Tech at Orchard Hills School
Behind the Scenes With the DLC...
December 2014
Hour of Code!
Tustin Unified and Orchard Hills School participated in the Code.org annual initiative, Hour of Code! The Hour of Code was part of Computer Science Education Week, December 8-14. As Steve Jobs has said, "Everybody should learn how to program a computer... because it teaches you how to think". The Hour of Code aims to reach students by introducing them to the world of coding and computer programming. This year, Orchard Hills ad TUSD joined nearly 10 million students in participating in at least one hour of coding in the classroom. Students went to the code.org website and used a variety of coding platforms such as Scratch (developed at MIT) and free apps including Hopscotch and CargoBot. Students were engaged and excited about this awesome program- frequently exclaiming, "This is SO FUN!" and, "Can we do this EVERY DAY?!".
Coding is Fun!
Teachers learned to code as well and used SMART boards to demonstrate how to navigate the coding site!
Coding is Challenging!
As students progressed trough programs, they saw that coding requires puzzle solving and deep thinking skills!
Coding is Essential!
21st Century learning skills, including coding, are the next horizon of essential skills!
The Hour of Code is here
Fellow Spotlight: Christy Platt
Christy is a 5th grade teacher and Digital Fellow at Orchard Hills. She has been stretching herself to learn new ways to implement technology in her classroom. Recently, Christy developed a Haiku WikiProject for her students on Early Explorers. In her rubric, she incorporated new tools from www.classtools.net including Fakebook, magazine covers and movie posters. The students have had a blast utilizing new applications! Looking ahead, Christy is working with DLC Lauren to introduce the "Genius Hour" to her classroom!
Lauren's Tech Bytes
AcademicHelp
Academic Help is a web-based resource for improving writing at the secondary level. Through tutorials, examples, and feedback, students can learn to write everything from a research paper to a movie script or science lab!
Holiday Edition!
Help with Holiday Greetings came in the form of Animoto video slideshows, RedStamp digital greeting cards and The Portable North Pole Santa videos!
Explore!
Teachers were encouraged to take some time over break and explore an app!
Lauren Steinmann
TOSA/ Digital Learning Coach
Tustin Unified School District
Email: lsteinmann@tustin.k12.ca.us
Website: www.tustin.k12.ca.us
Location: Orchard Hills School, Culver Drive, Irvine, CA, United States
Phone:
Twitter: @LaurenMStein