Hello Everyone,
I hope you all enjoyed a well rested and much deserved summer break. I sure did! I spent loads of time with family and friends and went on many hikes with my family. I am ready to start a new school year! I hope you are too.
I'm excited to see all my students back at the Mouse Pad and meeting our new students who are joining this year. I have loads of fun programs to teach you and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. We have brand new computers in the lab. We've got the Windows 8 All-In-One Touchscreen desktops. You are going to love them!
As usual I welcome any suggestions and if you have any questions or concerns you can always come see me or pop me an email.
Please come back to this blog at the end of each month where you will find the latest in what's happening in the Mouse Pad.
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
rashas@ows.org
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Have a Fabulous Summer!
Hello Everyone,
I want to take this time to wish you all a very wonderful summer ahead and get a much deserved rest with family and friends. Just a reminder that all TTL4 accounts will remain active unless you are not a returning family. In mid June I will move all active accounts up one grade level. If your child finds the need to type and logs on with a pre-test, it is because they are in the next grade level.
I will end the last post for the school year with one of my favorite quotes:
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."
See you next year!!!!!
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
I want to take this time to wish you all a very wonderful summer ahead and get a much deserved rest with family and friends. Just a reminder that all TTL4 accounts will remain active unless you are not a returning family. In mid June I will move all active accounts up one grade level. If your child finds the need to type and logs on with a pre-test, it is because they are in the next grade level.
I will end the last post for the school year with one of my favorite quotes:
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."
See you next year!!!!!
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
Friday, May 24, 2013
Update from the Mouse Pad!
Hello All,
I can't believe this year is winding down. A reminder that I will keep all TTL4 accounts active if your child is a returning student. I will upgrade them to the next grade level so they will need to take that initial pre-test to see where the program places them. If your child finishes their grade level over the summer and wants the next grade level access, please just email me and I'll be able to bump them up.
Kindergartners this month got to explore the SmartBoard tools. They've seen it in action but this time they got to explore with the actual software. They created pages in a single document, used tools such as text, color, lines, fancy pens, shapes and their most favorite, the magic pen. Be sure to ask them about it. This was a great introduction to the tools as they will surely be using the SmartBoard in their homeroom classrooms in the future years.
First Graders got to explore with Pixie. It's a wonderful software where I like to describe it as an adult version of KidPix! Pixie lets them use their imagination and creativity to create slideshows. The kids all made an art show slideshow. They had numerous slides with such great art work with the help of elements such as symmetry, animations, clip art, mixers and transitions. These slides can definitely compete with Jackson Pollock's work!
Second Graders were introduced to PowerPoint. We will go in dept with a project of their choice in Third Grade but this year, they got to see how powerful presentations are made! They each chose any subject of interest and used many of the programs tools such as inserting pictures, text, animations, transistions, sound and voice recordings to create a wonderful and colorful presentation.
Third Graders were introduced to digital storytelling site called Little Bird Tales. Students wrote fiction, non-fiction, poems or how-to books and then had their stories digitized with a final result of a video. They illustrated their own drawings and incorporated their voice as narration. We have budding authors in the Third Grade for sure! They all love to see their stories made into a video. Please ask your child about and even show you as this can be accessed from home.
Fourth Graders are busy making animated videos using their account on GoAnimate. They love being able to log on from home as well to continue their videos. All students got a lesson on ground rules for videos before posting on our platform (note, only myself and OWS 4th Graders can view the videos). GoAnimate lets you create skits from their apps, create characters and make a full blown video using all the bells and whistles. Be sure to ask your child about it and log on using their ids. I will remove their access sometime over the summer to prepare for the new Fourth Graders.
As usual, if you have any questions, please just send me a quick email! Take care.
Rasha Sachdeva
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Update from the Mouse Pad!
Hello All,
We've had a very busy April month. All of K-4 have started new projects. Here's a recap:
Kindergartners are continuing with their TTL4 practice. Many have downloaded this wonderful program at home and are continuing their typing practice. If you haven't yet, I strongly encourage you to download TTL4. The instructions are on your child's teacher's website under the document section. In addition to typing, they were introduced to the MS Paint program. They learned to zoom in on a page and create wonderful abstract art. I loved seeing the great designs created. They are pretty much a pro on the program as they used most of the tools such as paint bucket, shapes, text, paint brush strokes and the paint dropper.
