Computers

The goal of the computer education curriculum is to provide students with the essential skills needed to use technology in a meaningful way in support of their classroom curriculum. Whether, developing math and language skills or researching ancient history and atomic scientists, the immediate application of technology enhances and strengthens the learning process.

From Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, all students develop appropriate vocabulary and basic problem-solving skills while using computer applications. The importance of responsible and ethical use of technology is also emphasized.

Pre-Kindergarten
Students worked with partners to take turns and to help each other out. They listened to stories and were introduced to characters such as Curious George and Martha the Dog. They then met the characters online using websites, such as PBS Kids, to engage in games that develop letter, number and shape recognition. Listening and following directions were fundamental to the success of their time online. Students also explored sites that illustrated the style and technique of artists such as Pablo Picasso and George Seurat. The Paint application was introduced to encourage the students’ own artistic expression.

Kindergarten
Students were introduced to the concept of a shared environment and logged on using a unique username and password. Basic terminology (mouse, monitor, keyboard, desktop, icon, website and web address) was introduced. Students created their own desktop images using the Paint Application. Selected sites, such as Starfall and Word World, were used to develop reading and phonics skills. Holiday activities, such as Ghost Hunting on Nick, Jr., decorating a gingerbread house on Highlights for Kids, and helping Peter Rabbit escape from Farmer McGregor, were used to develop mouse manipulation skills. Students also met Sagwa, a Chinese-Siamese cat and helped prepare for the New Year following Chinese cultural traditions.

First Grade
Signing in with their username and password, students were introduced to word processing in support of classroom Language Arts activities. Students became comfortable using both hands on the keyboard, creating and printing a document, and opening and editing an existing file. Online activities included the use of Scholastic’s Story Starters for creative writing and the use of Houghton Mifflin Math Kids for reinforcing classroom math concepts. During their study of poetry, students were introduced to text editing tools such as centering and changing font style, size and color to enhance the expressive quality of poetry. First grade also revisited the use of the Paint application to illustrate their poetry.

Second Grade
Students are introduced to keyboarding. Emphasis is on the correct placement, position and movement of the fingers to develop the skill of touch typing, pressing the keys accurately without looking. Word processing is used in support of Language Arts activities. Additional document editing skills are taught, including text alignment for document heading information, underlining, bolding, and italicizing text, and changing the orientation of the page from portrait to landscape. The students also create a table with columns and rows to track the word of the week, as well its synonyms and antonyms. Science topics, such as the study of the moon and biomes, lend themselves well to directed research on the internet, using sites such as Enchanted Learning. Additional online resources are used for everything from collecting passport stamps as the students travel the world in Social Studies to practicing cursive handwriting.

Third Grade
Students are under the direction of the classroom teacher. Their work builds on the skills developed in second grade, and is linked to the third grade curriculum. Students work on projects such as Colonial life experiences, and create graphics presentations on the environment.

Fourth Grade
Students establish control of their desktop environments by setting up the default printer, establishing their path for document storage, creating desktop icons and bookmarking favorite websites. Favorite websites include the Fraction Café by KnowledgeBox and Optical Illusions for Kids. Students’ use of the Handouts and Turn-ins directories promotes an understanding of the directory structure and allows the computer lab to “go green” when distributing and collecting assignments. Fourth grade’s use of the Internet includes a webquest in support of their study of the human body. Students explore an interactive site that allows them to study the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems, as well as build a human skeleton. Keyboarding continues to be emphasized with an end-of the-year test benchmarking their mastery of touch typing. During their study of immigration, students scan photographs, layer images and create a Heritage Cookbook. The use of spreadsheets was introduced with an analysis of the candy that students received for Halloween. A favorite project of the students was the creation of a tessellation using the Paint application. The repetitive geometric patterns were also studied as part of both their math curriculum and art curriculum. As a final project this year, students used presentation software to visually enrich the presentation of poetry that they had written.

Fifth Grade
Students expand their use of the Internet as a research tool in support of their study of ancient civilizations. Using the Internet beyond directed links requires the ability to think critically about the information that is returned by a search. Developing web literacy, understanding how search engines work and how information is controlled is introduced in fifth grade and continues to be emphasized through eighth grade. The importance of ethical standards, copyright laws, network etiquette and plagiarism are also introduced in fifth grade and emphasized through eighth. The fifth grade spreadsheet project began with the utilization of Google Maps to obtain real data and included the calculation of sums and averages. Presentation software skills, also introduced in fourth grade, are reinforced and expanded with a project in support of the classroom study of Ancient China. Fifth grade students continue to strengthen their keyboarding skills and use word processing in support of their Language Arts activities. Students are also introduced to flash drives, taught how to store and extract files and most importantly, taught how to scan the drive for viruses before opening a file.

Sixth Grade
Students start the year with a state trading card project that incorporates factual research with image manipulation, table construction, column formatting, and double-sided printing. Use of the Internet as a dynamic source of information continues, with an emphasis on web literacy and digital citizenship. Collaboration with the classroom is strong as students study real world career choices. The computer lab provides the tool for research (the Internet), the tool for income analysis (spreadsheet software), and the tool for sharing their findings with their classmates (presentation software). Our sixth grade class partners with our pre-kindergarten students throughout the year. At the end of the year, Pre-kindergarten students are presented with an alphabet coloring book, created and published as a collaborative effort of the sixth grade class.

Seventh Grade
Seventh grade students are proficient in their use of word processing. Creative use of the software includes the creation of an explorers’ timeline, utilizing the drawing tools and text boxes, and a tri-fold pamphlet of a colonial trades. As part of their study of colonial history, students travel to Williamsburg. When they return, the students are responsible for creating a slideshow that illustrates a unique perspective of their experience. We hold classroom discussions of technology news, such as David Pogue’s Annual Best Tech Ideas of the Year, new product releases, and stories of cyberbullying.

Eighth Grade
Eighth grade students start the year by demonstrating their mastery of presentation software with a project on atomic scientists, which they study in science class. Spreadsheet skills are further developed with a study of the Alaskan Iditarod. Students choose a musher to follow, prepare a spreadsheet in advance of the start of the race, and during the race calculate distances and percentages of completion. Blogging is introduced as a new vehicle for literature discussions among the eighth grade students.