Welcome Back to School

I hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed their summer. I look forward to catching up with all my students and meeting the many new faces at Sts. Simon & Jude School.  May it be a a fun-filled year of new technology!

Computer classes start after STAR Testing

With the start of a new year and new students, the computer lab has an enjoyable Power Point Presentation of all the computer lab rules, expectations, and a review of fire, earthquake, and intruder drills when present in the lab.
The first nine weeks of school the students will be taking on many different tasks with our new structure of classrooms.  I will be meeting with all the students in their classrooms until further notice. I will go over passwords, review of computer lab rules, and spend the next nine weeks teaching our Internet Safety Program - Common Sense Media.

Internet Safety Bulletin Board outside of Classroom

There are so many things changing on a daily basis. Please talk to your children about Facebook. There are 1.71 billion monthly active users on Facebook. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13.

Parents please log on to the common sense media website.  it is the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for family safety.

commonsensemedia.org

Kindergarten through Fifth Grade

Common Sense Media

The above grades 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 online field trip with the FBI to re-enforce the concepts covered on safety. There will be post tests administered at the end of each lesson challenging the students’ knowledge on Internet safety. Many packets completed in class will be 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.
Parents you will be receiving several Acceptable Use Policies from the homeroom teachers.  Please read over all the rules in regard to using the school devices and return the signed policies to the homeroom teacher.

Have a great week! 

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.

MAY

First Grade

The students will be introduced to the KidWorks Deluxe Program.  This program is used in Second Grade Computer class.  It is a great program for building creative writing and reading skills. The students will be writing a journal of their Second Grade Memories. Each month will consist of three good sentences about what took place at school during that particular month. They will be creating their own sentences. The program has kid-friendly design tools, which students will be able to illustrate their stories with free-hand drawings and more. Students can hear their stories read aloud by the computer. The Journal will be printed when complete.

They will also be taking their last Star Reading Test and Math for the year.

Second Grade

The students have been working for several months on their Second Grade Memories Journal in the Kid Works Program. They will go through their journals and check for any mistakes and when completed they will be printed. The sentences were created by the students. They have to type about three events that happened each month at school and a drawing to go along with the sentences using both drawing and sticker book tools. They will also be taking their last Star Reading Test and Math for the year. 

Microsoft Word

The students will conclude the school year with an introduction to Microsoft Word.  They will be able to type a sentence and change font, size, bold, align left and center. They will be introduced to clipart and will be able to insert a picture, resize and work with the text wrap tool. They will also end the year by going back and practicing their typing skills in StickyBear Typing. I have a free typing program on my blog that they have access to and can practice their typing over the summer.

Third Grade

The students will continue to work on their first power point project. When the project is complete they will present it to their classmates.  “All About Me” is the subject.  They have learned to set up slides, animations, and transitions.

The students will also learn how to logon to Google using a new user name and password that will prepare them for use in the Google Suite in fourth grade. They have set up a Google account and will be able to log into Google Drive. They will learn how to download their power point file from Microsoft to their Google slides. They will discover that not everything will be carried over in the same format and they will be able to fix any problems that occur when opening it up in slides.  

The students will spend the last several weeks of class practicing their typing skills in the Sticky Bear Typing Program. It would be advantageous if students could practice their typing skills over the summer. There are many free programs available online. I have one posted on my blog.  They will be using the Ultra Key Typing Program in fourth grade. 

They will be taking their last Star Reading and Math Test for the year.

Fourth Grade

The students are still working on developing their keyboarding skills with continued practice in Ultra Key Typing. Ultra Key builds good typing skills, speed and accuracy through structured lessons. I also have a free typing program listed on my blog that students can use at home for extra practice. 

The students will be working in Microsoft Word reviewing the ribbons, inserting images, and spell checking documents.  They will take those documents and download them into Google Docs and apply some of the same processing skills using the Google Docs toolbar.  They were introduced to Google sheets. They are creating a spreadsheet for a candy store. They will set up the spreadsheet with data provided and calculate what is being sold and the profits made.  They will take that data and create several charts to analyze it.  Once this is complete they will set up a Back-to-School spreadsheet and complete it on their own. Time permitting I will have them set up a bowling spreadsheet.

