbeing
Only fictional profiles go into the practice form; delete the responses after the session. Pupils use only the Hub's learning email accounts and your address on the board, sign out at the end of Station 3, and never let the browser save a password. Keep SafeSearch on and watch screens during Station 1. Timed stations can make some pupils anxious: say clearly that the Skills Lab is practice, that a re-try is normal, and that "Bronze pending" just means "not yet". Celebrate effort and improvement, not only speed.