TYPING LOGS DUE!!!
Typing logs are due this week for grades 4 and 5!!!!
4: Thursday, Nov 4
5A: Wednesday, Nov 3
5B: Thurday, Nov 4
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
Ergonomics
I have decided to make it a special point of expanding our technology education to include ergonomics. I am going to be working with the children on their posture at the computer, their hand/wrist/finger position, leg position, orientation to the computer, and distance from the computer.
I believe that good ergonomics, taught at an early age, can help students (parents and staff as well) prevent long-term injuries to the neck, back, wrists, and hands. I would like to ask parents to help students to take our ergonomics instruction home and make sure they remember the following items...
Things to remember
- Computer users should sit at the computer with a straight, relaxed back. Make sure they do not slouch or hunch over. Their back should touch the back of the chair. Remember to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed.
- Users should sit directly facing the computer. The chair should not be turned to one side or the other.
- The computer should be placed 6-8 inches short of arms length away. Users should not have their arms sharply bent (less that 90 degrees) or straight out and rigid.
- Feet should be on the floor. Users should not sit on their feet or bend their knees too sharply.
- The hands, wrists, and fingers should be relaxed. Try not to be too rigid or too loose, just relaxed.
- User should get up and walk around at least once every 30 minutes (no matter what). Remember to stretch.
- The monitor should be positioned at eye level, if you are using a desktop computer.
- The MOST IMPORTANT THING: Make sure you are comfortable.
For more information, you can visit OSHA’s computer workstation ergonomics eTools site at:
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
Week of Oct 25-29
This week reminded me of something: What a wonderful community we have here at the day school. There was something about the interaction of the kids this week and there willingness/desire to help one another. I was duly impressed at their sense of community and, moreover, family that they all share. I think we are quite lucky to have this at our school and know firsthand that this is not something you find at many other schools.
Kindergarten: We did our first instruction in Kid Pix. We talked about the location of tools on the screen, then went in depth on the use of the pencil tool. I again reminded students about their posture and hand position when behind the computer.
1st Grade: We reviewed some of the tools in Kid Pix. We talked about the tools bar and the options bar on the bottom of the screen. We discussed the pencil tool and all of its options. The kids were asked fill with the screen with black, using the pencil tool, then make a spiral of rainbow colored dots, then write there name in the lightest shade possible (white).
2nd Grade: We reviewed some of the tools in Kid Pix. We talked about the tools bar and the options bar on the bottom of the screen. We discussed the pencil tool and all of its options. The kids were asked fill with the screen with black, using the pencil tool, then make a spiral of rainbow colored dots, then write there name in the lightest shade possible (white). The students then worked with the eraser tool. We talked about its options and the difference between spot erasing and full screen erasing. The kids in 2A had a pretty good time erasing the whole screen together (ask them about it).
3rd Grade: We continued our review of Kid Pix. This time we talked about the Line tool, circle tool, and square tool plus all of their options and the shift key. Students created a compass rose with the line tool, then filled the screen with boxes containing different fills, and then made concentric circles. I focuses on precision with the mouse and required that their work be near perfect with no empty space or overlapping.
4th Grade: We finally got on the computers. The kids logged in and noted differences to the desktop from last year. We talked about resizing, re-positioning, minimizing, maximizing, and closing windows. We talked about icons and their representation of files and folders. We talked about the location and use of menus. We also reviewed the conduct and procedures surrounding use of the laptops.
HOMEWORK: Typing logs are due next Thursday!!!
5th Grade: I discovered early this week that we needed to add one more step to the process in order to make our digital photo projects. So, unfortunately, they won’t be ready for the election, but they will be ready next Thursday. So, this week, the students learned how to export their work into a PDF file, then screen capture each of their slides. We are going to use the captured images in iPhoto to finish the project (with music) next week.
HOMEWORK: Typing logs are due next Wednesday/Thursday!!!
6th Grade: No class because of the in-service.
Homework: 1) Finish the webquest and email it to me by midnight on Tuesday.
7th Grade: No class because of the in-service.
Homework: 1) Finish the webquest and email it to me by midnight on Tuesday.
8th Grade: No class because of the in-service.
Homework: 1) Finish the webquest and email it to me by midnight on Tuesday.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
Have a great weekend!!!
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
Week of Oct 18-25
This was a bit of a fractured week due to the assembly and my temporary illness on Tuesday. I regret having to miss class this week, but it was unavoidable. It is nice, however, to come back to school and be asked by so many people if I am doing alright. The community we have here at the day school is quite amazing, if you ask me. We are one big family and I feel honored to be a part of it.
Kindergarten: We reviewed the proper procedures for getting ready for computers and for starting the computers. I think most of the kids have this down now, which is a big step in the life of a kindergartener. The students got their first taste of Kid Pix and were given free time inside of it so they can develop some comfort with the program. I walked around the room and worked with students on their posture and orientation to the computer. Ergonomics will be key this year.
