March, 2012

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

The year is passing so quickly!   There is always something new to learn.  We both spent two days last week at the Illlinois Computing Educators Conference learning so much about the iPads and strategies for using them in education.  We’re excited about the possibilities and are busy installing and learning new apps and sharing these findings with the rest of the faculty.

We’ve got some interesting projects going on at various grade levels.  Fifth and sixth graders are learning an app called Doodle Buddy.  Within this app you can take pictures and screen shots and import them into Doodle Buddy to manipulate/edit in many creative ways.

First and second graders are working on digital stories (My Trip to the Moon) using a web tool called Kerpoof.  They each have their own login and password, and logging on seems to be the biggest challenge.  Using the tool … not a problem, even for these very young students!

Other grades have been working on various St. Patrick’s Day activities as they learn more about MS Publisher.

The junior high is still in the stock market game, which ends early April.  Hopefully we will have a winner again (St. John Fisher has had the had the winning team two out of the last five years).  Please consult with them for stock tips and investment strategies; they are becoming very expert!  They have also started a research project on world genocides occuring over the last two centuries.  Each student will be part of a group, assigned to a specific genocide, and within the group, each student will have a role:  victim, perpetrator, bystander or rescuer.  They will be posting journal entries detailing their own experience and point of view within kidblogs (another web tool for students to write, share and comment to one another).

Spring is in the air.  Daylight Savings Time begins soon.  Enjoy!

Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Maxwell

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February, 2012

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

Thank you, parents, for putting technology in the hands of your children.  We are so blessed to have our three labs, our iPad cart, Mathletics for grades 1-4, and state-of-the-art technology in most of our classrooms.  We are always trying to think of new and creative ways to integrate these tools into our teaching.  Your tech fees and support of various school fundraisers make this possible.

Our preschoolers and kindergarteners have discovered a new website called Cookie, wherre they are learning, shapes, numbers, colors and letters.  They love it!  The first and second graders are using a very cool web tool called Kerpoof to create digital stories and video … quite impressive.  They are currently learning how to use the tool.  The first graders will be writing “Snowy Day” stories and the second graders will be writing “My Visit to the Moon” in the coming weeks.

The fourth graders are using Powerpoint to share their knowledge and quiz one another on endangered species.  In addition to the science concepts covered, they are expanding their use of Powerpoint, learning to add backgrounds and animations in the project “Can You Guess my Species?”  Fifth and sixth graders are also preparing powerpoint presentations on the presidents and the popes.

The junior high students have hit Wall Street full force … ask them about their portfolios and about world and local events that affect stock prices.  Several of our teams have been in first and second place over the last few weeks.  One of our teams has increased the size of their portfolio from $100,000 to $109,000 in just one month — amazing!

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January, 2012

Posted on January 10, 2012 by

Happy New Year!

There is much going on ”technologically”  in the labs and throughout the school.  December was busy with lots of “getting ready” activities … getting ready for winter, snow and Christmas, and also, 8th graders getting ready for the high school placement test on January 14th.  Online, interactive practice questions were completed in math and language arts, to provide a good review and to help develop confidence on test day.

Our portable iPad lab is travelling throughout the school.  Students are participating in simulations, conducting research, practicing phonics, grammar and math, and much more.  Our 1st – 4th graders have made an excellent start with the Mathletics Program.  There is a new-found enthusiasm for solving math problems, and the students love competing with other students around the world to gain the most points and certificates, and to eventually reach “human calculator” status!

Junior high students will start the Stock Market Game this month.  The 8th graders have already developed a website with their personal research-based recommendations.  Be sure to check it out at the 8th Grade Stock Wall.    The 7th graders have also posted their recently completed “Geometry in Architecture” projects online.  Projects at other grade levels will develop student knowledge of MS Word, Powerpoint and Excel, research and navigation of the world-wide web, and exploration of some fascinating topics including penguins, snow, Martin Luther King, web of life, the food chain, and map skills.

Be sure to visit the computer labs at open house following the 10:00 a.m. mass on Sunday, January 29th.  We will have some of our young experts providing demonstrations of our new Mathletics program — hope to see you there!

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November 1st

Posted on November 1, 2011 by

SJF Students are becoming pretty high-tech! Our dream of deploying 30 iPads into the classrooms became a reality last month, and the enthusiasm for this new tool for learning measures way beyond expectations. Students from PreK-8 are using the iPads to practice handwriting, learn math facts, learn U.S. geography, improve writing skills and much more. The labs are busy as well, with students learning a variety of web-based tools like Storybird. Junior high students used this tool to write scary stories, and had the opportunity to share their stories with first and second graders. View the following video for a look!

