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We're warm and cozy in the Lower School Technology Lab and very, very busy. 

Students in grades Pre-K through 3 are learning key functions that they will find useful as they spend more time using Microsoft Office.  We are using new software that works to "Unlock the kid power in Microsoft Office" and having great fun doing it!  Scholastic Keys provides an interface to Word, PowerPoint and Excel that makes the suite accessible to our youngest students. 

Pre-Kindergarten students are learning about the five senses with Mrs. Hower.  In technology, they are using "Peedy", a bird, to read text to them so that they can decide which sense is used in a certain task.  For example; I can         the cricket chirp, the child would choose "hear" from a list of words, (Peedy will also read the choices).

Junior Kindergarteners are enjoying all of the choices of clipart that they can insert, and alter, to give their documents just the right look.  The children also know how to format text and are leaning to use drawing tools and incorporate sound effects into their work.

Kindergarten is starting on a picture alphabet presentation in MaxShow, the Keys  equivalent of PowerPoint.

First graders are practicing grammar as they write sentences to go along with the pictures they create in MaxPaint.  MaxPaint has most of the same art tools that are available in KidPix; the difference is that it is an integral part of the Office Suite.  Their next project will be a brief MaxShow presentation on "My Favorite Animal"---it will have sounds effects!

Second Grade is practicing their editing skills.  They will be cutting and pasting while piecing together Thomas Edison's life. Your children are learning keyboarding skills playing games and exercises in Type To Learn.

There is a penguin PowerPoint presentation on the horizon...

Third Grade will be using MaxCount to practice antonyms and synonyms.  Next, they will use MaxCount to enter data into an existing spreadsheet and create a graph in a spreadsheet.  The children are practicing keyboarding with "skins" covering the keys.  Their touch-typing skills will facilitate the application of technology in all of their academic endeavors.

Mrs. Knickerbocker and I are working together on a Technology Continuum, the Class of 2013 will be well-prepared for next year's challenges.