HYPERMEDIA

Although most students under grade 3 haven't had formal keyboarding, they can still create their own multimedia storybook.  By teaming younger students (grades K-3) with older students (grades 4-8) they can work together to generate an interactive storybook.   The older student provides knowledge of the presentation software and keyboarding skills while the younger child generates the story at an appropriate reading level and creates pictures.  There are many ways to undertake such a project.  One suggestion is to have the younger child create a storyboard and pictures ahead of time.   The older student may benefit from looking at commercial multimedia storybooks to see what elements best fit younger readers. A wonderful example of this type of project is the VietNam Picture Book created by a group of second grade students.

Another use of presentation software for younger students is teacher-created files.   Teachers (or older student assistants) can generate interactive quizzes, storybooks, and multimedia notes of a class project.  This use of presentation programs allows the teacher to make the content specific to what the students have been doing in class.  Not only will the students benefit from seeing and hearing the information, but they can take place in its creation also.  Allow students, or groups of students, to create some of the questions for a multimedia quiz. Additionally, students can draw pictures that can be scanned into the presentation or pictures can be taken using a digital cameras. To see an example, go the Abraham Lincoln online quiz that a group of first grade students and their teacher created. 

SPREADSHEETS

Spreadsheets can assist the younger student in understanding math concepts by establishing a visual representation of numerical information.  Students will not create the spreadsheet, but instead use an already created and formatted template.   Every time a student enters a number onto the spreadsheet, he/she will see how it affects the total, graph, or other parts of the spreadsheets. Click here to see some visual examples using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

USING THE INTERNET

The Internet can be used as a resource of information, free educational games, webquests, collaborative projects and much more. Listed below are some websites for the K-3 age group.

• WEBQUESTS

• LANGUAGE ARTS

• MATH

• SOCIAL STUDIES

• HEALTH AND FITNESS

• SCIENCE

• ONLINE GAMES

• SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS

• RESOURCE WEBSITES

• INTERACTIVE & COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS

TIPS & TRICKS

• How to Download Files

• Using Windows Explorer

Email:  dgarman@bright.net