For most of this trimester we've been working with a programming language developed at MIT called Scratch to learn about animation and programming.  It is a free download!  I've been working with classroom teachers to find a project that they could make.  Middle schoolers had a choice between re-creating a scene from a book or story they've read this year or an important event in history that they've talked about in class.  They are all very excited to do this project and I'm excited to see the end results! 1st-5th grade will start their projects on March 11th.

Click here to see some of the in-class projects we did to learn about a few of the things we can do with Scratch.

We are starting our internet unit at the beginning of November.  6th-8th grade  will use Google sites to create a website.  This means they will need to sign up for a Google account.  Any use of this Google account at school will be strictly monitered, and only for the creating of websites.  Use at home will depend on the rules of the household. 

Grades 1-5 will review internet saftey using various websites, along with reivewing necessary tools and vocabualry that comes with internet use.  Please feel free to look at these sites at home and discuss internet safety with your children.

Netsmartz

Yahoo! Kids

Kidscom

Also, don't forget to look at the Wiki from time to time to see what else is going on in computer!  sziger.wikispaces.com

We've finished up our unit on Word Processing.  Middle schoolers learned how to create an outline.  Younger grades wrote letters and Halloween stories, which you may have seen at home. Starting with Microsoft Word is always a good base for the rest of the year.  The icons and toolbas we use in Word, are similar to what we will use in most other applications, and word processing is probably the most common thing students will use on the computer, other than the internet of course.

Once again, we start off the year with keyboarding.  

1st graders will learn proper posture, finger placement, and important terms such as "home row".  We use "Type to Learn 3".

2nd and 3rd graders have a very good memory!  We all remembered that our index fingers rest on f and j, and that there is a bump on these two keys to remind us.  I'm very impressed with the progress these classes are making!  We also use "Type to Learn 3".

4th-8th grades are all doing very well, and we use "Type to Learn 3".  I also found some websites over the summer that we've been using as well.  

Please see http://sziger.wikispaces.com for a list of typing websites, and also other sites we'll be using throughout the year!

This year, the kindes will be doing a program called "Kindergarten Advantage!" (KA!). Each week, we will learn something new and exciting, and it will cover all of the topics that the older grades cover.  I'm so excited to have this program and hope you notice what a difference it makes with your child throughout the year.  I will be posting the goals and skills of each unit.  Once we are working on that unit, I will post the date behind it so you know what we've done and what we're working on currently!

I'm so happy to be back for my 4th year teaching computer at SHCS!  I'm planning some new and exciting things this year, so please ask your child about computer class and check back often to see what we are up to!