It's been so good to see all of your lovely children back at school this week!
Enrichment classes will commence the 3rd week of school this year. Starting the 25th, all classrooms will visit the computer lab at least once a week.
During that first week, we will be sending home the LAUSD Acceptable Use Policy for you and your child(ren) to go over and sign. This is necessary so that students are able to use the LAUSD network during the school day. (Students will need to go online to do research, and to have access to learning sites like BrainPop, Everyday Math Online, and Dance Mat Typing.)
We will be starting the year in technology with a heavy emphasis on typing skills. During our field test of the Smarter Balanced Assessment last year, we noted that the students who were proficient typists were able to more clearly and easily communicate what they knew. We don't waste brain power thinking about how to hold a pencil, but when students have to stop to locate a letter on the keyboard or to think about how to capitalize, their focus is diverted from whatever question they are actually being asked.
We have lots of other great stuff planned for the year, so be sure to check back in here periodically to see what we're up to!
Imran Khaliq, 12, helped his
brother Farhan, 7, left, and Aidan Brown, 6, at a school computer coding
event in Mill Valley, Calif.Credit
Jason Henry for The New York Times
We've been so busy in the Technology Lab that I've been forgetting to update!
3rd-5th graders have been learning how to create and format bar graphs using Excel, and K-2nd graders have been creating art, using Doozla and Tux Paint, and tackling the Flappy Bird coding activity. (Both art programs are available for FREE online -- the links are to the right under Art.)
Last week, we started the Smarter Balanced Assessment with 3rd-5th graders. We talked about the equipment, the structure of the assessments, and took the practice tests for Math and ELA. You can also access these practice tests online: Smarter Balanced Assessment: Practice Test Portal.
During the three weeks following Spring Break, 3rd-5th grade students will take one assessment per week -- three total. (This year, of course, we are only a part of the "field test" -- individual scores for this test do not count.)
The time blocks during the assessment are twice as long as the usual Technology block. As a result, during the assessment period, K-2nd grade will not have Technology.
There will be no typing practice during school, for any grade level, during the assessment period. Please make sure your kids are practicing at home for the next four weeks!
When we did our brainstorming for Doodle 4 Google, the idea of a device to enable animals to communicate with humans came up a few times. Interestingly, that "device" seems to be in the works:
