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Tech Tip #5: Reveal a Program

As a working technology teachers, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

How to Web 2.0 Accessorize Your Classroom

Web 2.0 is the most exciting thing to happen to education since the schoolhouse. It is a limitless classroom, allowing students access to anything they can define. Includes what’s a digital citizen, how to create a blog, a classroom internet start page, a classroom wiki, how to join social networks and post pictures on Flikr, where to go for podcasting and online docs, and more.

Here’s where you start:

End-of-the-Week Laugher #1

Thanks to Office Offline

Don’t Print Homework–Email it!

By third grade, students can email their homework to you rather than turn in all those pesky hard copies. No more lost work, no more dog-ate-their-homework, no more blaming their mom. They can use their own account or a parents. Once they learn how, it is automatic–and they love doing it this way.

Every Group Has Their Own Secret Language; Here’s Tech’s

Using the right words makes students feel accomplished and part of a select group. Don’t be afraid to introduce your groups to the unique language of technology. There’s nothing that will impress their friends faster and make learning easier than calling things what they are.

Tech Tip #4: Zoom In and Out

As a working technology teachers, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Don’t Miss This Westward Expansion Website

Animated Atlas–what a great site! A video of America’s westward expansion, summarized into ten minutes. Covers all of the high points with graphics, sound and animation. Sure to grab third and fourth graders studying US history.

Create Simple Shapes in Excel

What’s the first thing you think of when I say, Excel. Numbers, right–turning data into information. That is Excel’s ‘killer app’, but the ingenious human brain has come up with another striking use for Excel: Drawing. I spent a long time trying to find a lesson that taught drawing in Excel and/or offered example. I finally gave up and created my own.

How to Automate an MLA Heading

This one is a quickie–teach students how to create a macro. Use an MLA-appropriate heading as an example.

Tech Tip #3: Turn an Address into a Link

As a working technology teachers, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Internet Skills for K-8: Blogs

Blogs are the most exciting educational tool to come along since… well, wikis, twitter and email. Without any effort on the teacher’s part, students become enthralled with writing.

Teach About Inventions with PowerPoint

This is one of the most popular fourth grade projects in my curriculum. Students love the research and can’t believe how great the report is when presented with PowerPoint.

Tech Tip #2: The PrintScreen Key

As a working technology teachers, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Teach PowerPoint in Elementary School

This is a wonderful project that shows students the joy of learning and research through PowerPoint. Be sure they’re comfortable with PowerPoint by completing several of the prior projects:

A PowerPoint Slideshow for Third Graders

Before starting this PowerPoint project, have students complete these two:

• Intro to PowerPoint for K-2
• Intro to PowerPoint in Second Grade

By fourth grade, my students are so good at PowerPoint, I don’t even teach it in fifth grade (I move on to Photoshop). They’ve learned enough to get them through school. Here’s how I do that:

Tech Tip #1: the Insert Key

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents and students about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Intro PowerPoint in Second Grade

Start with Project 25 in first grade. By second grade, students will be eager and able to complete the PowerPoint slideshow by themselves. They can not only insert the pictures, but add transitions, animations, animated GIFs, backgrounds and more.

Intro to PowerPoint–with KidPix Pictures

Have your younger students draw their pictures in KidPix and you turn them into a slideshow for Open House. When they’re a little older–say, second grade–they can make their own slideshow (see Project 26).

This is the first of about six projects in PowerPoint. Start with this one and build up to the last.

An Easy Way to Check Math Homework

Excel formulas give students an easy method of checking their math homework. Insert the formulas, add the numbers and check the results. Here’s the lesson plan:

Introducing: Tech Tip Tuesday

As a working technology teachers, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused.

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