3rd Grade - History of Typography

3rd Graders,

When we are typing we are entering our text using a particular font, or style of writing. But fonts aren't just fonts, they are "typography" or the art or technique of arranging type in order to make language visible.

Before computers there were typewriters and before that, handwriting. In order to make writing universally legible there needed to be typography.

Watch the video below and answer the questions as comments...

5th Grade - December 2014 - The possibilities of technology

Technology provides a wide range of possibility and opportunity.

There is possibility to create in ways previously unavailable. Opportunity to see & experience things previously out of reach. Possibility and opportunity to discover and question all the things in your world.

The greatest power of technology is that possibility and opportunity to question what you see & find answers for yourself.

Your assignment...

"Why isn't my comment posted?"

That is a questions I get a lot.

Students will do the homework assignment, maybe even re-post a comment multiple times, and never see it published.

Before I get into why a comment isn't published let me remind students of the only appropriate way to sign a comment:

Commenting on Heathcote blogs

There are often assignments for students that require them to comment on a blog post.

All blogs at Heathcote (be it this one or a teacher blog), and the comment form, can be accessed from any internet-enabled device; smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop, Android, iOS, Mac, PC, etc. With the assignments being given over extended periods of time, and with the blog being open & accessible (no need to log in) I have made every effort to ensure all students have plenty of time & opportunity to complete the assignments.

Posting comments require a few steps and are moderated to help ensure only appropriate content is published. Here is a short video tutorial on how to post a comment:

Free apps for free apps...

Occasionally I will be posting things applicable to teachers as well as students and parents. Today is one of those days a post is applicable to everyone, and anyone, with an iPhone or iPad...

One of the best ways to get use to the wide variety of possibilities of the iPad is to take advantage of free apps.

Here are a few free apps that alert you to when other, paid apps, are on sale. Once you "purchase" an app, free or paid, you get all future updates for free too. So, if you find a $4.99 app has gone free one day, download it, it's free, and you'll get all future updates for free too. Any app is worth a test run if it doesn't cost you anything...

5th grade Rocketry Books

This post is a work in progress as students finish & tweak their animated books

The following items are animated books created using Google Slides with Ms. Boyer's class.

From start to finish our Rocketry unit spanned eight weeks.  The children read, researched, watched, learned, documented, designed, created, evaluated and analyzed throughout the entire project.  These books represent their learning, not only of rocketry, but of non-fiction narrative writing, the writing process, design thinking and Google presentations.  The rubric that accompanies their projects is one that the students created to help them revise, edit and evaluate their own work.  Enjoy! - @5Boyer

HeathcoteTech's nameplate

The lab @HeathcoteTech has a new name...

Before I explain I would love to hear guesses as to the meaning.

Everything on the sign was done very specifically and intentionally and references both what happens in the lab and with technology throughout Heathcote. There is even a nod to a genre students are very familiar with...

As the guesses come in I'll give more clues.

Thanks!