May 26, 2009

I hope you all had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.  In Keyboarding/Digital Citizenship, students are working diligently toward their final benchmark for the class.

I have changed the due date of the final activity packet to this Friday, May 29, 2009.  I had not yet announced a due date to the students, hoping they would turn the packet in early.  But because schedules get so busy, I want them by Friday so I can correct them over the weekend and give students a chance to make corrections if necessary.  If you have any questions about this final activity, please let me know.

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May 12, 2009

Grades have been updated for digital citizenship activities that were handed in as of yesterday (5/11).  Students should hand in late work as soon as possible.  We are working on benchmark 3 now in keyboarding and have just completed Technique Grade #5.

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May 8, 2009

We have completed the instructional portion our digital citizenship unit with information about searching, evaulating websites and citing information in a bibliography.  Students who did not finish activities in class will need to finish at home.  The final culminating project will be handed out next week, due at the end of the trimester.

We will get back into keyboarding next Monday, starting work towards benchmark 3!

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April 24, 2009

Students dove right back into keyboarding this week and have been progressing very quickly!  Some still need to build some better technique habits, so please encourage their self-discipline in this area at home as well.  We will have our second benchmark next week on Wednesday then will work on another digital citizenship unit.

Grades online have been updated with the latest technique scores and any missing digital citizenship assignments.

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April 17, 2009

We haven't had keyboarding class much in the last couple of weeks, with Holy Angels on spring break last week and then the 6th graders at Camp St. Croix this week.  We finished up the first half of our digital citizenship unit and are now back at the keyboards working on the next benchmark.

Grades have been posted, updated with the digital citizenship activities and second technique grade.

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April 2, 2009

We started our digital citizenship unit this week.  Students have learned about what it means to be a responsible digital citizen as well as how to keep their information safe when using digital communications.  I encourage you to talk with your son or daughter about what we are discussing in class and how that information might tie into your rules at home about using these resources.  Some questions you might ask:

What is the purpose for the BCC field in email and when should it be used?

How is private identity information different from personal information?  Which is ok to share with online friends?

What are some tips for creating a strong password?

How might I be able to tell if an email message is spam or phishing?

Students took a "Phishing IQ" quiz earlier this week to test their knowledge about spam - you might find it helpful as well (I have!).  Test yourself!

We will close this portion of our digital citizenship unit with a lesson about cyberbullying.  I know the 6th graders worked on some lessons earlier this year for Kids Teaching Kids about bullying - many of the same concepts will be discussed but as they relate to digital communications.

We do NOT have class next week due to Holy Angels' spring break.  When we return after Easter, it will be back to keyboarding for a couple of weeks as students work towards their second benchmark.

Have a wonderful and blessed Easter!

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March 20, 2009

Students have already completed their first benchmark in keyboarding!  I decided to complete this task before spring break to give students a better chance at improving their progress on future benchmarks rather than take a score after being away from the keyboard for over a week.  Most students are progressing well - I can already see improvement and the impact of starting good keyboarding habits in 5th grade.  Grades have been updated on the website.  The grade report has notes from me about how to improve or where to focus their attention in the next benchmark period, but if you have any concerns about your student's grade at this point, please feel free to contact me.

We will be starting the first part of our digital citizenship unit right after spring break, so students should have a folder and writing utensil with them in class.  Please encourage your child to talk with you about what they are learning - you might learn something too!  We'll spend a week on digital citizenship then get back into keyboarding for the second benchmark period.

Have a wonderful break, stay safe, and enjoy the time with your children if you have that opportunity!

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March 18, 2009

Welcome to keyboarding and digital citizenship! We are looking forward to a great trimester. We have added an element to the required keyboarding class that will include a unit about safety and ethics regarding digital media and the internet. As the internet becomes more a part of the daily lives of our students, we want to make sure they are learning how to make responsible choices while surfing the web and using it as a resource.

Watch here for information about what we are covering in class as well as grade updates (linked below). As always with a skill such as keyboarding, practice is KEY! Use some of the links provided to get some extra practice at home.  I do have dates entered on the calendar feature here, but please note that all dates are tentative.

Make sure you sign up for updates so you are notified when I make changes or updates to this page!

For the 2nd Trimester Keyboarding class --
The digital citizenship packets have been corrected and can be picked up from me in my office (Room 303).

