Year F-6

by

Breaking down keyboard skills – e-learning

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year Level: F-6

Strand: Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Sub strand: Digital Systems

Digital systems (hardware and software) are used everyday life and have specific features

Link to the resource

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/computer-skills/

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities

Literacy

Personal and social capabilities

ICT capabilities

Links to other learning areas

HASS

A classroom activity using this resource

This is a fun way to encourage our students to learn and practice their keyboard writing skills. Modules are related to their ability levels and interests which they may be learning in school e.g. space. From learning where to place their fingers, understand keyboard key location, how to create symbols or practice to increase their speed and accuracy on a keyboard. What makes these modules fun is that with these activities, students can explore with dinosaurs, ancient ruins or space, while practising their keyboarding skills by breaking them down into manageable concepts and tasks as well as following patterns of keyboarding. Students can begin as young as foundation to year 6 to gain the ability to use digital systems for their computer literacy skills.

How to use this resource

Computer time or digital technology lessons can sometimes seem limited with such a packed curriculum. Some schools only allow a class as little as an hour with digital technology such as the computer room, laptops or iPad. This resource only needs a maximum of 20 minutes, for students to practice their keyboard skills, in fun modules which are broken down into manageable tasks. Then teachers can go on with their planned lessons. To use this resource students’ can choose their own module based on their own keyboarding ability. All you, as the teacher, needs to do is monitor that they have chosen the best module for their ability. There are 25 stories and activities within 5 modules:

Module 1: Alphabetic keys

Module 2: Number and symbol keys

Module 3: Keyboarding mastery

Module 4: Increase speed and accuracy

Module 5: Practice and improvement

by

Splash ABC

Subject: Digital TechnologiesSplash ABC

Year Level: 3-4

Strand: Digital Processes and production skills

Sub Strand: Using digital systems

4.2 Investigate how well information systems meet home, classroom and community needs and envisage new applications for existing information systems (ACARA, 2013)

Link to resource

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#/home

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Level 3 –  Identify the impacts of ICT in society identify the value and role of ICT use at home and school (ACARA, 2015)

Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT), Level 3 – Identify and clarify information and ideas – identify main ideas and select and clarify information from a range of sources (ACARA, 2015)

Links to other areas
This resource can be linked to all learning areas if desired. This is due to the variety of information available on the website.

A classroom activity using this resource
This website has a number of informative and educational videos available. The video, Into to Scratch 2.0, is a great resource to help students learn how to program Scratch. Each video has an overview explaining the video’s purpose and also a section for teachers. In the teacher section it links each video to a  year group, ACARA strand and content descriptor. In the Into to Scratch 2.0 video it is linked to both years 3 and 4. The students could watch this video as a class or in small groups as a introduction to the Scratch program. Students can then explore the program. Once the students are familiar with the programming they can watch more tutorial videos on Splash to learn more about Scratch, e.g. how to change colours in Scratch or adding sound to Scratch. This website allows students to learn at their own pace and review videos as they need, a wonderful resource for teachers to know about.

Splash Scratch

How to use this resource

  1. place the web address in address bar: http://splash.abc.net.au/home#/resources/-/technologies/all/all
  2. select the year and subject desired or use the search bar available
  3. browse videos until an appropriate one is found

Splash