Sometimes I don't really think that the school projects that I do are "Blog Worthy," or I worry that my photo quality isn't good enough, or that my ideas are too simple. Last year I let a lot of my computer projects go by without ever blogging about them. I finally realized recently that I need to get over the "perfect" blog post and just blog. So that's what I'm doing today.
As many of you know, I switched from 5th grade to teaching the computer specialty class at my school. I have all the students in my school (K-6) rotate to me throughout the year.
For my first project of the year I did a fun project that is a little autobiography project that I've been calling "Name Art" or "Name Projects."
I do the same project for grades 1st-6th, but I make sure to differentiate it by grade level. As you can see from my examples in the photos they all turn out different and I love to see the student's personality shine through.
Here's a little bit about how I run this project:
1st and 2nd grade are very step by step. I model on my computer and projector how to open the presentation, where to click, how to type their names. We go over caps lock, delete, spacebar, period, and the enter/return key. On the second day, I show them how to highlight their names (it takes a lot of modeling!), increase their font size, and choose a decorative font. By day 3 and 4 students have their sentences typed and are ready to print. I'm always amazed how much these little students can do in a week!
3rd and 4th grade is just a little more advanced than that. They are usually pretty familiar with all the keys on the keyboard and we can work more on the formatting of the projects.
For 5th and 6th grade I usually just model the basics of the projects and tell them to be creative. (I always make sure to tell them that their page has to be full before they print.) I tell them to explore the options and see what they can come up with. They usually find the shape tools and experiment with clip art, fonts, and colors.
{Please tell me you noticed this funny sentence from my 6th grade example: "Never underestimate the awesome power of me!!!" I love the things these students come up with! It's such a 6th grader thing to say.}
This is such a simple project, but one that turns out very nice in the end. The projects look awesome hanging up in the hall and it's a fun way for me to get to know students and start forming personal connections. Plus, these are such important skills students need to have these days!
Even if you are not a computer teacher, I definitely think this is a project you should try with your students! All you really need is a computer lab and a printer.
Please leave a comment and share
your thoughts about this project.
Would this be something you could try in your class?
How would you adapt this for your students?
