Computer Class Update: Week 8

This is our final class of the first quarter.  It is hard to believe we are already a quarter of the way through the school year.  Report cards will be coming home soon.  It has been decided that since much of what we do in computer lab time is project and discussion based we will be giving credit/no credit grades in class instead of A, B, C, etc.  We will still put assignments/quizzes/etc. in the gradebook, so you can see how they are doing online, but the report card will be based on their work in class.  Students who come to class and participate appropriately in our activities will earn credit for computer class on the report card.  Thanks for understanding this change.  I feel strongly that this will benefit the students by allowing us the time to make the most of the 45 minutes I see them each week.

Now, on to the update of our in class activities...
First Grade: The first graders have been having a lot of fun learning how to use a word processing program. This week we typed fall/halloween words and learned how to add clip art. We also went to abcya.com/pumpkin_carving.htm and practice our mouse skills by carving pumpkins online.

Second Grade: This week we finished up our presentation on computer care and computer parts.  The next computer class, we will be starting to learn to identify technology, understand how technology changes and how we use technology in our lives.  I will not be here next Tuesday because I will be presenting at the miGoogle conference in Brighton, Michigan.  We will start our new project the following week.

Third Grade, Fourth and Fifth Grade: We continue to work on our digital passport project. This week we learned about privacy and what is okay and not okay to share online.  The students played a game called Sharejumpers and worked on their mission packets.  The next time I see the students, we will begin our lessons on Cyberbullying.  To check out the project, click here.  NOTE: I will not be here next Tuesday because I will be presenting at the miGoogle conference in Brighton, Michigan, so I will not see my fourth and fifth graders.

Have a great weekend!

Computer Class Update: Week 5

We had another fun and educational week in Computer Class.  Students have been finishing their projects about the rules of the lab, learning how to be good Digital Citizens, working on their typing and beginning to learn the parts of the computer.

First Grade: Finished our unit on Parts of the Computer, and took a quiz on the computer parts.  Our next lesson will work on learning how to use a word processing program.

Second Grade: We finished learning about the parts of the computer, including watching a video on the parts of the computer, and playing a game at http://www.abcya.com/computer_vocabulary.htm.  This week we will be discussing care and proper hygiene in the computer lab.

Third Grade: We worked on our group presentation for the commandments of the lab using Google Presentations.  This week we will edit our presentations and begin our digital passport project.  To check out the project, click here.

Fourth and Fifth Grade: Last week we discussed cell phone use and the hazards of multi-tasking.  We also played a game called Twalkers and part of our digital passport project.  To check out the project, click here.