First Graders have gotten their introduction to MS Word. They each created a document that included adding background colors, borders, wordart, clip art, resizing, use of control functions (delete, copy, paste and save) and using page layouts. They especially loved the clipart and searching for their favorite items. Resizing was a challenge but in the end, they all became pros at it!
Second Graders were introduced to video animation. We went on a wonderful site called domo animate and they created up to 30 second videos. They had a blast using the functions to create several scenes. They added background, chose characters with various actions (you must ask them about some of these actions), props, music and speech bubbles to name a few. In order to save work, this web 2.0 tools needs user logins. I did not create individual logins but advised the kids that if they wanted to continue at home and save their videos, they needed parent permission to set up an account and to continue this wonderful program at home. Please ask them to show you the site.
Third Graders were introduced to a popular simulation called SimSafari! Here they are safari owners and they must run a successful safari to survive. They have three zones which must run successfully, the park, the camp and the village. This simulation uses all their knowledge on math and the sciences. The goal is to obtain 5 stars and many are well on their way. Ask them about it!
Fourth Graders became entrepreneurs! They were engaged in a simulation where they were owners of a hot dog stand. They initially had a monetary goal that they had to meet. In doing so, they needed to successfully run their stands at various events. This required math and logic skills as well as good common sense. All students started out at the beginner level but soon most students got up to the advanced levels.
Ask your students about the addicting music that comes along with this simulation!
As always, please feel free to contact me if you every have questions
Regards,
Rasha Sachdeva
We've had a very busy April month. All of K-4 have started new projects. Here's a recap:
Kindergartners are continuing with their TTL4 practice. Many have downloaded this wonderful program at home and are continuing their typing practice. If you haven't yet, I strongly encourage you to download TTL4. The instructions are on your child's teacher's website under the document section. In addition to typing, they were introduced to the MS Paint program. They learned to zoom in on a page and create wonderful abstract art. I loved seeing the great designs created. They are pretty much a pro on the program as they used most of the tools such as paint bucket, shapes, text, paint brush strokes and the paint dropper.
First Graders have gotten their introduction to MS Word. They each created a document that included adding background colors, borders, wordart, clip art, resizing, use of control functions (delete, copy, paste and save) and using page layouts. They especially loved the clipart and searching for their favorite items. Resizing was a challenge but in the end, they all became pros at it!
Second Graders were introduced to video animation. We went on a wonderful site called domo animate and they created up to 30 second videos. They had a blast using the functions to create several scenes. They added background, chose characters with various actions (you must ask them about some of these actions), props, music and speech bubbles to name a few. In order to save work, this web 2.0 tools needs user logins. I did not create individual logins but advised the kids that if they wanted to continue at home and save their videos, they needed parent permission to set up an account and to continue this wonderful program at home. Please ask them to show you the site.
Third Graders were introduced to a popular simulation called SimSafari! Here they are safari owners and they must run a successful safari to survive. They have three zones which must run successfully, the park, the camp and the village. This simulation uses all their knowledge on math and the sciences. The goal is to obtain 5 stars and many are well on their way. Ask them about it!
Fourth Graders became entrepreneurs! They were engaged in a simulation where they were owners of a hot dog stand. They initially had a monetary goal that they had to meet. In doing so, they needed to successfully run their stands at various events. This required math and logic skills as well as good common sense. All students started out at the beginner level but soon most students got up to the advanced levels.
Ask your students about the addicting music that comes along with this simulation!
As always, please feel free to contact me if you every have questions
Regards,
Rasha Sachdeva
Thursday, March 21, 2013
What's Happening in the Mouse Pad?
Hello Everyone,
As usual it's been a busy time in the lab this month. Grades 1-4 have all completed the projects they were working on and have shared their creations to their peers. Here's a brief recap:
Kindergartners are continuing with our school-wide web based typing program Type To Learn 4. All of them can now log on without any help! Some are getting ahead as they have taken advantage and have download this program at home. That means they can practice at home and all changes are saved. The download instructions can be found on your teacher's classroom website under the document section. Please let me know if you have any questions on downloading this program. Happy Typing!
First Graders all completed their Kidspiration projects, All About Me. They shared their projects on the smart board and they all did a fabulous job. Some were a little shy to share initially but as soon as they saw their peers and what respect everyone gave each other, they stepped right up to volunteer. After they shared, the students all discovered something new about someone. Please ask them about it!