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September 28, 2011

Posted on September 28, 2011 by
                  We’re off to a  terrific start in the computer lab!  All students in Preschool through Eighth grade are now regular visitors.  We have spent the  last few weeks learning about Internet Safety.  Please remind your children periodically about safe use of the Internet.
                 Various skills are being developed in the labs.  The youngest students are learning their way around the Internet.  Most can navigate to the  student section of our website and get to their own grade level, where various activities and projects are posted.  Third graders are learning to keyboard (touch typing) with the goal of developing speed and accuracy.  This is an important skill for future writing assignments.  All students in grades 3-8 are utilizing Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.
              We plan to incorporate some cross-curricular projects in the coming months and make use of some “Web 2.0″ tools such as Storybird, Animoto,  Glogster, My StoryMaker, and Wallwisher.    Junior high students are working collaboratively with a partner on a scary story.  We are focusing heavily on development of setting, character and plot.  The technology department is working with the library on this project.
               And the best news of all . . . our iPads will be “deployed” (available  for use in the classrooms) next week!

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Welcome Back!

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

School starts Monday, and we have exciting news and plans for the coming year!  First off, over the summer, we were able to purchase 30 iPads, along with an iPad station that will sync and charge all 30 iPads.  About 12 members of our faculty participated in a research project over the summer, learning to use the iPad, and exploring various educational apps across all grade levels and curricular areas.  The iPads will be able to travel from classroom to classroom, and we expect the students will be quite excited about using  this new technology!

Other good news . . . Mrs. Maxwell has decided to return to St. John Fisher.  In addition to handling the technology curriculum for grades PreK-6, she also handles all  technical issues that occur here at school, provides assistance to our office staff, and handles tuition billing.  She is invaluable to us, and our staff is celebrating her return!

More good news … our school website will have a whole new look, organized into three specific areas:  Students, Parents, Organizations.  We value your input on our site.

In the coming year, our plans for technology include the following:

  • Internet safety — this is particularly important for students in grades 3-8.  We will be coming on strong with the dangers that students face in surfing the Internet and belonging to social networks such as Facebook.  We will also address bullying with a focus on cyberbullying.  Please discuss these issues at home as well, so we can work together to promote safe use of technology.
  • Teaching all students in PreK – 8 basic operations of the iPad, and assisting the teachers in using apps that support our curricular goals.
  • Utilizing various Web 2.0 tools that provide opportunities for student/teacher collaboration and publishing of student work.  These include Storybird, Glogster, Wallwisher, Animoto, and various others.  These tools will also be used to support learning across the curriculum.
  • The technology department will be working closely with the teachers to enrich and enhance existing content in all subject areas with technology.

Please sign and return the permission form  emailed to you.  We hope you will grant permission for the publishing of student photos and classwork on our website.  Rest assured the safety of our students is our number one priority.

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March, 2011

Posted on March 4, 2011 by

Spring is in the air!  … and the computer lab is very busy these days. 

Kindergarten:  We are so impressed at the way our kindergarteners are coming along with their mastery of technology and the Internet.  In the coming month, we will be exploring some creative software such as “Thinking Things” which is designed to strengthen auditory and visual discrimination, develop special awareness and foster visual and musical creativity (not to mention that it’s lots of fun!)  We’ve also added some new educational activities on the SJF Kindergarten web page such as ABCYa and Sheppard Software, both of which help develop kindergarten skills in areas such as shapes, colors, alphabet and numbers.  The children will also use the Reading is Fundamental and the Mighty Book Websites to encourage them to develop a love for leisure reading.

First Grade:  We will be exploring a number of different websites so students can practice their addition and subtraction math facts, counting money and telling time.   These websites are found on our St. John Fisher website under First Grade and can be accessed from home.  Some of these websites are Mr. Anker Tests, Sheppard’s Math and Dog Bone.  Also, with St. Patrick’s Day upon us, we will type a St. Patrick’s Day poem using the typing feature in Kid Pix and draw a picture relating to their poem. 

Second Grade:  In honor of St. Patrick’s day the students will copy a poem to Microsoft Word.  They will learn how to change the font color and size, center the poem, add clip art, and a border.  They will also continue on using the Math Journey software (up to level 5) that we began last week, and do a scavenger hunt about Dr. Seuss.

Third Grade:  The third graders will be going on several interactive web sites learning about the water cycle. They will be able to watch an interactive water cycle,  play a question and answer game, and a word scramble game. The will be able to read and learn all about St. Patrick and play a counting money game called POT OF GOLD.  For Spring the third graders will be designing a Spring document in Microsoft Word.  They will be sharpening their skills in adding borders, fonts, and graphics onto a document.  And of course, they will be continuing their work on speed and accuracy in keyboarding.

