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
School Hours
•
Lab remained open an
additional 5-10 weeks during the
school, from week 2 through the School Weeks
end of the year (no closure for
maintenance or report card
printing)
Non-School Hours
•
Before and after school
computer lab hours increased
with student visits going from
zero to beyond capacity.
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:
•
2014/15 Class time:
– 30 minutes per class for K-3rd
and special ed
– 45 minutes per class for K-2nd
and special ed
– 45 minutes per class for 4th-6th
– 60 minutes per class for 3rd6th
– 13 hours and 45 min. per wk.
– 21 hours per week
70
60
50
2013/14
40
30
20
10
0
2014/15
More Computer Lab Class Time
•
2013/14 Class time:
40
– Lab closed for 6-8 weeks at start 35
of the year to create schedule
30
– Lab closed for 2 weeks at end of
25
the year for maintenance and
report card printing
20
•
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)
15
10
5
0
Weeks Open
2013/14
2014/15
School Year
More Computer Lab Class Time
200
180
160
140
2013/14
120
100
2014/15
80
School Year
60
40
20
0
Total Days
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
Practice
Hours
– 763 hours of typing practice
through February 1
0
500
1000
Typuary
Through 2/1
•
10,716 total lessons completed
– 14,354 lessons completed
through February 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
•
Student Participants
Tom's Class
Wooldridges Class
Other Challengers
Did not meet Challenge
72 of these students completed
100% of lessons
Challengers
54%
46%
Completed 100% of
Lessons
Other Challengers
6%
9%
23%
62%
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
Fremont Computer Lab
Leading the Way in GUSD
• 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
Other Accomplishments
• 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
Instructor Development
• 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 Contributions
Beyond the Lab
• 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