First Grade Technology

A year long blended learning course with 28 students from

Room 120. Gust Elementary School, Denver Public Schools
August 2014 - June 2015
Katie Harlfinger

Objective
All students in room 120 will be able to use a
digital resource or tool to publish writing while
collaborating with others and developing their
keyboarding skills and technology vocabulary.
Objective Statement Rationale
Students will understand how to navigate a digital tool and transfer written
work into a digital format with learned typing skills and learned technology
vocabulary.

Access to Modules
All students have been taught to open Google Chrome
browser, find the bookmark First Grade and pick their
class number to find the list of daily activities.
A Google site houses all modules and activities for students.
These modules are based on Room 120 from the Gust
Technology First Grade Google Site.

Performance Criteria
1. Skills from lessons taken on learning.com will allow
students to proficiently type their writing.
2. Introduction to a web 2.0 tool to publish their writing.
3. Students will collaborate each class with their tech
buddy to orally and visually present their progress
each week and offer each-other suggestions.

Rubric for Coursework

Lesson #1: Introduction to Technology

Class - Pre-Assessment
September 8-12, 2014
Objective: Students will be able to follow a screencast to learn how to fill out a Google Form about
technology.
Hey 120 start here at this link to open the screen cast:
Google Form ScreenCast

Click on the following link to open up the Google Form:

First Grade Google Form

Google Form Responses

Lesson #1: Introduction to Technology Class Pre-Assessment

Best Practices used(Boettcher & Conrad):
#3: Develop a set of explicit expectations for your learners and for yourself as to how you will
communicate and how much time students should be working on the course each week.
-Students know their expectations for technology class. Each session begins with navigating to Google Chrome,
clicking on the First Grade bookmark and finding their class number to begin their work.
#4: Using a variety of large group, small group, and individual work experiences.
-Lesson starts in whole group. Next, students go to computers for individual work. During individual work time,
teacher pulls students one at a time for quick check on understanding of lesson.
#8: Search out and use content resources that are available in digital format if possible.
-Using a screen cast for the first time to give students an understanding of a digital format of instruction. Have
students learn how to open, play, pause and close video.

Lesson #2: Introduction to Typing

September 15-19, 2014
Objective: Students will be able to
follow a screencast and learn how to
log on to Learning.com.
1. Watch the screencast for
directions:
2. Log on to learning.com and
complete three activities.

Sample Results

Lesson #3: Typing

September 22-26, 2014
Objective: Students will navigate to
learning.com to complete three
assignments.
1. Logon to Learning.com, remember use
your card for your username and
password.

Sample Results

Lesson #3: Typing

Best Practices used(Boettcher & Conrad):
#3: Develop a set of explicit expectations for your learners and for yourself as to how
you will communicate and how much time students should be working on the course
each week.
-Beginning typing lessons is the main work for the first semester of this course. Each week and
each class period will be spent on the same pattern of work.
#8: Search out and use content resources that are available in digital format if possible.
-Students will be using an online typing program called learning.com. The program tracks each
student and the teacher is able to assign lessons based on skill level and desired outcome. It is self
paced forced lessons.

Lesson #4: Introduction to reading game for

use when finished with typing lessons.
September 29-October 3, 2014
Objective: Students will be able to
navigate to the First Grade website,
find their class site, and successfully
navigate to the website Teach Your
Monster to Read. Students will be
able to logon using their username
and password and create their
monster.

Lesson #4: Introduction to reading game for

use when finished with typing lessons.
Best Practices used(Boettcher & Conrad):
I am not sure what principle this lesson would fit into, but it does fit into best practices for teaching
first graders. I believe they need to have a reward for completion of work and adding this phonics
game is a great way to build progression toward mastery of their typing skills. When they finish their
assigned typing lessons, they get what they are assuming is free play but it incredibly structured to
their learning. Students are playing their own individual game. For students who are quicker learners
than their peers on the typing lessons, this extra game gives them a more fun style learning time after
their typing lessons.
Thinking more, maybe this fits into #10: Plan a good closing and wrap activity for the course, but
instead of the course as a whole, it is the learning session for that day of instruction.