Fourth Grade:  We will introduce Storybird to our students this month.  Storybirds are short, art inspired stories you can design to share, read and print.  We will assign a topic for students to write about and see how creative our 4th graders can be!  We will be sure to make our stories available so you can view from home.

Fifth Grade:  At the start of the month, students will wrap up their presentations on the Invention of their choice.  Later, we will do some activities on the State of Illinois related to the students’ upcoming trip to Springfield.

Sixth Grade: Students will be introduced to Glogster.  Glogster is a multimedia-enriched digital poster board.  The students have been assigned a Greek god to research, and will present a “Wanted Poster.”  They seem to be very excited about this project.  They have visited the website and were able to view a number of poster creations to model.  On this particular project, little instruction will be provided on how to use the application.  Instead, students are being encouraged to “figure things out” on their own.  This will be an important skill for this generation with the rapid pace of new technologies.

Junior High:  Students are now “fully invested” in the Stock Market Game, even with the volatility the market has seen over the past several weeks.  One of our teams is in third place in the region!  Students understand that a share of stock is ownership in a company, and that individuals can earn money when the prices of their shares go up.  They have learned that world events (such as the situation in Libya) can dramatically affect the performance of the market as a whole.  The students are also very interested  in individual companies, particularly those teen friendly companies such as Apple and Buffalo Wild Wings, and know that diversification lessens the risk of investing.  Please ask them about their new-found knowledge!

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February, 2011

Posted on February 7, 2011 by

Happy February!  Our students are making terrific progress in their use of technology across all areas of the curriculum at all grade levels.

Kindergarteners will start the month of February reading Tomie dePaola’s book The Art Lesson with Mrs. Funk in the library, and then we have some wonderful interactive tech activities to supplement the story.  We have made some additions to the kindergarten web page, and have added some new activities suitable for five and six year olds.  Included are ABCYa, Dr. Seuss, and Sheppard Software.  Children are encouraged to spend additional time at home on these fun yet educational activities.

First Grade:  The first graders will begin the month by doing a Scavenger Hunt using the Little Explorers Online Encyclopedia in honor of Presidents Day.  They will research a variety of questions and discuss some interesting facts about our Presidents.  We will also create Valentine Cards for that special someone. 

Second Grade:  Students will complete the stories they started on Clifford.  They will also use a timeline to learn about major events in Lincoln’s life.

Third Grade:   The children will be working on dental health, and use some web-based resources to learn more about keeping teeth healthy.  Students will practice geometry skills in the lab and do some research on U.S. presidents in honor of presidents day.  Keyboarding instruction will continue, and students will be able to use these newly developed skills to type a paper.

Fourth Grade:  Our fourth grade students have completed their research on endangered species and started creating their Power Point presentation titled “Can You Guess My Endangered Species”.  We will wrap up the Presentation material the first week of February and they will move on to typing up a speech using Microsoft Word.  Students will then present their findings to their classmates.  

Fifth Grade:  Over the past couple of weeks, our fifth graders have  been researching an invention of their choice.  They will continue to research as they start creating their Power point presentation and typing their speeches in preparation for their informative presentation to their classmates.   

Sixth Grade:  Using the World Food Program website, students will research several countries around the world to determine “threats to food security” and why people around the world are hungry. The lesson incorporates math and geography skills. For Religion, our students are researching “Popes”.  They will complete this project by creating a Power Point presentation of the information that they have gathered. 

Seventh and Eighth Grades:  Students are well into their Glogster projects, each creating a multimedia-enriched digital posterboard on an assigned foreign country.  They seem to really be enjoying this project, evidenced by complete silence in the lab as they work!   On this particular project, little instruction has been provided on how to use the application.  Instead, students are being encouraged to “figure things out” on their own.  This will be an important skill for this generation with the rapid pace of new technologies.  During the coming month, students will work in groups on the Stock Market Game.  Each group will be given $100,000 of virtual money to invest in the stocks of their choice.  We will compete with schools across Illinois to build the most profitable portfolios, so if you have any good stock tips, please provide them to our junior high students!

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January, 2011

Posted on January 6, 2011 by

Happy New Year!  We’re expecting great things from the students this year:

Kindergarten:  Students are becoming quite confident on the Internet!  They can find the kindergarten page of the St. John Fisher Website, and access one of a variety of learning activities available there for them, including Starfall, Curious George, Bob the Builder, and others.  They know how to use the Back and Forward buttons.  This month, our theme is snow – snowflakes, snowmen, and snowy day activities.  Also, the kindergarteners will be interviewed by some of our junior high students, and these “biographies” will be on display at Open House.  Students will write and illustrate their favorite snowy day activity in KidPix.  Please don’t miss our new Early Learning section of our website, where we have a “Virtual Tour” in which many of your children are featured!

