Learning Technologies Newsletter
September 2014
Greetings and salutations to the community that is Beacon Hill School! Welcome to my debut installment of ICT monthly updates, where I will bring you the latest news on the Learning Technology across the year groups.
The Beacon
The signing in protocol for the Beacon has been changed. Instead of having to sign onto the Beacon in order to access Google drive and other websites with Google-connected log ins, students will now have to sign onto their Google accounts in order to access the Beacon. Please remind your children to log into Google using their email “(Beacon username)@beaconhill.edu.hk” and their Beacon passwords. This will allow for students to directly access their Google drive and gives us some time to ‘spring clean’ the Beacon and cull any dead pages in order to provide smoother running.Monthly updates
Year 1
In Year 1 we have been focusing mainly on mouse and typing skills. The students will become familiar with basic computer vocabulary and explore the functions of the computer mouse and keyboard. We will also continue to practise logging onto the computers.
Year 2
In Year 2 the children have been practising the new way to log onto the computers using their Beacon logins and alphanumeric passwords. They have also explored text and image manipulation on Microsoft word. The document will reflect their choices and responsibilities for healthy living.
Year 3
In Year 3 the children have developed a good understanding of growing and moving animations and brought their storyboards to life by creating animations using Animation-ish. They will continue to work on their animations this month before exploring the functions of Google docs and creating a collage of signs and symbols to show their learning in their unit of inquiry.
Year 4
In Year 4, mind maps have been created on Lucidchart for the children to investigate their central idea and build a clearer understanding of their identities within their cultures and communities. We will also be exploring smarter ways to search on the internet in order to facilitate research on the current unit of inquiry. The children will produce a web booklet to teach others how to use search engines effectively.
Year 5
In Year 5 the children created their own lessons on Blendspace in order to express their knowledge on the human brain. The lessons have a great collection of links, videos and even quizzes to test the readers’ understanding. The children learnt to be mindful of the information they gathered and to justify their findings appropriately. Next, they will utilize Lucidchart to think about the cause and effects of thoughts and feelings in difficult situations.
Year 6
In Year 6 we discussed the importance of how we should portray ourselves online, respecting other people’s work and giving credit to the sources and all the information that they find from the internet. The children practised these skills while collaborating with others on a conflict journal shared on their Google drive. They will continue to learn about how to become a good digital citizen and showing their learning through various web tools.
Our website
Gateway
The Beacon
You can contact us using the details below:
Email: jane.wu@bhs.edu.hk
Website: beaconhill.edu.hk
Location: Ede Road, 23, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Phone: 2336 5221