You may remove yourself from the Notify list to discontinue receiving updates to this page, or contact me and I can remove your name for you.

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February 26, 2009

The end of the trimester is approaching quickly!  Students completed Technique 7 today, with one remaining.  The final benchmark will be next week Tuesday and Thursday.  Students will have multiple chances to meet the speed and accuracy goals.  Grades have been posted online as of this morning's technique grade.

The digital citizenship packet is due Monday, March 2, 2009.  For packets handed in on Monday, I will mark areas for improvement or corrections and return them to students on Tuesday.  Final date to turn in the packet for credit is the last day of the trimester, Thursday, March 5, 2009.

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February 19, 2009

We just completed keyboarding benchmark 3 and technique 5.  Grades have been posted online.  As I look ahead at our calendar, it looks as if we'll only have time for 8 technique scores rather than the 9 I had originally scheduled, but that should not affect any student grades.

Students received the digital citizenship final project packet on Friday, Feb. 6, and are encouraged to complete it early so there is time to make corrections for full credit.  This project is about one quarter of the student's final grade, so it is essential they hand it in on time.  The project is due Monday, March 2, 2009.

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February 3, 2009

As we wrap up our digital citizenship unit, students are hard at work completing activities about searching, copyright and evaluating web sites.  We should be finished with the instruction of the unit by Thursday (2/5) at which point students will receive their final culminating project.  This project is worth about a quarter of their final grade.  While they will have some time to complete the on-line portions in class, most work should be done on their own.  They may enlist the help of an adult and are encouraged to hand in the project early so they have time to make corrections for full credit.  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about this project.  It will be due a couple of days before the end of the trimester but can be handed in starting next week.

Next week I will be gone Wednesday-Friday.  Mrs. Kerr will be my sub on Wednesday and Mr. Stock on Thursday (we don't have enhancements on Friday).  Students will be working on their keyboarding for Benchmark 3, which will be on the 17th or 18th of February.

Grades have been posted including work that was to be handed in so far for the digital citizenship unit.  Please check regularly to make sure your student is caught up - these activities will help in completing their final project.

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January 27, 2009

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

This week we are doing a little catch-up from me being out with my son who was sick last week.  While I was gone, students started work towards their next keyboarding benchmark so we wouldn't miss too much time.  Now we are back to digital citizenship talking about spam, phishing, how to email safely and stay safe when chatting and using other online communication tools.  Next we'll be talking about using the internet as a resource for school work and other information gathering.

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January 15, 2009

We have just started our Digital Citizenship unit, which will last 2-3 weeks.  Students completely their 2nd benchmark on Tuesday, and grades have been updated and posted.  You should have also seen a copy of their grades come home for you to sign.  Much of our Digital Citizenship work will be done in class, but there will be occasional homework if we don't finish.  Students should hand in the work the next day.  I will try to complete any lessons that require internet connection in class.

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January 7, 2009

Welcome back!  Students got right back into the swing of things after Christmas Break.  I hope you all had a restful holiday and enjoyed the time with your children and families.

This week we've already completed our second technique grade and will complete the third early next week.  Next Tuesday (Jan. 13) is scheduled for the second benchmark.  After that, we will take a break from keyboarding and work on the Digital Citizenship unit.  If you'd like to look ahead to what types of things we'll be doing in that unit, I take most of my materials from the CyberSmart Curriculum.  I encourage students to take home what we talk about in class to discuss it with their parents.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me.

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December 18, 2008

Students had their first keyboarding benchmark on Tuesday and did very well - look for printouts of their grades to come home Friday, Dec. 19, 2008.  Many students are working well towards speed and accuracy goals.  Grades for the benchmark and the first technique grade have been posted (see links below).  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday with family and friends.  I'm looking forward to the time off, as I'm sure the students are!  Enjoy all of your blessings, and I look forward to seeing refreshed faces in the new year!

Merry Christmas!
-Mrs. Elfering

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December 9, 2008

I have updated the calendar on this page to reflect tentative dates for the course activities.  Please note that for about two weeks after Benchmark 2, we will be in our digital citizenship unit, and a project will be assigned at the conclusion of that unit that will be due at the end of the course.  I will give them some time to work on the project in class, but most of the work should be done at home.