Second Graders all completed their Inspiration projects and will share next week (this was due to conferences this week). I took a sneak peek at the projects and I cant wait for them to share. Students used their imaginations and created a wonderful, colorful and detailed web about themselves. Many uploaded multiple photos to include in their presentations.
Third Graders all completed their Scratch projects and shared them as well. Again it was amazing to see the respect the students gave each other during and after the individual presentations. I didn't have a single shy student. The confidence they have at this age always surprises me! The projects contained more than what was expected and many used code that was very complex such as placing the X and Y variables. If you ever want to see their projects just drop by!
Fourth Graders all completed and shared their PhotoStory projects. Many actually created made up stories with their photos. They were very creative. Others gave a tour of the school using PhotoStory. Both were absolutely fun to watch. Students incorporated sounds, text, composed music and brought their own music from home to add to the effect of their presentations. They all know how to make a wonderful video if the need ever arises!
As always please contact me if you ever have any questions. Watch for another update next month on new projects the students will be working on!
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
As usual it's been a busy time in the lab this month. Grades 1-4 have all completed the projects they were working on and have shared their creations to their peers. Here's a brief recap:
Kindergartners are continuing with our school-wide web based typing program Type To Learn 4. All of them can now log on without any help! Some are getting ahead as they have taken advantage and have download this program at home. That means they can practice at home and all changes are saved. The download instructions can be found on your teacher's classroom website under the document section. Please let me know if you have any questions on downloading this program. Happy Typing!
First Graders all completed their Kidspiration projects, All About Me. They shared their projects on the smart board and they all did a fabulous job. Some were a little shy to share initially but as soon as they saw their peers and what respect everyone gave each other, they stepped right up to volunteer. After they shared, the students all discovered something new about someone. Please ask them about it!
Second Graders all completed their Inspiration projects and will share next week (this was due to conferences this week). I took a sneak peek at the projects and I cant wait for them to share. Students used their imaginations and created a wonderful, colorful and detailed web about themselves. Many uploaded multiple photos to include in their presentations.
Third Graders all completed their Scratch projects and shared them as well. Again it was amazing to see the respect the students gave each other during and after the individual presentations. I didn't have a single shy student. The confidence they have at this age always surprises me! The projects contained more than what was expected and many used code that was very complex such as placing the X and Y variables. If you ever want to see their projects just drop by!
Fourth Graders all completed and shared their PhotoStory projects. Many actually created made up stories with their photos. They were very creative. Others gave a tour of the school using PhotoStory. Both were absolutely fun to watch. Students incorporated sounds, text, composed music and brought their own music from home to add to the effect of their presentations. They all know how to make a wonderful video if the need ever arises!
As always please contact me if you ever have any questions. Watch for another update next month on new projects the students will be working on!
Take care,
Rasha Sachdeva
Monday, February 25, 2013
Update from the Mouse Pad!
Hello,
A lot has been going on as usual in our Mouse Pad! Here's a recap:
Kindergartners completed 3 great Sunburst programs on senses, animals and plants. They loved the 'bubble man' and receiving their completed certificates. These programs were great for their mouse clicking skills. Kindergartners then were introduced to our school wide web based typing program, TTL4. This was introduced 2/15/13. I'm so happy that many of you have downloaded this program at home so that your child can continue their typing practice. If you have not yet downloaded this program, I highly encourage you to do so. It is free as the school has paid for the subscription and the directions to download are on your child's homeroom teacher's website under the document section. The kids love getting to the different lessons and completing the typing games. Ask them about 'Security Check' and 'Big Ideas'. Please let me know if you have any questions downloading this program.
First Graders were introduced to a great visual learning tool called Kidspiration. This program helps students see, organize and develop their great ideas. They are using various symbols, fonts and colors to describe who they are. It's our 'All About Me' project. They also are having the chance to record on each symbol. They love this and some even sing on their recording. It amazes me as to how confident these kids are. We will begin to share our projects shortly using the smart board. They love that!
Second Graders were introduced to another visual tool called Inspiration, which is a step up from Kidspiration. They are also working on an 'All About Me' project but with more detail and depth. They learned how to upload their own photograph as the center of their web. In doing so, they got lots of practice resizing and rearranging their picture. They got a kick out of seeing their picture in their digital project! They are incorporating many elements such as symbol libraries, animated symbols, multicolor symbols, templates and background colors. Please ask them about it!
