Ten Weeks Later…

Success in the computer lab comes from completed projects and I have to say, I was starting to feel as though we wouldn't ever have any.  Some would say my fifth and third grade projects were a little  over zealous! But I'd just say they were AMAZING!!  After ten weeks we are finally finishing up!  Did I mention they look FANTASTIC?!?!?

Update on 5th grade Jamestown Project…(Previous blog)

My fifth graders used Kid pix
to create and draw pictures of Jamestown.  Using furnished backgrounds or creating their own, the kids drew unique pictures to show the men asking for funds, finding land, settling the land, starving, getting help from the Powhatans, growing tobacco, and setting up the House of Burgesses.  WOW!!! The kids did an awesome job. 

After they finished their pictures and had the pictures approved, they were required to watch a screencast video I made. (I mean…here is the link, but you don't have to watch it) The video shows the kids how to screenshot the pictures and crop them.  Can you do that on a Mac?  See, I had to get creative because it wasn't until week 4 I realized Comic Life didn't like Kid Pix format.  Taking a screenshot made the file a jpeg, which was compatible to Comic Life.  Honestly, I was impressed at how well the kids picked up the whole process.  Their comics turned out great!

Through this extremely long project, the kids revisited information about Jamestown, learned some great tech tricks and how to use two programs (Kid pix & Comic Life). Overall the project was a success! Even if it took ten weeks! 

Two of the many finished projects:

Oh and I love my new job!  Helping teachers with curriculum content is a huge bonus on top of getting to teach technology all day long!

Third grade update coming next week…Non-fiction books over Oklahoma Government are about to be done!!