RVES Computer Lab
by Sandy Williams
March 02, 2010
Our goal is to introduce, practice and use technology in all elementary grades. The week prior to Valentine's day all the students worked on projects that involved learning new ways to integrate different applications. We also like to incorporate our Character Education traits in or lessons when possible. Using these six traits. caring, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Trustworthiness, & citizenship we discussed how these were all qualities that our school board members have. We adopted a theme of gratitude to the board for their service to our distract . These projects were shared with the Royal Valley Board of Education.
Here is a brief description of what each grade level worked on for their special project.
Kindergarten- The students used the website http://www.thecolor.com from Tux's Website to color and print a picture. This activity allows the students to make a personal choices for which picture they "color." It also gives the students practice in using their mouse and fine motor skills. The students are learning how to use the back button, tabs and other Internet navigation tools through this activity
First Grade- The students used the application Kidspiration to make a document which included using the graphic organizer in the application. The document included placing their name in a text box and then choosing four graphics that showed things they liked. They are learning to navigate through the graphic library then place and resize objects inserted on their page.
Second Grade- The students used the application microSoft Word to make a poster that included inserting Wordart into the application. using the Photoboothapplication, they took their picture and placed it in the Word document. This was two-day project, so the students learned how to save their document on the computer desktop as well. We continue to add "quick keys" such as " apple Q"=Quit;"apple S"=Save;"apple P=Print.
Third Grade- The students used the application PowerPoint to make a slide that included a title, and a picture. They used the application Photobooth to take their pictures and then place them into the PowerPoint slide. This was a two-day project, so the students reviewed how to save their document on the computer desktop. The students continue to practice the use of the "quick keys." I then demonstrated how i could use a flash drive to place all of their slides onto one presentation.
Fourth Grade- The students used the application MicroSoft PowerPoint to make a slide that included a title, text box and picture. They used the application Photobooth to take their pictures and then place them into the PowerPoint slide. This was a two-day project, so the students reviewed how to save their document on the computer desktop. The students are quite proficient in using the basic "quick keys." I then demonstrated how to use a flash to place all of their slides onto one presentation.
We will continue to explore different applications and work on building keyboarding skill. It is fascinating to watch how quickly the students all grasp and apply skills utilized on the computer.
