The Holidays are
approaching and …
Let us pause and give THANKS for all
we have been blessed with.
Second
Grade, Third Grade and Fifth Grade are well into their i-Safe lessons. Topics
of discussion have been on community, cyber community and how they relate to
each other. Many safety issues have been discussed about the community we live
in and what happens when we enter cyberspace. Bullying and Cyber Bullying have
led to many discussions and there have been worksheets, videos and many handouts
have been shared in class and sent home for families to share. We will conclude
the i-Safe Program this month with discussions on viruses, copyright issues,
downloading music, social networks and ending with the post assessment survey.
Please continue to check the i-Safe website to stay current
with all the new changes in safety, laws, games and information being shared on
a daily basis.
5th Grade Students
Thanks to all the parents who participated in the i-Safe
Survey and had further discussions with their child on the various cyber safety
issues that have been discussed this past month.
Many packets completed
in class have been sent home for the students to share with you. Please discuss
the importance of Internet safety and what your family rules are in your home.
Please think about the placement of your computer. They should never be put in
a bedroom where you cannot see what is going on.
The last topic of
discussion this month will be on Intellectual Property. The students will
conclude the i-Safe program with the Online Assessment Survey followed by a
project in the Paint program covering one of the following topics discussed on Appropriate
Online Behavior, Social Networking, Cyber Bullying or Intellectual Property.
First Grade Students
The students have
mastered logging on and off the computer using the control, alt and delete
keys. They know how to logon using their library number and secret password.
Once the students have logged on to the Windows desktop, they know what an icon
is and how to how double click to open the Paint Program. In the Microsoft
Paint Program, they were introduced to the oval, circle and line shapes. With
the aid of the magic key, shift, when held down, they discovered they were able
to draw a circle from the selected oval. The students will be introduced to the Image tool, Select, and to the
Clipboard Tools, Cut, Copy and Paste. The new shapes they will be working with
will be 3 different callouts. The callouts are the rounded rectangle, oval and
the cloud. The students will be
selecting and drawing each callout. They will be able to select the letter A
for font and draw a text box inside each of the callouts. They will be able to
choose a font style, size, color and they will be able to type their name in
the text box. The students need to know once they have completed their typing
and click out of the text box they cannot go back and edit or add to what was
typed. I have asked the students to practice with these tools and shapes at home. I know many parents are not familiar with the
Paint Program. I encourage the students to be the teacher and show their
parents what they have mastered.
They will be working
with this program until January learning many of the Paint components.
Please take a minute and read what is going on in Cyberspace. There are so many things changing on a daily basis. Please talk to your children about Facebook. There are 500 million registered users. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13.
Common Sense Media
A great website to become familiar with is commonsensemedia.org
“Their mission is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.” Please take a minute to look at their site.
Have
a great and safe month!
Which Game is on Santa's list and is it Safe ?
The Christmas lists have started and I know video games are on that list. Before you make your video game purchase please check out the following links on my website on how games are rated and the opinions shared by other concerned parents. Is the game age appropriate? Has it been rated? I hope this helps in the decision making process.
Why Do We Need A Technology Lab?
1. A technology teacher provides a structured curriculum with complete and specific instructions in computer skills that are taught in a lab environment. This enables the students to become more confident in their technology skills and it improves technology use in the classroom. It validates the importance of the subject being taught.
2. In a lab, students have the opportunity for hands on experience to learn about new applications and review past lessons. This is a great advantage to students so they can become more confident in their technology skills.
3. Technology labs free classroom teachers so they can focus on their goals and not loose valuable instruction time teaching computer skills.
4. Structure, consistency, and repetition build skills each year whether it is a new application, documents, presentations, or understanding and increasing their time and accuracy in mastering keyboarding.
5. The importance of the technology lab offers student support, skills, and the knowledge they need to use these skills beyond the classroom.
