computer lab presentation for pac by karyn kemmerer monday, may 11, 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Computer Lab Presentation
for PAC by Karyn Kemmerer
Monday, May 11, 2015
2014/15 Computer Lab Successes• Over 50% increase in weekly
computer lab class time compared with prior year
• Lab remained open an additional 5-10 weeks during the school, from week 2 through the end of the year (no closure for maintenance or report card printing)
• Before and after school computer lab hours increased with student visits going from zero to beyond capacity.
Non-School Hours
School Weeks
School Hours
0% 50% 100%
2013/14
2014/15
Remaining Total
2014/15 Computer Lab Successes
• Established Google Accounts for students in grades 1st – 6th
– Introduced Google Apps: Classroom, Documents, Slides and Sheets
• 3rd – 6th grade students greatly improved touch typing skills
• Introduced students to basic computer science skills and knowledge (3 weeks of December devoted to Hour of Code)
More Computer Lab Class Time• 2013/14 Class time:
– 30 minutes per class for K-3rd and special ed
– 45 minutes per class for 4th-6th
– 13 hours and 45 min. per wk.
010203040506070
2013/14
2014/15
• 2014/15 Class time: – 45 minutes per class for K-2nd
and special ed
– 60 minutes per class for 3rd-6th
– 21 hours per week
More Computer Lab Class Time• 2013/14 Class time:
– Lab closed for 6-8 weeks at start of the year to create schedule
– Lab closed for 2 weeks at end of the year for maintenance and report card printing
• 2014/15 Class time: – Lab opened the second week of
school (schedule completed before start of the year)
– Lab to remain open through the end of May (maintenance and report card printing completed before and after school day)
Weeks Open0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2013/14 2014/15
School Year
More Computer Lab Class Time
Total Days0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2013/14
2014/15
School Year
More Student Use of Computer Lab
• 2013/14 Non-class Student Use: – Lab opened Wednesdays at 7:30 AM
– Zero student participation
• 2014/15 Non-class Student Use: – Lab began year being open Wednesday mornings, then
added Fridays
– Mondays were added for 6th graders working on school newspaper then was extended to all students
– Tuesday & Thursday afternoons were added for the Typuary Challenge
– In the mornings more student come than seats available, afternoons have a consistent group of 10-15 students.
Increased Student Engagement
• Regular “grumblings” when its announced that computer lab time is done for the day
• Elimination of students being timid or anxious about using computers
• Use of computer lab outside of class time
• A couple of my favorite computer lab stories….
Increased Parent Involvement
• Communicated with parents via eDateline and flyers sent home
• eBlasts sent during seasonal breaks to encourage parents to utilize Fremont programs available online with their children
• Timely response to parent inquiries to promote use of programs at home
• Typing letter to be sent home before end of the school year
Greatly Improved Typing Skills for 3rd-6th Graders
• New typing program (TypingClub) introduced to provide students a fresh start
• Instruction on proper typing practices reviewed, repeated and reinforced with emphasis on posture, correct finger usage, and keeping eyes off of hands
• Typuary Challenge introduced to support regular practice time and incentivize students– Chromebooks used in classes for typing practice once a week
– Lab time devoted to typing practice
– Students expected to practice at home to complete one hour of typing practice each week throughout February
Greatly Improved Typing Skills for 3rd-6th Graders
• In October, typing test results showed an average speed of 11 words per minute (WPM) and an accuracy rate of 85%
• Student averages on May 6, 2015:
Grade WPM Accuracy
3rd 10 96%
4th 13 96%
5th 16 96%
6th 19 96%
Total: 15 96%
Typuary Successes
• 988 hours in total typing practice
– 763 hours of typing practice through February 1
• 10,716 total lessons completed
– 14,354 lessons completed through February 1
Practice Hours
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Typuary
Through 2/1
Completed Lessons
0 5000 10000 15000
Typuary Successes
• 2 classes completed challenge (63 students)
• 92 additional students completed challenge
– Total of 155 students
– 39% of students in 3rd-6th
• 72 of these students completed 100% of lessons
7%
9%
23%62%
Student Participants
Tom's ClassWooldridges ClassOther ChallengersDid not meet Challenge
46%54%
ChallengersCompleted 100% of Lessons
Other Challengers
Sample Lessons
• Web browsers vs. search engines
• Search tips & shortcuts
• Discerning between sources
– Northwest Tree Octopus
– Wikipedia vs. Encyclopedia Britanica
– Bloggs vs. news organizations
• Google: Classroom, Drive, Docs, Slides
• Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint
• Copying, pasting, and formatting pictures from the Internet
• Internet safety
Sample Projects
• Summer photo collage using Google slides and Google search
• Word clouds using Tagxedo.com – St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks using text from an
Irish poem or ballad – 2nd grade biography project
• 1st grade “I AM” Open House project• 3rd grade leaf poem• 4th grade PowerPoint of “Fire Storm”
Introduced Basic Computer Science
• Students participated in Hour of Code for the 3 weeks of December– 2 weeks of unplugged activities
• Binary 8-bit code garlands
• How to speak computer
– 1 week of coding via code.org
• iSafe lessons included computer science teachings– How the Internet works– Concept of Cloud Computing
Introduced Basic Computer Science
• Best computers and facility in district• Good relationship with GUSD tech
executives and service department• Active involvement in district wide
technology meetings & trainings• First to utilize TypingClub – to be
implemented district-wide next year
Fremont Computer Lab Leading the Way in GUSD
• 6th grade use of computer lab to publish school newspaper
• Introduced Chrome Build where students can create with Legos and then publish their creations on a Google world map
• Maintain a dynamic class room environment with attention to cleanliness, upkeep and improvements
• Computer Lab opened during Open House
Other Accomplishments
• Participated in GUSD Google Apps teacher course last summer
• Participated in code.org Saturday workshop in preparation for Hour of Code activities
• Passed CBEST • Coursera online courses
(free courses taught by world leading experts)
– Computer Science 101 taught by Nick Pointer of Stanford University
– Internet History, Technology and Security taught by Charles Severance of University of Michigan
Instructor Development
• Manage weekly eDateline and eblasts– Improved format and design to encourage greater audience interest
– Requires 4-10 hours a week, often includes weekends
• Expanded computer lab webpages to include valuable information for the parents– Received email from students in Colorado to say they use my
Typing page as a reference
• Assist teachers in updating their classroom webpages
• Taught special GATE coding class
• Silent auction contribution of computer lessons
Instructor Contributions Beyond the Lab