4th Grade Technology- September in Review

4th graders are off to a great start!  So far they have read and discussed the Technology Use Policy, started using their brand new Google Drive accounts, and logged into their new QwertyTown touch-typing accounts.  In Google Drive, the students have created a technology folder that they shared with me, typed up their hopes and dreams for the year in a google doc, collaborated on a shared google slides presentation to let me know more about them, and some of them have started using google sheets to enter data for creating graphs.  This is a big week for 4th grade technology- touch-typing homework begins and the Lehner Center computer lab will be open for optional early morning touch-typing practice.

4th graders part of a world wide Scratch project

The first Saturday of each month, there is a meet up at the MIT Media Lab for those local, Boston-area educators who are interested in sharing idea about Scratch.

At a meetup this past winter, I met a teacher who linked to a World Music project page which includes songs from students in many parts of the globe.  This has been a wonderful way to link students from many backgrounds and to help promote world peace.

BB&N 4th grade students learned a song in English and Swahili called, "Together", made a recording and they are now included in the project.  Fly over the world and have the dove descend over Boston and you will find us!

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/11011006/

Debbie Slade, LS Music

The "Hour of Code" at the Lower School: Programming in the Classroom

In honor of Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15, 2013), the website code.org launched the "Hour of Code" program with the idea that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn code.  There are several opportunities for our Lower School students to program:

Kindergarten used the BeeBot, a programmable robot, in literacy in January.

In December, 2nd graders completed the first hour of code on the code.org website.  In January and February they did also used the LightBob app and the BeeBot app.  After March break they plan to create math word problems in MIT's Scratch programming environment.

During several technology classes this winter, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders also used the code.org website, creating online accounts so they could continue their progress at home if desired.  4th graders have been learning Scratch as well and are now learning how to use Scratch with the LEGO WeDO kits' sensors and motors.

5th graders will spend their spring trimester in the technology lab learning how to program in LOGO, an educational programming language (in fact, the first programming language for children) originally designed in 1967.

6th graders have been spending a lot of their time in the technology lab exploring the new online Scratch 2.0 programming environment.  They are currently working on programming challenges from the Creative Computing Curriculum Guide, a design-based introduction to computational thinking.

4M Environmental Unit Glogster Poster

4th graders are in the technology lab right now creating glogster interactive online posters for their social studies environmental unit.  There is a lot of buzz and excitement in the room as students look at pictures of hybrid cars and graphs about space debris, watch videos on GMOs and organic foods, conduct research on websites for organizations such as National Geographic and the National Resource Defense Council, and discuss how to present information on topics such as endangered species, deforestation, alternative energy, extreme weather, climate change, factory farming, and marine debris.

Launch Grant 2012-2013: iPads in the LS Science Classroom

The best laid plans....

At the start of the Launch project, my goal was to use iPads in order to create a portfolio of QR (Quick Response) Codes that contained extension science activities and games for kids to use during choice time or as enrichment. In theory it was a good idea. QR codes are easy to generate. The basic premise is you take a web address enter it into a QR code generator program, and an image like the one below is generated that contains a link to that website, video, or any other digital data.



Young kids, instead of having to type long web addresses, can scan the code (with a QR code scanner app) in order to get to the place or video. It is a great idea and particularly useful for younger students who are still practicing literacy skills, never mind keyboarding!

There are a myriad of free QR code generators including:
GOQR.ME http://goqr.me/
KAYWA http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
SNAPMAZE http://www.snapmaze.com/
And QR scanners (from the APP store – free):
SCAN
QR BARCODE SCANNER
QR READER for iPAD

While in theory this was a good idea, and is a concept worth implementing for next year, I found that I did not have enough time in the science classroom to apply QR code use. Instead, I decided to use the iPad as a tool for the kids to express ideas, and demonstrate the knowledge they gained at particular instances during the year. I used the iPads during three targeted units at each grade level I teach: K, 1 and 4.

Fourth graders used the app Explain Everything which is a screen casting application to keep track of the work they were doing during the construction of the solar cars. They also made a movie for next year’s fourth grade with tips on how to solve some of the most common problems that come up during the design and construction of the solar cars. Below is one of the videos made.

To demonstrate their understanding of the mealworm lifecycle, first graders drew pictures of each of the stages of a mealworm’s growth and animated them with and app called Animator Free. Enjoy the movie below...

