Hello,
In January 2010, please be on the lookout for a new typing program that the school purchased. It's a web version of Type to Learn 4. This means that every student of OWS/Vista can have access to it anywhere from campus as well as at home. Each student will have a username and a unique password for logging in. Options will be modified per grade level for challenging typing. In January, students will get aquainted with it in the lab and detailed instructions for usage at home will be posted on your classroom website. Please look for this.
I want to wish you and your family a very safe and fun holiday!!! See you next year!
Rasha Sachdeva
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Recommended Site for Educational Software
Hello,
I've had many requests of what's the best software out there on various subjects for their child. With the holiday season approaching, you may want to check out one of my favorite sites on software reviewed by parents. I've visited this site many times. Please look to the left.
Happy Surfing,
Rasha Sachdeva
I've had many requests of what's the best software out there on various subjects for their child. With the holiday season approaching, you may want to check out one of my favorite sites on software reviewed by parents. I've visited this site many times. Please look to the left.
Happy Surfing,
Rasha Sachdeva
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
What's Happening and Happy Holidays!
Hello,
You must be wondering what is happening in the lab. We have been a busy K-5 bunch.
Fifth Graders have started a multi-level virtual simulation (sim) of the first Colonists. Here students assume the role of colonial governors who assign work, monitor crops, build houses, negotiate with Indians, and punish wayward settlers. Critical thinking and making the right choices will help them through the final level. Will they make it???? Ask your child.
Fourth Graders have been busy with our graphic web designer software. Students studied about character traits and chose a favorite character to web a character analysis. Soon after they will complete a mind map of their own using this fascinating software.
Third Graders have been exploring the wonderful world of Google Earth. They delved into the historical timeline of favorite places and were shocked to see that our school wasn't here 10 years ago. They observed their neighborhood from a bird's eye perspective and one student commented that they never knew their neighbor had a pool! Students also explored the galaxy and landed on Mars and marked a special spot just for them.
Second Graders have been busy programming turtles. They've learned to create animation and incorporate music, text and art all in one screen. Ask them about their 'Favorite Place' project.
First Graders have been exploring a paint program and creating art from their digital photo. They have also been introduced to the world of programming through animation. They also continue to practice typing and learning the various keys.
Kindergartners have been busy completing the Senses Program which hones their skills of the five senses taught in their homeroom classes. They've worked with a program that has nine levels and many have completed it and received certificates. Others are very close to completing the levels.
As you can see, we have been busy. With all of their lessons, students are also receiving typing practice and keyboarding skills. If you have a child in grades 3-5, please make sure that they continue their typing practice at home using the typing log that can be found on your child's teacher's website. If you have trouble accessing the log, please feel free to just create your own log. Nothing fancy please.
Take care and Happy Holidays to you all!
Rasha Sachdeva
You must be wondering what is happening in the lab. We have been a busy K-5 bunch.
Fifth Graders have started a multi-level virtual simulation (sim) of the first Colonists. Here students assume the role of colonial governors who assign work, monitor crops, build houses, negotiate with Indians, and punish wayward settlers. Critical thinking and making the right choices will help them through the final level. Will they make it???? Ask your child.
Fourth Graders have been busy with our graphic web designer software. Students studied about character traits and chose a favorite character to web a character analysis. Soon after they will complete a mind map of their own using this fascinating software.
Third Graders have been exploring the wonderful world of Google Earth. They delved into the historical timeline of favorite places and were shocked to see that our school wasn't here 10 years ago. They observed their neighborhood from a bird's eye perspective and one student commented that they never knew their neighbor had a pool! Students also explored the galaxy and landed on Mars and marked a special spot just for them.
Second Graders have been busy programming turtles. They've learned to create animation and incorporate music, text and art all in one screen. Ask them about their 'Favorite Place' project.
First Graders have been exploring a paint program and creating art from their digital photo. They have also been introduced to the world of programming through animation. They also continue to practice typing and learning the various keys.
Kindergartners have been busy completing the Senses Program which hones their skills of the five senses taught in their homeroom classes. They've worked with a program that has nine levels and many have completed it and received certificates. Others are very close to completing the levels.
As you can see, we have been busy. With all of their lessons, students are also receiving typing practice and keyboarding skills. If you have a child in grades 3-5, please make sure that they continue their typing practice at home using the typing log that can be found on your child's teacher's website. If you have trouble accessing the log, please feel free to just create your own log. Nothing fancy please.