Lesson #5: Exit Ticket for Learning.com, Intro

to next unit: Computer Vocabulary.
October 27-31, 2014
Objective: Students will fill out a google form on making a capital letter as their exit ticket from learning.com. Then,
they will watch an informational video about the parts of desktop computer for the introduction to our next unit.
Finally they will finish the day by logging on to teacheryourmonstertoread.com.
1. Fill out the following Google Form as your exit ticket for learning.com introduction to the keyboard.
2. Watch the following video.
3. When you have finished the video you may log on to teachyourmonstertoread.com.

Lesson #5: Exit Ticket for Learning.com, and

Intro to next unit: Computer Vocabulary.
Best Practices used(Boettcher & Conrad):
#1: Be present at the course site.
- As the developer of the Google site I have been using with my students, I try to add to it and change it up so
they are visually looking at something different each time on the main page. Having a different video for them to watch
during free time, and keeping things up to date.
#3: Develop a set of explicit expectations for your learners and for yourself as to how you will
communicate and how much time students should be working on the course each week.
-Students know their expectations for technology class. Each session begins with navigating to Google Chrome,
clicking on the First Grade bookmark and finding their class number to begin their work.
#8: Search out and use content resources that are available in digital format if possible.
-Using a Google form for only the second time, their skill level has greatly increased.
#10: Plan a good closing and wrap activity for the course.
-final exit ticket from the last lesson on the intro to keyboarding from learning.com. Students filled out a Google
Form with how to make a capital letter. Here are their responses.

Lesson #6: Make a Technology Wordle.

November 3-7, 2014
Objective: Student will work in whole group to create a Wordle of technology words. Student will be able to logon to
learning.com to see if they need to finish any assignments. After completing all assignments they can log on to
teachyourmonstertoread.com.
1. Whole Group completes a Wordle of technology words.
2. Log on to learning.com to see if you need to complete any assignments.
3. Log on to teachyourmonstertoread.com.

Lesson #6: Make a Technology Wordle.

Wordle my students made to the introduction of our next unit, technology vocabulary.
As a whole group, students talk with each other come up to computer with TV projection to type their
words into the wordle box online. At the end of the unit we will complete another wordle with the new
vocabulary they hopefully learn.

Lesson #6: Make a Technology Wordle.

Best Practices used(Boettcher & Conrad):
#3: Develop a set of explicit expectations for your learners and for yourself as to how you will
communicate and how much time students should be working on the course each week.
-Students know expectations for whole group work and turn and talk partners for small discussions. They are
respectful towards each other and work is completed timely.
#4: Using a variety of large group, small group, and individual work experiences.
-Lesson starts in whole group. Students work with talk partners for further discussion, individual students use
whole group computer to project their work for the class.
#7: Prepare discussion posts that invite responses, questions, discussion, and reflections.
-students are face to face at this time, but are able to work one-on-one to further their thinking and can then
invite their responses into the whole group. By second semester introduction of kidblog will allow for a more online
discussion.
#8: Search out and use content resources that are available in digital format if possible.
-Introducing a new web 2.0 tool such as the Wordle, will begin to show different options for keyboard output.
This will develop further into the semester.

Conclusion:
This class is a school year work in progress. I think I have a great start and my students are gaining
more knowledge everyday. After we worked hard at the beginning typing lessons, our next step is
going to be starting to use our Google Education Apps and logging on to our student gmail and Google
Drive. We will be developing our word processing skills to meet our objective of being able to use
a digital resource or tool to publish writing while collaborating with others and
developing their keyboarding skills and technology vocabulary.
The work we have started the year doing has developed slowly but is progressing in the track I want.
The difference in my students typing from the first Google Form to the second one we did was
wonderful. I know we will meet that objective by May 2014. I am going to continue to use this type of
storyboard to continue my lessons and my thought processes behind them. Lesson planning for
online content is much different than a traditional lesson plan. I enjoy that I am really beginning to
bridge that gap of planning in a way that is meaningful to me.

References:

Boettcher, J. & Conrad, R. (2010) The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
First Grade Technology Google Site following classroom 120. - Katie Harlfinger, 2014.
Google Educational Apps in partnership with Denver Public Schools.
Learning.com
Peters, D. (2014). Interface design for learning: Design strategies for learning experiences. New Riders.
Screencastomatic.com
Teachyourmonstertoread.com
Wordle.net

Katie Harlfinger
INTE 5200
Online Learning Design
Project
November 16, 2014