Mrs. Irvin's Tech Page

Type to Learn 4

2011-11-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Two Summers ago, the elementary technology department made the decision to purchase new typing software called Type to Learn 4: Agents of Information, for each of the elementary buildings. The third graders at Oak Ridge were just introduced to the program over the past two cycles. Each student should have brought home an introductory letter explaining the program and the process for downloading it at home. Here is the website: http://ttl4.sunburst.com/downloads/

You will need to scroll down and select 'Full Version' for either Windows or Mac. Follow the on screen directions to install the software on your computer. It is a large program, so allow adequate time for download time (about 2 hours).

When you get ready to practice your typing skills here are a few pointers:

Sit up straight
Keep both hands on the keyboard
Stay focused on the Home Row
But most of all: Remember, the more you practice, the better you get!

First in Math at Oak Ridge!

2011-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

This week marks the start of some healthy little competition between Mr. Franzen and Mr. Wilson's classes for highest number of stickers in First in Math. Yesterday Mr. Franzen challenged Mr. Wilson's class and determined that the losing teacher would wear a cape and boa. See the picture to see the results of the sticker challenge.

Information about First in Math should have come home this week from your child's teacher. There is a lot of excitement about playing math games and earning stickers. The games are designed not only to entertain but to build math skill and fluency. Please let me know if you have any questions about First in Math!

Go Oak Ridge!

KidZui - The Kid's Browser

2011-05-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Students have been using KidZui in the lab during down time, between projects. Kindergarten and first graders have been trying it out, learning to navigate the browser's interface with much success and excitement. Students find games and sites that they enjoy sharing with each other. Older students are catching on as they finish up projects. KidZui is a free download. Students can access the internet in a kid safe environment, as described on their product overview post. Parents can manage and view what children access too. Plus, the KidZui blog is quite entertaining for parents!

So there it is Oak Ridge. Download away. On rainy days at home, you can go on KidZui and enjoy some of the fun we have been having here in the lab together.

H-2's Spring Wordle

2011-03-17T07:29:00.001-07:00

A few students in H-2 created a Wordle using Spring words. Click on the link below to view their Wordle.

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alt="Wordle: H-2's Spring Words"
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H-7's Spring Wordle

2011-03-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

First Grade worked together to create a Wordle
of Springtime words. They did a wonderful job sharing their ideas and chosing a design that everyone liked.

Click the link below to see the Spring Wordle H-7 created!
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alt="Wordle: Spring Words"
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Third Grade Countdown

2011-02-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

me myself alone by 20corradan on Storybird

Fall by 20wernejac on Storybird
I LOVE YOU AND YOU LOVE ME by 20mancimya on Storybird

A HUG by 20kellegra on Storybird

THE SNOW by 20haywajan on Storybird

I love my family... by 20mckeogra on Storybird

For My Valentine by 20malmhan on Storybird

Third Grade Writers

2011-01-14T12:22:00.001-08:00

The third graders have been working hard writing at storybird.com. This week we started the editing process. So I will be picking a few storybirds to post as I edit with students. Check back regularly to see what ones are here!

Can Anything Get Cuter? on Storybird

Every Day on Storybird

Jump In.But Do Not Eat Me. on Storybird

Recycling on Storybird

Storybird

2010-12-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Third grade has been busy writing poetry at Storybird. Everyone has their own user name and password so they can create their own writing pieces and submit them to me when they are finished. All of our work is private so only we can see it.
Students have enjoyed looking through the artwork and finding inspiration for their poetry. All of the assignments in third grade are due in January. Due dates can be found on the assignment. Students are welcome to create storybirds at home.

Christmas Countdown 2010 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2010

2010-12-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas Countdown 2010 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2010: "Set www.xmasclock.com as your homepage to count the number of days until Christmas 2010!"

Third Grade Poetry

2010-11-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

In Third Grade, we have been busily looking at poetry. As students find really good words that POP, they have a chance to share their words on our SmartBoard. We are collecting words for next week when we become the poets.

The sites we have been using can be found at the MultiURL we used today. So continue reading and listening to be ready for next week's assignment.

Scratch with Fourth Grade

2010-11-30T12:25:00.000-08:00

Fourth Grade has been happily using Scratch a program, from MIT, about programming. The first week they looked at it was just a sandbox week. This is a time in which students can just go into a program and poke around, click on whatever they want to click on and as one student, Gabe said, "Sophisticatedly find things we didn't know were in there."