Take care and Happy Holidays to you all!
Rasha Sachdeva
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
More Typing Programs
Hello All,
Wow, it's great seeing my 3-5 graders getting so excited about their typing homework. Many students have already completed the Dance Mat Typing Program. For those of you who want other suggested sites, please see the links to the left. I also suggest a vist to your local library and checking out one of their numerous typing programs on CDROM. You can keep them for a month and check out another one after that. The main goal here is to continue typing practice.
Thanks so much for your support by encouraging your child to continue typing practice at home.
Rasha Sachdeva
Wow, it's great seeing my 3-5 graders getting so excited about their typing homework. Many students have already completed the Dance Mat Typing Program. For those of you who want other suggested sites, please see the links to the left. I also suggest a vist to your local library and checking out one of their numerous typing programs on CDROM. You can keep them for a month and check out another one after that. The main goal here is to continue typing practice.
Thanks so much for your support by encouraging your child to continue typing practice at home.
Rasha Sachdeva
Friday, October 30, 2009
Lab Update!
Hello,
It has certainly been a busy week here in the lab. This week all 3-5 graders received typing homework. Please encourage them to complete their weekly assignment.
Kindergartners have been exploring programs such as MS Paint, Kid Pix, Type to Learn Jr., and the famous Reader Rabbit.
First Graders have been learning how to use all the tools in MS Paint and Kid Pix. They are incorporating video and sound into their creative works of art. They really enjoy the music part.
Second Graders have been busy creating a class slide show using Kid Pix. They created slides that represented themselves and then we saw it as a class slide show. They also learned how to digitally alter their photo using MS Paint.
Third Graders have been busy creating their own individual slide show using Kid Pix on an 'all about me' theme. They have also learned the basic tools of Power Point and have created an 'all about me' presentation using Power Point.
Fourth Graders have been researching landforms using our various databases to gather information and creating a Power Point presentation. They know how to use the cool tools such as formatting, adding animation, and sound into their presentation. The fourth graders were currently studying landforms in their science unit.
Fifth Graders were busy solidifying their skills on the order of mathematical operations using our How the West was 1+3*4 Won software. The two way game was challenging. They also learned the basics of creating an Excel spreadsheet and navigating through the cells. They are currently working on a vampire activity involving exponential growth using Excel.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at anytime.
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
It has certainly been a busy week here in the lab. This week all 3-5 graders received typing homework. Please encourage them to complete their weekly assignment.
Kindergartners have been exploring programs such as MS Paint, Kid Pix, Type to Learn Jr., and the famous Reader Rabbit.
First Graders have been learning how to use all the tools in MS Paint and Kid Pix. They are incorporating video and sound into their creative works of art. They really enjoy the music part.
Second Graders have been busy creating a class slide show using Kid Pix. They created slides that represented themselves and then we saw it as a class slide show. They also learned how to digitally alter their photo using MS Paint.
Third Graders have been busy creating their own individual slide show using Kid Pix on an 'all about me' theme. They have also learned the basic tools of Power Point and have created an 'all about me' presentation using Power Point.
Fourth Graders have been researching landforms using our various databases to gather information and creating a Power Point presentation. They know how to use the cool tools such as formatting, adding animation, and sound into their presentation. The fourth graders were currently studying landforms in their science unit.
Fifth Graders were busy solidifying their skills on the order of mathematical operations using our How the West was 1+3*4 Won software. The two way game was challenging. They also learned the basics of creating an Excel spreadsheet and navigating through the cells. They are currently working on a vampire activity involving exponential growth using Excel.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at anytime.
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Typing Homework for Grades 3-5
Hello Parents,
Soon your child in grades 3-5 will have weekly homework from the computer class. Students will be given a typing log to track down the minutes of practice typing using any typing program they have access to. The requirement will be a minimum of 10 minutes each weeknight for a total of 50 minutes a week. By 5th grade students should be able to type 30 words a minute with accuracy. Ongoing practice other than what they receive in my lab will greatly benefit the students. There are many online typing sites that are free and sites that charge a minimum fee. To the left is a great free link called dance mat typing that I recommend. Also you can go to the King County Library System's website and do a subject search for Keyboarding - software or typing - Software and you will find many CDROMs that you can borrow and download onto your home computer. Some of the titles they have include Bernie's Typing Travels, Garfield's Typing Pal Typing Made Fun the Garfield Way!, Mario Teaches Typing 2, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Deluxe, Type to Learn Jr. (which is what we use here in the lab for k-2), and many more. I want to stress how important typing skills are especially starting with the third grade when finer motor skills are developed. Feel free to choose any typing program that your child will enjoy.
