Author name: Christa Love

Christa Love, Curriculum Developer & Teacher ~ I am passionate about blending technology into curriculum. Whether it is programming, video production, graphic design, or digital citizenship, I am interested in how apps and tools can be used to enhance learning. Throughout the years I have designed many TechnoKids technology projects. My favorite part of curriculum development is field-testing the ideas to determine the activities that work best in real classrooms. I write about what I have learned that can save teachers time in their own curriculum planning.

TechnoWonderland

Transform your Students into Microsoft Office Experts

ONE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT DOES IT ALL! You asked. We listened! Teachers have been asking for a technology project that uses EVERY Microsoft Office application. It was a challenge…but we did it! You are going to love TechnoWonderland. It is perfect for middle school or high school students. If you teach Grades 7-10 this project is

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Celebrate Success!

I love to celebrate learning. We just held our Environmental Conference as the final lesson in the TechnoEnvironment technology project. It was such fun! At our Environmental Conference students assumed the role of environmental scientists, working for the TechnoSuzuki Foundation. We held the conference in the classroom. To prepare for this event, pamphlets created by

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Where is the Content? Razzle Dazzle and Computers

Razzle dazzle! Kids love it! They can spend an entire class period making their WordArt, text boxes, pictures, and shapes look amazing. But where is the content? I am nearing the end of the TechnoEnvironment unit. I was away last class so the Grade 8 students worked on their standing pamphlets on their own. At

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The Struggle to Have Students be Their Personal Best

Wow! What a challenging class. Today the students were VERY loud and lacked focus. Throughout the class period, it was a constant challenge to get high-quality work. Today, the class completed their Help Wanted environmental posters as part of the technology project, TechnoEnvironment. They had already done a direct instruction lesson on the poster elements

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Direct Instruction and Computer Education

There are many different instructional methods you can use in the computer lab. The approach you use depends on the topic of the lesson, learning objectives, time, or personal preference. In today’s lesson for TechnoEnvironment I decided to use direct instruction to teach the steps for making a poster. What Is Direct Instruction? Direct instruction

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Establish an Authentic Audience for Technology Projects

Create a meaningful learning experience. Do not have your students create technology projects only for you. Instead, establish an authentic audience. An authentic audience is a real group of people that will view the work, such as other students, parents, community members, experts, or e-pals. As you may be aware, the Grade 8 students are

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Guided Discovery and Computer Education

Guided discovery is an instructional approach you can use in your computer education classes to have students explore program features. It is an excellent way to introduce a new program. Students like to “click around”. Why not give them the perfect opportunity? I just finished teaching my latest class for the technology project, TechnoEnvironment. Today,

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Five Issues Associated with Assigning Computer Homework

What do you do when students miss class due to a school trip, sport event, or illness? Typically, you would ask them to catch up on the missed work during their own time. However, this can often be a problem when the assignment is computer-related. If you have been following this thread on the TechnoKids

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