5 Great FREE Programs for Students

When I started as a tech teacher, I pushed my administration for lots of software. I wanted a different one for each theme–human body, space, math. Now, they’re all on the internet–for FREE–which means we can use our tech budget for iPads, microphones, splitters… Wait–we have no budget. Good thing I’m addicted to FREE.

Monday Freebies #19: My Bookcover in KidPix

This year more than any before, classroom budgets have been cut making it more difficult than ever to equip the education of our children with quality teaching materials. I understand that. I teach K-8. Because of that, I’ve decided to give the lesson plans my publisher sells in the Technology Toolkit (110 Lesson Plans that I use in my classroom to integrate technology into core units of inquiry while insuring a fun, age-appropriate, developmentally-appropriate experience for students) for FREE. To be sure you don’t miss any of these:

• Subscribe to Ask a Tech Teacher by Email
• Sign up to the RSS feed

…and start each week off with a fully-adaptable K-8 lesson that includes step-by-step directions as well as relevant ISTE national standards, tie-ins, extensions, troubleshooting and more. Eventually, you’ll get the entire Technology Toolkit book. If you can’t wait, you can purchase the curriculum here.

I love giving my material away for free. Thankfully, I have a publisher who supports that. If everyone did, we would reach true equity in international education.

My Bookcover in KidPix

Draw a cover for a classroom project or unit of inquiry or use one of Kidpix’s templates. Have students nicely mix text and pictures for an attractive design. Introduce KidPix fonts, font sizes, font colors to grade 1

Monday Freebies #25: Intro to PowerPoint–with KidPix Pictures

This year more than any before, classroom budgets have been cut making it more difficult than ever to equip the education of our children with quality teaching materials. I understand that. I teach K-8. Because of that, I’ve decided to give the lesson plans my publisher sells in the Technology Toolkit (110 Lesson Plans that I use in my classroom to integrate technology into core units of inquiry while insuring a fun, age-appropriate, developmentally-appropriate experience for students) for FREE. To be sure you don’t miss any of these:

• Subscribe to Ask a Tech Teacher by Email
• Sign up to the RSS feed

…and start each week off with a fully-adaptable K-8 lesson that includes step-by-step directions as well as relevant ISTE national standards, tie-ins, extensions, troubleshooting and more. Eventually, you’ll get the entire Technology Toolkit book. If you can’t wait, you can purchase the curriculum here.

I love giving my material away for free. Thankfully, I have a publisher who supports that. If everyone did, we would reach true equity in international education.

Intro to PowerPoint–with KidPix Pictures

Drawings are done in KidPix. Assign topics (me, my family, etc) for grades K-1 to reinforce the concept of following directions. With 2^nd grade, use one picture for each of the parts of a story—characters, plot, setting, climax/resolution.  Mix pictures and text. Students can show these to parents at Open House or a parent night using Windows slideshow function (something they can do without assistance after a bit of practice)

#42: Where Did I Come From?

Students find their country of origin on Google Earth and grab a screen shot of it. Save to their computer. Import it into KidPix and add the country flag and student name. Students learn about importing data from one program to another with this project.

Use Google Earth in Second Grade

–from 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom. Preview available on Amazon.com and Scribd.com

#42: Where Did I Come From

Students find their country of origin on Google Earth and grab a screen shot of it. Save to their computer. Import it into KidPix and add the country flag and student name. Students learn about importing data from one program to another with this project.

Lesson plan using technology

#42: Where are my Roots?

Students find their country of origin on Google Earth and grab a screen shot of it. Save to their computer. Import it into KidPix and add the country flag and student name. Students learn about importing data from one program to another with this project.

Lesson plan for 2nd grade with Google Earth

3 Programs to Teach Architecture in First Grade

Three projects over six weeks and your students will learn about blueprints, room layout, dimensions. Plus, they’ll understand how to think about a three-dimensional object and then spatially lay it out on paper. This is challenging, but fun for first graders.

Spend two weeks on each projects. Incorporate a discussion of spaces, neighborhoods, communities one week. Practice the drawing, then do the final project which students can save and print. Kids will love this unit.

• First, draw a picture in KidPix of the child’s home using the KidPix architecture tools (use TuxPaint if you don’t have KidPix–it’s free). Have kids think about their house, walk through it. They’ll have to think in three dimensions and will soon realize they can’t draw a two-story house. In that case, allow them to pick which rooms they wish to include and concentrate on what’s in the room. Use the ‘stamps’ tool (in KidPix) to find items.

Classroom layout--through the eyes of a First Grader

FREE Lesson Plans for K-8 Technology

I go back to my classroom tomorrow so I’ve spent most of the last week trying to organize myself. OK, it’s an oxymoron, but I can’t concede defeat the First Day!