If your child does not have access to a computer or Internet, please let me know.
Thanks so much for your support!
Rasha Sachdeva
Technology Specialist
Soon your child in grades 3-5 will have weekly homework from the computer class. Students will be given a typing log to track down the minutes of practice typing using any typing program they have access to. The requirement will be a minimum of 10 minutes each weeknight for a total of 50 minutes a week. By 5th grade students should be able to type 30 words a minute with accuracy. Ongoing practice other than what they receive in my lab will greatly benefit the students. There are many online typing sites that are free and sites that charge a minimum fee. To the left is a great free link called dance mat typing that I recommend. Also you can go to the King County Library System's website and do a subject search for Keyboarding - software or typing - Software and you will find many CDROMs that you can borrow and download onto your home computer. Some of the titles they have include Bernie's Typing Travels, Garfield's Typing Pal Typing Made Fun the Garfield Way!, Mario Teaches Typing 2, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Deluxe, Type to Learn Jr. (which is what we use here in the lab for k-2), and many more. I want to stress how important typing skills are especially starting with the third grade when finer motor skills are developed. Feel free to choose any typing program that your child will enjoy.
If your child does not have access to a computer or Internet, please let me know.
Thanks so much for your support!
Rasha Sachdeva
Technology Specialist
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Specialist Night, Oct 14, 2009
Hello Parents,
To the left is an overview of the computer class this year. If you have any questions, please don't hestitate to contact me. For those of you who have signed up for my conferences, I look forward to chatting with you on the happenings in our lab!
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
rashas@ows.org
To the left is an overview of the computer class this year. If you have any questions, please don't hestitate to contact me. For those of you who have signed up for my conferences, I look forward to chatting with you on the happenings in our lab!
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
rashas@ows.org
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Computer Lab Update!
Hello Everyone,
As usual it has been a busy environment in the computer lab. It amazes me how fast the time goes. I sure do wish I could see the grade levels more than once a week, however, the time we do have, we make the most of it.
For example, the kindergartners are learning the keys and reinforcing their knowledge on the upper and lower case letters. They were introduced to our digital art program called KidPix. They love playing around with the various tools such as background, stickers, and even the sound recorder!
First graders have been busy using the Type to Learn Jr. program. They are getting familiar with the various keys especially the ones they don't use often such as the #, ?, and $. They are creating a 'all about me' picture using KidPix and saving it on the server with a little help from me!
My 2nd graders are busy with the typing program as well. Here they use Type to Learn 3 and I have programmed it to their level. They are also working on a 'all about me' picture which will be turned into a class slideshow. The slideshow will be emailed to their teacher.
My 3rd graders are also busy with the typing program. Since I have a longer time with 3rd,4th,and 5th graders, the first 10 minutes are devoted to typing. The remaining is on a lesson. Along with typing, the 3rd graders are working on a minimum of 5 slides on KidPix which tell all about themselves. They will then incorporate it into their own slideshow.
My 4th and 5th graders along with typing, have been finishing their Google SketchUp models. Come by the lab any time and you can see some of the work already displayed. Many students I find seem to be the perfectionist so they are not quite ready to publish their models! They will continue their models as time permits.
That's it for now! As always please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
All the best,
Rasha Sachdeva
As usual it has been a busy environment in the computer lab. It amazes me how fast the time goes. I sure do wish I could see the grade levels more than once a week, however, the time we do have, we make the most of it.
For example, the kindergartners are learning the keys and reinforcing their knowledge on the upper and lower case letters. They were introduced to our digital art program called KidPix. They love playing around with the various tools such as background, stickers, and even the sound recorder!
First graders have been busy using the Type to Learn Jr. program. They are getting familiar with the various keys especially the ones they don't use often such as the #, ?, and $. They are creating a 'all about me' picture using KidPix and saving it on the server with a little help from me!
