The online home of the computer lab & all things tech @HeathcoteSchool
Recently, two Second Grade classes, Ms. Higgins and Ms. Onofri, read Koko’s Kitten by Dr. Francine Patterson. To extend the experiences and add a technology component we decided to let both classes work in layered partnerships to create their own reflections on Koko’s Kitten as a group book. Students worked in teams of two to…
Coding is a popular activity and skill. The “Hour of Code” is an international program aimed at sparking interest in computer science and the concept of coding. The “Hour of Code” week is December 7-13 and encourages teachers and students to try coding, with the tagline “an hour of code for every student.” Here at…
The Project: Using Google Slides 3rd grade students will create a 13 slide presentation, one month at a time, over the entire school year. The Why? It is never too early to start building a digital portfolio and not every portfolio will look the same. But one great way to show true growth and progress…
I am often asked about social media’s role in education, Twitter in particular. These questions are often brought about by parent concerns, which often mirror the initial concerns of teachers. When addressing parent concerns I approach it just as I do with teachers: concerns are normal I’m happy we are discussing concerns as…
All 4th and 5th graders are given web spaces to create, and curate, their own digital portfolios. These sites are built, and maintained, by the students using Google Sites. These sites are initially only visible to the student and their teacher. The goal of student portfolio sites is to give students a space to develop…
Welcome parents! Tonight is Open House, feel free to stop by the Computer Lab and say hello. If we don’t get the chance to meet face-to-face, here is a quick over view of what we do with technology here at Heathcote… And a short introduction video you may remember from last year, but is still…
It has been many moons since the HeathcoteTech blog has been updated. And that is a good thing! The lab has been cranking. Students are in most hours of the day. iPads are being checked out, MacBooks are being borrowed, Chromebooks are running full steam. It’s been a great few months, students learning and creating…
One of my pet peeves is the traditional bulletin board. As a technology teacher I feel the traditional paper stapled to cork board is counter intuitive to what students do in the lab. Paper bulletin board are fine for certain things, but if students are creating animations or layered presentations or movies how do you…
The lab @HeathcoteTech has a new name… Before I explain I would love to hear guesses as to the meaning. Everything on the sign was done very specifically and intentionally and references both what happens in the lab and with technology throughout Heathcote. There is even a nod to a genre students are very familiar with……
As you can see HeathcoteTech has been updated! The page color scheme has changed to better align with the school colors (big thanks to Mrs. Mangan and the Heathcote Herald for visual inspiration) HeathcoteTech is now on Google Plus! The content on the Google+ page will mirror this blog, but since some people prefer Google+…