The Trackpad vs The Mouse
What is the one of the main differences between a mouse and trackpad? One you use effectively with one hand and the other you use effectively with two hands. Now granted, many adults sit and use the trackpad with one hand and many use it well this way, but when teaching children, particularly very young children, using two hands on a trackpad is key to using it capably. Clicking with one finger while dragging with the other hand is an essential skill for them to learn. It is
Using Twitter with Primary or Elementary Students
Should elementary students be using Twitter? They are under 13 and Twitter does not ask for an age when signing up for a Twitter account, however under the Twitter User Agreement under Section II Twitter Privacy Policy, "Our Policy Towards Children" it states: "Our Services are not directed to persons under 13. If you become aware that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us here. We do not knowingly collect personal inform
The Edtech Files: Episode 3 - Using iMovie on the iPad
Telling stories using video is something I love to teach. Over the last few weeks I've been working with Kindergarten students to teach them different camera shots. I was unsure how well such young children would cope with using iPads to shoot different types of shot, but in the true nature of experimenting, I went ahead and it was so much fun! I created a screen shot presentation of all the different camera shot from the Trailer of iMovie and talked through these shots. The
The Edtech Files: Episode 2 - Creating a Magazine Cover
A teacher from Grade 1 approached me regarding a topic the students were doing on Gamechangers. She asked how we could integrate technology into the topic, she particularly wanted the students to create a magazine cover. She also wanted all the specialists to create a video that would talk about a Gamechanger in their specialist field - I will come onto this part later. My idea was to use Google Slides as a way to create the Magazine cover. Google Slides offers a really basic
The Edtech File: Episode 1 - Teaching Copy & Paste
There are many IT skills that students need to learn so they can apply them as they grow as a learner. Copy & Paste are essential skills and it often assumed that students know how to do this simple skill. It is also often assumed that the trackpad and mouse are interchangeable, when in fact they are very different skills; if a student is drawing a picture on a computer with a mouse, can they achieve the same results using a trackpad or vice versa? I have a wall in my classro