As the culminating activity of the motion unit, kindergartners designed and created marble coasters. Part of their responsibility included making sure they got a picture with their coaster. Once the picture was obtained, the kindergartners reviewed the path that the marble took on their track, as they animated their picture using the app called Animator Free. Take a look below!

The moral of the story is...you have to go with the flow with technology! While the original goal of my project changed half way through it, I was surprised to learn what a great tool for the science classroom the iPad is. To quote from the EdTech Teacher folks iPads really did “help make (my...) science classroom a site of active learning and critical thinking, furthering student inquiry and connections with the materials.”
Movie 1

-Maria Elena Derrien

Launch Grant 2012-2013: LS French and Spanish Web 2.0 Tools

            This year, the Lower School Spanish and French classes (4-6) experimented with several different Web 2.0 tools. We were looking for inexpensive software that was creative, easy to use, and engaged students vocabulary and grammar skills both written and spoken.  Web 2.0 tools seemed to be the way to go specifically because most websites were free or less than $40.00. Many of the tools offered education specific webpages that provided classroom lists and rubric creators as well as the ability to make the content private to the classroom only with options of sharing it to the public. The following is a brief introduction to each web 2.0 tool, the link to each website, and examples from both French and Spanish classes. In addition, we added QR codes to our multimedia projects. To view them, use any smart device with a QR code scanner (most apps. are free to download) to see and/or hear the projects displayed.

A)  Sound Cloud

B)  QR Code Creator

C)  Animoto

D)  Pixton

E)  Glogster

A) SOUND CLOUD:   https://soundcloud.com

            Sound cloud is a "social sound platform" that lets anyone share sounds publically or privately on any smart device and computers.  Students in the Spanish classes used Sound Cloud to record paragraphs describing themselves using adjectives. Later we turned their audio into QR codes. Students were able to use ipads to individually record and upload their audio simultaneously.  

Pros:                                                                                             Cons:

Easy to use                                                                                    Registration

Good sound quality                                                                      Another password and user name

Free                                                                                                  

Ability to make sounds private

Website for QR codes

Sign in to multiple devices on one account

Easy to share

B) QRCODE:  http://www.qrstuff.com/

     With QR stuff.com, QR codes were created for Spanish student's Animoto and sound cloud activities. Students could scan their smart devices and watch their web 2.0 tool projects come to life. The QR codes could be created with different colors, printed and emailed. The QR codes were a fun way to display students work and keep an element of surprise when presenting projects. Students liked the idea of creating scavenger hunts using QR codes in our future language classes.

Pros:                                                                        Cons:

Easy to use                                                               Takes time to add each webpage

Easy to print

Free

No registration

C) ANIMOTO:  http://animoto.com/                                           

            In the French and Spanish classes we experimented with Animoto. Animoto is a creative website to make quick and easy videos. Students created video flashcards to practice new vocabulary and verbs. We liked the user friendliness of being able to log on to one account on several computers or iPads to create videos, and students were able to create Animotos in one class period. There were limitations  Students were engaged and expressed their enjoyment with the project. The videos were fun to watch and they asked to use Animoto again for additional projects.

 Pros                                                                         Cons:                                            

Easy to use                                                               Computer and iPad Animoto different

Many users on one account                                      Another registration

QR code friendly                                                      Pay for upgrade

Easy to share with others                                          Difficult to find songs without English

Ability to make private and public                            Photo bank limited

Free

Good online tutorials

D) Pixton: http://www.pixton.com/

            Students in French and Spanish explored Pixton. Pixton is a website that creates fun and easy comics for a small fee. What we liked about Pixton was it allowed us to create class lists, rubrics and projects for students. We could track each student on a private school account as well as grade and comment on each of their projects. Students made comics using new vocabulary and grammar for basic conversations. When students first used Pixton, it took a class period to familiarize themselves with the program and several class periods to complete. For the first project we let them explore, but quickly realized that they were distracted making their avatars rather than focusing on the assignment. The second time around, we found more productive to create the comic and have them fill in the conversations. Students enjoyed Pixton and expressed that they didn't want to stop using it.