Fifth Grade

The students are researching their state and with that information they will create a state brochure. They have learned how to set up columns, column breaks, page breaks, and text boxes. The students have worked with the ruler, tabs, bullets, and symbols. All these tools will be incorporated into their brochure.

They will end the year with the introduction to Google sheets and draw. They will learn why the program is helpful in so many ways from organizing information, calculating math problems to creating charts and graphs. They will be introduced to a spreadsheet and new vocabulary.  The students will learn how to enter data into a spreadsheet, format data, and use basic functions to calculate basic math problems, identify cell references correctly and write basic math formulas. By learning how to use the various tools in sheets, these skills will enable the students to be able to use the computer more efficiently in doing their assignments and various projects throughout their classroom curriculum.

SUMMER TYPING

The students have just completed many of the UltraKey lessons in this typing program and will continue working with this program to improve their typing skills until the end of the school year. They are encouraged to spend some time at home practicing their typing skills so in preparation of their daily use next year with the Chromebooks. I have placed a link on my blog to the typing club which is a free on-line program.

May – Focus Strand - SLE – Responsible citizen who thinks before they act.

 Common Sense Media Bulletin 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 who 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.

APRIL

First Grade

The students were introduced to the Stickybear Typing Program several weeks ago. They have been learning about the keyboard, correct hand position, and how the typing program works. The Stickybear Typing program allows users to sharpen typing skills and achieve keyboard mastery. Stickybear Keypress, a program within Stickybear Typing, allows typing practice from the simplest drills in home key position to complex exercises that require the full keyboard. A good typing program provides immediate feedback for incorrect keypresses and allows a student to progress automatically through levels as each is mastered. Each of the program's 30 levels introduces the student to the keys covered in the lesson, and then offers practice using them. The lower half of the screen displays the keyboard; as keys are highlighted one at a time, the student must press the corresponding key on the computer's keyboard. A correct keypress prints the letter at the top of the screen. Incorrect keypresses make a low "bloop" sound, and the letter doesn't appear. At the end of each two screens of typing practice, the student gets a progress report which shows the starting level; current level, number of words typed per minute, and number of errors. The students will be concentrating on the home row keys until the end of the trimester.  I encourage the students to practice these keyboarding skills at home using any type of program or any of the free programs that are available on-line. I have placed a link on my blog to the typing club which is a free on-line program.  http://www.kidztype.com/

The students are also reviewing the tools in Microsoft Paint Program and are learning to select, copy, paste and rotate an image.

Second Grade

The students are working very hard on their Second Grade Memories Journal 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. 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 events that happened each month at school and a drawing to go along with the sentences using both drawing and sticker book tools. Along with the all the manipulation of the tools in the program, they are also working to improve their typing skills. The journals will be printed in booklet form and they will take them home at the end of the school year.

Third Grade

The students continue to learn more about the tools in Microsoft Word. The 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. They know how to retrieve some documents from one drive and save them in another drive. Students know how to change font, font size, font color, bold and center. They have been working with inserting clipart and manipulating it into their document by making choices of sending it behind or in front of text using the wrap text tool. The new tools introduced are the rotate button with clipart, the correction tab which allows images to be sharpened, softened, brightness and different contrasts of color applied to images.  Once the image has been adjusted, they will be able to apply different picture styles to their image, change border colors and thickness.  They will be working independently on assigned in-class projects for several more weeks.  Once I feel the students are comfortable with Word, formatting, and inserting pictures, I will introduce them to Power Point.  Power Point is a multimedia presentation using visual and graphical applications for creating presentations. In Power Point you can create, view, and present slide shows that combine text, shapes, pictures, graphs, animation, charts, videos, and much more. Once they are familiar with Microsoft Word, tabs, and ribbons - then Power Point will be easier to understand. The class will be introduced to some of the tools in Power Point, they will fill out a questionnaire about their interests and from there they will create a Power Point entitled “All about Me.”

