Mrs. Voghel: Computer Teacher

CONTACT:

dvoghel@nativity-school.org

COMPUTER CLASSES AT NATIVITY

Objective:  The purpose of this webpage is to inform you of what your children are learning in their weekly computer classes.  It is with the hope that they can share with you the various things they are learning .  We follow the Archdiocesan Guidelines  and  cyber safety and cyber ethics are covered in the curriculum.

   Grades PreK-3:

· Pre- K will come to the lab and be introduced to computer technology .

· Each class comes to the computer lab for 30-45 minutes each week.

· Kindergarten and Pre-K class are broken down to half at a time to insure individual attention.

· We work on mouse control, scrolling and  problem-solving.

· Microsoft Office is introduced informally at this level.

· Keyboarding and finger placement are practiced at each grade level.

· e also visit various educational websites too.

Grades 4-5:Each class comes to the computer lab for 45-55 minutes each week.

· The various features of Microsoft Office are applied to their classroom subjects. Inserting, copying, pasting and layout options are some of the skills learned.

· Tables, spreadsheets, brochures, graphs, etc. are introduced and reinforced. 

· Keyboarding is practiced each week for ten minutes.

· We learn how to use the internet for research and for fun too!

Grades 6-8:

· Each class comes to the Computer lab for 55 minutes each week. 

· Various features of Microsoft Office such as Excel, Power Point and Publisher are learned and tied in with their classroom subjects.

· Keyboarding is also taught and practiced.

· Cyber safety and cyber etiquette are emphasized.

· Copyright laws and legalities concerning downloading are also discussed.

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES
Text Box: http://www.primarygames.com ALL AGES http://www.akidsheart.com RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES TOO http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/besmart/Activities.html http://www.dositey.com EXPLORE WITH YOUR CHILD http://www.kidscom.com LOTS OF FUN ACTIVITIES http://www.senselang.com TYPING PRACTICE http://www.mathcats.com VARIOUS THINKING GAMES http://www.netsmartzkids.org INTERNET SAFETY http://www.wordle.net WORD FUN; GREAT FOR PROJECTS http://www.doink.com CREATE ANNIMATIONS

Always get  your parents permission to go on line and to follow any links.

Students enjoy using the mini– computers in their classrooms.
Oval: Remember to use Goodsearch! Text Box: How can Parents supervise Internet use at home? Set ground rules. For example, how much time can they spend online and during what hours? Make sure your children understand the rules and agree to follow them. Discuss with your children what they did on the Internet, who they talked to, what they saw or learned. Be intimately involved in their online life. Use the Internet to communicate to the Internet generation. Ask your questions and deliver your concerns and rule reminders using instant messaging, text messaging, and emails. Let the parental voice be present in the virtual world. Make time to sit and watch your children’s Internet habits regularly so they know they are being monitored. Pay attention to suspicious communications and ask to see what they’re talking about. Explain to your children the importance of not revealing personal information online including address, school, places they like to visit, photos, and age. Know your children’s passwords. Let your children know that you will be checking what they are doing online. Go online with your children to find safe, acceptable, interesting, fun, and appropriate uses of the Internet. Talk with your children about the dangers that you’re trying to protect them from so they can use your reasoning to make smart choices when you’re not around. Become familiar with the parental controls (such as blocking and filtering) available through your Internet Service Provider, but ensure your children are armed with the knowledge of how to use technology safely even without these controls Read the Privacy Policy of any site that asks your children for personal information

Our students enjoy using the mini web-cam on the new mini Dell Laptops.
Text Box: What we are working on…… PreK-K: We have been practicing touching the smart board and learning letter recognition, sound recognition. We have been using the mouse and learning how to drag, click and navigate around the screen too. Grade 1-2: We also have been using the smart board and getting comfortable touching its screen. We have been having mini tests on using Word, Clip Art, and the different tool bars and their functions. Grades 3-4: We also use the smart board everyday. We review what was previously learned at the beginning of each class with a mini test. We are learning power point and are creating a power point presentation about our school. Grades 5-6: We are continuing to build our power point presentations on Nativity. We are refining our dragging and dropping skills using several picture files. Grade 6 is learning how to use Photo-Story, a Microsoft Application. Grades 7-8: We are busy completing our special projects about Nativity using power point, creating a story about our school. Grade 8 is making an 8th grade Diary in Power Point too. We will be adding audio to each project too.