Pros:                                                                                 Cons:

inexpensive                                                                        Not free

QR code friendly                                                               Accent marks difficult to use

Can make private                                                               Takes some time to set up

Class list creator                                                                 Another registration/password

track student homework/work                                    

Rubric creator

grade

comment on student work

students can comment on students work

Make private

Access to all accounts

Can create accounts for students on one main account

Access to edit

Easy to share

Easy to use

Easy to contact support via email or phone

Great online tutorials

E) Glogster: http://www.glogster.com/

Spanish and French students explored Glogster to create virtual posters for their MFA Projects, and in French, to create personal narratives to describe themselves. Students in both classes created Glogs to write and to illustrate information about their French or Spanish artists for their MFA Action projects (collabration between Art, Culture and Technology for MFA Day.) We liked that students were able to make posters without the mess, it was easy to use, and students could add illustrations, videos and music to support their research in one place. It was not easy to add accent marks and students demonstrated frustration. The only way we could add them was to use one specific font in a word document then copy and past the accents to the Glog.  Students expressed that they liked sing glogs and wanted to use them again.

Pros:                                                                                Cons:

inexpensive                                                                      Not free

QR code friendly                                                             Accent marks difficult to use

Can make private                                                             Takes some time to set up

Class list creator                                                               Another registration/password

track student homework/work

Make private

Access to all accounts

Can create accounts for students on one main account

Access to edit

Easy to share

Easy to use

Good online tutorials

            Overall, we found these web 2.0 tools to be a fun way to present old material and make it new and fresh. Each tool was easy to use with plenty of tutorials to help along the way. Becoming familiar with the programs varied in time. We were often frustrated about registration and remembering different username and passwords. In addition, we had to actively make content private for websites we did not purchase and made specifically for the classroom. We enjoyed discovering new tools and watching students engaged in displaying their different language skills.

-Cristina Carrion Murphy and Soizick Munir

4th Grade Update- April in Review

4th graders have been particularly excited to come to technology class over the last couple of weeks because we have started using Scratch.  Scratch is a programming environment created by the MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group about 6 years ago.  If your child is really interested in Scratch, it is available for download FREE from the scratch website.  A new beta version of Scratch 2.0 is also available if students want to explore it.

Students have been learning how to use Scratch by completing the Scratch cards provided by MIT.  This week students are also starting to learn how to use the LEGO WeDo kits with Scratch by completing the "Scratch and WeDo Getting Started" activities with partners.  Pretty soon they'll be building LEGO models that can interact with the Scratch programming environment with motors and sensors.

4th Grade Update- March in Review

For the past couple of weeks, 4th graders have returned to Excel to create their second set of graphs.  Earlier this year in P.E. class students collected data on how many times they could dribble a basketball with their left hand, their right hand, and both hands both at the beginning and the end of their basketball unit.  In technology class students entered the data in Excel spreadsheets and created graphs which are now on display on the walls of the Lower School gym.

4th Grade Internet Safety- Digital passport Summaries

In January and February, 4th graders completed the following Internet Safety lessons:
Communication: Twalkers- Students learn why it's important to avoid multitasking with a cell phone. They consider the benefits of focusing on one task at a time.

Family Tips

Privacy: Share Jumper- Students evaluate examples of online messages. They decide what information is appropriate to share and when. Students are also reminded that nothing is truly "private" or "erasable" online.

Family Tips

Cyberbullying: E-Volve- Students make choices about what to do if they or their friends are cyberbullied. They are encouraged to "evolve" into an “Upstander” – someone who takes action to stop cyberbullying, rather than standing by.

Family Tips

Search: Search Shark- Students learn how to choose effective keywords for searching online. They practice selecting keywords that are most relevant to a search prompt. Along the way, students discover hints for narrowing their search results.

Family Tips

Creative Credit: Mix-n-Mach- Students remix media content to create a new creative piece. Along the way, they give proper credit to the artists whose images and sound clips they use.

Family Tips

4th Grade Update- January in Review

4th graders have been busy!  Since finishing their Excel graphs created with data from P.E. students have been practicing their touch-typing skills as well learning about Internet Safety.  In January, 4th graders started a new unit on Internet Safety, participating in several lessons from CommonSense Media's Digital Passport program.  Students will continue this program into February, completing lessons on cell phone use, distraction, and multitasking; the risks associated with sharing private information online; how to be an upstander instead of a bystander in cyberbullying situations; how to search more effectively online using keywords; and how to give creative credit when using other people's work in a project.