Third Graders are currently in a programming unit and are learning all about Scratch. They are so excited about this because this is what Vista 5th Graders are using at a more complex level. Scratch is a great programming tool developed by MIT and it teaches the students the fundamental ideas of coding by using a drag and drop method. It allows students to create animated sprites and assimilate video components such as voice, sound and background. Students have been getting familiar with the tools as well as playing some of the software's pre-installed games. For students who want to continue this at home, you can download it free. Please scroll down to the Scratch link to the right of this blog.
Fourth Graders got an introduction to VoiceThread. This is a great web-based technology where students can record and place their work on a single platform. We worked together with our Spanish teacher, Ms. Brodahl on an assignment about animals. The students researched their animal and recorded their assignment on VoiceThread all in Spanish. It was great working on Ms. Brodahl's Spanish assignment and putting a technical twist to it. The kids loved hearing each other speak Spanish. Please ask them how to access this as they have all the instructions. However, if you need it, please let me know!
As always if you ever need to meet or have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
Thanks,
Rasha Sachdeva
rashas@ows.org
A lot has been going on as usual in our Mouse Pad! Here's a recap:
Kindergartners completed 3 great Sunburst programs on senses, animals and plants. They loved the 'bubble man' and receiving their completed certificates. These programs were great for their mouse clicking skills. Kindergartners then were introduced to our school wide web based typing program, TTL4. This was introduced 2/15/13. I'm so happy that many of you have downloaded this program at home so that your child can continue their typing practice. If you have not yet downloaded this program, I highly encourage you to do so. It is free as the school has paid for the subscription and the directions to download are on your child's homeroom teacher's website under the document section. The kids love getting to the different lessons and completing the typing games. Ask them about 'Security Check' and 'Big Ideas'. Please let me know if you have any questions downloading this program.
First Graders were introduced to a great visual learning tool called Kidspiration. This program helps students see, organize and develop their great ideas. They are using various symbols, fonts and colors to describe who they are. It's our 'All About Me' project. They also are having the chance to record on each symbol. They love this and some even sing on their recording. It amazes me as to how confident these kids are. We will begin to share our projects shortly using the smart board. They love that!
Second Graders were introduced to another visual tool called Inspiration, which is a step up from Kidspiration. They are also working on an 'All About Me' project but with more detail and depth. They learned how to upload their own photograph as the center of their web. In doing so, they got lots of practice resizing and rearranging their picture. They got a kick out of seeing their picture in their digital project! They are incorporating many elements such as symbol libraries, animated symbols, multicolor symbols, templates and background colors. Please ask them about it!
Third Graders are currently in a programming unit and are learning all about Scratch. They are so excited about this because this is what Vista 5th Graders are using at a more complex level. Scratch is a great programming tool developed by MIT and it teaches the students the fundamental ideas of coding by using a drag and drop method. It allows students to create animated sprites and assimilate video components such as voice, sound and background. Students have been getting familiar with the tools as well as playing some of the software's pre-installed games. For students who want to continue this at home, you can download it free. Please scroll down to the Scratch link to the right of this blog.
Fourth Graders got an introduction to VoiceThread. This is a great web-based technology where students can record and place their work on a single platform. We worked together with our Spanish teacher, Ms. Brodahl on an assignment about animals. The students researched their animal and recorded their assignment on VoiceThread all in Spanish. It was great working on Ms. Brodahl's Spanish assignment and putting a technical twist to it. The kids loved hearing each other speak Spanish. Please ask them how to access this as they have all the instructions. However, if you need it, please let me know!
As always if you ever need to meet or have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
Thanks,
Rasha Sachdeva
rashas@ows.org
Friday, January 18, 2013
Happy New Year!
Hello All,
Welcome back and I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and have created some wonderful memories with family.
We've been busy as usual in the Mouse Pad! Here's a recap.
Kindergartners started out the New Year with a great fun online talking pets program. You could just imagine what that was about. Students went to talkingpets.org and picked a pet, dressed them up and had it say what they wanted it to say. They had a ball hearing their pet say what they typed. Ask them about it! Kindergartners then were been introduced to the Sunburst Senses program. This takes off from the lessons about the senses from their homeroom classrooms. The program has nine lessons all about the five senses and once completed, they get a customized certificate. They've started with the sequence game, the matching game and creating your own portrait which includes inputting pictures from the five senses. They are now about to begin the nine lessons to obtain their certificates. This program really helps them develop their hand/eye mouse coordination and reinforces the five senses.