My 2nd graders are busy with the typing program as well. Here they use Type to Learn 3 and I have programmed it to their level. They are also working on a 'all about me' picture which will be turned into a class slideshow. The slideshow will be emailed to their teacher.
My 3rd graders are also busy with the typing program. Since I have a longer time with 3rd,4th,and 5th graders, the first 10 minutes are devoted to typing. The remaining is on a lesson. Along with typing, the 3rd graders are working on a minimum of 5 slides on KidPix which tell all about themselves. They will then incorporate it into their own slideshow.
My 4th and 5th graders along with typing, have been finishing their Google SketchUp models. Come by the lab any time and you can see some of the work already displayed. Many students I find seem to be the perfectionist so they are not quite ready to publish their models! They will continue their models as time permits.
That's it for now! As always please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
All the best,
Rasha Sachdeva
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What's Happening in the Lab
Hello,
What a busy 2 weeks we have had in the computer lab. This year I am really focusing on typing skills for all K-5 students. In K and 1st, students will use Type to Learn Jr software to learn the basics. For 2-5 grades, students will use Type to Learn 3 program. I have customized the program for each grade level. All students have a login id and progress will be tracked for each student. With that said, if you ever want to know how they are doing in their typing prgram, I'll be happy to print out a report of their progress. Just pop me an email.
In addition to typing, all students have been exposed to various programs. K, 1, 2 and 3 have been using KidPix to create beautiful digital art. K and 1 are still learning the use of the mouse and how to treat the equipment. Grades 2 and 3 are using KidPix to create art about themselves which will soon turn into a class slideshow as well as individual slideshows.
Grades 4 and 5 are working with a wonderful Google program called SketchUp. It's used to create 3D models. The 5th graders are focusing on the more advanced tools of the sofware and the 4th graders are creating simple 3D designs. Ask them about the orbit, zoom and pan tools!
I continue to be amazed with how fast students grasp the concepts of various programs. I'm also so proud to see students help each other out and lend a helping idea.
If ever you have any questions about what is happening in the lab, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
What a busy 2 weeks we have had in the computer lab. This year I am really focusing on typing skills for all K-5 students. In K and 1st, students will use Type to Learn Jr software to learn the basics. For 2-5 grades, students will use Type to Learn 3 program. I have customized the program for each grade level. All students have a login id and progress will be tracked for each student. With that said, if you ever want to know how they are doing in their typing prgram, I'll be happy to print out a report of their progress. Just pop me an email.
In addition to typing, all students have been exposed to various programs. K, 1, 2 and 3 have been using KidPix to create beautiful digital art. K and 1 are still learning the use of the mouse and how to treat the equipment. Grades 2 and 3 are using KidPix to create art about themselves which will soon turn into a class slideshow as well as individual slideshows.
Grades 4 and 5 are working with a wonderful Google program called SketchUp. It's used to create 3D models. The 5th graders are focusing on the more advanced tools of the sofware and the 4th graders are creating simple 3D designs. Ask them about the orbit, zoom and pan tools!
I continue to be amazed with how fast students grasp the concepts of various programs. I'm also so proud to see students help each other out and lend a helping idea.
If ever you have any questions about what is happening in the lab, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Free Downloads
Hello Everyone,
Please feel free to download any or all of the FREE programs to the left. These are just a few of the programs your child will be exposed to depending on their grade level. The list will be updated as the year goes on with various additional links and suggested software.
See you soon!
Rasha Sachdeva
Please feel free to download any or all of the FREE programs to the left. These are just a few of the programs your child will be exposed to depending on their grade level. The list will be updated as the year goes on with various additional links and suggested software.
See you soon!
Rasha Sachdeva
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Hi, I'm Rasha Sachdeva, Technology Specialist, at Open Window School. My job is to work directly with K-5 students in the Computer Lab, providing them with a strong foundation on various computer applications. I also serve on the Technology Committee to help forward technology goals across the school.
I look forward to getting to know your child as the year progresses and look forward to helping them hone their skills in a world where technology can change in a blink of an eye!
Please feel free to contact me at rashas@ows.org for any questions, comments, or concerns.
Sincerely,
Rasha Sachdeva
I look forward to getting to know your child as the year progresses and look forward to helping them hone their skills in a world where technology can change in a blink of an eye!
Please feel free to contact me at rashas@ows.org for any questions, comments, or concerns.
Sincerely,
Rasha Sachdeva
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