1st Grade: 1A – Students made new folders on their own and dragged them to the trash. We talked about the trash works, how to open windows, how to empty the trash, and the permanence of items emptied from the trash. With some extra time, we talk about resizing and repositioning windows on the desktop.
1B – No class
2nd Grade: No Class
3rd Grade: We reviewed the pencil tool, eraser tool, and color picker in Kid Pix. Beyond that, we went in depth about the layout of the user interface and the location of items on the screen. We talked about the possible options in the pencil tool and the eraser tool. The students tried to make a crescent moon, by erasing parts of a black background. The key was precision and accuracy.
4th Grade: We discussed proper etiquette, behavior, and attitude in computer class. A few students were given the opportunity to start the computers and get on the Internet for free time.
5th Grade: The students re-opened their iPhoto albums from the previous week and enhanced it. They continued to organize their pictures to form a pictorial metaphor about their thoughts on the coming election. After that, they added text to the album to make their arguments more explicit. Next week, we will be adding music and finishing up.
Homework: Bring a CD with a song that you want to include on your iPhoto project.
6th Grade: We worked on our first Webquest this week. The students were given a worksheet and asked to find information by visiting and navigating various websites. Sites included: google.com, nyse.com, weather.com, mapquest.com, travelocity.com, etc. No class next week due to the teacher in-service.
Homework: 1) Complete the worksheet and email me your answers. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS ON YOUR LAPTOP. You can complete this assignment on any computer that has Internet access. It will be due by midnight Nov 2.
7th Grade: We worked on our first Webquest this week. The students were given a worksheet and asked to find information by visiting and navigating various websites. Sites included: google.com, nyse.com, weather.com, mapquest.com, travelocity.com, etc. No class next week due to the teacher in-service.
Homework: 1) Complete the worksheet and email me your answers. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS ON YOUR LAPTOP. You can complete this assignment on any computer that has Internet access. It will be due by midnight Nov 2.
8th Grade: We worked on our first Webquest this week. The students were given a worksheet and asked to find information by visiting and navigating various websites. Sites included: google.com, nyse.com, weather.com, mapquest.com, travelocity.com, etc. No class next week due to the teacher in-service.
Homework: 1) Complete the worksheet and email me your answers. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS ON YOUR LAPTOP. You can complete this assignment on any computer that has Internet access. It will be due by midnight Nov 2.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
Have a great weekend!!!
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
How about those Red Sox?!?
Well, I guess the impossible is possible. The Red Sox came back from the largest deficit in MLB history to defeat $80,000 an inning infield and are heading to the World Series. Go Sox!!!
Now, I made a deal with my 5th grade students. I told them that if the Red Sox won game 7 (which I hoped for, but doubted was possible) they would only owe me 4 hours of typing homework for the month of October. So, I am sticking to my deal and the 5th graders only owe me 4 hours this month for typing.
GO SOX!!!
-Matt
Week of Oct 11-15
We are right in the middle of things with the technology education. I am very excited about what we are doing. I have found that the students in Grades 1,2,3 are better prepared than I had hoped because of their year of technology instruction last year. I am going to have to re-vamp my curriculum to meet their needs...that is exciting.
Kindergarten: The students connected their mice to the computer, turned on the computers, logged in, and shut down the computers all on their own. They were give a brief introduction to Kid Pix and allowed some free time to explore.
1st Grade: 1B – Students made new folders on their own and dragged them to the trash. We talked about the trash works, how to open windows, how to empty the trash, and the permanence of items emptied from the trash.
1A - We reviewed logging in and pressing return. We discussed parts of the desktop – menu bar, dock, folders, windows, and icons. The kids made their own folders and named them.
2nd Grade: We discussed the importance of saving. We talked about the HOW and WHERE saving should be done. Students saved an assignment in their folders from Kid Pix, then verified it was there. We also talked about the use of CANCEL. Lastly, we talked about 1 click for buttons and menus and double clicks for icons and folders.
3rd Grade: The students were given a tour of the desktop, the menu bar, icons, folders, the dock, and windows. They then went onto Kid Pix for free time to get them re-acclimated with the program.
4th Grade: Students completed a paper keyboard for use at home as a guide for proper typing skills. We reviewed, briefly, the use of pixels on a computer screen to represent curved lines. We reviewed behavior expectation in class.
5th Grade: The students received a tour of iPhoto and instructions on how to create their digital photo albums. The students imported their pictures, created the album, and organized the pictures in the order they will use to support their argument.
