FEBRUARY

First Grade
Students will be introduced to the Common Sense Media Internet Safety Program. The students will develop an understanding of the concept of community, personal safety, and the need to make responsible choices. Students will be able to express their ideas and reinforce concepts through group discussions. They will also take an on-line field trip with the FBI to re-enforce the concepts covered on safety. There will be activity sheets completed in class and 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. This will be an exciting year for all the students with many new applications to learn.

Second Grade
The students have been working in the Kid Works Program. They know the components of the writing portion of the program and know to how to access the Edit Menu and use the Copy and Paste buttons. They know where the Home, End and Arrow Keys are on the keyboard. Students will start their Grade School Memories Journal this month. The journal will consist of three typed sentences and a drawing to go along with the sentences. The sentences are created by the students. They have to type about three current events that happened each month at school and a drawing to go along with the sentences using both drawing and sticker book tools. The journals will be printed in booklet form and they will take them home at the end of the school year.

Third Grade
This month the students will be working in Microsoft Word 2010.  The students know where to find the Spelling and Grammar tool which is now under the Review tab on the ribbon and how to use it when editing a document. The students will learn how to retrieve some documents from one drive and save them in another drive.  They will learn how to change font, font size, bold and center. Once their document has been formatted they will learn how to insert clipart and manipulate it into their document by making choices of sending it behind or in front of text using the wrap text tool.

Fifth Grade
The students will start 2015 with continued practice in Ultra Key Typing. Ultra Key builds good typing skills, speed and accuracy through structured lessons. The students will learn about record keeping and will be recording their typing scores. All scores will be recorded.

Typing Skills

For all students – there are many free online typing programs available.  The academic technology directors are encouraging students to spend some time reinforcing their skills at home.  This is one of the free programs the students could use by logging into their google accounts.

http://www.typingclub.com/

Common Sense Media information board outside the Computer Lab                                        

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. This also applies to students under 13 are not of age to make u-Tube videos.

Common Sense Media
A great website - 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.

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.

Have a gHave a Great Week!!!