I put together a list of my lesson  plans I used last year to integrate tech into the core classrooms. I’m hoping I can share it with the teachers, let them see what worked last year, what they need more of–that sort of thing.

I’m going to share it with you. Here’s hoping it makes your next year go better.

Technology Lesson Plans to Integrate Technology into classroom Units of Inquiry

Where Would You Like to Go Today?

Are you here for a lesson plan… Tech tips… Humor? Click the category on the sidebar and you’re there.

I notice lots of readers are clicking on the pictures, hoping it’s a link to a category. I have to confess: I was unable to get the pictures to act as links. I don’t think WordPress can do that. I spent quite a while trying. I can do it if I put each picture in separately (rather than as a two-column album), but it’s difficult to maneuver. Until I solve that you’ll have to visit the Categories section on the sidebar. You’ll get a group of projects on that topic, mixed ages:

Tech Tips

KidPix Projects

Google Earth Projects

Photoshop Projects

Keyboarding Projects

MS Word Projects

Publisher Projects

PowerPoint Projects

Excel Projects

Computer Humor

Tech Tips

Anyone know how to make the pictures in a picture gallery act as links? Hmmm….

#43: How to Teach Geography with KidPix II

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II as well as How to Teach Geography with KidPix I.

#44: How to Teach Geography with KidPix I

Get as creative as you want with the pictures that go at the four points of the compass rose–let the kids be creative!

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II.

How to Make a Cover Page in KidPix

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II.

KidPix has some great templates that can work well as cover pages for elementary school reports. The entire project takes about fifteen minutes.

#34: How to Teach Dolch Words with KidPix

Reinforce Dolch words and sentence structure with KidPix text tool and drawing options.

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II.

#26: Create a Storybook in KidPix

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II.

Create the drawings in KidPix for grades kindergarten and first. By second grade, you can have students insert them into PowerPoint as a slideshow for Open House.

#2: How to KidPix II

Before you start this project, try KidPix Basics I. If you don’t have KidPix, you can use a free download called Tux Paint.

#1: How to KidPix I

According to the creator, “KidPix combines art tools, graphic capability with ease of use and powerful new teacher tools to inspire creativity and learning.” According to the world, it’s the most popular drawing program
for kids. Ever.

This project appeals to a student’s creativity and desire for the personal.
And, it’s quick and easy.

#26: 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.

#25: Intro to PowerPoint–with KidPix Pictures

Drawings are done in KidPix. Assign topics (me, my family, etc) for grades K-1 to reinforce the concept of following directions. With 2^nd grade, use one picture for each of the parts of a story—characters, plot, setting, climax/resolution.  Mix pictures and text. Students can show these to parents at Open House or a parent night using Windows slideshow function (something they can do without assistance after a bit of practice)

#20: A Holiday Card in KidPix

Create a holiday card in KidPix and reinforce early writing skills while teaching mouse skills, toolbars and tool use:

#16: A Holiday Memory in Word or KidPix

Use this not only to create a gift for parents, but to practice writing skills, grammar, MS Word’s spell check. I have student compose the memory one week and we format it the next. For beginning writers, use KidPix and its text tools.

Warning: Computers can be Addicting

Map from Google Earth; flag from KidPix

Here’s a great project using the popular Google Earth and KidPix. It’s geared for K-2, but older’s OK too, especially during summer. It uses Google Earth and KidPix and takes about thirty minutes:

5 Great FREE Programs for Kids

When I started as a tech teacher, I pushed my administration for lots of software. I wanted a different one for each theme–human body, space, math. Now, they’re all on the internet–for FREE–which means we can use our tech budget for doc scanners, Dragon Speak… Wait–we have no budget. Good thing I’m addicted to FREE.

Using an Internet Start Page

Include everything oft-visited to make internetting simpler for your child (and safer)

This is a great idea for kids. Use one of these free start pages to put everything important there for your child that’s internet-based. Mine includes oft-used websites, blog sites, a To Do list, search tools, email, a calendar of events, pictures of interest, rss feeds of interest, weather, news, a graffiti wall and more. Yours will be different, more geared toward summer activities. Ask your child what s/he’d like there. Maybe sponge activities (internet sites that take just a few minutes to soak up empty time).

Introduction to KidPix

Final drawing of the lesson

This is the first lesson for any child using KidPix. I start them in Kindergarten, right after I’ve introduced the parts of the computer, mouse skills and all those little pictures (icons) on the desktop.

Have your child open KidPix from the desktop. Explain a ‘splash screen’ to them. Log in with their name (good practice for typing skills).