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

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

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

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