Week two involves a mini lesson about Sprites. Students learn what a Sprite is and how to teach a Sprite how to move and change. They also learn about backgrounds, sounds and scripts.

Students eventually will be able to program their own game or movie.

Scratch is a free download from the site. Talk to mom and dad about it if you are interested in having it on your computer at home. It is up the them to decide.

images from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_%28programming_language%29

L1 Why Character Counts for Us!

2010-11-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

L1 finished their Character Counts projects in the Lab. To wrap it up, we worked together on a Wallwisher to share ideas about what character means to us as a class. The students each worked on posting a sticky on the wall. (Due to technically difficulties with the site, some students did not get to post.) Click on the link to see the wall we created. http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/1DCHfiswhy Students may add more stickies if they wish!

H-2's Animal Wall

2010-11-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

Moms and Dads of H-2, we have been working hard in Technology writing words on a wall. We used a wallwisher wall to write our favorite animals in the A-B-Cs. We are missing some of the A-B-C letters and need your help to fill them in. Can you help us? Click on the link to see our wall and add more sticky notes. Thank you! http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/1fwZ3INIwT

Mrs. Moyer's Second Grade Perform!

2010-11-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Performing in Mrs. Moyer's second grade classroom is always a treat! Second graders performed The Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman, for their parents in October. Enjoy!

What are You Playing?

2010-08-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite app right now? I know you are using your mom and dad's iPhone or Droid and you are using apps all the time. The reason I know is because Sidney and Dylan are using apps all the time. Here is a list of their favorite apps and where you can find them for a Droid or an iPhone/iPod Touch: (keep in mind Sid is 5 and Dylan is 19 months)

iPhone/iPod Touch: (All Free unless noted)

Baby Piano Lite (Dream Cortex)

iPuzzleWords Animals (Portegno Apps)

iPuzzleWords Transportion (Portegno Apps)

Giraffe's Matching Zoo (www.tomatointeractive.com)

Giraffe's Preschool Playground (www.tomatointeractive.com)

Peekaboo Barn ($1.99)

Peekaboo Wild ($1.99)

PBS Kids Photo Factory

Scribble Lite (Zintin)

Scoops-Ice Cream Fun (Nimblebit)

Toddler Teasers Shapes (Toddler Teasers)

For Android Phones, the big winner is Zoodles! I have it set up so that Sidney can click on her picture and play games and activities that are based on her age and Dylan can click on his picture and do the same. It's fantastic. You will need mom and dad's permission to set this up, in fact THEY will need to do it all for you! Talk to them first and if they say no, be ok with it. Their answer is the bottom line.

As I find more good games, I will post them here for all of you to enjoy! Post comments with your favorite games to share.

One of My Favorite Traditions in Hockey

2010-04-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Watching the Philadelphia Flyers win against the New Jersey Devils last night was in a word, exhilarating. For any Flyers fan out there, it was amazing to watch Boucher turn into a puck stopping machine in a whirlwind 5-game series, especially after his lackluster play in the final run of the season. Watching the team rally after losing Gagne and Carter to shot blocking injuries and the rest of them still taking pucks to the body, blocking shot after shot, kept me on the edge of my seat. Can you say Giroux? During the 5-game series there were fights, hard hits and great checks. Even the goalies were poked and prodded. No one was spared. There is a lot of animosity between these two teams that goes back a long time, a rivalry that is tenacious to say the least.

But did you watch the game? The WHOLE game? Did you watch the traditional handshake at the end? This is one of my favorite traditions in hockey. It's where the two teams that just tried to beat the snot out of each other on the ice shake each others' hands and say, "Good Game". The team that lost may be saying, "Good luck in the next round." The team that won might be saying, "You gave it a good go." I imagine the team that lost at least can feel like they gave it their best, played their hardest. So check it out, look at the players faces.

Now think about it. Next time someone in your classroom does something good or *gasp* better then you, instead of getting all bitter and upset, congratulate them and say, "Good Job". It makes you feel better and it is just good sportsmanship. Ask yourself, "Did I do my best?", "Did I put try my hardest?". Be a good sport and congratulate people on a job well done, a game won, or an award earned. Those people will be there for you when it's your turn to be congratulated too!

5th Grade Drawing in One Point Perspective

2010-04-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Fifth Graders are learning to draw in one point perspective. Mrs. Borowski shared a fantastic site that breaks down the steps. Practice drawing with paper and pencil, but look out because we will be taking this task to Power Point in no time!

