Read All About It...
News in Computer Technology!
ALL students* grades 1-6 at CAES participated in the 'Hour of Code™' in December during their scheduled computer class. The 'Hour of Code™' introduced students to coding through visual and basic programming. The 'Hour of Code™' is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week (csedweek.org) and Code.org (code.org) to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. Computer Science Education Week is held in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper.
*Absence may have impacted the student's ability to participate during their computer class. |
|
Why Learn Coding?
According to Edvocate (2017), learning to code at a young age makes children better thinkers and communicators through the gain of higher-order thinking skills. They learn to think logically and solve problems. Coding requires analysis of different situations and thinking about what might happen if they learn to follow or create a code sequencing. And, when translated into real life skills, children will learn to make decisions that will make large, overwhelming goals easier to reach (Edvocate, 2017). This year all students grades 1-6 will learn to code, moving beyond the Hour of Code™. Many of these students have already had experiences in beginning coding concepts in past years. Depending on grade and ability level, students will learn, and expand their knowledge, in creating algorithms using events, commands, loops, functions, conditionals, and more. Most students will have the opportunity to draw shapes or designs and even create their own games.
Ada Lovelace Day |
Ada Byron Lovelace Day will be celebrated internationally this year on October 13. Ada Lovelace is considered by many historians as being the first computer programmer. Read all about Ada Lovelace here: www.computerhistory.org/babbage/adalovelace/
Play the Computer History game below: |
Learning Word Processing, Basic Spreadsheets, and Making Presentations |
Students in grade 4 will learn basic word processing skills using Google Docs. Students in grade 5 will learn how to create a presentation using Google Slides as well as revisit basic word processing skills using Google Docs. And, students in grade 6, having had some experience in using tools in word processing as well as creating presentations, will be introduced to basic concepts in spreadsheets using Google Sheets.
|
Working on Our Research Skills
Students in grades 4 through 6 will learn basic web-based research skills throughout the school year.
Did you know? |
Vocabulary instruction is a large part of computer technology class. Computer technology/science often has its own vocabulary and being able to understand and use the vocabulary is essential. Vocabulary is introduced and used with the students when teaching computer technology/science concepts.
Representative concepts and vocabulary taught to students in grades 1 - 2: clicking, double clicking, dragging, finding bookmarks, reloading, sign in, sign out, algorithm, debugging Representative concepts and vocabulary taught to students in grades 3 - 6: creating bookmarks, creating folders, desktop, sign in, sign out, minimize, renaming documents, export, import, upload, download, font, insert, format, algorithm, program, coding, debugging, looping, conditionals, and nested looping. |
Did you know? |
ALL students grades 1 - 6 are given internet/online safety and digital citizenship lessons in the beginning couple of months of EVERY year. This year, Digital Citizenship week is in October. Parent resources can be found at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/.
|