Get as creative as you want with the pictures that go at the four points of the compass rose–let the kids be creative!

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II. (more…)

Create the drawings in KidPix for grades kindergarten and first. By second grade, you can have students insert them into PowerPoint as a slideshow for Open House. (more…)

Reinforce Dolch words and sentence structure with KidPix text tool and drawing options.

Before you start this project, be sure to go through How to KidPix I and How to KidPix II. (more…)

According to the creator, “KidPix combines art tools, graphic capability with ease of use and powerful new teacher tools to inspire creativity and learning.” According to the world, it’s the most popular drawing program for kids. Ever.

In this lesson, students learn about tools, toolbars, drag-drop, multi-media, menus—all tech basics. Every kindergarten-second grader should start with this lesson, and then move on as they master the rudiments. Besides provide tech basics, this project appeals to a student’s creativity and desire for the personal. And, it’s quick and easy. (more…)

Are you just starting your child on the computer but aren’t sure which program would be best for the youngest learners? You want more than the clicking around that kids seem to start in the womb. You want a program that teaches a bit about mouse functions, tools and toolbars, maybe even some text?

You’re looking for KidPix. (more…)

Letter writing Lesson Plan

Kindergarten and 1st graders (and 2nd graders) can write increasingly complex letters like these with guidance and preparation:

How? Follow these steps:

• Discuss letter writing skills such as:
  • open with a greeting
  • describe actions, thoughts, and feelings where required
  • use temporal words to signal event order where required
  • end with a closing
• In a word processing program like KidPix or a drawing program, for grade 2, type heading (name, teacher, date) and align it to the left.
• Have students type a letter to parents about why they are thankful (or another topic). Show 2nd graders how to select a font size 14-16 and adjust font look. Remind them that text wraps to next line—no need to push enter.
• As they type, reinforce age appropriate keyboarding skills such as elbows at your sides, hands on homerow, legs in front of your body.
• 2nd grade: Show them how to check grammar/spelling by clearing red/green squiggles.
• When done, work with neighbor to insure:

• • sentence fluency
  • good grammar and spelling
  • proper letter writing style

Here’s a rubric appropriate for 2nd grade or higher: (more…)

When students — and adults — think of learning to keyboard, it usually generates images of rote drills where you sweat over a keyboard as you’re graded on speed and accuracy.

Trying to change that image is what has driven many teachers to online sites but these often teach in an automated, undifferentiated way — logon, do exercises, repeat — that bores some and doesn’t work for others.

The feedback I often get on these sorts of sites is that students do improve speed and accuracy but only on the site. When they apply the knowledge to authentic situations (like typing a book report or an essay), students return to hunt-and-peck, watching their hands, and hating what they’re doing.

There’s a better way to learn keyboarding: Blended Learning. When I teach keyboarding, I use a variety of approaches, none too long and never too much, so each remains fresh and challenging rather than boring and repetitive. Here are some of the methods I mix up in my classes:

(more…)

Need a few websites to fill in free minutes? Here are holiday websites that will keep students busy while teaching them (click for updates to list):

1. 12 Days of Christmas
2. Christmas Celebrations Across the World (video)
3. Christmas puzzles and games
4. Christmas—history—fun video
5. Christmas Traditions Around the World (video)
6. Gift Hunt–updated version of 12 Days of Christmas–just as much fun
7. Holiday Crossword
8. Holiday Elf Games
9. Holiday—Math Facts
10. Holiday—North Pole Academy
11. Phone call from Santa
12. Santa Tracker

(more…)

Here are the basic skills fifth graders can learn in Photoshop if you’ve prepared them with basic computer skills:

• Photoshop artwork–live
• Photoshop actions–live
• Photoshop basics #5 live
• Photoshop filter and rendering tools #9 live (this one)
• Photoshop starters–auto-correct with the auto-correction — live quick fixes that make a photo look cleaner #6
• Photoshop crop tool–Live
• Photoshop clone tool– live
• Photoshop–change the background–live
• Photoshop tools–add custom shapes–live
• Photoshop–start with Word –live (a little dated but still useful)

Ready? Let’s start with what Adobe Photoshop is–a grown-up KidPix, and the default photo-editing program for anyone serious about graphics. This series of projects (available in 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom Volume I) introduces students to a traditionally-challenging program in an easy to understand way, each scaffolding to the next, thus avoiding the frustration and confusion inherent in most Photoshop training.

Adobe Photoshop has an impressive collection of tools to add pizazz to pics. You might have students open their school picture for this project. They love working with their own image.

• #1: Artistic Renderings—artistic overlays that add flair to pictures. Go to Filter—artistic and it brings up dozens of choices. Try some (it gives a preview of the result) and select a favorite.

• #2: blur and smudge tools on left tool bar to soften the background, and sharpen a focal point.

• #3: Use Filter-render-clouds to create a cloudy background (the colors of your foreground and background tool)

Troubleshooting Tips

• I can’t get the right colors for the clouds (check your foreground and background tools. That’s where Photoshop takes the colors)

• I’m trying to drag the picture but I get an error message (Check your layers. Do the have the correct layer highlighted?)

• I don’t have Photoshop. (Try GIMP–it’s free)

Do you have questions? Please add a comment and I’ll answer. Thanks.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

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Copyright ©2025 worddreams.wordpress.com – All rights reserved.

“The content presented in this blog is the result of my creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Adobe Photoshop is kind of KidPix for grown-ups, as well as the default photo-editing program for anyone serious about graphics. This series of projects (available in the first volume of the book, 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom) introduces students to a traditionally-challenging program in an easy to understand way, each project scaffolding to the next, thus avoiding the frustration and confusion inherent in most Photoshop training.

Here are the skills fifth graders can learn in Photoshop if you’ve prepared them with basic computer skills. I’ve provided links. The bolded ones are published, unbolded coming soon:

• Photoshop artwork–live
• Photoshop actions–live
• Photoshop basics #5 live
• Photoshop filter and rendering tools
• Photoshop starters–auto-correct with the auto-correction — live quick fixes that make a photo look cleaner #6
• Photoshop crop tool–Live
• Photoshop clone tool– live
• Photoshop–change the background–live
• Photoshop tools–add custom shapes–live
• Photoshop–start with Word –live (a little dated but still useful)

Today: Cloning

The clone tool duplicates a hard to crop-and-copy image (like the flowers below) or deletes part of a background—a sign or a post in a nature scene—you don’t want there. You can clone within a picture (as with the flowers), (more…)