6th Grade: Email was the topic of the day. We talked about the use of email and proper etiquette. We discussed the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields. We discussed the importance of short, relevant subjects and the format and brevity of good email. We discussed, in depth, the notion that email is NOT private and should be treated as such. Then we reviewed a piece of SPAM email and talked about warning signs that indicate a piece of email was spam: unknown sender, weird writing, claims of acquaintance, and attachments. They were told to delete spam immediately.
Homework: 1) Write me a piece of email, and CC it to Mrs. Simke, about who should win the coming election and why.
7th Grade: Email was the topic of the day. We talked about the use of email and proper etiquette. We discussed the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields. We discussed the importance of short, relevant subjects and the format and brevity of good email. We discussed, in depth, the notion that email is NOT private and should be treated as such. Then we reviewed a piece of SPAM email and talked about warning signs that indicate a piece of email was spam: unknown sender, weird writing, claims of acquaintance, and attachments. They were told to delete spam immediately.
Homework: 1) Write me a piece of email, and CC it to Ms. Kurzeka, about who should win the coming election and why.
8th Grade: Email was the topic of the day. We talked about the use of email and proper etiquette. We discussed the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields. We discussed the importance of short, relevant subjects and the format and brevity of good email. We discussed, in depth, the notion that email is NOT private and should be treated as such. Then we reviewed a piece of SPAM email and talked about warning signs that indicate a piece of email was spam: unknown sender, weird writing, claims of acquaintance, and attachments. They were told to delete spam immediately.
Homework: 1) Write me a piece of email, and CC it to Mr. Scatena, about who should win the coming election and why.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
Have a great weekend!!!
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
Week of Oct 4-6
The Middle School students get to take home their laptops this weekend!!!
Kindergarten: We talked about washing hands and being calm around the computer. We discussed how to take out the mouse, connect it, and hold in our hands. We talked about clicking and double clicking. We opened the computers, started them, then shut them down.
1st Grade: ONLY 1B — No Class for 1A — We reviewed loggin in and pressing return. We discussed parts of the desktop – menu bar, dock, folders, windows, and icons. The kids made their own folders and named them.
2nd Grade: We reviewed loggin in and pressing return. We discussed parts of the desktop – menu bar, dock, folders, windows, and icons. The kids made their own folders and named them. We also practiced navigating the buttons on a window – close, resize, and minimize.
3rd Grade: We reviewed good behavior and rules of the class. We held another discussion on the necessity of respect in class. The students turned on their computers, logged on, examined changes to the desktop and shut down. They were given free time to play with kid pix.
4th Grade: No Class
5th Grade: Students continued work on their Metaphor Photo Album projects. They spent more time finding pictures that will help them formulate a metaphor argument regard who they believe should win the coming election. Next week, we will begin organizing the photos into the photo album.
6th Grade: I collected the Laptop Contracts from the students...all 10 turned them in. I guess they really wanted to take their computers home (go figure!) . We quickly reviewed a few of the FAQs and discussed them. The students continued working on their worksheets.
Homework: 1)Finish the worksheet at home and send the email required at the end of the worksheet by Midnight on Tuesday. 2) Read the FAQs and be ready to answer questions about them on Wednesday in class.
7th Grade: I collected the Laptop Contracts from the students...looks like many of them want to take their computers home this weekend. We talked about certain items on the FAQ. The students then typed two paragraphs into AppleWorks and we manipulated it. We talked about text alignment, line spacing, bold/italic/underline, proper spacing, font size choices, and indentation.
Homework: 1)Finish the worksheet at home and send the email required at the end of the worksheet by Midnight on Tuesday. 2) Read the FAQs and be ready to answer questions about them on Wednesday in class.
8th Grade: I collected the Laptop Contracts from ALL the 8th grade students...looks like many of them want to take their computers home this weekend. We talked about certain items on the FAQ. The students then typed two paragraphs into AppleWorks and we manipulated it. We talked about text alignment, line spacing, bold/italic/underline, proper spacing, font size choices, and indentation.
Homework: 1)Finish the worksheet at home and send the email required at the end of the worksheet by Midnight on Tuesday. 2) Read the FAQs and be ready to answer questions about them on Wednesday in class.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
Have a great weekend!!!
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
Laptop Contract -- AUP Online
The Laptop Contracts are done and handed out. For the students who bring them back signed tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 6) laptops can be taken home.
Note: There is a check box for a Laptop FAQ that should be available in class tomorrow. Also, there is a reference to the AUP. The AUP will be sent home to be signed in the coming weeks. If you would like to preview the AUP and the AUP Approval Agreement you can do so online by visiting:
http://www.wornickjds.org/tech/AUP.doc
http://www.wornickjds.org/tech/AUPApproval.doc
Note: You must be running MS Word or an equivalent application (like AppleWorks) that can read .doc files to view these documents.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at matt@wornickjds.org
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Matt Harris
Director of Technology
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
