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!

New Headphones And Other Stuff

I'm very excited about our new headphones in the Technology Lab!  They are much more durable than the old plastic ones, and will also be easier to clean.

This week, in addition to typing practice, 2nd-5th graders continued to discuss internet safety.  We wrapped it all up by watching the BrainPOP video, "Online Safety".  It's a great one to watch and review with your kids at home.

In 1st grade, we've been practicing typing as well, but have also been making use of the online components to the Treasures (Language Arts) and Everyday Math curricula.  Everyday Math has some really fun two-player math games!

The kindergarten teachers have been interested in having students work on "beginning sounds" and "end sounds", so this week students have explored the Letter Muncher, Word Magic and Reading Raven apps. Word Magic is especially useful with regards to the skills that the K teachers wanted to target, because you can go into the settings and tell it to focus on "beginning sounds", "middle sounds" or "end sounds".  I anticipate using all three apps throughout the year to help the students practice their reading skills.

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.  :-)