Year1 students learned to access the primary school webmix, a collection of websites we use in primary school on symbaloo. To do this they log on to the computer and open the Google Chrome web browser. Our webmix is the default home page in the Google Chrome web browser. The students then selected the Teach Your Monster To Read website to play the game 'Fun With Words' and practise their reading skills. Teach Your Monster To Read will remember each student as they practise reading at their own pace, giving them feedback and reporting on progress to the teacher. If students have access to a computer with internet at home, I would encourage them to log on to the game and continue playing under the supervision of their parents here. The students know their user names and passwords for the game.
0 Comments
Kindergarten2 students continued to practice mouse skills by reading an interactive story on abcya.com. Students clicked on the speaker icon on each page to listened to the story and read along, as best as they could, with the words being read highlighted on the screen. To proceed to the next page, students clicked on the relevant icon. Our focus this week was on clicking on objects on the screen. abcya.com has a few read along stories for students to read with parents at home.
The students are continuing to learn and practice their typing skills in order to improve on productivity. In Primary school, we use typing.com, where each student from year 3 upwards has an account. Students practise at their own pace, receive great feedback and keep track of their own progress. Typing.com also generates reports for discussion between the teacher and the student. Here is what Misha said about Typing.com the other day.
I highly recommend that students show commitment towards practising their typing skills for at least 10 minutes a day when ever they can, if they have access to a computer with internet at home. The students will be able to remember their log-on credentials.
Worried about your toddler or young one around technology? Technology is moving into schools and sometimes people think we are doing away with books and writing. This is a big misconception. We blend our learning to include technology and traditional approaches. The idea is to use technology where necessary. Want to know how to approach technology use at home with your younger children? The Digital Back Pack for Toddlers is a very good resource from the Family Online Safety Institute. It provides tips for good digital parenting and gives ideas on when and how to use technology with children. You can subscribe to FOSI to receive regular updates on digital parenting and online safety. The Digital Back Pack was compiled by Denise Lisi DeRosa. I met Kindergarten1 students for the first time this year. I will be working with Kindergarten1 students with technology in their classrooms. Students have some experience with different kinds of technology ranging from tablet to desktop computers. We will be working on familiarising with both types of computers. Last week, students learned to take turns while sorting objects on the ipad.
Year 2 students had an opportunity to speak with an author of children's books via skype. We spoke with Jonathan Emmett who wrote the book 'Pigs Might Fly'. The students had enjoyed the story as Mr Emmett read it to us. they had a chance to ask him questions like "What inspires you to write?" "Why did you become an author?". This fit in well into their unit of inquiry 'Tell me a story' with the central idea 'The creation and communication of stories takes different forms'. They inquired into
We had a connection problem during the question and answer session so we had to continue via text messages on skype. It was a good opportunity for the students to practise their reading skills as they read Mr Emmett's responses.
Students are learning about Shpero, a ball that can be controlled using the iPad. Sphero will let students explore problem solving skills where, in Year2, students will see whether bridges they are building in the classroom can with stand a Sphero crossing. Year 5 students went through obstacle courses, getting Sphero to follow a path or direct it to a particular location. Sphero will also be used in secondary school to introduce robotics.
Year 5 students discussed cities and what they are made up of, what is important and so on. Later they were asked to design their own cities. They used Comics Head Lite to plan their cities and state what was important and why they had hospitals, police stations, playgrounds among other things. Later students used the City Island iPad app to build virtual cities and make sure they functioned well, keeping communities happy. below is a screen shot from the game. We constructed a KWL Chart with Year 3 students while discussing internet safety. We went through what the students already knew and what they wanted to know. Later, we watched a video and continued with our discussion taking note of what we had learned. Scroll through to see our KWL Chart below.
|
This blog is currently not active. I am currently writing about teaching and learning with technology here
AuthorKahlil Danai Maramba, Categories
All
Archives
April 2016
|