Rockin' and Rollin' . . .

We certainly are moving along in the lab, each class is diligently working on something new and exciting. Here is a quick run down of what we are doing.

Grades 2 - 3

For the past week and a half, both of these classes have been studying the different parts of the computer and building a word wall with words such as keyboard, monitor, scanner, printer, surge protector, mouse and speakers. We are also learning which of these parts are INPUT or OUTPUT parts. Ask your student about it, they are doing very well. They will be quizzed on these parts and whether they are input or output next week. To practice their new knowledge, we have been visiting the site www.abcya.com and playing the games Computer: Input and Output and Computer Vocabulary under the third grade section. Try out the website for other fun and educational games at home. Next week we will be working in Kidspriration on an All About Me project.

Grades 4 - 5

Computer parts and Input/Output parts have also been a part of the curriculum for these grades. Fourth grade will be working on putting together their dream computer system with a certain number of input and output components required.

Fifth grade has started the year of with a bang! They now have daily vocabulary words that they must add to a vocabulary document and will be tested on the words bi-weekly. We will be dissecting computer towers in the coming weeks and finding things such as the motherboard, expansion cards, and the CPU for starters.

Gator ball has been introduced as a fun and competitive way to practice our vocabulary words. We use a "tape ball" and a garbage basket in this game. FUN, FUN!

Middle School

What a blast!! It is so fun to see them getting more and more comfortable with the Macs and what they can do. Each class has been working in Keynote on presentations about themselves. Sixth and seventh are working on something called " You are the Star" and eighth grade is working on something called " I Think . . ." They are all looking fantastic and each student will be presenting their project we in class next week. This helps with completing projects by a deadline, speaking in front of their peers and expressing and thinking about themselves.

Tuesday, September 22nd

Mrs. Bettenberg and I will be attending an Accelerated Reader Workshop in Marshall, MN and will be out for the day.

Have a great weekend!! GET THOSE PLEDGES!!!!

Welcome Back, students and families!

Here we are with another school year ahead of us and so many opportunities to learn and grow.

It was great to see many familiar, and new, faces at the Open House. It always amazes me at how much the students change over the summer. But, now that lazy days of sleeping in and hangin' at the beach are behind us, we must jump into great things that await!!

NEW IN THE LAB is KidPix which was purchased with the $5 technology fee that each student paid before the year started. THANK YOU! This fun software program can be used from kingergarten all the way through eigth grade. We have the ability to reconstruct habitats learned in science, places around the world studied in social studies, make fun and silly movies and much, much more. We also purchased Trudy's Time and Place and Bailey's Bookhouse, both excellent k-2 software to compliment Trudy's Time and Place and Sammy's Science House. We will be purchasing software for 3 -5 grades with our next rotation.

Another new feature is the way that the students will be accessing the computers. Each student will be logging in to their own customized desk top. Here is where they will find all of the projects and documents that they have worked on in class. No more dealing with the folders that we had plastered all over the desk top last year. To log in, they will look for their name and picture and type in a log in code that only they know. This will allow the students to protect their work and the teachers, Mrs. Bettenberg and I, to enable to Parental Controls on each computer limiting access to programs and changes that we don't want the students to make.

MARATHON - You all know about the Marathon and how important this fundraising is for our school. For the 2009 Marathon, I am happy to announce that we will even further the technology intergration into our classrooms with the addition of (hopefully) 2 Smart Boards. These Smart Boards allow teachers and students to take each subject to the next level. Depending on how many pledges we receive and the actual money that comes in, we are hoping to get a Smart Board in one third grade classroom and fourth or fifth grade classroom before the school year is over. Please check out the Smart Technologies website at http://smarttech.com/ for more information and a tutorial on their products.

GOING GREEN - I encourage each family to check out all blogs posted by teachers as a GREEN way of knowing what is happening in your child's classroom. With money being tight just about everywhere, this is a free and easy option for both teachers and parents. CHECK OUT YOUR TEACHER'S BLOG TODAY! I also encourage you to get your email addresses to your child's teacher. Communication via email is an easy sollution to the, " I lost it" problem when you are expecting a paper to come home. Plus, IT'S FREE!

Again, welcome back. I am looking forward to another great year at St Francis Xavier!