5th Grade Museum Sites

2010-04-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Fifth Graders have been working on choosing an artist to study in Technology, Art and Library. They used The Metropolitan Museum of Art site to find artists and styles of art. Then they took a virtual tour of the National Museum of Natural History to prepare to creating their own museum in PowerPoint. Lastly, the students visit a site to learn about one point perspective in landscapes at Learning about Landscapes. After learning about landscapes, the students create their own and describe the various parts of it: middle ground, foreground, and background. This again, prepares them for creating their own museum.

Lots of learning is taking place in the lab about art and museums and there's lots to come! Keep a look out for links to our finished work.

Incubating, Not Abandoned

2010-03-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

I have not abandoned my blog. My thoughts were incubating about where to take it next. Over the past three years of teaching students technology, my personal learning has taken off in terms of where technology is going in education. I’ve been to conferences in person (PETE&C) and virtually, created a PLN via Twitter, and have read lots of blogs (34 that come to my Google Reader). Now I feel like it’s my turn to start blogging about what I’m learning and how I’m growing as a teacher.

This blog has mostly been for students and parents to find resources, but I want to use it for more. Those important recourses and links for parents and students will still be here, but I want to use this blog as a place for learning and sharing about technology in education. I want to be starting conversations about trends in technology education and share information about what is happening with technology. Sometimes it will be directly related to education and sometimes just interesting ideas or new products. Please join in the journey with me!

"It's raining, again! I'm bored!"

2009-05-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

So we have had how many days of rain now? I think I've lost count. Here are some places to go on a rainy day!

First on the list is our k5tech diigo site too! There are so many websites to try at k5tech that we have not checked out in school.

Girls, LMK is a great site to learn about keeping yourself safe online. It's presented by the Girl Scouts and Microsoft. With your parents permission, you can set up an account and keep up to date with staying safe!

Don't forget about one of my favorite sites, iknowthat.com. You can play all sorts of games from math, language arts, and social studies. With your parents permission, you can set up an account and play games with your friends. (Make sure you know WHO those friends are that you are playing with and never friend someone you don't know in person!)

Another, sure-to-be-a-favorite, is the BBC's KS2 Bitesize. Choose from English, Maths or Science and have some fun with interactive games. There are also links for easier (KS1) and harder (KS3) tasks. Fun for everyone! The BBC is filled with fun games and activities for kids! (Just remember that it's coming from the UK, so some of the wording may be different from what you are use to!)

On the sunny days, get out and play! Enjoy the sunshine and warm weather.

I will be adding things here and on k5tech throughout the summer. Stay tuned.

Baby Boy Irvin's Arrival

2009-01-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

You were all waiting so patiently to find out Baby Boy Irvin's name and here it is: Dylan Joshua. He arrived on the 15th, as planned at 10:26am, weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces.

Josh, Sidney and I brought Dylan home on Monday afternoon. He met Biggs upon our arrival. Biggs sniffed everything that came home from the hospital with us, including Dylan.

Sidney loves having her baby brother home with us. She helps with changing diapers and getting Dylan dressed. Sid also likes playing with Dylan on his play mat.

In the few moments I have to go online, I am posting Photo Stories. So keep checking in at our Oak Ridge Owls wikispace.

I miss you all and hope you are learning lots of great stuff with Mrs. Balzer! See you soon!

Thanksgiving Time

2008-11-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I thought I would share some things with you that make me thankful!

I am so thankful for great people to work with (that's you), a great place to work (that's Oak Ridge), my friends and family, and good health. Time spent with my family is important to me, so I'm thankful for the time we have each day to be together. I'm also thankful for trips to the beach in the summer. Enjoying the sand and surf with Sidney is one of my favorite things to do!

What are some things you are thankful for? Your family, friends, special places to go? Leave a comment with your thankful thoughts.

Also check out http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/ for learning more about the First Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Oak Ridge!

Electing a US President in Plain English

2008-11-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

Common Craft is always creating great videos to help people understand somewhat complicated ideas. I just found this video about electing a US President and thought you might enjoy it.

Thoughts from the Lab for Mom and Dad!

2008-10-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

In our Technology Lab, we utilize many great programs. Some of our programs are licensed and some are free downloads from the web. Below is a list of programs we use that you can access at home.

Tux Paint

Tux Type2

Photo Story 3

Also, we are now using Microsoft Windows 2007. If you have had any difficulty opening documents from teachers, it may be a compatibility issue. You can download a Compatibility Pack from Windows to help solve the problem.

