What most schools don't teach...

During Computer Science Education week (December 9-15), history was made as millions of students from around the world took part in the "Hour of Code". The Hour of Code was an opportunity for every student to try computer science for one hour.

What is coding or computer science, you ask. Think about things in your everyday life that use computer science: a cell phone, a microwave, a traffic light...all of these things needed a computer scientist to help build them. Computer science is the art of blending human ideas and digital tools to increase our power. Computer scientists work in so many different areas: writing apps for phones, curing diseases, creating animated movies, working on social media, building robots that explore other planets and so much more. Watch the 5 minute video below to get a first look at "coding".

I am thinking of exploring this topic more in 2014. What are your thoughts? Does anyone have experience coding? Is this something you might be interested in learning? For more information check out www.code.org.

More Recipe Cards

I am so proud of the way these turned out! Way to go!

Recipes created using Microsoft Publisher

The students worked diligently this week, searching for and locating their favorite recipes. Then, they used their new Microsoft Publisher skills to reproduce those recipes. Special attention was given to cite the source of the original recipe. Here are a few samples from our 6th grade Integrated Enrichment Cookbook! Enjoy!

Tools for Students and Teachers

Happy Friday Everyone!

As I was scrolling through Twitter this morning I stumbled upon a post from Edudemic. This post was a link to an article citing 20 tech tools every educator should know about. You can read the article by clicking here.

We do already use a few of these tools in class, but I am looking forward to trying some new ones as well! I recommend checking out a few!

Writinghouse.org is a citation generator. Students can easily create bibliographies.

For Science and Social Studies supplements and activities check out, Exploratorium  and iCivics. Exploratorium is a learning laboratory to encourage exploration and lead to profound learning. iCivics also provides interactive and engaging learning resources.

I also recommend HowStuffWorks. Their premise is simple: Demystify the world and do it in a simple, clear-cut way that anyone can understand.

The last site I want to tell you about is DoSomething. This site features weekly calls to action to encourage kids to collaborate with the goal of making a positive social change.

Welcome to TechTalk84!

I love learning about all things technology and sharing that knowledge with my students. This blog is place to read about  technology trends and see what's happening in our classroom. This is my second attempt at blogging and I am very excited about it. Join me as I begin this journey.....Let's Talk Technology.

Additionally, you can connect with me on Edmodo ~ Mrs. S Petrin and Twitter @sarahpetrin. See you online!