4th Grade Update- December in Review

In December 4th graders got an introduction to Excel, creating graphs from data they collected in P.E.  At both the beginning and end of their soccer unit, students recorded how many goals they scored in ten attempts.  In the technology lab they entered their data and created graphs comparing the two sets of data.  All graphs were printed and are currently on display in the Lower School gymnasium.

4th Grade Update- November in Review

4th Graders have spent the last month in technology class continuing their touch-typing practice.  By the first week in December, every 4th grader should have completed "Type to Learn 4" lessons 1-11.  More than half-way through the program!  They also learned to how insert tables into Microsoft Word to create their own logic problems.  

4th Grade Update- October in Review

The focus of the last month or so has been word processing-  4th Graders have spent the last month working on their touch-typing skills and should now be working on lesson 10 in "Type to learn 4" due next week.  We are about half-way through our typing lessons!  They have also typed up their hopes and dreams and a list of five things I don't know about them in Microsoft Word.

Is Your Child Interested in Programming?

If your child is interested in programming, check out this book I just bought: Super Scratch Programming Adventure!  The comic book is a great way to introduce kids to programming, as it teaches them fundamental programming concepts while they create their own games.  The book takes kids on an adventure, teaching them Scratch programming along the way.  The website for the book also includes downloadable resources such as sample Scratch projects that the kids can play.

4th Grade- Tech RUP

Fourth graders are currently discussing BB&N's Technology Responsible Use Policy (p. 17 of the handbook) and my computer lab rules while they continue their touch-typing homework assignments.

4th Grade Update- September in Review

4th graders started their year in technology learning about their new computer accounts and accompanying network folders for storing electronic schoolwork such as Word documents.  During the month of September we also began the touch-typing curriculum which includes homework twice per week.

Please ask your child to tell you about SmartMoves, a "body puzzles for the mind" program I am trying out with my students this year for transitioning into the classroom and improving focus.  "SmartMoves is an award-winning cognitive fitness program that combines music and movement to transform the classroom and change the way students learn."  (http://shop.fablevisionlearning.com/smartmoves/learnmore/overview/fa/shop.detail/productid/2564/)  

Alternative Energy Kits in the Science Classroom

The fourth grade has been exploring alternative energy sources as part of their Chemistry/Environment unit in science. Through a LAUNCH grant, I purchased 5 kits to pilot with this year's class so I could determine which educational kit would be the easiest for students to understand and be successful with. The kits we are working on include: Thames and Kosmos' Wind Power, Hydro Power and Fuel Cell Car Kits, along with Horizon Technology's Renewable Energy Kit, and Elenco's Snap Circuits' Green Kit. The students took on the challenge, and despite difficult directions (mostly geared toward adult readers), the fourth graders have problem solved, and teams have successfully constructed a working mill and a fuel cell car. Students are beginning to understand that there are sources of energy other than fossil fuels that we could be tapping and exploring in efforts to be more environmentally friendly! Our goal is to finish exploring the kits by the end of this month and have teams present their challenges and successes along with their recommendations so we can purchase the kits that support the best learning of the concepts presented in this unit.

-Maria Elena Derrien
LS Science

Update on LEGO WeDo at the Lower School

4th grade students just completed their second LEGO WeDo creation and are beginning their third model. Students built and programmed a mechanical lion that makes sounds and is motorized to lift and lower its front legs as if it is sitting up and lying down. They “trained” their lions to sit up and roar, then lie down and snore when they threw it a “bone” made with a tilt sensor. Now the students are in the process of building a mechanical bird that makes sounds which are activated by manually tilting the bird up and down to lift and lower its head and flap its wings.
(The looks of surprise captured on the children's faces in the photograph above are due to the lion's head popping off as the students were trying to figure out the correct motor power and number of rotations required to make the lion sit up properly.)

-Megan Haddadi

4th Graders Create Solar Powered Vehicles

Prior to introducing my students to the Renewable Energy Kits purchased through my LAUNCH grant, I decided the fourth graders needed a background on how renewable energy works. I had them design and build solar powered vehicles out of Radio Shack solar cells and motors, as well as spare parts from LEGO MindStorms kits. A few days ago we had some sun, and we and tested our vehicles outside. We realized we need a more intense sun to create enough current to power the motor and will wait until the spring to try again! As we move forward, fourth graders will be working with other alternative energy sources (hydro power, wind power and fuel cell technology) while exploring the educational kits purchased through the LAUNCH grant. Check back shortly for an update on how the kits are going!

-Maria Elena Derrien