If you are hearing about Type To Learn, Kid Pix, Kidspiration, Community Construction Kit or Neighborhood Map Machine, these are all programs we have licenses for here in the lab.

If you have any questions about the programs we are using please let me know.

Getting to Know Your Keyboard

2008-10-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

We have been talking about keyboarding in Tech Class this week. It's important for you to get comfortable with the keyboard and the location of letters. Type to Learn in a licensed program that we have in the lab. Unfortunately, that means that you can't use it at home. But there are websites that help you with typing. Below is the link for our diigo site with the keyboarding sites all there for you! Try them out at home and let me know what you think.

http://www.diigo.com/user/k5tech/keyboarding

Small Moments

2008-09-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Oak Ridge! I am looking forward to getting back to work with all of you in the lab. I thought we could start school here.

What exciting things happened over the summer? What special place did you visit? What fun things did you do with your family?

Think about one thing from your summer that you could write about for me. Think about how you can show me your story with words. That means you are describing it so I can see your story in my mind. Try to think of just one small moment or happening and stay focused. Don't give me a "breakfast to bed" story.

Your small moment could turn out to be a great topic for a podcast or photo story. Think about how you could publish your story beyond just paper and pencil!

I can't wait to read your great writing!

Looking Toward the Future

2008-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here is another lesson in blogging, reflecting and sharing feelings even when it's difficult. After the Flyers' loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, I have spent time thinking about how to react to the season. So here is my reaction:

Last year the Flyers ended their season in last place, that's 30th out of 30 teams in the NHL. The 2007-2008 hockey season was a sad one. Not only did the Flyers finish last, but Lord Stanley's Cup went to the Anaheim Ducks! Ducks, really?? OK, I'm over that now, but the season had very few glimmers of hope for the Flyers. However, when we began this past season, there was speed, tighter passing and stronger goal tending. With that said, there was no thought in my mind of getting to the playoffs or being strong contenders. This was a year to build and grow. Never did I, or anyone else possibly, imagine that we would make it to final four, let alone 6th place in the Eastern Conference. I was thinking, "If we can just win a few more games than last year."

So, can I be angry or upset that the team that my team who flopped last year, would lose in the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no way. I look at how we got there and am amazed. First of all, we finished 6th in the Eastern Conference after having a bit of a losing streak, OK, a HUGE losing streak in February. But with fight and vigor, this team got us into the playoffs. Then we had to face the Washington Capitals, who finished 3rd, followed by the Montreal Canadiens, who finished first. Yes, first. We defeated the 3rd place team and the 1st place team in the Eastern Conference. The team that stopped us, finished 2nd. Amazing.

My final reflection is this: We have a young team, with many tenacious players. If they were able to get this far this year, where will they go next year. Hopefully, Holmgren will keep Carter and Prospal, as they become free agents this summer. Hopefully we can enter next season with the same tenacity and speed that we had during the end of this season.

Let's Go Flyers!

2008-05-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

I am taking a moment to step away from the lab and talk about the Flyers. I know there are many Flyers fans here at school, so I thought I would show you how to use a blog in a different way: to talk and share your opinion about something you love!

The Flyers are a few days away from the NHL's Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The last two series they played against the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens were breathtaking. It was exhilarating to watch the Flyers play with tenacity and resiliency. There were times we all had to hold our breath and hope they could pull off a win, which most times they did. For the first time in 4 years, they are getting closer to the cup. After last year's awful dive to last place in the league, it feels pretty good to see the boys in orange and black knocking out their opponents.

Now the Flyers face Crosby, Malkin, and Hossa, three high-level, skilled players, whom I believe will give us a good series. Last year we lost every game we played against the Pens. This year, with team rebuilding and direction from coach John Stevens, we won 5 of 8. Bring on the Pens. If ever our Philadelphia Flyers were ready, it's now.

Marty Biron is at the top of his game. R.J. Umberger is finding the back of the net game after game. Prospal and Briere are connecting and making plays. I could go on and on about many more of our players. We don't just have three stars on our team (as the Pens do), we have depth on each line that hits the ice.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming series?

Let's go Flyers!

Two Great Sites for Young Readers

2008-05-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

The kindergartners and first graders have been working on two websites to enhance their reading skills. The first site is called Childtopia.com (I found this site through my learning network on Twitter.) Childtopia was created in Barcalona, Spain. The website was then translated to English. Some of the translations are a little awkward, but overall it is a great site for reading skills. There are games other than just reading too! You can play memory games, observation games and math games, just to name a few.