First Grade:  Students will begin the month with a lesson using the Enchanted Learning website to review many interesting facts about Penguins and answering questions.  We will continue by typing a short story titled “A Snowy Day” using Kid Works.

Second Grade:  In January, students will be introduced to Microsoft Word.  The students will type a snowy day story starting “On a snowy day, I like to…”  They will learn how to how to change font size, choose color, and center their text.  They will draw a picture using Kid Pix.  These projects will be hung in the hall for Open House. 

Third Grade:  Students will continue improving their keyboarding speed and accuracy; you will be quite impressed with their abilities!  Students will use their technology research skills to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.  They will also have the opportunity to develop their map skills and begin animal research for an upcoming project.

Fourth Grade:  Students will continue research on the endangered species that they selected.  They have answered a series of questions about their animal and are creating a powerpoint presentation using this information.  Each student will have a chance to present to their classmates.

 

Fifth Grade: This month, students will use the internet and research inventions and their inventors to explore how these inventions have changed society.  Students will create a powerpoint presentation on an inventor and the inventor’s contributions.

Sixth Grade:  Students will begin the year brushing up on their Microsoft Word skills with a short test on copying pasting pictures, inserting shapes, text boxes and WordArt.  Our next project will have the students using both the Internet and Microsoft Excel to compare statistics of their favorite sports figure or team.  They will pick 5 variables and take that information to graph their findings into Excel.

Junior High:  Good luck to our 8th graders as they take their high school placement tests this week!  They are well-prepared, and should feel very confident.  7th and 8th graders are finishing up some very impressive videos using Animoto.  They have worked in groups to explain an event in U.S. History.  These will be posted on a virtual timeline on our website.  In our next project we will utilize an online tool called Glogster, where you can incorporate images, text, music and video.  Each student will be assigned a world country and will compile their research into an interactive poster.

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December, 2010

Posted on November 30, 2010 by

Wow, where has the year gone?  Here we are in the last month of 2010, and it is a short one, packed with activities.  SJF students are progressing well in their use of technology.  Below are the plans for the coming weeks:

Kindergarten:  The month of December, the Theme for Computers is Christmas.   We will visit Jan Brett’s website and read the “Gingerbread Baby” Story.  There are a number of activities available Jan Brett’s site such as making your own Christmas card and decorating a Christmas tree. 

First Grade:  Moving into the holiday season, our first graders will begin the month by completing a “Christmas Quiz” searching for answers using the Enchanted Learning Program.  We will continue our Christmas Theme by visiting Jan Brett’s website; reading the “Gingerbread Friend” Story, creating our own Christmas card and participating in various other holiday activities.

Second Grade:  Students will develop their map skills as they plot Santa’s Christmas journey, and learn some fun facts about reindeers in an Internet scavenger hunt.

Third Grade:     The third graders will shop till they drop using the ToysRUs website.  They will copy and paste pictures and put a list together to whomever they want. They will also be able to add Christmas clipart to their list.  They will have the opportunity to read, discuss, and answer questions about the different countries and holidays on the Christmas Around The World website.  The students will go on the following website and read about the Web of Life.  This site introduces and reinforces the concept of the food web.  They will play the Chain Reaction game when finished.

Fourth Grade: Students will begin to research an endangered species that they will choose from a list.  They will begin this project by answering a series of questions about their animal.  We will then take this information and create a power point presentation.  Each student will have a chance to present to their classmates.

Fifth Grade:  Fifth Graders will begin the holiday season by discussing what Advent means in the church and how students can prepare for Advent in their own day-to-day lives.  We will create an Advent Calendar using Microsoft Publisher, adding clipart to make our calendars look more festive.  We will continue doing Christmas activities throughout the month.

Sixth Grade:  Students will begin the holiday season by discussing what a Cinquain is and create their own Cinquain about Jesus.  We will take what they have written and create a Holiday Card using Microsoft Publisher.  We will continue doing Christmas activities throughout the month. 

Seventh Grade:  Students enthusiastically continue their work on the junior high U.S. History video timeline … expect to see this project completed and on our website in January!  We will take a break from our historical research and video production to use some web-based resources to enjoy the Christmas festivities.

Eighth Grade:  We have “paused” in our video creation to spend some time preparing for the January high school placement test.  There are some excellent resources available online for standardized test practice in math and language arts.  Students have created their own usernames and passwords, and are progressing through the material.  The goals are to review material, develop a good pace to get through a timed test, develop some good test-taking strategies, and most importantly, gain confidence!  

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

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