Technology is an eight week class for 6th and 7th graders and a sixteen week class for 8th graders. It is part of the fine arts rotation of specials along with art, drama, and music.
Technology is the fastest changing subject in your child's studies and I do my best to keep up with new developments and prepare them for tomorrow by teaching them to communicate using 21st century tools.
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6th Grade Technology Class
There are three separate focuses of 6th grade technology class.
Keyboarding – Students follow sequential lessons and skill checks to practice their typing skills. When a student passes all of the typing lessons and tests, he/she receives a Typing Certificate.
Productivity - Students create some different documents that are all about themselves, including an autobiographical poem and a graphic organizer of his/her likes and interests. We then write, illustrate, and animate a short story.
Internet Safety - We discuss many aspects of how to stay safe on the Internet, including: what kinds of information you should never give out, how to avoid scams, spam, and viruses, and when to let a parent know about an online interaction.
7th Grade Technology Class
There are three related focuses of 7th grade technology class.
Internet Research – Students learn how search engines work and how to use them effectively to locate different kinds of information.
Productivity – Students will practice editing word processing documents. They will use graphic organizers to organize information, and a selection of different applications to present finished products, including Comic Life and Keynote.
Technology Around You – Students learn about how technology has developed to be what it is today and new trends that shape their lives. Many of these lessons are delivered via a virtual classroom.
8th Grade Technology Class
The 8th grade focus is on multimedia.
8th grade students will be learning to use new tools of technology to communicate ideas and tell stories. They will be using productivity software including Microsoft Word, Garageband, iMovie, iWeb, and Flash to create multimedia projects, as well as iPhoto and iTunes to organize their multimedia files.
They will incorporate digital photos, Internet graphics, videos, music, sound effects, and their own voice to create web pages, animations, podcasts, and movies, which will all be compiled together into an electronic portfolio.