The other site is called Roy the Zebra. (Also found in my learning network of Twitterers.) This site focuses completely on reading skills. There are stories to read about Roy and his adventures with Lucy, George and Wellington. There are games to play that involve understanding sentence structure, word building and alphabetical order. This site comes to us from England. There are a few differences in words, for example: at the end of a sentence they put a full stop instead of a period. But the site overall offers excellent reading strategy games.

Mrs. Moyer's Poets

2008-05-05T07:26:00.003-07:00

Mrs. Moyer's second grade class created voicethreads of their poetry. Second graders learn about various forms of poetry throughout the school year. Here you will hear the poets themselves read their poems.

Mrs. Moyers Poems Too

2008-05-05T07:26:00.001-07:00

Here are the rest of Mrs. Moyer's poets!

Web 2.0, What Do You Know?

2008-03-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of reading on the internet and talking with other teachers around the world about technology. It is truly amazing how much information is out there on the internet! Much of what I have been reading centers around Web 2.0 and all it has to offer. I have been using a lot of Web 2.0 tools like diigo, Google Docs, and Skype. Maybe you have been using Web 2.0 tools too!

So here are a few questions for you: Do you know what Web 2.0 means? Do you know what Web 2.0 tools are? Are you using Web 2.0 tools outside of the school day? If so, what ones?

Talk to mom and dad. Ask them if you may add a comment here to tell me what you know or ask me questions. I am not giving you a lot of information because I really want to know what you know about this topic. If you are going to research Web 2.0, remember to use a kid safe search like OneKey.

Digital Storytelling at Oak Ridge Owls Wiki!

2008-03-12T07:20:00.001-07:00

Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders have been incredibly busy creating digital stories using Microsoft's Photo Story 3. You can go to the new Oak Ridge Owls wikispace to view all of the great work the students have been doing.

Third graders worked with partners to study a famous rock formation. The students researched the locations, the type of rock, how the rock was formed and interesting facts about the rock. They used Google Earth and Wikipedia to gather photos and information.

Fourth graders picked a topic of choice to use in their Photo Stories. Students were asked to think of a topic that they liked and felt comfortable talking about...something they knew a lot about. Topics were as interesting and diverse as the students themselves!

Fifth grade studied Explorers in Social Studies. Taking one explorer, partners researched about the explorer's motivation, discovery, journey, time period, and impact on our world. Then each student set to work to find images that would help tell the explorers story. Finally, students told the tales of the famous explorers from various points of view.

Enjoy viewing the Digital Stories!

Kids' Online Safety

2008-03-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

Parents, we are all concerned about the safety of our children online. With that said, we also know all the great resources out on the web that benefit our students' learning. So how do we make utilizing the Internet, safe for our children? It's a question schools wrestle with on a regular basis. In my search for resources to help children understand the risks and how to keep themselves safe, I found some great resources that I wanted to pass along to you.

SafeKids.com- This link takes you to Google's SafeKids site. There are resources for you and your family in making good Internet usage decisions. You can also do a kid safe search by clicking on the SafeKids logo.

Be Web Aware- Lots of great resources await you to help your children with Internet safety. Among the topics you can check out: Kid-friendly sites, Safety Tips by Age, and Cyber Bullying.

Chat Word Dictionary- One of my favorites! Keep up with all the Chat Lingo! If your children are IMing, then you might see a different language in their chats. Learn what BRB, ni and jam mean. Click on a letter and see a listing of all the chat lingos that start with that letter.

iKeepSafe.com - Meet Faux Paw, a feline friend that helps teach children about the good and the bad on the Internet. There are games, downloads, books and videos to watch, that teach about Internet safety.

OnGuard Online - This site has lots of parent resources for online safety. There are videos to assist you with Internet safety, along with information on security, spam filtering and wireless security.

I hope that you find these resources useful. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if any of the links are down.

Owlcasts and Readers' Theaters

2008-03-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

Second graders have been working very hard on getting Owlcasts ready for our school website. Slowly but surely they are getting posted! Check them out and let me know what you think! Way to go second grade!!!

Mrs. Moyer's class has been recording their Readers' Theater Plays since the beginning of school. There is one story posted, so far, called "Where is Cub?" I hope you enjoy listening!

