| Tip • News
• Lesson Plan • Links
• Sponsor • Unsubscribe
Tip
How do you know whether your primary students have completed their
task?
We often have primary students complete and print a project in
one session. It sometimes get confusing trying to figure out who
has finished and printed and who is still working in our computer
lab settings. Our tip comes from Vince Ardito at Mountain View Elementary
School this time. He says that he used to hide the Browser palette
for the younger students thinking that they didn't need it. But
if you leave it visible, you can tell at a glance whether a particular
student has moved on to free drawing and exploration on a new document.
In this example, the student completed the assignment, printed
it, and followed directions to start a new document. Complete directions
for adjusting the preferences to allow for the change to the students'
environment are on pages 15-22 of the documentation and/or at: www.canvastic.com/support/documentation/preference/
News
Version 2.1 is Posted for Download
Canvastic version 2.1 is now available for download. This is a
free upgrade for all users and is recommended for all users. This
version continues and expands on the concept that the software our
students use to publish should be flexible, powerful, not designed
as a toy, and kept current via updates! There are dozens of refinements
included in this release. Version 2.1 includes the following new
features and bug fixes:
- Text and object shapes print much more clearly.
- Clip Art and inserted graphics now support transparency for
white areas, so you won’t see “white boxes”
around your graphics anymore.
- Word Processing objects correctly display multiple carriage
returns and spaces.
- In addition to inserting common graphic formats (jpg, png,
etc.) they can now be opened directly. They are placed into a
new Canvastic document.
- Saving QuickTime movies is now done more easily, eliminating
a potentially confusing step for users.
- Preference set names will now appear alphabetically regardless
of network server settings that may have previously caused the
list to appear in random order.
- Single pixels can now be properly filled with the Fill tool.
- Several minor interface enhancements.
We value your feedback! Please send ideas and requests to support@canvastic.com
and help shape the future of Canvastic.
Single-User License for Technology Teachers Continues
Canvastic, LLC continues to offer a free license to every technology
teacher everywhere!
If you have purchasing power for software or recommend the purchase
of software for your school or district, you qualify for a complimentary
single-user license of Canvastic. We believe that you will see the
power and control of the learning environment that Canvastic affords.
To take advantage of the special offer, complete a brief on-line
tour at www.canvastic.com/techteacheroffer-as/
that introduces you to the product's features. This URL is specific
and is not linked from the main web site. If you know teachers that
might be interested in this offer, please forward this newsletter
to them.
At the end of the tour you can download the latest version. You
will receive a registration email message within 24 hours with a
personal serial number to un-lock the demonstration version that
is always available for download at www.canvastic.com.
Conferences
We will be demonstrating Canvastic at some upcoming educational
technology conferences.
We know that technology integration specialists like you have
very little time to waste. With that in mind we are hosting and
updating an easy-to-find on-line resource that will help you make
the most of using Canvastic with your students. You will find lessons,
templates and more. Check it out!
Fund Raising Opportunity
You can offer Canvastic to your students to use at home for a
discount and raise funds for your school at the same time. Call
us for details at 877-579-8207. It is easy and you can raise $10
for each copy of Canvastic that your students buy. All you have
to do is take orders and distribute the CDs!
back to top
Lesson Plan
Title: Keyboarding for Kindergarten
Description
This lesson will provide the opportunity for Kindergarten or other
primary students to begin their mastery of the computer keyboard.
They will utilize special Canvastic document worksheets to explore
the keyboard for letters of the alphabet by copying what they see.
Then they will create and type their own text. This activity can
help lay the groundwork for many publishing projects. Without some
level of keyboarding efficiency the students are left to "hunt
and peck" their way through any writing assignment. It is suggested
that these activities be approached as a series. Having the students
do the typing and keyboard exploration for 10 minutes a day for
as long as it takes to see progress (2 or 3 weeks probably).
Procedure
1. Open the keyboarding worksheet. It should be opened with a
preference set that includes the Text and Pointer tools (the first
grade preference set would be appropriate for this activity).
2. The worksheet is arranged to let the student copy the letters
in both the top and bottom sections. When they double click on the
middle boxes they can see the example text and add their own. The
included worksheet contains the entire alphabet in both lower and
upper case but in early sessions you may want to modify the worksheet
to look something like this:
3. Have the children find the letters one by one and
type it repeatedly. Have them insert spaces in appropriate places
to lay the groundwork for correct language spacing. Encourage the
students to verbalize what they are typing and seeing appear on
the screen. "AAA space, BBB, space". And so on.
4. As a conclusion have the students choose the paint
brush and "draw" the letters practiced.
5. Repeat the activity until you start to notice some
fluency. Then the students should start typing their own text!
Note:
The worksheet uses the font Comic Sans which comes close to the
hand printed letters that the students are learning with their pencils
and crayons but you may want to change the font to a more normal
"book type" once they start getting familiar with the
activity.
Note: Once
the students are feeling more comfortable about finding the keys,
they will start to become faster. This is the time to introduce
these 3 simple rules for primary keyboarding. Remember
that primary students will not become touch typists for years but
these rules will help shape that reality for them.
- Use 2 hands!
- Use the pinkie on the Shift key.
- Use the thumb on the space bar.
Walking around the lab and reminding students individually
of these rules is crucial to success.
Needs and Preparation
back to top
Links
Keyboarding Links
Keyboarding Lesson Plan from Education World -
www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/99-1/lesson0008.shtml
Primary Keyboarding Ideas to Enhance Writing Skills-
www.psd267.wednet.edu/~kfranz/Literacy/primarykeyboarding.htm
Some great keyboarding links from Wacona Elementary School-
www.wacona.com/keyboarding/keyboarding.html
Canvastic Links
Home Page: www.canvastic.com
Download: www.canvastic.com/support/download/
Community Page: www.canvastic.com/community/
Tour: www.canvastic.com/techteacheroffer/
Sponsor
www.academicsuperstore.com
~
800-817-2347
Savings, Selection, Service
with Free Shipping for on-line orders!
Unsubscribe
To remove your email address from the Canvastic Newsletter list,
just reply to this message with “unsubscribe newsletter”
in the subject line.
back to top |
Volume
1 Issue 2