Time for Type to Learn 4!

This week the 2nd-5th graders signed on to their Type to Learn 4 accounts.  Type to Learn 4 -- or TTL4 -- is a self-paced typing program which allows students to have accounts with content set to their age/grade level.

One of the great features of this program is that students can log in from home for free!  All you need to do is download the TTL4 software onto your computer.   The "home download" link is the first link under Typing Links on the sidebar to the right.  (Our school Account Code is: 152721)  Each student has a Username and Password.

I encourage all students to practice typing at home at least twice a week -- 15 minutes is all it takes.  Once a week in the Technology Lab is really not often enough for typing to become fluid.  We are trying to build "muscle memory" so that our fingers know where to go, without our eyes telling them.

Students do not need to use TTL4 to practice typing.  There are several websites that allow students to practice typing for free.  (Please see list under Typing Links to the right.)

Let the Typing Begin!

For 2nd-5th graders, we are reviewing the Home Row and trying to get the muscle memory in our fingers working for us again with Dance Mat Typing.

1st graders are getting their first real introduction to "touch typing".  We are starting with a game called  Keyboard Climber -- have them try it at home!

Welcome Back!

Hello, Community Families!

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!

Lots of Typing Goin' On!

After their three week break from school, the 1st-5th graders have spent the past couple of weeks reacquainting themselves with the keyboard.

They have all been given a four-digit "username" so that they can access their Type to Learn 4 accounts from home, as well as from school.

If you do not want to, or are unable to, download TTL4 onto your home computer, Dance Mat Typing is still an excellent, FREE, online program.

The kindergarteners have started to get serious about their math work with Florita, and the kindergarten teachers requested that we work on math during their Technology time.  To that end, we have been exploring three apps on the iPad:  Adding Apples, Subtracting Sardines, and Hungry Guppy.

The after-school Coding Club got started this week, with kids learning about, and working with, binary code!  In addition, they tackled their first coding puzzle.   We had a lot of fun!

Trying New Things

We've got a bunch of new stuff going on in the Technology Lab this week.

We're getting close to settling on a comprehensive typing program for our school!  (And not a moment too soon -- the kids are going to be too good for Dance Mat Typing soon!)  During the month of November, two classrooms, six teachers, Carla, and I will be involved in a free trial of what looks to be the perfect typing program for us.  Stay tuned for more details.

The kindergarteners have been eying the laptops longingly all year, so I thought it was time to let them have a go.  :-)  Those who had "computer experience" were used to using a mouse, so it was fun for them to try using the track pad.  They visited the kindergarten area of abcya.com and played Alphabet BINGO.  This is a great game to help kids learn the letter sounds because you can select to either the "Letter Name" or "Letter Sound".  Most importantly, there is a "Repeat Letter" button.

2nd and 3rd graders started a two-week "formatting" activity in Microsoft Word.  This activity is great for becoming familiar with the features of Word, but also enables the kids to see that the computer does what THEY tell it to do.

4th and 5th graders continued to familiarize themselves with their LAUSD online student accounts.  Some of the teachers are more excited than the kids -- they can't wait to use Google Docs for collaborative projects!

It's the End of Ocober!

Where does the time go??  I guess time flies when you're as busy as we have been in the Technology Lab!

On Friday, Many parents met with Carla to discuss the Common Core.  On thing that became clear during her presentation was that, although there have been "technology standards" in the past, and we have known that having tech saavy kids will be imperative in this century, the Common Core model pushes teachers and parents to make it happen.

If you are interested in the specific ways in which technology skills are integrated into the Common Core, this document is helpful: http:// bit.ly/1aDHscs

One area in which parents can really help support their kids is in typing practice.  Once a week in the Technology Lab is not enough.  As I mentioned before, Dance Mat Typing is a great FREE online typing program.  We want our kids to feel comfortable writing on computers for many reasons, but the coming changes to standardized testing is a big one.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been attempting to get the 4th and 5th graders set up with their LAUSD email/cloud storage/GoogleDocs accounts.  Ideally, by the end of this week they will all be set!

2nd and 3rd grade have been working on typing practice in a different way by creating "word cloud poems" about themselves in abcya.com.

1st grade has continued to work on math skills, playing Money BINGO and Base Ten BINGO on abcya.com.

 

 And finally, in abcya.com, for advanced typers only...

Happy Halloween!

We've Been Busy!

Hello again!  Here’s a bit of what we’ve been working on so far:

      Typing:  As LAUSD moves closer to the goal of conducting all testing on electronic devices, the teachers felt it was imperative that our students learn to type.  To that end, all Community students in 1^st through 5^th grades are working on typing!  And by “type” I mean proper, two-handed typing --  no more “hunting and pecking”!   Until the teachers decide on a comprehensive typing program they all like, we are using Dance Mat Typing – a free, online program.  *Since the kids only come to the lab once a week, it would be great if they could practice at home as well.*

  Microsoft PowerPoint:  For the past couple of weeks 2^nd through 5^th graders have been working with Microsoft PowerPoint.   Using subject matter they are studying in their classrooms, students have been experimenting with creating PowerPoint presentations.   (Eventually, we will experiment with Keynote as well.)

   Letter School:  Kindergarteners use iPads during their Technology time.  The kindergarten teachers expressed an interest in having students work on handwriting, so we have been working with a great app called “Letter School”.  It helps kids not only to recognize the letters and their sounds, but to learn the proper way to write them.  It forces users to write letters correctly – starting from the top! The kids love it because it has lots of cool sounds and fun graphics.  :-)