Generosity

2008-03-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to see how technology can be used in a positive way. To see students here at school learning new concepts, practicing skills and sharing their ideas with each other is wonderful.

Recently, I read about Laura ,on a collegue's blog. Laura is a 10 year old girl, who started a blog on December 1st, to keep track of all the things she could do to make a difference in the world around her. She shares about her grandfather who inspired her to start making a difference. I found it absolutely amazing that this young girl was able to tell her story of wanting to make a difference to so many people using technology that is readily available. Take some time and read about what she is doing. I hope it will inspire you to make a difference in your world too!

Diigo!

2008-03-12T06:37:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have noticed that the blogroll on my site has not changed much lately. It's not because I'm not adding any new sites that we use in Tech Class, or that I haven't had time to add them. The top link on the blogroll is now the only link you need to find all the sites we access in class. It is our K5tech at diigo.com. Click on the "k5tech" link and away you go to all the great sites, yes, even the holiday ones we are using right now.

To use the diigo site effectively, you click on a topic or grade level in the 'tag cloud' on the right-hand side. All the sites tagged with that topic or grade level will come up on the screen. You can read the titles (in blue) and click on them to go to the site. The 'tag cloud' can be sorted into alphabetical order by clicking on "alpha" near the bottom. You can also change it from a cloud to a list by clicking on "list" near the bottom.

If you ever click on a site and it doesn't work, send me a comment on my blog so I can check it out.

You may want to make "Mrs. Irvin's Tech Page" a favorite and then you can get to the blog and k5tech easily.

Photo Story: A New Storytelling Medium

2008-03-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

We have been using Photo Story 3 in grades 3-5 for a variety of topics. Photo Story 3 brings storytelling to a whole new level. Digital storytelling is happening around the world with schools now catching on! Third graders are working on writing informational stories about a famous rock formation around the world. Fourth graders are finishing up their photo stories about a topic of their choice. Fifth graders are in the midst of explorer stories. The lab is bubbling with creativity and excitement as students work on importing pictures, adding titles, recording narrative and creating music to fit the mood of their stories.

If you have Microsoft Windows, you too can make photo stories at home with your family by going to the Microsoft site and downloading the program.

Here is a story I made to use as a sample for students to see a finished product. It is about my daughter's summer. Enjoy! Summer of Fun

PS. This is my first time uploading a video file, so if there are any problems, please let me know and I will work on fixing them. Thanks!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2008-03-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I am thinking of all the things that I am thankful for, like my friends and family. But, I am especially thankful for all the students here at Oak Ridge. You come to Tech Class with an enthusiasm for learning. There are days that we run into technical difficulties, but you don't let it bother you and you work through those difficulties. You bring so many great ideas and insights to Tech Class too! Thank you for making my job so much fun and for being great learners! I love coming to school each day and working with all of you!

So, what are you thankful for? Post a comment to let me know.

How Do You Communicate?

2008-03-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Think about the way you communicate with people everyday. It's not all about the words you use. You give people looks, you use body language, you change expression and inflection in your voice. When you communicate with friends would you rather be on the phone, emailing, or in person?

Now think about how we use the computer to communicate. We have all created work that communicates something to others. Kindergarten made self-portraits. First Grade is working on an All About Me collage. Second grade wrote Number Stories. Third grade just finished Making Change. Fourth Grade is in the midst of writing a Digital Photo Story. Fifth grade recently finished Inspirations about a topic that's important to them. All of the work we do in the Lab has to do with communicating our thoughts and learning to others.

How are you doing? Are you using technology to communicate clearly, accurately, and thoughtfully? As you are working on projects that involve technology, don't just think about the fun you are having...think about how you are communicating!

Look for ways people communicate on the web. Write a comment to tell me what you find. (Ask an adult to help you post a comment!)

Back to Technology Class

2008-03-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to Technology Class at Oak Ridge Elementary School. The first few weeks of school are behind us and we are getting into the routine of the school year. So far this month you are learning how to log on to our new laptops and using Microsoft Word and some internet websites. You may have also exlpored some of the programs on our laptops: Kid Pix, Tux Paint and Google Earth.

In writing this blog, I hope to communicate with you outside of the Tech Lab so that you can access some of the websites we use at school and keep up with what is happening in the Lab. When you come to lab next, you may find that your seat has changed. Two new tables have been delivered and Mrs. Doebler and I are working on repositioning some laptops to give you more room to work. Check your nametag to be sure you are at the right computer!

Check back here periodically to catch what else is happening in Technology Class!