Fourth Grade

The students are still working on developing their keyboarding skills 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. I also have a free typing program listed on my blog that students can use at home for extra practice.  The students will be working in Microsoft Word reviewing the ribbons, inserting images and spell checking documents.  They will take those documents and download them into Google Docs and apply some of the same processing skills using the Google Docs toolbar.  They were introduced to Google Draw and practiced inserting shapes and images, changing colors and backgrounds, changing order of the image, editing the image and saving it to a Google Doc.  They learned how to do a Google search, change color of images, review copyright, and learned how to narrow a search.  The students have been introduced to Microsoft Excel and Google sheets. They will be setting up a concession stand in google sheets, they will be working with formulas and inserting charts.

Fifth Grade

There are many tools to learn in Microsoft Word. Students were introduced to tables.  The students have learned how to insert a header, create and customize a table, work with the ruler within the custom table, select different cells, insert clipart, bullets, symbols, and type with different fonts, sizes and change direction of the font. Students will also be able to view under the Tables Tool the Quick Table templates of Microsoft Word. By learning how to use the various tools in word processing, these skills will enable the students to be able to use the computer more efficiently in doing their assignments and various projects throughout their classroom curriculum. Fifth grade ends the year with a state project which is done in the classroom and technology lab. Fifth grade will be assigned their state before Easter.  They will be introduced to the many tools used to create a custom brochure, format three columns, insert pictures into text boxes, and work with many different bullets and symbols.  They will work independently on their three column state brochure. When completed and printed they will present it in mid-May to the entire school.   

April – Focus Strand - SLE – Effective communicator who listens to others.

 Common Sense Media Bulletin 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 who 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.

Happy Easter!

Enjoy your vacation!!!!

March

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

First Grade Students

The students were introduced to the Stickybear Typing Program several weeks ago. They have been learning about the keyboard, correct hand position, and how the typing program works. The Stickybear Typing program allows users to sharpen typing skills and achieve keyboard mastery. Stickybear Keypress, a program within Stickybear Typing, allows typing practice from the simplest drills in home key position to complex exercises that require the full keyboard. A good typing program provides immediate feedback for incorrect keypresses and allows a student to progress automatically through levels as each is mastered. Each of the program's 30 levels introduces the student to the keys covered in the lesson, and then offers practice using them. The lower half of the screen displays the keyboard; as keys are highlighted one at a time, the student must press the corresponding key on the computer's keyboard. A correct keypress prints the letter at the top of the screen. Incorrect keypresses make a low "bloop" sound, and the letter doesn't appear. At the end of each two screens of typing practice, the student gets a progress report which shows the starting level; current level, number of words typed per minute, and number of errors. The students will be concentrating on the home row keys until Easter break.  I encourage the students to practice these keyboarding skills at home using any type of program or any of the free programs that are available on-line. I have placed a link on my blog to the typing club which is a free on-line program.  http://www.kidztype.com/

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 have just started their Grade School Memories Journal. 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 students have completed their journal entries through November.  The journals will be printed in booklet form and they will take them home at the end of the school year.

Third Grade

The students continue to learn about the tools in Microsoft Word. They know where to find the Spelling and Grammar tool and how to spell check a document. They know how to retrieve some documents from one drive and save them in another drive. Students know how to change font, font size, font color, bold and center. They have been working with inserting clipart and manipulating it into their document by making choices of sending it behind or in front of text using the wrap text tool. The students have worked with the rotate button, re-coloring, and positioning of images. They have been introduced to WordArt which is a decorative text that can be added to a Word document. On the ribbon, they will be working in the font, paragraph and styles groupings. Each week they will be given an assignment to format using some of these commands.  They have been working with the many tabs, ribbons and menus in Microsoft Word and some of the same word processing tools are used in Power Point. I will be introducing the students to Power Point at the end of the month.

