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
