Weird Richard News Update

Sent Date

03-02-02

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TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY UPDATE

A weekly newsletter for families and educators committed to
building brighter futures for kids in a technology-rich society.
THIS WEEK: Classroom Integration Strategies!!

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professionals at PCS Edventures who have the ultimate tool for
integrating technological literacy into your lessons!

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TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY THIS WEEK

Educators are constantly facing the challenge of time -- how to
teach math, reading, history, science, and other critical
subjects while still finding time to introduce students to much
needed skills using technology. This week we're going to start
a new series on integration strategies that you can use at home,
in the classroom, or in your afterschool program.

THE BIG THREE (Students Ages 8 and Older)

When we think of technology, we need to recognize that the
spectrum of technology is vast. With limited time and resources
then, what should we spend our time on with students? The short
answer is to spend time on those basic tools they will use the
rest of their lives. These become "enabling technologies" that
can then help drive your student's skills and level of
technological literacy much further! These "enabling
technologies are the software you use every day: 1) word
processors; 2) spreadsheets; and 3) presentation packages.

Important Note: If you are working with younger students (K-2),
your primary focus needs to be on basic computer literacy skills
including basic computer components, basic operating system
functions, and basic keyboarding. These foundation skills need
to be in place first! A planned future series will introduce
activities designed for K-2 students so stay tuned!

WORD PROCESSING

No strategy for classroom integration will be complete without
addressing the importance of word processing. Although it may
sound mundane to students, and even we adults may tire of
talking about a tool that we use as easily as a pencil and
paper, it is critical that a strong foundation in basic keyboard
skills and word processing functions are established in your
students. Our information driven economy revolves around the
printed word and a deficit in writing skills can have a
catastrophic impact on a student's success. With that in mind,
make sure you have access to computers and word processing
software for your students -- either in the classroom or in the
home.

TRY THIS IN YOUR CLASS OR HOME THIS WEEK!

Word processing skills should be integrated into all the
subjects you teach since it can be naturally used to generate
reports, letters, and stories. Here is a fun group activity
that is a great way to get your kids more comfortable with
word processing functions. In this particular example we're
integrating with a language arts lesson, but you could apply
this same methodology to any subject.

1) Organize your students into groups that equal the number of
computers you have available. For example, if you have two
computers form two groups. If you only have one computer, then
all your students will be in the same group.

2) Announce the activity! This is a round-robin writing
activity that will require students to exchange seats every two
minutes. The assignment is to write a story with each student
picking up where the former left off. An extra twist to this
activity is to have each new student required to change the font
on the computer so that each new passage is distinctly marked.

3) Select one student from each group to be seated at the
computer and to begin. You may want to give your students the
first sentence to start off the exercise! Make sure you
emphasize selecting a different font for each passage.

This is a highly effective method of getting students familiar
with a basic formatting function. Try mixing in other functions
such as underline, bold, etc. Then move on to double spacing,
block indents, and more! You may need to be creative to manage
your student body depending on your available hardware, but this
is a great way to get the ball rolling!

NEXT WEEK MORE ON INTEGRATION STRATEGIES!!

We hope that this week's newsletter has been useful to you in
your educational pursuits. In the coming weeks we will continue
this series on integration strategies that can help merge your
current lessons with technological applications. Together, we
can build a brighter future for students around the world by
preparing them to use technology as naturally as they use a
pencil and paper!

Until next week!

Technological Literacy Update

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