Fourth Grade

The students are still working on developing their keyboarding skills 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. I also have a free typing program listed on my blog that students can use at home for extra practice.  The students will be working in Microsoft Word reviewing the ribbons, inserting images and spell checking documents.  They will take those documents and download them into Google Docs and apply some of the same processing skills using the Google Docs toolbar.  They will be introduced to Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

Fifth Grade

The students are working in Microsoft Word.  They have been working independently on several assignments that involve putting sentences in numerical order, by the clicking and dragging method or cut, copy, and paste. They know how to set up a header and how to insert clipart and pictures into a document and work with resizing, color correction and the different choices of color tone. They have been working with Spelling and Grammar in various documents and now realize how important it is to reread a document after spell check.  They will be assigned a state for their class state project by their teacher. In order to prepare for their state brochure and to go along with the state project they will be learning about columns and tables, how to create a custom table, and insert a quick table. They will be creating a two page, three column brochure. By learning how to use the various tools in word processing, these skills will enable the students to be able to use the computer more efficiently in doing their assignments and various projects throughout their classroom curriculum.

The students are working in the UltraKey typing program and will continue working with this program to improve their typing skills until the end of the school year. They are encouraged to spend some time at home practicing their typing skills so in preparation of their daily use next year with the Chromebooks. I have placed a link on my blog to the typing club which is a free on-line program.

March – Focus Strand - SLE – Lifelong learner who uses and applies basic skills.

             

Common Sense Media Bulletin 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 1.71 billion monthly active users on Facebook. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13. 

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.

FEBRUARY

First Grade Students

The students have just completed working in the Paint Program. They learned how to select and draw some of the different shapes in the program.  They learned how to use copy, paste, change line thicknesses, find a new piece of paper, save their work, edit colors, and use the text tool.  The next nine weeks they will be introduced to the Stickybear Typing Program and they will learn about the keyboard, correct hand position, and how the typing program works.  The Stickybear Typing program allows users to improve typing skills and achieve keyboard mastery.  Stickybear Keypress, a program within Stickybear Typing, allows typing practice from the simplest drills in home key position to complex exercises that require the full keyboard.  A good typing program provides immediate feedback for incorrect keypresses and allows a student to progress automatically through levels as each is mastered.  Each of the program's 30 levels introduces the student to the keys covered in the lesson, and then offers practice using them.  The lower half of the screen displays the keyboard; as keys are highlighted one at a time, the student must press the corresponding key on the computer's keyboard.  A correct keypress prints the letter at the top of the screen.  Incorrect keypresses make a low "bloop" sound, and the letter doesn't appear.  At the end of each two screens of typing practice, the student gets a progress report which shows the starting level; current level, number of words typed per minute, and number of errors.  I encourage the students to practice keyboarding at home.   There are several free online keyboarding programs available.

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 have just started their Grade School Memories Journal.  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

The next several months 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.  They have been working with inserting clipart and manipulating it into their document by making choices of sending it behind or in front of text using the wrap text tool.  Using the tools in Word, the students will be working independently on assigned sentences for the next nine weeks.  These assignments will be completed in class. 

Fourth and Fifth Grade Students

The students will continue 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. I also have a free typing program listed on my blog that students can use at home for extra practice.

Fifth Grade

There are many tools in Microsoft Word.  The students will be introduced to more of these tools and they will be working on several different assignments during the next nine weeks to better prepare them for their state project.  The students will be given a list of mixed up sentences.  They will learn how to put theses sentences in numerical order by the clicking and dragging method or cut, copy, and paste. They will learn how to insert and type within a header.  They will review the process for spelling and grammar check and inserting a clipart image, resizing, color correction and working with the different choices of color tone.  By learning how to use the various tools in word processing, these skills will enable the students to be able to use the computer more efficiently in doing their assignments and various projects throughout their classroom curriculum.

