Lower School (K-6)

Educational Technology

 

FEATURED PROJECTS

iPads in the Classroom

Students in first, fourth and sixth grades are using iPads to enhance their studies in the classroom.  In first grade, students used the POW Strip Design app to show their knowledge of Los Angeles landmarks including Chinatown, Farmer's Market, Olvera Street and City Hall.  Students used the app to locate and insert images of their landmark, as well as use the text tool to include important facts that they learned about their landmark.  In fourth grade, students are using green screen technology and the iMovie app to film and edit their Dream Speech.  In sixth grade, students are using iMovie to film and edit a commercial encouraging viewers to visit Sparta or Athens.  Students enjoy using the iPads because "it makes learning fun!"

LOWER SCHOOL PARENTS ~ Ed Tech Corner

Web Links


Common Sense Media ~ Reviews & Advice - Reviews and top picks for movies, games, apps, websites, etc.

Common Sense Learning Ratings - Discover the best learning apps, games and website products for your kids.

Family Media Agreement - Checklist that parents can use to guide conversations with their kids about media use.


Internet Safety Guide for Kids - Tips for keeping your kids safe online.

Articles

Great Websites for Kids

From the American Library Association:  The 2012 Great Web Sites Committee announces its 2012 selections which may be found at http://gws.ala.org.

Great Web Sites for Kids are those considered the best web sites for children ages birth to 14, outstanding in both content and conception. As applied to web sites for young people, “great” should be thought to include sites of especially commendable quality, sites that reflect and encourage young people’s interests in exemplary ways. Our selection criteria can be found at: http://www.ala.org/alsc/greatwebsites/greatwebsitesforkids/greatwebsites.

5 Reasons Every Parent Should Beware of Instagram

5 Reasons Every Parent Should Beware of Instagram | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine

"You think you've got what's hot and trending under control because you use Facebook? Think again. Until I recently experienced one of the latest social media trends through the eyes of my middle-school aged niece, I realized that both you and I have a lot to catch up on..."

Read on at Yahoo! Shine's original article...

Mother Gives Son an iPhone for Christmas Along With 18-Point Contract

Brisbane Times

I Will Always Know the Password: Mother Gives Son an iPhone for Christmas Along With 18-Point Contract

"Blogger Janell Burley Hofmann found fame in the US when she gave a her son Gregory an iPhone for Christmas. It came with a few conditions ... 18 to be precise..."


Read more at Brisbane Times' original article...

Digital Tools for the Classroom

Digital tools that students are using in the Lower School computer classroom!

Schoology - Learning Management System (LMS) that makes it easy for teachers to create and share academic content. Used with students starting in grade four.

Google Apps for Education - Web-based email (Gmail), documents (Docs) and websites (Sites) for collaborative study. Used with students starting in grade four.

Discovery Education - Online resources for teachers to enhance and accelerate student achievement.

Library LibGuides - Online library resources for teachers and students to use when working on class projects. Compiled by Yapha Mason, Lower School Librarian.

Kid Pix Deluxe - Creativity software designed for students to explore and discover drawing, painting, stamp, animation and sound tools.

My Digital Studio - Digital design software used to create cards and scrapbook pages that includes customizations such as backgrounds, embellishments, and digital punchouts.

Ultrakey Typing - Keyboarding program designed to teach children how to type.

Inspiration - Software that enables students to easily create and update graphic organizers, concept maps and idea maps.

Kidspiration - Visual thinking software that helps students develop thinking, organization, literacy and numeracy skills.

Adobe Design Suite - Powerful creativity design tools that includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver.

Microsoft Office - Production tools that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.

VoiceThread - A web-based digital storytelling tool that allows users to share their stories through audio, images, video and/or text. It also allows viewers to make comments on their stories in various ways.

Storybird - Online storytelling tool that uses art to inspire writing.

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