Google Shared Spaces

In an earlier post I showed how you can set up a document where students can add and edit text together from different computers using Etherpad. What if you want them to do something more than text? Then Google Shared Spaces is your site! You can create a drawing pad, Sudoku game, diagram editor, and many other things. Here is a computer class version of Magnetic Poetry that I made. Once a shared space is created, you can create a link to it on your webpage or in the student shared folder.

Writing Comics

Third grade students are using the Professor Garfield Comics Lab to make their own comic strips. First they search for recent strips by creator Jim Davis and browse through them for ideas. After that the students use the Garfield characters in each panel and write what they say in speech bubbles. Lastly, the class walks around and reads each other's strips.

Computers Help Us

Second grade students just started a three week project. This week they brainstormed ways computers help people and then wrote a rough draft of a paragraph about it. Next week they will type it in Microsoft Word, and the week after that they will spell check, format the text, and add clip art.

BrainPop Pops Your Brain

BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. (for K-3) are great resources. They have movies about many different subjects, and quizzes and resources to go with each one. Although you have to pay for many of the movies, they do have some free ones. The quizzes are great to use with a SMARTboard. I have embedded their Featured Movie at the bottom of this blog. I believe it changes daily and is free!

Computer Disaster

This week first grade students are listening and responding to the book Arthur's Computer Disaster by Marc Brown. In Microsoft Word they are writing about what they think Arthur should have done in the story. They get to change the size and font and add a clip art to the document before printing.

Vacation

Last week kindergarten students drew suitcases in Kid Pix. They used stamps to pack them for Spring Break. I hope everyone has a safe and fun week!