February – Focus Strand - SLE – Active faith-filled Catholics who live each day as Jesus did.

Common Sense Media Bulletin 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 1.71 billion monthly active users on Facebook. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13. 

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 and sign –up for their weekly communication.

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 Lovely Month!!!

Happy New Year
2019

First Grade Students

The Paint Program will continue through mid-January. The students have learned how to select and draw some of the different shapes in the Paint Program. They have also learned how to copy and paste some of the shapes. They know how to change line thicknesses, find a new piece of paper, save their work, edit colors and use the text tool. They will be reviewing the tools this month and will end the Paint program by creating a winter wonderland scene with a snowman and text. They are encouraged to go home and practice what they have learned in their computer class.

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. They will be starting their Grade School Memories Journal. 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

The students will begin working in Microsoft Word 2010. They will learn how to retrieve documents from one drive and save them in another drive. The students will know where to find Spelling and Grammar or Spell Check and how to use it when editing a document. The students will learn that spell check is not 100% accurate and that they have to reread documents to see what spell checked missed. They will also learn how to insert clipart, use the text wrap tool and send their images behind text and change the brightness of their image. They will be able to manipulate their images by using the sizing handles and clicking and dragging or by clicking on the size tab on the picture tool bar.

Fourth and Fifth Grade Students

The students will start 2019 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. I also have a free typing program listed on my blog that students can use at home for extra practice.

                       January – Focus Strand - SLE 

Global ambassador who follows the Golden Rule.

Common Sense Media Bulletin 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 1.71 billion monthly active users on Facebook. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13. 

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 and sign –up for their weekly communication.

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 Great and Safe Month!!!

Merry Christmas

&

Happy New Year!

May the Holidays provide much joy, laughter,

and love to you and your families.

His Presence is the BEST present!

First Grade Students

The students continue to work in the Microsoft Paint Program. They have learned how to select and draw some of the different shapes in the Paint Program. The students know how to change line thicknesses, find a new piece of paper, save their work, edit colors and use the text tool. They will be creating their first project in Paint in the coming weeks. They will be creating their own nativity scene using some of the tools and shapes they have been working with in Paint. The students will continue with the Paint Program through January. They are encouraged to go home and practice what they learned in their computer class.

Second Grade

The students have been introduced to the Kid Works Program. They know how to select their name and open the program. They know how to use the tools within the book cover, how to change book covers, font, font size, and font color. They know how to select the different voices that will read back what they wrote and how to save their work.  

The students will be working for the next several weeks in Microsoft Word. They will be typing their Christmas project – “What Christmas Means to Me”.

Third Grade

The students have been working in Microsoft Word 2010. They will learn how to retrieve documents from one drive and save them in another drive. The students will know where to find Spelling and Grammar or Spell Check and how to use it when editing a document. The students will learn that spell check is not 100% accurate and that they have to reread documents to see what spell checked missed. They will also learn how to insert clipart, use the text wrap tool to send their images behind text and change the brightness of their image. They will be able to manipulate their images by using the sizing handles and clicking and dragging or by clicking on the size tab on the picture tool bar. The students will also learn how to type in a text box.  They wrote the story of the nativity in their own words and they will be typing their story in computer class working within a text box.
Fourth and Fifth Grade Students

The students are working on their typing skills in UltraKey Typing. They have set typing goals for themselves so they can improve at their own pace. They type a lesson and then take a challenge test. The program is considered one of the best typing coach programs. It demonstrates each new skill and rapidly builds typing techniques. They have a record keeping sheet to record their scores. For extra practice they are encouraged to go the Typing Club which is a free online typing program to improve their typing skills, accuracy and speed.

December’s SLE – Responsible citizen who makes good choices. 

                                 
         Common Sense Media Bulletin 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 1.71 billion monthly active users on Facebook. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13. 

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 and sign –up for their weekly communication.

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 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 link on my website (Common Sense Media) 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. See Common Sense Media.  They also have ratings on the new movies coming out and any new apps.