I will be begin grading technique this week - ALL students now know what is expected and have all the tools they need to get an 'A' in that portion of their grade.  Now they'll need to use their own discipline each day in class to achieve that result!

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December 4, 2008

Welcome to keyboarding and digital citizenship! We are looking forward to a great trimester. We have added an element to the class that will include a unit about safety and ethics regarding digital media and the internet. As the internet becomes more a part of the daily lives of our students, we want to make sure they are learning how to make responsible choices while surfing the web and using it as a resource.

Watch here for information about what we are covering in class as well as grade updates (linked below). As always with a skill such as keyboarding, practice is KEY! Use some of the links provided to get some extra practice at home.  I will make use of the calendar feature here, but please note that all dates are tentative.

Make sure you sign up for updates so you are notified when I make changes or updates to this page!

For the 1st trimester Keyboarding class --
The digital citizenship final projects I received have been graded and will be entered today, along with the final benchmark grades.  I apologize for the delay.  I was waiting to see if more would be turned in.  Unfortunately, almost half of the students did not turn in the project, resulting in a much lower grade.

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November 13, 2008

We just completed another technique grade this week and have only one left!  After that, the lowest technique grade gets dropped, including up to one absence if necessary.

The Digital Citizenship Final Project is due the last day of class, November 21, 2008, but students are still encouraged to hand it in early so I can look over their work and give them a chance to make necessary corrections.

We also have one last benchmark, scheduled for Friday, November 21, 2008.

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November 7, 2008

We have just completed our third benchmark for Keyboarding.  Students have continued to improve in their keyboarding skills!  Technique has looked very good this week.  Grades are now posted for the benchmark and technique from this week.

Change in syllabus!  We will only have time for four benchmarks with the addition of the digital citizenship unit.  The speed goal for that final benchmark the last week of class will be 25 AWPM.

Students received their final project for the digital citizenship unit this week.  The project/packet is due the last day of class (Nov. 21), but students are encouraged to hand it in early to have time to make any necessary corrections for full credit.  The project covers everything we discussed in class, and students have their handouts and worksheets for reference.  They should work individually but can ask an adult (parent, guardian or teacher) for help.  Students who do not have internet access at home should do those parts of the packet at school or the library under adult supervision.

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October 27, 2008

I did update this page last week, but something must have happened in the save process that it didn't actually update!  I'll have to be more careful about checking.

We are back into the keyboarding portion of the course now, and students seem to be picking up where they left off.  Technique still looks fairly good and will continue to be graded until the end of the trimester.  Grades will be posted today showing missing homework and the latest technique and benchmark grades.

I am in the process of going over all of the worksheets from the Digital Citizenship unit (still waiting on a few students' homework to come in).  Students will get these back and will use them as a resource packet for a culminating activity so that I can assess what they have learned.  The activity will take place both in class and as homework and will have a variety of independent tasks.  Our Digital Citizenship curriculum is taken from the CyberSmart Education Company.  You can visit their website for more information.

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October 14, 2008

Well, I already have another change to our schedule!  Yesterday's lesson on searching took longer than I had planned, and since I don't want to rush through the information about evaluating websites, copyright rules and citing sources, our culminating activity will not be until after we return from MEA break.

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October 13, 2008

My apologies for neglecting to write an update last week.  It was a busy one!

Students made exceptional progress in their second benchmark.  I saw great improvement from many of the students, which makes me very happy!  They work very diligently in class and even earned some game time over the past couple of weeks.

Last week and this week in class we are working on our Digital Citizenship unit.  Last week students learned about what "cyberspace" is and how to keep themselves safe when using online communications.  They learned about private identity information and personal information and what they should and should not share in various places on the internet.  They learned about using good manners and the do's and don't's of online messaging and email.  This week we are talking about using the internet as a resource, using keyword searches, how to evaluate websites, and how to cite their sources.  Wednesday of this week (10/15) we will complete a culminating activity to review what they have learned, and I hope to re-visit the information later in the trimester as well.  Students will leave on Wednesday with their entire packet of activities and resources that they should keep for future reference.  Ask them about what they have learned - you never know what you might learn too!

After our State Convention break, we'll get back to keyboarding.  Enjoy the long weekend!

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