First Graders have been introduced to the Neighborhood Map Machine program in which they put their knowledge of map making skills to the test. The program uses x and y coordinates and the compass. Students first created their own maps and then they solved mysteries embedded within the program. They loved searching for treasure and aliens! Students were grouped together to solve mysteries and they showed great teamwork skills. I was amazed to see how polite and encouraging they were to their teammates.
Second Graders are continuing with the Alice program. We have lots of great programmers in 2nd Grade. They have learned to have more than one object move at the same time. They have incorporated music, speech bubbles and their own voice recordings. They are all writing more than 10 lines of code! Their project is to create an animated video which includes at least seven objects, speech bubbles, voice recordings and music and then they will share their finished product with the class using the smart board. I can't wait for that!
Third Graders were introduced to Google Earth, a navigation software that lets you go to anywhere on earth as well as the Sky, Mars and the Moon. Students started off with finding OWS, then from there they went home and then they went to India to visit the Taj Mahal. They had loads of fun especially seeing their homes. Students then went to the sky to identify constellations and then they visited Mars and the Moon and placed their mark on it! Ask them how they did that..... Next, they will be introduced to Scratch programming. Stay tuned for that.
Fourth Graders were introduced to photo editing using PhotoStory. They are creating a digital story. Students first were grouped in pairs and then they took pictures around campus to incorporate into their stories. Students uploaded their pictures and are making edits that would certainly surprise you! Students added lighting effects, text, cropping, music and voice narration. I can't wait to see their finished products!
Grades 1 - 4 have been practicing TTL4 as well for 10 minutes each week. I do encourage you all to download TTL4 so that your child can continue practicing at home. Instructions can be found on your child's teacher's website. Kindergartners will be introduced to TTL4 later on this school year.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Take care!
Rasha Sachdeva
Welcome back and I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and have created some wonderful memories with family.
We've been busy as usual in the Mouse Pad! Here's a recap.
Kindergartners started out the New Year with a great fun online talking pets program. You could just imagine what that was about. Students went to talkingpets.org and picked a pet, dressed them up and had it say what they wanted it to say. They had a ball hearing their pet say what they typed. Ask them about it! Kindergartners then were been introduced to the Sunburst Senses program. This takes off from the lessons about the senses from their homeroom classrooms. The program has nine lessons all about the five senses and once completed, they get a customized certificate. They've started with the sequence game, the matching game and creating your own portrait which includes inputting pictures from the five senses. They are now about to begin the nine lessons to obtain their certificates. This program really helps them develop their hand/eye mouse coordination and reinforces the five senses.
First Graders have been introduced to the Neighborhood Map Machine program in which they put their knowledge of map making skills to the test. The program uses x and y coordinates and the compass. Students first created their own maps and then they solved mysteries embedded within the program. They loved searching for treasure and aliens! Students were grouped together to solve mysteries and they showed great teamwork skills. I was amazed to see how polite and encouraging they were to their teammates.
Second Graders are continuing with the Alice program. We have lots of great programmers in 2nd Grade. They have learned to have more than one object move at the same time. They have incorporated music, speech bubbles and their own voice recordings. They are all writing more than 10 lines of code! Their project is to create an animated video which includes at least seven objects, speech bubbles, voice recordings and music and then they will share their finished product with the class using the smart board. I can't wait for that!
Third Graders were introduced to Google Earth, a navigation software that lets you go to anywhere on earth as well as the Sky, Mars and the Moon. Students started off with finding OWS, then from there they went home and then they went to India to visit the Taj Mahal. They had loads of fun especially seeing their homes. Students then went to the sky to identify constellations and then they visited Mars and the Moon and placed their mark on it! Ask them how they did that..... Next, they will be introduced to Scratch programming. Stay tuned for that.
Fourth Graders were introduced to photo editing using PhotoStory. They are creating a digital story. Students first were grouped in pairs and then they took pictures around campus to incorporate into their stories. Students uploaded their pictures and are making edits that would certainly surprise you! Students added lighting effects, text, cropping, music and voice narration. I can't wait to see their finished products!
Grades 1 - 4 have been practicing TTL4 as well for 10 minutes each week. I do encourage you all to download TTL4 so that your child can continue practicing at home. Instructions can be found on your child's teacher's website. Kindergartners will be introduced to TTL4 later on this school year.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Take care!
Rasha Sachdeva
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