By Alan Gielen
Like most people, I enjoy some variety in life. A large reason I switched from teaching biology to being a technology teacher is because the latter allows me to teach a range of subjects, topics, and grades. My students like variety, too, so I make sure we cover disparate topics and skills within the confines of standards and curricular requirements.
Continue reading Variety is the Key to Teaching 21st-Century Skills
By Demetra Adams
As the computer science and technology teacher, it’s my responsibility to ensure each of our students is prepared to use the devices that will be available to them throughout their academic careers at Collins-Rhoades Elementary School. Our students have access to desktops, laptops, and iPads. In grades K–5, they use each nearly every day, so there’s a lot to learn from day one.
Continue reading Why Typing and Mousing Are Essential for a Tech-Rich Education
How common are keyboarding classes in American schools?
That’s a difficult question to answer, as there don’t seem to be any surveys or other research looking into the question—and many schools fold typing instruction into other classes such as computer science, digital literacy, or business. And yet, more and more children are expected to know how to type. The Common Core State Standards, for example, require that students in 4th grade be able “to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.” By 6th grade, that requirement increases to three pages in a sitting.
Continue reading 4 Tips for Incorporating Keyboarding into Any Classroom
By Helen Xiong
In a 1:1 computing district, it’s important to make sure students begin developing solid computing skills, from the nuts and bolts of typing to the more abstract concepts of digital safety, from the time they start their educational careers. One of my favorite ways to keep my students engaged and motivated is by incorporating games and creativity into the classroom whenever and wherever I can.
Continue reading Teaching Early Elementary Tech with Games and Creativity
By Dr. Wendy Thompson
In many classrooms, typing instruction is an opportunity for students to practice and improve an important skill. In my classroom, it’s part crucial component in helping my students communicate and part assistive technology.
Continue reading When Typing Is an Essential Communication Skill
By Kelsey Irizarry
According to a report from Institute for the Future, 85% of the jobs our current students will have in 2030 don’t exist yet. How are we, as teachers, supposed to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet? I address this question as a K–5 Media Specialist by focusing on four skills that prepare my students not just for middle school, but for their future careers.
Continue reading 4 Skills that K–5 Students Need for the Careers of the Future
The latest TypeTastic School Edition update is now out with a significant change in the study material. Based on your feedback we have made it easier to understand which units you should assign for each grade level. We added more than 280 new activities for middle & high schools and students will now be taken to a specific theme based on the grade level.
Continue reading TypeTastic School Edition Spring Update Is Packed With 280+ New Activities
By Rebecca Steck and Jennifer Vespucci
Last year, Saint Patrick’s School received a grant to revamp our computer lab. Before we spent a cent, though, we made certain to connect every purchase with two important goals of our pre-K–8 Catholic school: improving each individual child’s academic and career prospects, and improving our students’ scores on state assessments, which are critical to whether we’re succeeding or failing as a school. To that end, here are four essential skills that we strive to teach all of our students by the time they finish middle school. Continue reading Why Keyboarding Is One of 4 Skills Every Middle-Schooler Needs
By Jan Smith
As a tech integrator, I teach 320 students in grades K–5. In addition to pushing into each home room for Tech class, I see the special-ed population as a separate and supplemental class of nine. This class includes students with autism as well as those in Life Skills in grades 3–5.
Typing can be a challenge with these students. As a function of their disability, some of my special-ed kids have difficulty remembering where the letters are on the keyboard, even from moment to moment. Continue reading For Special Education Students, TypeTastic Leads to Keyboarding Success!
