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.)

Spring Break Already!

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!

February Is Almost Gone!

Last week, in 1st-5th grades, we brainstormed for the Doodle4Google contest.  It was a lot of fun!  The kids had some fantastic ideas on the given topic:  "If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place ___________ ."  We discussed inventions to help your family, your classroom, your city, animals, the environment, and the world.  I hope that they continue to think about this topic, and maybe a couple of them will feel inspired enough to it a step further and create a "doodle" to submit to Google!

This week in 2nd-5th grades, we explored CMCS's online library site, as well as LAUSD's Digital Library.  Both are excellent (and kid safe) resources for research.  Most students weren't aware that LAUSD provides many "paid" sources FREE to all on its students.  Links to both the CMCS online site (you will have to scroll down to find Community Magnet) and LAUSD's Digital Library are on the right.  -->

We're getting serious about our typing.  The students have had time to get used to Type to Learn 4, now, and some are really zooming ahead.  Unfortunately, some are zooming without using proper "home row" typing position!  This week I gave a "pop quiz" and tested kids to see if they could type without looking at the keyboard.  Next week, if I find students who are still unable to at least find the "home row" keys, I will reset their accounts and they will have to take the pre-test again.  (I have let them know about this.)

In addition to typing practice, in 1st grade we created and labeled shapes using Doozla.  The students are getting better and better at using the tools in this art program to make their ideas come to life.

The kindergarteners tried two new math apps on the iPads:  Meerkat Math and Math BINGO.  They also had a little bit of "free choice" in the MATH folder.  While many went back to math apps we have played before, Hydro Math and Math Zombies were also big hits.

We've been having lots of fun in our after school Coding Club.  We did a computer-less graph paper coding project, and ON the computer we started an art coding activity which teaches kids to give specific commands to create images on the computer.  In addition, we tried the fun Flappy Bird coding puzzle that code.org posted in honor of their 1-year anniversary.  This activity is online and free!  I posted a link to it on the right.  -->

Math Apps and Monster Code

With the Type To Learn 4 program, not only am I able to send teachers typing progress reports for their class, but each teacher can log in to check on students' progress!  If possible, make sure your kids are practicing at home.

Laptops are great for a lot of things, but iPads are especially good for skills practice.  Over the past couple of weeks kindergarten, 2nd & 3rd grades have been getting some great math practice on the iPads using "Match-Up Math" and "Pop Math".  In both apps, the settings allow you to choose between Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division, and to adjust your skill level in each.

In the after-school Coding Club, we worked on writing code to create monsters!

Back to Work

Now that the students have familiarized themselves with their Type To Learn accounts, we have finally been able to get back to doing other stuff.

In addition to typing, this week 1st-3rd graders explored Google Earth.  We talked about the basic navigation features, and students tried to find their house, their school, and other landmarks.

And in 4th and 5th grades, in preparation for the return to our PowerPoint project, we watched a BrainPOP video about online sources.  While the library is an invaluable tool for research, as they get older our students will find themselves doing more and more research online.  It is important for them to start to think about reputable vs. non-reputable sources of information on the web.

In kindergarten we continued to play math games on the iPads, and we added one more game to our arsenal: Hungry Fish, by Motion Math.  This app is much more versatile than Hungry Guppy in that it has a wide range in levels of difficulty, and also has a subtraction option.

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!

Happy New Year!

Welcome Back!

I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting second semester in the Technology Lab!

We are going full steam ahead with our new typing program: Type To Learn 4.  If you would like your child to be able to log in from home, please click on the TTL4 link -- to the right -- to download the program to your home computer.  (Our Account Code is: 152721.)

I received a lot of positive feedback about the Hour of Code we did in December, and many of you have asked how the kids can do more.  The good news is that you have a bunch of options:

All of the Hour of Code activities are still available online, for FREE.  I've put the links in the "Quick Links" section to the right.

Scratch programming is part of my curriculum for 3rd-5th grades this year.  We will probably start sometime after Spring Break.

There are also a number of online, after-school, weekend, and summer coding programs available for kids.  Below is a partial list:

CMCS Coding & Computer Animation Club -- at Community (after school program)
Join me on Wednesdays after school (starting 1/22) and learn to code in this fun and educational program.  Based on the curriculum designed by code.org, students will engage in exciting and creative coding activities similar to our December Hour of Code.  For more information, or to sign up, please contact Martha Melinda in Community's after-school program..

CoderDojo -- Various Locations (weekend classes)

KidsCanCode -- Various Locations (many program options)

iDTech Camp -- UCLA (Summer Program)

Digital Arts & Media Academy -- UCLA (Summer Program)

Planet Bravo's Techno-Tainment Camp -- Various Locations (Summer Program)

Codecademy -- Online Program

Code School -- Online Program

Khan Academy -- Online Program

Turtle Academy -- Online Program

Scratch -- Online Program

Code Monster -- Online Program

Hackety Hack -- Online Program

If you know of a good coding program for kids, please let me know and I will add it to my list!

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!