55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom

ABOUT Kali Delamagente

Kali Delamagente
We are a publisher of computer workbooks for K-8, and how-to workbooks for college-bound high schoolers.

Description

The all-in-one K-8 toolkit for the lab specialist, classroom teacher and homeschooler, with a years-worth of simple-to-follow projects. Integrate technology into language arts, geography, history, problem solving, research skills, and science lesson plans and units of inquiry using teacher resources that meet NETS-S national guidelines and many state standards. The fifty-five projects are categorized by subject, program (software), and skill (grade) level. Each project includes standards met in three areas (higher-order thinking, technology-specific, and NETS-S), software required, time involved, suggested experience level, subject area supported, tech jargon, step-by-step lessons, extensions for deeper exploration, troubleshooting tips and project examples including reproducibles. Tech programs used are KidPix, all MS productivity software, Google Earth, typing software and online sites, email, Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, internet start pages, social bookmarking and photo storage), Photoshop and Celestia. Also included is an Appendix of over 200 age-appropriate child-friendly websites. Skills taught include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, creativity, digital citizenship, information fluency, presentation, and technology concepts. In short, it's everything you'd need to successfully integrate technology into the twenty-first century classroom. See the publisher's website at structuredlearning.net for free downloads and more details.

When I went back to teaching, I could find no workbooks for teaching technology to K-5. There were how-tos, but not geared for students of that age group. So I decided to write them. I geared the books for parents with nominal computer skills, homeschoolers and lab specialists. It outlines the method I use in my classes that gets kids from the most basics of computer skills in kindergarten to Photoshop by fifth grade. I’m not surprised that the method works, and is now being used in school districts all over the country.

I'm a fifth grade teacher and bought this book to find projects that would integrate technology into my classroom curriculum. What a find. There are projects that cover math, geography, history, science, writing, word study--everything I needed. Most of them can be completed in less than an hour and are fun for the students so they don't mind doing them. Along the way, students are learning valuable technology skills they'll take with them to sixth grade. It's also saved me a lot of time not having to develop grading rubrics or samples myself. Overall, a great idea for any elementary school teacher.